20. Allesandro
“ W hy isn’t he waking up?” I snap at Sarah as she draws closer. She eyes me warily before letting out a sigh. Refusing to feel guilty, I continue, “He’s opened his eyes several times, but isn’t fully out of this ‘coma’ you have him in.”
I don’t want to admit it, but the idea of a medically-induced coma doesn’t sit well with me.
Not with my history. It must show on my face, as her consternation softens slightly.
“Padrone, he will wake up when he’s ready.
I have already backed off on the medication.
All his vitals look good. Doc and I did another repeat test on his head injury and we’re both satisfied there’s no swelling. It takes time.”
At Emilio’s whimper, I shoot to my feet, unable to handle idly sitting next to him when he’s in pain. “There must be something wrong!”
“Keep it down, or I will have you escorted out,” the Amato doc threatens as he comes into view.
I glare at him, but there’s nothing that affects him.
Even imagining torturing him doesn’t help my frustration.
“I will not have you upset other patients with your inability to control your emotions. You’re a Boss. Act like it.”
Sarah makes a choking sound, either from trying to stifle a laugh, or at the sheer audacity of this man trying to tell me what to do.
Doc simply cocks one eyebrow, and I ruthlessly push down what I’d really like to say to him.
If it weren’t for the deep respect I have for Cristian, I would very much let my opinion be known vocally.
“Padrone, please. We are doing everything we can. Sit down. You still need to recover as well.”
Sarah tugs me back down into the seat, checking over me as I grumble. I resist batting her away, barely, and only because I know she has no problem getting even. That and my Emilio would likely combine forces with her when he wakes up, which would not go in my favor.
“Everything is looking good, but I don’t want you to push it. Doc did a great job on taking care of the amputation site.”
“Of course, I did, Sarah.” Doc rolls his eyes and I grit my teeth, desperately trying to hold onto my temper. Sarah merely gives me a wink, and I relax slightly. It appears she enjoys fucking with him, which is fine, so long as it doesn’t affect the care Emilio is being given.
I tune out Doc and Sarah as they start going over lists and possibilities, even when their “discussion” becomes louder.
I’m ready to point out that I was far quieter, when I notice Emilio’s eyes opening again.
This time they don’t close immediately, and he takes in his surroundings in confusion until he meets my gaze.
“Daddy?”
My breath catches as I stare into those emerald-green eyes, the complete trust and relief in them, even as he’s battling pain. “Emilio, Caro, Tesoro, Little One. I’m here. Shh, I’m here.”
I smooth my hand over his hair, noting that it’s longer than normal, but enjoying the silky feel to it. Perhaps I should let him grow it out… Even if it is against the rules for my Boys.
Lio tries to move his arm, but gasps at the sensation. Sarah and Doc finally appear to notice what’s going on, because suddenly they’re right in his space.
Fucking assholes .
I want him treated, but I hate being pushed away from my Caro.
Given the way his vital signs go crazy, I’m not the only one, and when Doc starts to grumble, I suppress a smile.
Especially when Doc turns around and grabs my hand, slamming it down next to Emilio’s.
I curl my fingers around my Caro’s, feeling strength in his touch.
Both Emilio and I draw in a breath at the same time, our souls in sync once again.
Emilio opens his mouth to say something, but closes it and swallows hard. He brings his unoccupied hand up to his throat and cringes. I gesture to Sarah, who quickly gets him something to drink. “Take sips.”
With a weak scowl, he does as she instructs.
Doc tilts his head toward Sarah before leaving, muttering about checking on their other pain in the ass patient.
I flick it off, not giving a shit what he thinks about my Emilio—and definitely not giving a shit about Tennant.
Sarah relaxes as Emilio waves her away with his hand.
“How are you?” she asks him.
“Sore. What happened?” While he responds to her, he doesn’t look away from me, and I squeeze his fingers, letting him know that I’m with him in this.
Sarah grabs a chart and makes notes in it before addressing him.
“You were shot. Twice. You flatlined, your lung collapsed, you’ll need extensive therapy for your arm—which your Master will need to let go of soon for me to check your range of motion—and you had some swelling in the brain; that’s better now.
“I did have you moved to the hospital for the surgery. While Doc was certain you could be treated here, you needed three different surgeons to work on you. So, while we disagreed over it, I did what I thought was right. Benjamin likely has a plan in place already for your PT.”
I blink at the fury threading through her voice. I press my lips together, considering my options. Fuck. I’ll need to talk with her more thoroughly after this. Not only about Doc, but her own mental well-being. I know how much she cares about Emilio.
Emilio gives her a weak smile. “Well, at least my best friend is probably looking forward to torturing me again.”
Sarah snorts as she shakes her head. “Yeah, I think you’re in major trouble with him. Good luck with that.”
My Caro holds out his hand for Sarah and she grasps it tightly. “Thank you, Dr. Ranlen.”
When Emilio yawns, she lightly touches his face, her lips pursed in concern. “Get some rest. The best thing for you now is sleep.”
Emilio gives a small smile, before turning his head toward me. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to. “I’m here, Caro. You won’t lose me.”
With a barely audible sigh, he closes his eyes. It doesn’t take more than a couple seconds before he falls asleep. I stroke his head as his grip on my hand relaxes fully. I won’t let him go, but at least I can breathe easier now.
“Should we just pretend I gave you the ‘you need to rest, too’ speech?”
With a smirk, I turn my attention to Sarah. “I think that’s the best way to go. You know I’m not leaving him.”
“I’ll make sure someone brings you something to eat. Does that mean family dinner is canceled?” Sarah backs away as she narrows her eyes at me.
“Was it really that bad?” I glower. “There was some tension, but not that much.”
“I was almost missing Doc because I thought we’d need to start treating people.” There’s no humor in her voice and I wince. “Perhaps skipping a couple meals would be a good idea, Padrone.”
“Even if I’m not there, you should still be having family meals. You know how important those are.” Her shoulders slump, but she doesn’t disagree. She knows my rules.
“Very well. I’ll let people know. But you’d better eat everything I send for your dinner. I’ll have enough of a problem taking care of Lio. I don’t need you to have issues as well.”
I chuckle, knowing she’s right that Emilio will cause her plenty of trouble. I nod and wave her off. “Of course. I’ll behave.”
From the cursing she does as she makes one more mark in the chart before setting it down, I don’t think she believes me. I keep silent, not wanting to press her when she’s allowing me to sit next to my Little One. Finally, she leaves, and it’s just Emilio and me.
For a moment, all of my willpower leaves me. Exhaustion swamps me, as all I care about is my Emilio still being here. I force it down, promising myself that as soon as he’s able, I’ll get him out of here. The more I learn about what happened while I was gone, the unhappier I am.
Hopefully, Sarah gives her permission soon. I don’t give a fuck if I need to pay her more, or give her enough funding to build her own damn hospital. I’m done with this shit.
It’s time we go home…