Page 100 of Beautiful Devil

“Yes, fucker. Do you think I just took my shirt off for the hell of it?” Before he can answer me, I exit the vehicle and run inside.

Marco is hot on my tail as he says, “I called to let them know you were bringing her in. They’re expecting you, but I didn’t know she was shot. I didn’t tell them.”

“It’s fine,” is all I say back as I meet with an older doctor who looks to be in his fifties, with dark black hair slicked back, wearing navy blue scrubs and a pristine white lab coat that readsDr. Chang.

Before he can even speak, I open my mouth first.

“Dr. Chang, this is my wife, Gia. She needs to be seen ASAP. She has a GSW to her left shoulder, bruising on her ribs, most likely broken, and she’s been unconscious the whole drive over here. Please save her.”

Dr. Chang hears the pleading tone in my voice and nods his head. He looks back at the team of nurses that has now formed around us.

“You heard the man. GSW to left shoulder, patient unresponsive and is suffering from multiple wounds on her ribs and face. Get OR 2 prepped and ready, stat. I need that gurney over here, Johnson. It’s not doing me any good sitting up against the wall.”

I look over to where a nervousJohnsonis rushing to get the gurney for Dr. Chang and speak up before he reaches us.

“I don’t know if you’re aware of who I am, Dr. Chang, but I want the best of the best for my wife. Anything less will not do.” I say, nodding my head in the direction of Johnson. “Money is no object. If she dies on that table, you’ll be joining her in the morgue. Consider yourself warned.”

Dr. Chang doesn’t seem to be too affected by my words, or at least he doesn't show it in his appearance.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Moretti. I only use the best team and don’t associate myself with anything less. Johnson is new and notpartof my team. I can assure you, he won’t be laying a finger on your wife. Now, if you don’t mind, I need you to let her go and place her down on the gurney so I can work on her.”

I catch the snarky tone in his voice. He’s lucky that I need my wife to live. Otherwise, I would have shot that cockiness right out of him.

I reluctantly lay Gia down gently on the gurney. I move a strand of hair off her face and place a long, lingering kiss to her forehead.

Pulling back, I speak directly into her ear. “Come back to me,amore mio. Ti amo, dolcezza.”

I place a kiss right below her ear in the spot that drives her crazy. When I pull back this time, I almost half-expect to hear her moan or say my name, but instead, she lies on the gurney, lifeless.

Dr. Chang steps up and starts barking orders out at his team. He begins to wheel Gia down the hall, and I start to walk with them. I can’t let her out of my sight, not now when I finally have her back.

“You need to stay out here, Mr. Moretti.”

“But my wife—”

“Is in my hands now, and I need to look at her in asterileenvironment. You said so yourself, if anything happens to her, I’ll be joining her. You need to stay out here so I can do what I do best inthere.” He gestures with his hand at the big, white double doors.

I nod, because I’m too afraid to open my mouth in fear of what might come out. Ineedhim to save Gia. I’m nothing without her. Without saying another word, he turns around and continues to push Gia through those double doors, leaving me all alone.

Now, I wait.

CHAPTER35

FABRIZIO

It’s been six hours.SIX HOURS.

What the fuck could be taking so long? Every time those white double doors open, I look up and pray that it’s Dr. Chang or anyone from his team to tell me that Gia is okay. She has to be okay. I know I won’t be able to survive without her.

“Fab,” Marco calls out to me.

I lift my head up and raise a brow at him at the same time I turn my head and look around, thinking that maybe I could have missed the doctor, but nothing.

“If you don’t stop pacing, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor.” He nods his head at me, and I look down to realize that he’s right: I am pacing.

I walk toward the seat next to him and sit. My knee starts to bounce on its own, and I try to stop it, but I can’t. Getting back up, I start to pace again. I have all this nervous energy coursing through me, and I don’t know what to do with it. This is a whole new feeling for me. I have never been nervous before about anyone or anything in my life, and I have definitely not cared about another person like this to be worried about them and their wellbeing.

Marco cuts through my internal fog. “She’s going to be okay, Fab. She’s a strong woman. She’ll pull through this.”

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