"Francesco has been shot." Giuseppe had told her, "It isn't good."
Seven words that Eleanor had never wanted to hear. Seven words had made Eleanor's world stand still. Eleanor had felt like she was the butt of a joke, finally achieving everything she had ever wanted, and losing it before she had a chance to fix it.
Giselle wasn't much of a help in strength, she cried just as much as Eleanor. If not, more. Eleanor had assumed Francesco was Giselle's weakness because the woman looked worse than Eleanor did for those first two days. The entire family had been rocked by the blow.
They finally stabilized Francesco on day three. He was in a medically induced coma, but at the very least he was alive. Eleanor had been terrified to see him; she didn't want to see Francesco so close to death.
When she entered the room, Giselle had a grip on her arm as though she were hanging off a cliff. They had approached Francesco, the only sounds in the room had been the machine breathing for him and the steady beeping of his heart monitor.
Eleanor remembered letting out a shuttered broken breath before she took to his side. And since then, she hadn't left. No matter who strolled through the doors, Eleanor stuck to Francesco's side. She demanded that Giselle keep mum about the pregnancy, but she could see Giselle cracking as she watched how little Eleanor had taken care of herself.
Still, Eleanor spent all of her free time there next to Francesco. She had told him about every aspect of her life up until meeting him. Testing to see if he was faking, Eleanor had even told her of some of her exes, but Francesco didn't stir.
She juggled her time between being sick with anxiety, cursing Luca, and hating herself for letting him walk into that situation alone. It took bribery from Giuseppe to even convince Eleanor to step away for even a second.
For the most part, no one disturbed her. Unfortunately, though everything for her felt halted, life still went on. Deals need to be overseen, work had to be completed, and in his absence, all of the Deluca siblings took on the responsibility.
Even then, they still managed to visit numerous times a day. The only people who had not moved from the building like Eleanor had been Henri and Louis.
No matter what time of day or night, whenever she managed to step away from Francesco Henri and Louis were always sitting directly outside the doors in the hall.
They had told her it was because they were ordered to protect her, but even Eleanor knew they were worried themselves.
When the door to Francesco's room opened Eleanor picked p her head, expecting Giselle or Giuseppe to be on the other side of the door.
To her surprise, it had been his mother. She looked extremely well put together she always had, though her eyes were red and sore much like her own.
Eleanor stood, unsure of what to do and not wanting to irritate the woman on a day as serious as this.
"You can sit," Cara said, her voice sounding regal. She walked over to the other side of the bed looking down on Francesco. He had tubes and wire coming from everywhere and he was incredibly pale.
Cara placed her hand on his forehead and said a small prayer before turning her attention back to Eleanor, "I would've been back sooner, but leave it to my children to neglect to tell their mother."
Eleanor only gave her an awkward smile as she watched her tenderness form over Francesco. She was starting to understand the woman a little better.
"How is he?" She asked.
"He has been stable since last night, they are just keeping him asleep to give him time to heal," Eleanor answered, giving the same report she had been saying over and over again for three days.
"Where was he shot?" She looked down at him, from everything visible, he looked completely unharmed, aside from the ghastly look on his skin.
"He was shot in his stomach, doctors said the bullet travels through his torso and out of his shoulder. He will need some time to heal."
"I am glad they kept him asleep, knowing my boy he would try to walk out of here before his eyes opened." Cara smiled, and to Eleanor, it was odd to see the woman smile in her presence.
Cara walked from the other side of the bed and walked towards Eleanor, "And you? How have you been?"
Unprepared for the inquiry, Eleanor stuttered, "I am fine." She lied just as easily as she had before.
Cara asked her lips, "Henri worries over you and he has told me you haven't eaten a thing." She pulled out the large designer beg at her side and handed Eleanor glass Tupperware filled with what looked like to be pasta. "It was all I could make in so little time, but you need to eat."
The bowl was still warm, and not wanting to earn the other side of Cara, Eleanor took the bowl. Cara stood expectantly, waiting for her to open the lid. Eleanor knew she wouldn't be able to get out of it, so she did as she was told.
Her stomach protested — it had been in knots since the night Eleanor found out that Francesco was shot. She hadn't been able to keep a thing down or even the ability to muster up an appetite.
Cara sat down next to her after she observed Eleanor take her first bite.
"Henri and Louis told me you haven't left his side since your arrival." Cara said, "And that is admirable because his siblings can't keep their asses in one location with troubles."
Eleanor didn't speak and let the woman continue, "I have been in your place many times before, Eleanor. So I know how you feel, and when I heard — I was afraid for my son, but happy someone was there with him."
"Everyone is there for him." Eleanor corrected.
"And yet who currently sits in this room? My children think caring for someone is based on actions and never just being." Cara waved her hand dismissively, "That is not the point, I raised them to be that way."
"Is that why you were so adamant we don't get married?" Eleanor asked.
"No, I was adamant because I didn't like you." Cara corrected, "But I have realized the error in my judgments. I have been Francesco be broken by a woman before, you know. It was something I vowed not to sit through again."
That part she could understand, but Eleanor was curious to know why Cara felt it necessary to walk around the house like a tyrant.
Cara continued, "But one thing I do know about you is that you care about my son. I have never had to question that."
"You have a funny way of showing it," Eleanor said, and Cara laughed lightly.
"You lose trust over time in this lifestyle." Cara mused. Discomfort settled in Eleanor's stomach as she felt the same sensations of knots turning in her stomach.
Cara had begun to talk about her trial of attempting to get to Sicily from Greece at the last minute. All of her trials and tribulations seemed a little less serious than the matter at hand, but Eleanor was thankful the woman was even speaking with her.
The more Cara spoke though, the more unwell Eleanor had felt. She tried her hardest to remain alert and attentive, but Cara's words began to jumble in her mind for a moment. She could feel familiar nausea, and unable to keep up with her poker face, Eleanor jumped up from the small vinyl couch in the office room and ran to the small bathroom in the corner.
She hadn't had the time to close the door, and in her concern, Cara followed closely behind, wondering what had the girl jumping out of her seat and running off.
Eleanor made it to the toilet just in time for the toilet to catch the contents of her stomach, the smell of the freshly eaten food turning into bile so quickly made it all the worse.
Her stomach emptied the contents as though it was happy she finally had something to throw up. She felt cold soft hands on the back of her neck and Cara pulled her curls out of her face.
For a moment, Eleanor felt extremely comforted as Cara murmured something softly under her breath. It had almost felt like her own mother was there.
When she finished, she stood on shaky legs and flushed the toilet, moving to the sink to wash her hands and brush her teeth yet again.
Cara lingered in the doorway, only visible to Eleanor by her reflection in the mirror. She had her arms crossed and a knowing smile on her lips, "Ti aspetti?" She inquired, though Eleanor hadn't understood the question.
"Hm?"
"How long have you been throwing up like this?"
Eleanor shrugged, "Since I found out Francesco was in the hospital. I always throw up when I am nervous, it is some awful defense mechanism."
"Defense? What defense?" Cara asked incredulously, "You said yourself he is fine. So what would warrant this?"
Eleanor turned and gave her a curious look, "It's been an eventful week."
"Oh, I would imagine." Cara mused. She hadn't said another word before she walked out of the bathroom and resumed her seat, squarely packing away the food.
When Eleanor was finished, she walked back out of the bathroom, first glancing over to the sleeping Francesco.
As usual, nothing had changed.
"It may be out of place for me to say this, but you know I have never cared about stepping on any toes." Cara filed her hands on he lap, "But when I was pregnant with Giuseppe I couldn't eat a single thing and if ate, it would come back up soon after."
"What do you mean?" Eleanor asked, and admittedly the question sounded dumb when it had been obvious as to what Cara was implying.
It was a thought she had spent the past two days trying to ignore. And events herself she would repeat the same story about nerves and nausea but it was denial fueling her disbelief.
After all, she had been there for two months and had been having sex with Francesco for a month. It only took once... she thought to herself.
"Ask the doctors for a pregnancy test," Cara said. Eleanor was sure that her intention was for it to be a suggestion but it came out more as a demand. "It is better to know and not worry."
Eleanor looked over to Francesco in the bed and she could feel her anxiety spike in her chest. This was news she did want to learn on her own. She had imagined she could wait and put off the knowledge.
Unfortunately, Cara's words had done nothing but influence her curiosity even more. Cara placed her hands over Eleanor's who were wringing in her lap.
"You are not alone, Eleanor. I am here." She reassured.
Reluctantly, Eleanor nodded her head and watched Cara's figure disappear as she fetched a nearby nurse.
When she turned back to Francesco all she could pray was for him to be okay and be able to wake up soon.
She would give anything to hear his voice just one more time...
~*~
Eleanor lay on the bed that evening relaying aloud her meeting with Cara to a sleeping Francesco. She wasn't sure if he could even hear her, but in these hours there were fewer visits, allowing her to climb in by his side, making sure not to fuss with any of the wires.
She had taken a blood test with Cara in the room hours earlier, but unfortunately, unlike drug stores tests, the results weren't instant.
Still, while he slept, she mused her thoughts of having a child this soon — something she hadn't planned, wanted, or expected.
At least if you asked her that a few years ago, that would be her answer. Now she felt more unsure than anything and wanted nothing more than to speak to a conscious Francesco about all of this.
Eleanor felt as though she had been talking for the past three hours straight. Earlier that morning, Eleanor had been asleep on his chest when he began fighting against his breathing tube.
It had taken moments for Eleanor to call the nurses who had removed the breathing tube and taken him off of the medically induced coma.
Eleanor had waited in agony for him to wake afterward, talking to him so that the first thing he'd hear was her voice.
"I think you owe me an official honeymoon after this. I was thinking of Paris so I can show you my knowledge of the language. You always said you'd take me and let me do all the talking." Eleanor said.
"I will be patient for your recovery, but you'd be a liar if you didn't follow through." Eleanor continued, "And when you wake, I will tell you how lethal your baby sister is. She took out so many men in one fight. I think she is tougher than you and Enzo combined."
"I know. Why do you think I sent you with her instead of my men?" Francesco's voice vibrated from beneath Eleanor's ear that was laying on his chest. Her head popped up to see Francesco's brown eyes staring back at her with a smirk on his face.
Eleanor gasped in joyful shock; Francesco was awake.