Page 61 of Truth
“Do something! Do something!” I know I’m screaming by the burn in my throat, but I can’t hear my own voice. I only hear the sound I memorized, but it’s been replaced by a flatline.
Someone calls for paddles, and everything starts to move in slow motion. I’m being held in place by faceless bodies. I’m straining against all the arms trying to hold me back from getting to him, but they’re too strong. I dig in harder, pushing people from their hold on me. We were together in the beginning, and I’ll be here in the end.
He’s dying. I can feel it.
The machine comes to life, and they squirt some kind of gel on it before rubbing the paddles together. I can hear the current, like a hum and squeal at the same time. Someone screams, “Clear,” and his chest pops up off the bed. I feel the shock. The room falls silent, waiting.
“Nothing—again! Clear!” His body lifts off the bed and lands with a thud. I can feel the pain, the horrible ache right in the center of my chest.Don’t leave me, Luca.My body stops fighting to move forward.
“Clear.” I hear the thud of his body and then everything goes black, zooming back into focus just as fast. I grab for my chest.
“No, no, no, no, no…I can’t feel it. I don’t feel it. Someone, help him. Please.” I keep turning to look at the faces in the room as I grab at my chest. I don’t feel the pain. My pleas are prayed, begged between my broken sobs. “Please help him.”
Beep, Beep, Beep.
“We’ve got a pulse,” the doctor calls out, and for the first time in forever, I drop to my knees and thank God.
I’m still on my knees when George and Drew come through the door. She walks to me and mirrors my position, kissing my face.
“Baby, he’s going to be okay. He’s going to make it.”
“What? What are you saying? They just had to shock his body back to life. I’ve been praying for forgiveness, begging for God to take me instead.”
She wipes my cheeks, drying the wetness.
“Dominic, they’ve been trying to speak to you for hours. The nurse said you’ve just been praying. They finally let us back, hoping we could get through to you. All his vitals have taken a miraculous turn. Baby, he’s going to be okay. He’s fighting, Dominic.”
“Hours?”
George helps me to my feet, but I’m still confused by Drew’s words.
“Seems your prayers have worked, boss. Luca will make it. He’s getting stronger by the minute. They’re talking about taking him off the machines as soon as tomorrow if he keeps on at this rate.”
My head is swirling, but all I feel is gratitude. He’s going to make it. I grab George and plant a kiss right on his lips, making him jerk back, laughing and spitting. Grabbing Drew, I pick her up and plant a real kiss on her lips. She wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me back. I pull back to look into her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did—”
“Shhh, it never happened. I love you.” Caressing my face, she kisses the tip of my nose.
“I don’t deserve you.” I mean that. She’s the happily ever after I shouldn’t get to have.
“True, but you get me. Always.”
I kiss her again, thankful she’s by my side. That thought triggers another. “Did anyone call Shelby?” I walk to my brother, sitting down on the edge of his bed. George and Drew exchange a worried look. It’s clear to me that someone knows something I don’t. “What’s going on? One of you, spit it out.” I look between them.
Drew speaks up first, making her way over to my bruised brother, moving his hair from his head gently. “She was too busy to make it down. She said she couldn’t find a sitter and didn’t want Ella around the hospital. She also called the lawyers to get a copy of the will sent to her.”
“Fucking gold digger. I never trusted her,” George grumbles from the seat he’s taken by the door.
I open my mouth to speak when a sleek, no-nonsense-looking woman with jet-black hair and emerald-green eyes walks through the door. She drops her heavy bag into George’s lap, causing him to inhale harshly, and she streamlines directly to Drew and envelops her into a massive hug. I look to George, who is still holding this woman’s purse. He shrugs at me, and we both look to Drew, who is hugging the woman back with the same fierceness.
“Guys, this is Gretchen.” Now it all makes sense. “Gretchen, this is Dominic and his driver, George.” She points between us.
Gretchen breaks from their hug and walks over to me and hugs me too. “I’m so sorry, Dominic.” Her sincerity makes me like her immediately. Pulling away, she pats my shoulder and goes to take her purse off George with an embarrassed apology. I don’t think he minds by the look on his face.
Drew looks to her friend with a puzzled face. “Gretchen, how did you get back here? It’s family only.”
Without pause, Gretchen looks up. “I lied and said I was Shelby. That whore seems preoccupied with counting her gold, so I figured I come and steal her man.”
Drew bursts out laughing, covering her mouth.
