Page 18 of Consequences
Allesandro tenses at that question and I eye him, wondering if they’ve been clued in to the…fun everyone’s been having without supervision. From the dark look that crosses Allesandro’s face, I’m going to take a wager and say yes.
“Not yet. I’m going to do that today, with the caveat that they give Emilio space tomorrow. I know you probably don’t wantany more people around than necessary, once you finally get to see your fiancé, but that is as much space as I can offer. Tennant will need twenty-four hours or more to fully wake once I ease up on the sedation. He’ll need to be monitored for a bit once he’s coherent.
“I’d estimate a good four or five days of them sharing the medical office, before I’m comfortable moving Tennant to one of the off-set rooms we’ve prepared for the medical overflow. He’ll probably argue that he’s well enough to be moved upstairs, but this was a major surgery, and I don’t trust the fucker to behave. So, he can have the room next to Nicolo for a bit.”
Cristian grimaces. “As soon as it’s safe, we’re expanding your office.”
“That would be appreciated, yes.” I look between the two Bosses. “Any questions?”
“How bad was it?” Allesandro asks. And the pain underneath his hard tone makes me wince.
“If it wasn’t for the impressive set up, and competent staff Doc has…there’s a good chance Lio wouldn’t have made it,” Sarah says. “I am good, my staff is good, but it took every single skill that everyone who worked on him had to keep him alive. He’s stable now, and as Doc said, he’s a fighter. It’s a waiting game to let his body heal before we can assess how much physical therapy and other supplemental help he’ll need.”
Cristian once more sets his hand on Allesandro’s shoulder, offering comfort to his fellow Boss. “Have faith, Amico Mio. I trust Doc with my life, and I’ve heard good things about Dr. Ranlen. Emilio won’t leave you so easily.”
“He better not,” is Allesandro’s dark reply. If the look in those cold blue eyes of his is any indication, it’ll be mine and Dr. Ranlen’s asses on the line if the little Boss doesn’t make it. No pressure.
“Alright, sis, tell me what’s going on?”
I frown at Sarah as she mutters, slamming her medical equipment in place. She stops for a moment, her fingers hesitating on a scalpel, before turning to face me, crossing her arms and glaring at me with those steely gray eyes—the same ones I see in the mirror every day.
“What’s going on? Let’s see here. The Amato doctor has an ego larger than the fucking moon. I’m trying very hard to accept it. He still seems to think we could have treated Lio here, when I needed multiple surgeons. Multiple! But I have to keep my mouth shut, and you know how much I love doing that.
“I’m pretty much bribing my staff to keep the police away, and I need to make sure Lio is transferred back here tomorrow, despite the very well-founded concerns of my staff.
“Not only that, if something happens to him, you know Il Padrone will lose all control. He’s barely holding it together now.” Sighing, she slumps and scrubs her hands over her face. “And to be honest, I’m not doing well either. Lio…”
I move forward and gather her in my arms, pulling her tight to me. “Ah, sis, I know you love Lio. You both had a tough time in the beginning, but you’re friends now. That whole love of stabbing really brought you together. I know it’ll be fine. I can talk to Il Padrone, if you’d like?”
She pushes me away, and I raise my hands for mercy, because fuck knows she can be evil when she's getting revenge. Yet another reason she pairs well with Lio. “Leave it be. I’ll figure it out. I don’t need you or Doc trying to take control of things.”
The alarm goes off on my cell phone and I quickly stop it. I send out a text and barely have to wait before getting a reply. Grimacing, I look at her. “Well, fuck. It appears we are having a family dinner after all.”
“Do you think the Amatos will be there as well?” Sarah bites her lip, worrying at it. We all know that it’s pretty much a powder keg right now, ready to blow up at the smallest issue.
I pat her on the shoulder and try to smile. From her expression, it doesn’t work. “Yeah, I’m sure they will be. After all, they are hosting us in their house.”
“You know…Doc never has to go to these things,” she responds hopefully. “I should probably stay back as well.”
I shake my head at her and grab her hand. “Not in this lifetime. You know you’re as fucked as I am with these Martellis.”
Groaning, she follows, but I don’t let her go until we get into the dining room. Sure enough, it’s pretty much filled to the brim. Il Padrone and Cristian are on opposite sides, at the head of the table. Everyone else is arranged around them. Marcus gesturesto me, and thankfully, there’s a spot on each side of him for me and Sarah.
When we sit down, he leans into me and whispers, “I let Cole eat in his room today with a maid. I thought it might be…safer.”
I nod empathetically. Fuck, yes it is. Until we’ve reached an equilibrium, I don’t want my son anywhere near this shitshow. The tension is so thick that despite the appetizing smells, I have zero desire to eat. I’m too on edge, worried that the whole house of cards will come tumbling down.
I cautiously watch Il Padrone as I try to choke some food down. He scans the seating arrangements constantly, stopping occasionally to check out certain dynamics, before continuing on. His knuckles whiten as he holds his utensils tight.I wish they hadn’t given us knives…
When Roman leans in toward Ignacio, whispering something, I swallow hard. I cringe as I look back toward Il Padrone. He doesn’t say anything, but at this point, he doesn’t need to—the disapproval emanates from him in waves. I’m surprised Chaos is even able to eat. Fuck knows I wouldn’t be able to if Il Padrone was watching me that closely.
Clearing his throat, Il Padrone speaks up. “Ignacio. Did you finish your job today?”
Ignacio startles, and quickly sits up straight. “Yes, Padrone. The building is down. I watched as the firefighters tried to save it. They couldn’t.”
I take a small breath as Il Padrone goes silent. Normally, family meals are a way to reconnect, and to get a general update, but tonight, nobody is saying a damn thing that isn’t a direct response to a question. And fuck knows I don’t disagree with that. As we finish the main course, I desperately hope there won’t be any dessert, but, of course, we’re not that lucky.
“Were you able to get a rendering of the doctor?” Cristian asks, as various desserts are handed out, along with strongcoffee, which I take. I need every bit of an edge while we wait for this hell to be over.
