CHAPTER 54
LONDON'S P.O.V
I knelt and I prayed...
'God, please bless our lives with days full of love, laughter and happiness.. if there are times of sorrow, misunderstanding and anger; let our love, trust and loyalty weather through the storms with patience and fortitude... let what you have unite, not separated by any men.. Amen...'
As we finished our prayers, saya menoleh ke arah Kimmy yang baru membuka mata...
"what are you thinking about, sayang?" I smiled at her...
"Peter 4 verse 8..." she whispered...
"love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.." I love you, Kimberly...
Saya memajukan langkah to reach for the holy water for both me and Kimmy..
Tapi langkah saya dimatikan oleh suara yang saya pernah dengar cuma sekali...
"you can only marry... me... in this church... tesoro.."
ARMANDO.
I turned... only to find Armando taking slow and predatory steps towards us..
Then he raised his gun and pointed it at me...
TAK. I heard the snap of his gun... It was too fast, too unexpected...
Saya terdengar Kimmy menjerit...
Adakah ini hari kematian saya...? if I were to die today, God please guide Kimmy through a life without grief and pain...
PANG!! the gunshot was deafening.. I waited for the pain, I waited for death...
But nothing came... not pain nor death...
But Kimmy muncul di depan saya, merangkul leher saya... then her hands slowly mengusap kedua-dua pipi saya... kepala Kimmy mendongak... sebutir air mata kelihatan mengalir di pipi mulus dia... and she let out a gasp...
"KIMMY!!!" saya peluk dia... NO!! NO!! NO!!
I cannot lose you, baby...! I can lose anything... anything but you...! I would rather lose myself than lose you...
Saya jatuh tersungkur with Kimmy in my arms... saya rasa tangan saya panas... a warm liquid wet my hands... BLOOD.
"KIMMY!! SORELLINA!!" Kurtis rushed as I held onto Kimmy's limp body... her breathing getting heavy.. getting hoarse...
"get the car...!" Kurtis shouted at his men yang bergegas masuk to the church setelah mereka dengar bunyi tembakan...
"London..." Kurtis memegang bahu saya... I looked up at him, dengan penuh linangan air mata...
Dan ketika itu, saya menyedari Armando masih berdiri tercegat... the shock on his face that he shot Kimmy instead of me...
"tes.. tesoro..." the shock and pain in his voice... no! dia tidak berhak untuk merasa kesakitan yang saya rasa sekarang...!
Why, sayang? Why did you take the bullet that is meant for me?
His gun fell and the sound echoed through the church hall...
Kurtis pulled me up, as Kimmy is laid gently on the cold marble floor...
Kurtis put his gun in my bleeding hands... Saya dan Kurtis held the gun together...
And with one gun, Kurtis and I shot Armando with one bullet straight to his heart...
That is the most deserving death shot Armando could get... from the brother and the fiancée of the woman he shot...
"the car's ready, capo!"
Saya menunduk dan mengangkat Kimmy in my arms...
"tahan, sayang... stay with me, baby... please... stay with me..."
I carried Kimmy's limp and bleeding body... Kurtis lead the way out and to his car...
"clear all of that thrash..!" Kurtis mengarahkan his men... dia mengesat air mata dia with his sleeves...
Kurtis drove... I held Kimmy in my arms at the back seat... I'm all drenched in Kimmy's blood...
"baby... don't leave me... sayang..." saya menunduk dan mencium muka Kimmy..
She's only gasping... Kimmy tried to say something... her face turned white, her lips so pale...
"sshh... sshh..." saya memeluk dia... "I lo.. love you... I love you..." tubuh saya bergegar dalam tangisan...
Kimmy's breathing became wheezing... saya menjadi panic...
"faster, Kurt...!" I cried out... nafas Kimmy satu-satu sudah...
"I'm trying...!" Kurtis pun dalam tangisan...
Berhabis Kurtis hon kereta-kereta depan.. lampu merah pun dia radu saja...
"Kurt, faster!!" saya teriak lagi... "Kimmy's no... not.. brea.. thing...!"
I can't feel her pulse...!
"DON'T DIE! DON'T DIE, SAYANG!!"
Saya cuba memberikan Kimmy bantuan pernafasan... mouth to mouth, pushing all the air from my lungs to hers...
"Breathe, Baby! Breathe!"
Saya teresak-esak sampai dada saya terasa sesak... saya sendiri sudah tidak dapat bernafas, apa lagi memberikan Kimmy bantuan pernafasan...
"fuck!!" Kurtis hampas-hampas steering kereta dia in frustration.. "fuck!!"
He drove in full speed, sikit lagi dia terlanggar orang tua yang mau melintas jalan...
***
In less than 10 minutes kami sampai at a hospital... Ospedale San Raffaele...
As I carried Kimmy out of the car, kedengaran suara hospital staffs shouting and rushing to get a stretcher...
Kimmy dikejarkan ke emergency ward...
Oh, God... Kimmy stopped breathing sudah dalam kereta tadi...!
please resuscitate her.. please!
Saya menjatuhkan diri saya dengan lemah ke lantai... my head on the bench... saya lemah... sangat lemah...
Kurtis menumbuk dan menendang dinding hospital... I think he even hit his head on the wall...
"argh!!" he let out his frustration... "I should've killed that bastard years ago...!"
In 30 minutes, tiba-tiba the waiting area at the emergency menjadi ribut... the Bestians are here...
Holly, Hudson, Harren, Vivienne... and Kimmy's parents...
Then I heard...
"Don!" Holland teriak dan berlari ke arah saya...
"Hol.." sayu... Holland memapah tubuh saya and sat me on the seat next to him...
Sydney, Chester and Jelo pun panic...
"Don.." Jordan... saya tau dorang datang terus dari airport...
"We got mom, dad, the ladies and kids to go direct to the Bestians.." Holland bilang...
ngam lah tu, the kids aren't supposed to be in a hospital... lagipun they all just arrived from a 26-hour long flight...
I looked up at Jordan, yang sedang berdiri memandangi saya...
"Kim.. Kimmy.." sakit dada saya... "wa.. wasn't brea..thing..."
But I don't want to believe that Kimmy's gone... NO!!
Ada satu pintu kecil di mana staff emergency operation room keluar dan masuk... Jordan berlari ke sana... ada seorang doctor yang ngam-ngam keluar...
"I'm the victim's brother in-law...!" he rushed to the doctor..
"grazie... but... " the doctor tried to push Jordan away...
"let me in, I'm a certified surgeon licensed to practice in EEA..." Jordan mengeluarkan something... his meds license kali...
Entah apa lagi yang dorang bercakap sampai Jordan dibenarkan masuk...
Have you ever been in a situation where everyone is grieving, nobody is able to console anybody...? begitulah kejadian selama 2 jam...
"Don..." Sydney melutut di depan saya.. dia memegang a towel and a steel basin.. maybe dia minta dari nurse - nurse sini... "let's clean up first, aite..?"
Sydney dengan perlahan mula mengelap muka dan leher saya, membersihkan darah kering yang terlekit di kulit saya... then he soaked and rinsed the towel, he repeated wiping the same spot a few times...
I just looked blankly straight ahead.. seakan menembusi dinding hospital, di mana di sebalik dinding itu adalah Kimmy yang sedang bertarung nyawa...
ya..!! itulah yang saya mau percaya! Kimmy masih bertarung nyawa..! she's not dead!
"Don..." I felt lifeless... Sydney membuka genggaman tangan saya dan dia lap lengan dan tangan saya yang juga penuh dengan darah Kimmy yang telah kering...
Sydney just wiped me in silence, because he knows no words of comfort can calm me at this moment...
oh god, it hurts...
it hurts worst than when Kimmy got arrested...
it hurts worst than when Kimmy got sentenced.. sebab Kimmy masih hidup and either way, I know dad will use his power to get her out..
but now, it's only upto God..
kenapa begini banyak dugaan dalam jalan percintaan kami...? Kenapa, Tuhan? Berdosa sangat kah saya sampai perlu dihukum sebegini sakit?
I had to endure beatings by beatings, and just as I got to stand up against one, I'm beaten down again...
Saya tersedar Sydney start unbuttoning my shirt.. dengan lembut Sydney took off my bloody shirt and looked up at Chester sedang berdiri di sebelah dia...
"Chest..." Sydney menyapa Chester in a low voice.. "you got your shirt from the car..?"
"Yeah... nah..." Chester passed a t-shirt to Sydney...
My brothers lifted my arms dan dengan lembut menyalinkan pakaian ke tubuh saya...
I trembled... my body shook with grief...
***
Was it already 3 hours..? or 4...? It feels like forever...
Macam saya rasa mata saya membengkak dan tidak mampu mengalirkan air mata sudah...
saya tidak seberapa alert dengan keadaan di sekeliling saya, sehinggakan saya tidak sedar yang Kimmy's dad is sitting next to me..
Dia mengepalkan tangan sambil menunduk... is he saying a prayer? I bet everyone is praying hard every second right now...
"London..." sebak suara Kimmy's dad... "I'm sorry..."
Saya terkejut... that surprised me... kenapa dia mengucapkan kata maaf kepada saya...?
"No.." I said in a hoarse voice, barely a whisper.. "I'm sorry.. I couldn't pro..tect her.."
"It's not your fault, Kimberly loves you..." dia berdiam seketika.. "if the gun pointed at her, you would do the same.. you would take the shot for her because you love her..."
Saya menunduk dan menekup muka saya... I cried again...
"I should've listened to Kurtis... to Katrina.." Kimmy's dad bilang... Saya faham that part... Milan isn't a good idea for our wedding... "if you have brought Kimmy back to KK immediately, this wouldn't happen..."
Saya menggelengkan kepala... not wanting him to take the blame...
"KK or Milan... Armando will still come for us, just like Luna did..."
"Luna...?" terbulat mata Kimmy's dad... erk, nampaknya dia masih tidak tau pasal Luna...
Then he looked up at Kurtis yang sedang bersandar di dinding hospital..
"Wait.. " setelah 4 jam berlalu, Kimmy's dad suddenly asked.. "where's Karter?"
Kurtis shrugged his shoulders...
"did you tell him?" Kimmy's dad tanya...
"I don't have to tell him, dad... Kimmy is his only sister... the whole of Italy knew what happened in less than an hour..." Kurtis answered in a cool tone..
"I'll deal with Karter..." Kimmy's dad said in a dangerous tone.. "he forgot who is la Padrino Kennedy Bestian..."
Dalam situasi yang berbeza, Kimmy's dad boleh membuatkan sesiapapun gerun dengan kata-kata dia...
"Luna..?" Kimmy's dad looked at Kurtis sharply..
Kurtis menghela nafas berat...
"Luna kidnapped and framed Kimmy with drugs in KK.."
Memarak mata Kimmy's dad...
"Did she hurt your sister?"
Kurtis menatap sayu mata bapanya... I can see his adam's apple moving... dia menelan liur..
"she did..."
Their dad inhaled his breath sharply
"the drugs... was Kimberly arrested?"
Again, Kurtis was silent for a few seconds...
"Kimmy.. was sentenced to... death..."
"CHE COSA?!" I think that's a 'WHAT'...
"London, Hudson and I kidnapped Kimmy and flew her back here, dad... the day Kimmy came home, remember..?" Kurtis said softly... "The Robinsons appealed, and got Kimmy aquitted from all the charges, that is why Sydney Robinson, Kimmy's lawyer is here to free her from all the charges..."
Kurtis nampak macam berat hati mau sebut nama Sydney... saya tidak tau kenapa, but at least dia akun Sydney played a very important role in Kimmy's release...
Kimmy's dad covered his face and shook with rage... I can hear his heartbreaking sobs...
I looked at Kurtis... Kurtis bagi saya signal... 'don't touch him..'
Then the sob stopped as quick as it started... his voice on fire...
"Luna..."
"I sent her to Cartel..." suara Kurtis suram...
"Armando..." Kimmy's dad asked.. ask kah tu?
"Dead..." Kurtis bilang...
"his body?" Kimmy's dad tanya lagi..
"maybe I'll feed it to the sharks..." Kurtis shrugged
"the Levierres?" he asked...
"destroyed.." Kurtis answered...
"the Cavaldis?" ini semakin lama semakin seram..
"what about them..?" Kurtis tanya...
"Listen and deliver.." okay, when he said Padrino... the Italian Godfather tadi, he wasn't kidding... ngam perasaan saya meeting him the first time... laid back, but with a dangerous demeanor surrounding him...
He started his instructions...
"Karter... dispose the woman... his sister battling for her life should be his priority.."
"The Levierres... you better make sure when you say destroyed, they are all destroyed..."
"The Cavaldis... buy all their shares... ALL... leave nothing for them.. don't destroy them yet.."
"Luna... bring her back from Cartel..."
"Armando... bring his dead body back..."
"I will kill Luna Levierre myself, but I will spare her a funeral... arrange for Luna and Armando's funeral in the Duomo...! For how they had their wedding there, they will also have their funeral there..! though they could not unite in life, for I shall unite them in death..!!"
Before he walked away...
"then destroy the Cavaldis.."
Sydney and Chester looked at each other dumbfounded...
saya tiada feeling... kalau boleh, saya yang mau menunaikan tugas yang diamanahkan kepada Kurtis...
***
Another 3 hours passed... saya tidak dapat menelan apa-apa makanan walaupun dipaksa... how many hours was it already...?
Baru kami mau mengecapi kebahagiaan... kesakitan yang saya rasa, membuat tubuh saya menggigil... my mind refused to remember our memories, instead my mind played the future...
saya rasa macam orang gila, I smiled to myself...
Kimmy carrying my child... Kimmy playing with our babies... Kimmy making love to me... I love the way you love me, sayang... don't leave me... God, don't take her away from me...
Saya tengok disekeliling saya, my brothers tertidur dalam keadaan duduk bersandar against the wall..
Saya tersentak apabila pintu emergency terbuka luas...
Automatic saya terberdiri and rushed to the door.. Jordan melangkah keluar dengan seorang Italian doctor...
At the same time as Jordan blurted out his words, saya terdengar in a thick Italian accent...
"time of death 9.23pm..."
"Don, Kimmy was 3 weeks pregnant... I'm so..."
I couldn't listen anymore... the blood rushed to my head... the pain unbearable...
Saya menggenggam Jordan's collar, mencuba untuk bertahan daripada tertumbang rapuh...
And all I can see was all black.
🎶 Andai ku tahu.. kapan tiba ajalmu
ku akan memohon, Tuhan tolong panjangkan umurmu... 🎶