Aria's POV
It felt like everything around me was moving in slow motion. When I fell to the ground with Dom in my arms, I noticed the older man that was with Tony earlier standing at the entrance of the building holding a gun. Ruby reacted outrageously as she cocked her gun and shot him in the head.
"Fucking Ivanovich!" She screamed out. "Marcel..." She trailed off. I could see she was scared as she looked from Marcel to Dom's body on my lap. I looked back down at him, his face draining of color, his blood coating my hands, and his eyes shut. This can't be happening. I just got him back.
"I know! Call Dr. Smith! Tell him to meet us at the warehouse and that we are on our way!" Marcel tried getting to Dom's body, but his words brought out the lioness in me.
"No!!" I shrieked at him, causing him to stop abruptly. "You will not be doing that mafia bullshit you guys have embedded in your brains. He will not make it to the warehouse and he, most definitely, will not make it through any form of 'treatment' your ordinary doctor might do. Ruby only survived because I bought her time. Without it, she wouldn't be standing here today. So, you do whatever the fuck you need to do to hide his identity but Dom is going to the hospital! And if you disagree with me and don't like that, then you're going to have to shoot me in order to stop me."
Marcel stared at me then looked over to Ruby who held her hands up in defeat. I pulled off my hoodie, leaving me in a flimsy tank top. I folded it and placed Dom's head on it, lifting myself as I kneeled by his side. I felt so weak but I needed to find any last bit of energy to save him or try to.
"Ruby, the knife!" I pointed towards the knife beside Tony's dead body. She quickly grabbed it and placed it in my hand. I sliced Dom's shirt and ripped the rest of it, giving me access to his open wound.
"Ruby, please get Olivia on the phone."
She never once hesitated or fought me, and Marcel stood by watching. I was thankful for their lack of interference. I, honestly, don't have the energy for bickering right now. I was running on the last bit of adrenalin left in me and that was going to be used on the man I love. I started tearing his shirt into pieces, placing them over his wound and applying pressure. I needed to find a better solution and fast.
I heard the phone on loudspeaker while it rang.
"Marcel, the steel pipe," I instructed him. "And do you have a lighter?"
He handed me the pipe then dug into his pockets while shaking his head. Ruby placed a lighter in my hand that was outstretched awaiting the object. I took it and started heating a section of the pipe, holding the flame beneath it, with my knee on the bleeding wound.
"Hey, baby! Please tell me you have fou-" I heard Olivia's voice on the line.
"Oli! It's me!" I cut her off.
"Oh, thank God! They found you." She sighed into the phone.
"Oli, I need a huge favor and I need you to please listen to me carefully." She noticed the sheer desperation in my voice as she entered a serious mode instantly.
"Got it."
"I need you to phone Thomas. I need his ambulance... Off the books, Oli. He owes me one. He needs to return my favor and turn a blind eye to what he sees today."
"He will, Ari. Dialing his number on the hospital phone now." She said confidently.
"Good. Ruby will give you our location. Next, I need an OR ready and I want only the chief in there. No other surgeon or nurse beside you and the chief. Prepare for a GSW to the abdomen, no exit wound, and a makeshift cauterization. He will need a blood transfusion so get O-positive ready."
"On it. Thomas is on his way as soon as I give him coordinates."
"Good. Oh, and Oli?"
"Yeah?"
"Make sure Dr. Adams is far away from me because I swear to God, I will punch his teeth out today."
I heard her chuckle over the phone.
"Don't worry, friend. I got you."
I nodded to Ruby, who took the phone and began calling out our location. I lifted my knee and the pieces of clothing. I quickly placed the burning section of the pipe against his skin, over the wound, noticing Dom's body jerk, reacting to the pain. Thank God, he is still there.
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" I heard Marcel at my side, with a fallen tone.
"Deadly." I didn't look at him. Instead, I concentrated on Dom. I felt his presence beside me disappear, followed by his voice speaking into the phone to Lorenzo, instructing him to get false identities prepared for the hospital. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he wasn't going to fight me on this.
It didn't take long before I heard the sirens. Thomas cautiously made his way inside the building, stopping to look at all the bodies around him. His face turned pale and he swallowed hard. He was about 6 years older than me, had shaggy dirty blonde hair, an overgrown stubble and wore a pair of glasses. I once helped him by turning a blind eye when he killed his daughter's attacker in the ambulance I was riding along. I understood those circumstances and I needed him to do the same for me.
He scanned the room, stopping when he caught me in his gaze. He rushed over, not looking anywhere or at anyone else. He kneeled opposite me, opening up his medical bag.
"Aria, what happened? You need medical attention!" He exclaimed while looking at the stab wound in my leg which I had forgotten about. The area was numb now.
"Thomas, I need you to trust me on this. I will deal with me later. I need to save him... Please, Thomas." I looked up at him, making the first real eye contact since I hit the ground. I could feel the tears falling down my cheeks. He didn't question me. He simply gave me a reassuring nod.
"We need to intubate him," I spoke gravely, shifting my kneeling position to be directly behind Dom's head. I watched as Thomas pulled out the endotracheal tube and laryngoscope. He handed both to me, allowing me to assist while he placed an IV line in Dom's arm.
I tilted Dom's head back slightly, inserting the laryngoscope into his mouth and down into his throat while avoiding contact with his teeth. With the blunt blade of the apparatus, I gently raised the epiglottis protecting his larynx. I grabbed ahold of the endotracheal tube, guiding the tip of it through the opening I just made and into his trachea. Once I felt it arrive inside, I inflated a small balloon surrounding the end of the tube which holds it snuggly in place inside the trachea. I removed the laryngoscope, taping the tube to the side of his mouth to prevent it from being jostled out of position.
By this time, Thomas had finished placing the IV and was ready to connect the tube to the bag valve mask device, allowing me to listen and make sure the tube is placed correctly. Once he had done this, he began pumping air slowly through the tube while I used a stethoscope to listen to each side of his chest, nodding in confirmation that it was indeed in place. He removed the bag and attached the tube to a portable mechanical ventilator, a specially designed pump that aides respiration by delivering well-oxygenated air into the lungs while preventing carbon dioxide to escape.
Marcel helped Thomas place Dom onto the stretcher, wheeling him out towards the ambulance. Ruby assisted in lifting me and holding most of my weight while we slowly made our way towards the ambulance. I rode in the back with Dom, while Thomas drove. Marcel and Ruby were driving closely behind us in the SUV. I felt myself getting sleepy, drifting off when I heard the long beep of the heart rate machine bellowing in the small space around us. It snapped me back, reacting quickly in laying Dom flat and starting CPR.
"Come on, Dominic! Please, listen to me and fight! Baby, please..."
Ruby's POV
Marcel and I were following the ambulance. Lorenzo was already at the hospital with all the necessary documents for Dom's temporary identity. I noticed Marcel picking up speed which made me more aware of what was happening.
"Why are we speeding up?" I asked him.
"I am simply following the ambulance, Rubes."
I looked to see the ambulance picking up speed, weaving in between the traffic with sirens blaring. Something was wrong.
We made it into the hospital parking lot. The ambulance came to an abrupt halt in the ambulance bay, us parking next to it. I jumped out and ran towards the vehicle. I noticed as Thomas frantically sprinted to the back doors of the ambulance, swinging them open viciously. Olivia appeared at his side, distress sprawled across her face.
They pulled out the stretcher holding Dom and Aria who was now straddling him, performing chest compressions and trying so hard to control her sobs. Fuck, Dominic, you have to fight harder. Come on, man!
They wheeled the stretcher into the ER as quickly a possible, Marcel and I running right behind them. They went straight past the ER reception and into the corridors. And older and shorter lady ran up to them, dressed in surgical scrubs. They stopped just before 2 doors with a DO NOT ENTER sign on it.
"Aria, I need you to let me do my job." The lady tried speaking to Aria who shook her head and continued the compressions.
"No! I am going into that OR Belinda! Please, don't make me leave him." She begged her.
"Aria, darling, I need you to trust me. I know this was Tony's work. Olivia has filled me in. We will be the only ones authorized in this surgery. You need to get yourself checked out. You will only contaminate the area and you will not make it through the surgery in your state."
Olivia looked over to me, asking for my help with Aria. I briskly walked over to them and held onto her arm.
"Aria, come sweetcheeks. I need your help to set up Dom's room for when he gets out of surgery. Can you do that for me?" I spoke calmly to her.
It took a couple of seconds before she nodded, halting compressions and slowly tried getting off the stretcher. I helped her down and the instant her feet touched the ground they wheeled Dom through the doors. Aria turned screaming at them that she didn't get to say goodbye. I wrapped my arms around her torso, preventing her from running after them. She was extremely fragile so it didn't take much force. I gripped her tightly as she sobbed and attempted to fight me. After some time her body gave up on her and I felt her go limp in my arms. Marcel was now beside me helping me by picking her up and carrying her towards the reception.
Before we arrived at the reception, Thomas made his way to us.
"Ruby, right?" He spoke softly. I looked at Marcel then back at him before replying.
"Yeah..." I said cautiously.
"Good. Let me guide you to a private room where I can look over Aria's injuries until Olivia is done with the surgery." He spoke gently. I gave him a quick nod before following behind. We entered a room, not far from the OR doors, where Marcel lay Aria down. I watched as Thomas started cleaning up Aria's wounds. He placed her on an IV drip, took some blood from her for testing and stitched up her wound. He worked so calmly, quietly and efficiently, confident in what he was doing.
Once he was done, we left Aria to rest while we waited in the waiting area. Marcel snuck off to deliver the news to Dani and instructed Francesco to bring Dani to the hospital, leaving Odette with Rosa. The Russian sniper was taken care of, and Ivanovich was dead. It was safe for them to return home. Now it was a waiting game, one that was completely out of our control.
After 4 hours, a lot of coffee and pacing, Olivia emerged from the OR, taking off her surgical cap. The second Dani spotted her she was on her feet, anxiously searching her face for answers.
"Oli..." I spoke softly.
She looked up and gave me a gentle smile. She had these charming dimples that surfaced with even the slightest of smiles. She walked over to us, standing next to me and facing Dani.
"He is alright. We managed to remove the bullet. The damage was extensive but not as severe as initially thought. It missed quite a few vital organs, and the ones it did hit were minor repairs. He needed a blood transfusion which he received. If we didn't get the blood ready beforehand he would have died from the blood loss. Aria did a good thing preparing us. He is in ICU at the moment and it's up to him now to wake up."
"Can I see him?" Dani asked with a slight whimper in her voice.
"Of course. However, only 2 at a time. I would encourage talking to him as well." She nodded.
Dani thanked her and gave her a big hug as tears fell down her cheeks. When Dani released her, I pulled her to me, giving her a quick peck on the lips.
"Thank you, babe," I whispered into her ear before kissing her temple.
"You don't need to thank me." She slid her hand into mine, squeezing gently. "Let me take you to him." She turned to Dani who was going with Marcel to visit Dom first.
They began walking down the corridor when a timid girl approached Olivia.
"Dr. Lockhart, I have blood results here that I think you should see." She spoke shyly.
"Can it wait, Lily?" Olivia was still walking but at a slower pace. The girl shook her head causing Olivia to sigh and stop.
"It's Dr. Valenti's results."
Olivia's head shot up, furrowing her brows at the file Lily held in her hand. She extended her arm as Lily passed her the file.
"Thank you, Lily. I'm sorry for being so short with you. It's been a long day." Olivia gave her an apologetic smile.
"No need to apologize Dr. Lockhart. I fully understand." Lily shook her head. "I need to do my rounds. Do you require anything else from me?"
"No, sweety, you can get to your duties," Olivia spoke while opening the file.
We watched her as she scanned the file's contents, running her finger over a particular line. She looked bewildered as she spoke under her breath.
"That can't be right." She closed the file, looked up in search of something. She spotted Lily and called out to her. Lily came immediately without any hesitation.
"Lily, can you please escort this couple to the ICU? They have a family member they need to visit."
"Of course. Right this way, Mam." Lily said leading Dani and Marcel away.
"Oli, what's happening?" I snaked my arm around her waist, turning her head to face me.
"Nothing. I just need to get the labs to run these tests again. They made a mistake." She shook her head, grabbing a hold of my hand and pulling me along with her.
Aria's POV
My eyelids fluttered open but felt heavy. I eventually managed to open them fully, looking around me. I was in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV drip, and my leg was wrapped in a bandage. The bandage had a smiley face plaster on it, indicating this was Thomas' work. I smiled, trying to lift myself. I still felt so weak.
"Ari..." I heard a voice sound from the couch in the room. I watched as Oli stood, making her way towards me. She pulled me into a hug, careful to not press on the IV line.
"I am so glad that you are alright." She whispered into my ear.
That was all it took to hit me with all the memories from the past 24 hours. I pulled back abruptly, trying to drag myself out of the bed.
"Whoa! Aria, you need to rest." Oli tried holding me back.
"No! I need to see Dom." I struggled against her grip, pushing her hands away from me.
"Ari...Aria!" I stopped and looked at her. "He is alright. The surgery went well and thank's to the blood transfusion he will be ok. He is in ICU right now, which you cannot enter just yet." She mentioned sheepishly.
"What do you mean I cannot enter?" I furrowed my brows at her.
"Please, sit back. I need to tell you something and I refused to let anyone else do it." She looked anxious and uncertain.
"Oli, what's going on? You're scaring me. Is something wrong with Dom?" I felt the air getting heavy around me.
"No! No, nothing is wrong with him. I am just uncertain how to say this and I am uncertain how you will take it." She looked down, where she was fiddling with the tassels of the blanket draped over the bed.
"Just say it, Oli. It can't be that bad." I edged her on.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking up at me, meeting my eyes. She gave me a small, tame smile before speaking.
"Aria, darling, you're pregnant."
Much Love,
Angie
xxx