Chapter Eleven- Sofia #3
“Hello,” I answered, swiping my screen. There was silence on the other end, but I knew someone was there because I could hear them breathing.
“Hello?” I repeated, waiting to see if the caller would say something.
After almost ten seconds had ticked by, I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the screen.
The time was still going, so I knew the call hadn’t been disconnected.
I placed the phone back to my ear. Instead of saying anything, I just listened.
I could hear the slow and steady breathing of someone.
This wasn’t my brother. I had no idea who was on the other end of this call, but a chill ran up my spine.
Quickly, I ended the call and stared at the phone.
Something didn’t feel right, but I couldn’t say why.
We did have Dior’s security guard, Alessandro, with us; he was in the car parked next to ours in the hospital’s parking lot.
There was also Ernesto, my personal guard, standing at the front gate back at the main house.
That still didn’t take away my uneasy feeling.
I pushed my worry to the back of my head and instead focused on getting an orange soda from the vending machine.
Shoving the phone inside my pants pocket, I took my soda and made my way back to the waiting area where my mother was seated.
“Has anyone come out to talk to you yet?” I asked, taking a seat and cracking my drink open.
“Not yet,” my mother answered, rubbing her eyes. Just as she spoke, we saw a young, pretty nurse walking toward us with a slight smile.
She came right up to us and stopped. “Hi, the family of Dior Ricci. You’re free to go in and sit with her. She is awake and alert and doing much better.”
“Is the baby alright?” My mother enquired, standing as she nibbled on her index finger.
“Yes, the baby is fine. Dior experienced something called implantation bleeding.
It's very common in the early stages of pregnancy. The fall triggered it a bit, but Dior is fine, and so is the baby. We'll keep her just for tonight as a routine, and she should be discharged before midday tomorrow.” The nurse gave us a warm smile before making her way back to the nurse’s station.
“Let’s go check up on our girl,” I said, taking my mother’s hand as I led her toward Dior’s room.
I smiled once I walked into the room and saw Dior was seated upright. She immediately smiled back when she saw us and gave a little wave.
“You scared the shit out of us, girl,” I told her, giving her a quick hug.
“Imagine how I feel,” Dior responded, hugging my mother, who began fussing, adjusting her pillows. “Does Buddha know what happened?”
“We haven’t been able to reach him on the plane, but we’ll keep trying,” my mother answered. I could see the disappointment on Dior’s face.
“Did you tell him about the pregnancy yet?” I asked.
Shaking her head, Dior settled back on the pillows. “No, I guess now will be the right time. It’s the first thing I’m about to say the moment I see him.”
My brother was a lot of things, but the one thing I think he’d be really good at is being a father.
He probably couldn’t see it himself, but I could.
I know Dior was probably really worried that Buddha wouldn’t be happy about this baby, but I low-key believed that deep down he was going to be ecstatic.
“We’ll make sure when we do get in touch with him, that we don’t accidentally spill the beans that he’s about to be a daddy,” I told her, just as my phone began ringing again. I took it out of my pocket and made a face when I saw the word "private" on the screen for the second time.
“Hello?” I answered on the first ring this time. Just as before, the caller on the other end said nothing, but I knew someone was there. I immediately became annoyed and ended the call because somebody was definitely playing with me.
“Who was that?” My mother enquired when she saw that I was irritated.
“Nobody, it was the wrong number. I’m gonna use the bathroom real quick,” I said, excusing myself. As soon as I walked out of the room, I dialed my father’s number.
“Sofia, let an old man get some sleep. Rocki is fine,” my father fussed at me after he answered on the third ring. I breathed a sigh of relief because my gut told me that something wasn’t right.
“I was just calling to tell you that Dior is fine, Daddy,” I lied; that was not the entire truth.
“Oh, well, that’s good. The last thing Buddha needs to hear is that we didn’t take care of his wife while he was away.”
“Exactly, they’re keeping her overnight, but she’ll be discharged tomorrow. We won’t be long again,” I informed him before I ended the call.
I gnawed on my bottom lip as I paced the floor, deep in thought. Something about these calls had me uneasy; I couldn’t put my finger on it. For the first time since I could remember, I couldn’t wait to see my brothers. I needed them to come home.
Despite the nervous way I felt, I pushed it to the back of my mind and made my way back to the hospital room. My sister-in-law needed me.