Page 82 of Corrupted Empire

I approach the bed, and Alexis sticks her tongue out at me. “You’re freaking out over nothing,” she says. Then her face contorts in pain. I get on the bed and pull her into my lap, cradling her in my arms.

Fuck, what if something’s really wrong? I can’t lose her. I can’t lose this baby.

“Gabriel,” she hisses. “Too tight.”

I’m squeezing her. Crap.

I loosen my hold, and Alexis chuckles. “Honestly, I’m going to be fine.”

But what if you’re not?I don’t say. Because I cannot even face that possibility.

Dr. Steinman arrives quickly, so I don’t have too much time to stew. When he gets here, he suggests that I give them some space while he examines Alexis, and I suggest that unless he intends to remove me himself, he should get on with it. That earns me a glare from Alexis.

The examination takes a frustratingly long time. Dr. Steinman asks questions, and Alexis answers. He prods around her stomach. Sometimes they make little jokes. Neither of them seems stressed about the situation, and for some reason, that stresses me out more. If anything happens to Alexis or this baby, I am going to string Dr. Steinman up from the ceiling.

Finally, the doctor provides his diagnosis. “The cramps are normal,” he says. “It could be anything from the rapid growth of the fetus to changing hormone levels to gas. Nothing to worry about. I’d recommend some acetaminophen for the pain.”

Cool relief floods through me. I lean against the wall and let out a long breath, watching as the doctor packs up his things and hands Alexis the pills.

“Thank you,” she says, smiling.

“My men will show you out,” I add, gesturing toward the door.

Dr. Steinman nods as he passes me, looking somewhat nervous. Good. I’m glad I make him uneasy.

When we are alone again, I climb onto the bed with Alexis and pull her into my arms, careful not to squeeze this time.

“Thank God,” I whisper. “I was so worried.”

“It’s fine, Gabriel,” she says with a laugh. “You need to chill out more.”

“How can I?” I reply. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to our child. And in this, I am powerless.”

She strokes my cheek, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder. “I know.”

I let my eyes fall closed. Both of us fall asleep like that—fully dressed, with the lights on, tangled in each other’s arms.

28

Gabriel

I am startled awake by a knock at the door early the next morning. Alexis slumbers on, mouth agape, snoring slightly. She’s still the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.

I gently extricate myself from the bed and tiptoe toward the door, not wanting to wake her. She needs all the rest she can get, so I’m annoyed that somebody has deigned to wake us, though if they have, it must be important.

I open the door a crack and slide through, closing it quietly behind me. Angelo is waiting for me, smiling.

“Silvano’s awake,” he whispers. “The doctor’s just finished checking him out, and it looks like he’s going to be okay.”

“Thank fuck.” I take a deep breath. “Have Victoria bring some coffee up to his room. I’m going to go talk to him.”

Angelo nods and heads for the stairs. I walk down to the makeshift hospital ward and knock on the door before letting myself in.

Silvano is sitting up in bed, and he straightens a little when he sees me enter. His skin is pale, though there’s more color in it than there was the last time I saw him. He’s no longer knocking on death’s door.

“Hey, boss,” he greets with an easy smile. His lips are dry and cracked.

“I knew you would pull through.” I sit on the chair next to his bed. “I’m just surprised it took you so long.”

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