Page 55 of Fierce Protector

KATERINA

I just might be the world’s worst patient. In my defence, I’m not a woman who’s designed to do nothing. However, I could get used to this.

I’m lazing on the sofa reading a book with my legs flung over Stefano’s lap, as the last rays of the afternoon sun stream through the windows. He’s reclining at the opposite end with a leather-bound book in one hand while the other strokes gentle circles along my calf.

I place my e-reader down and reach for the glass on the coffee table, immediately drawing the attention and wrath of my overprotective nurse.

“I’ll get it,” he says, dropping his book and handing me the glass.

My face drops. I hate being so fragile, but it will be a while before I feel like myself. There appears to be no damage to my heart, which I’m thankful for, but it’s no mean feat recovering from a sternotomy. It’s not the foot-long scar that reminds me of my injuries every day, it’s the ache in my chest where my bones are literally knitting themselves back together.

I look down at my incision. It’s been a few days since the surgical dressing was removed and honestly, it doesn’t affect me as much as I expected it to. I think it was scarier when it was fully covered. I worried that it would make me look damaged; that I was in some way broken. But the longer I look at it, the less it bothers me.

It changes a little every day, and while it’s currently an angry red line nestled in a bed of mottled bruises, I know from experience that all scars fade.

“Does it upset you?” Stefano asks quietly, like he’s scared to hear the answer.

“Do your bullet wounds bother you?” He raises his brows in shock. “Don’t think I missed the scars on the back of your inner thigh when I was on my knees for you all those times,” I tease.

“I mean, no, not really.” He takes a moment, canting his head as he thinks about it. “They hurt like hell at the time, but I hardly notice them these days.”

“Well, there’s your answer then,” I say matter-of-factly, taking a sip before handing it back to him to place on the coffee table.

He strokes my ankle with his palm as he says, “It’s hardly the same thing, baby girl.”

“No, I guess it’s not. And honestly, it’s tough to look at it some days, but ultimately all scars heal in time.”

Time stretches out as my words hang in the air for longer than feels natural. Stefano casts his eyes down before asking. “Will you ever be able to forgive me for failing you?”

My heart breaks for him. The anguish in his voice is unbearable.

I shuffle across towards him, glaring when his expression shifts to one of panic, like he thinks I’m going to hurt myself. My chest is tender as I stretch and move to my knees, but it’s not painful. I lift my leg and carefully straddle his lap, masking a smile when his face blanches with concern and his palms shoot to my hips to steady me. I run my fingers along his jawline and tip his head back, demanding all of his focus.

“You listen here,vecchietto. You did not fail me. You saved me,amore mio.”

“I couldn’t protect you,” he replies, anguish lacing his words.

“I never asked for you to be my protector, Stefano. I need a partner in crime, not a knight in shining armour. I only ask that you promise to be mine.”

It takes a moment, but eventually, he returns my smile, and I get lost in his midnight-blue eyes. They show me everything I need to know.

“Sempre tuo,Katerina.”

“Always yours.”

EPILOGUE

KATERINA

FIVE WEEKS LATER…

While I’m beginning to enjoy my first real time off in… my entire adult life, there’s only so long I can be idle for. After ten days in hospital, and weeks recuperating, I’m going more than a little stir crazy. The only thing that’s keeping me sane is the constant stream of visitors.

I didn’t honestly appreciate that there were so many people in my life who would go out of their way to be there for me when I needed them. There isn’t a day that’s passed where there hasn’t been someone to keep me company or deliver something I need. It’s made me think about what I want going forward. And returning to a life divided into two worlds seems more and more untenable.

Nearly every Cosa Nostra member I’ve helped or healed over the years has dropped by, including half of the capos and on occasion the don. It’s been surreal to have Aurora Bianchi stopping by to chat. We’ve been discussing ideas for the future and how I might be able to help her set up a private clinic that’s more exclusive to the Cosa Nostra.

Danny has been visiting too, as often as his clunker of a car will let him. Turns out he nearly missed the most exciting thing ever to happen at St Joseph’s because he was stranded on the side of the freeway. He’s been keeping me up to date on the hospital gossip and I’ve been discovering that we make far better friends than we did dates.

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