Page 23 of Brightness

IVY

The tang of the orange juice hits my tastebuds, refreshing my dry mouth. I have to admit I’m a little dizzy, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.

“Are you feeling well?” Tony asks.

“Accomplished. I hope this helps.”

Amalia wipes under her eyes again, and I smile at her as Tony helps me sit up in the inclined bed. “I can’t thank you enough, signora. Now, we get the blood cells into Mia and see how it works.”

“When will you do the transfer?”

“Probably tomorrow. Larah needs to examine the blood to make sure it’s viable before it goes into Mia. Everything must be perfect.”

“I hope it works out for you, and that my blood is good enough.”

Tony squeezes my shoulder. “Me too, bella, me too.” He holds his hand out in front of me. I take it and slowly slide off the bed. My head spins ever so slightly, so I stand still to get my equilibrium to settle down. Tony gestures to my juice box. “Drink, signora. It will help.”

I bring the juice to my lips, sucking on the straw as Tony walks with me back to Mia’s room, where laughter bellows through from the other side of the door. When we enter, Matteo is sitting in the corner, holding a fairy wand, with a big scowl on his face.

His eyes widen. He places the wand on the bed, stands tall, and puffs out his chest, while Mia sings out the chorus to “Let It Go” from Frozen. Dash spins as if he’s pretending to shoot ice from his hands, his face covered in the brightest blush I’ve ever seen. His eyelids are an almost neon blue eye shadow, and he has lipstick smeared all over his lips, and even a little on his five o’clock shadow. And don’t forget the long blonde Elsa wig he’s sporting or the blue ice-queen dress.

He looks spectacular.

Dash spots me, smiles cockily, then keeps playing with Mia, completely unashamed as he rushes around the bed with her.

I think he’s actually having fun.

Matteo glances over at us, folding his arms over his chest. “If Mia wants you to dress like a princess, you dress like a fuckin’ princess. Mia asked politely if Dash would dress up with her. He was hesitant, so I pointed a gun to his head, and now, he’s Elsa… just like that.”

I raise my brow as Mia flops down on the mattress in a fit of giggles. “This is the best! Uncle Matty, can you and Dash come play every day?”

Dash leans against the wall and lets out a long breath. He must be exhausted. I wonder how many musical numbers he’s done. I try to hold in my laugh as Matteo walks over and sits on the bed next to her. “Dash can’t be here every day, principessa. Plus, you need to rest, especially after that.”

Mia’s happy expression weakens, and she sighs. “Dash?”

“Yeah, kiddo?” He’s puffing like he’s still trying to inhale a lungful of air.

“Will you come see me again?”

Dash lights up like a damn neon sign. “You better fuckin’ believe it.”

“Prospect! Stop swearing in front of my daughter. I let you get away with it once, but that’s enough,” Tony grunts.

“Sorry! Shit! Fuck!” Dash raises his hands in the air in surrender as I snicker. Dash’s eyes flick to mine. “How did you do? You okay?” Dash asks, trying to change the subject.

I nod, which causes my head to spin. Grabbing hold of the wall, I reach out to stabilize myself, and Dash scurries over to me. He wraps his arms around me tightly to hold me up. “Hey, I got you. What did you do to her?”

I groan. “Stop, Dash, I’m fine. I just need to sit down for a little while. They took my blood, remember?”

Dash places the back of his hand to my forehead. “You’re all clammy. You sure you did it right, Tony?”

Tony rolls his shoulders. “Let’s get you to bed. You can rest. We will bring you something to eat.”

“Not sure I’m up for food right now,” I admit.

“I am. Shit, my stomach’s been growling for hours,” Dash quips.

“That’s true,” Matteo adds. “Like him, his stomach never shuts up.”

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