Page 101 of Cage the Storm
She knows what I’m avoiding. Alessandro was the brother I lost at twelve, his body dumped in the river for a debt that wasn’t his. A name I haven’t spoken in twenty years.
The baby stirs, his little fist curling around Luna’s index finger. “Sandro Caputo,” she whispers.
“It’s just a name,” I say, too roughly.
“Liar.” She leans back against the pillows, fighting exhaustion.
They take the baby away at dawn. Luna fights it, her nails digging into my thigh as the nurse takes him from her arms.
“Routine neonatal screening,” she says, already turning away. Luna’s breath quickens, her monitor beeping a frantic tempo.
“Nico...” she unravels.
“He’ll be back.” I gesture to Mateo to follow since I make it my mission to be by her side until she goes home.
She doesn’t sleep. Neither do I. We exist in the gray space between sunrise and survival, the stillness broken only by the rustle of her adjusting the sheets, the creak of my chair as I watch the clock.
“You held him,” she asks, her voice raw with emotion.
“Briefly,” I say. It’s the truth, but it’s not the whole of it. In that brief moment, I held everything I never thought I’d deserve. And I’m terrified I’ll lose him.
“You didn’t drop him.”
“Would’ve been a poor start to his training.” Her laugh is faint but real, and she reaches for my hand, her fingers icy.
“He’s not a soldier, Nico.” I trace the lines on her palm.
“He’s ours. That’s worse.” The truth hangs heavy between us, but she doesn’t argue.
They bring the baby back at ten, screaming. Luna lights up; she’s tired but captivated with this little human. I don’t blame her. I’m mesmerized as I watch the two of them bonding while she sings him a lullaby. The scene feels foreign, fragile.
She catches me staring. “Your turn.”
“No.” The word slips out before I can stop it.
“Nico,” she scolds. Reluctantly, I take him. He feels heavier now, or maybe I’m just aware of him in my arms. His cries turn into whimpers as he presses his face against my heart.
Her smile splits me wide open like she’s reached inside and found the part of me I thought was dead.
“See? He knows you.”
I can’t answer, since I’m holding my breath. His eyelids flutter closed, and its simplicity strikes me. How my hands are stained and violent, and yet I’m cradling someone so defenseless.
“We’ll keep him safe.” Luna’s voice cuts through the quiet.
“We’ll try.” I adjust my grip, the baby’s heartbeat a fragile echo of my own.
It’s the closest I’ll come to hope.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
LUNA
The release papershave been signed, and today I’m going home with a little bundle in my arms. I’m overwhelmed as a nurse wheels me through the lobby. Mateo walking beside us, quiet and watchful. Someone says, “Congratulations,” knowing this is a new beginning for all of us. And I’m not sure we’re ready.
I can feel Nico’s eyes on me, but we haven’t spoken much, not since the discharge papers were signed. We’ve both been through so much, and neither one of us knows how to process everything.
Nico refuses to let Mateo drive, so I sit in the back with the baby. Stubborn man. His grip on the wheel is tight, and his other hand hovers near Sandro’s car seat. Tense and protective, expecting trouble that never comes. I yearn to cover mine with his, to find that connection, but I don’t. Letting him concentrate on driving.
