Chapter Eight
Two weeks later
Franco’s family hadn’t gathered for one of Mama’s Sunday dinners in a couple of months. There hadn’t been one last month, because it would have been too close to Matteo’s wedding. Mama had waited for the honeymooners to get home, which brought them all together on this second Sunday of August rather than the first.
Franco picked up a bottle of wine, Dakota’s favorite, and asked if he could pour her a glass.
“No, thanks. I’m having water.”
“You can pour one for me,” Matteo chimed in.
“Pour your own.” Franco handed him the bottle of red.
Something seemed different about Dakota. She had a glow about her. Matteo looked just as smitten as he had the first time Franco had seen the two of them together. Must be nice to be able to openly love whoever you wanted.
In fairness, Franco hadn’t loved anyone before who would put that look on his face. His thoughts turned to Rico, but he wasn’t certain what he felt was anything more than lust at this point.
Franco picked up the bottle of white but before pouring a glass for himself, he turned to his sister-in-law. “Carmella, how about you? White, as usual?”
“No thanks, Franco. I’m going to drink water too.”
Unlike Dakota, Carmella, being Italian American, wasn’t usually one to turn down wine at their meals.
Everyone sat down, and dinner commenced for a few minutes as normal until Matteo tapped a knife against his glass to get everyone’s attention.
“I’m sorry Rafe is missing out today, but Dakota and I have an announcement to make.” Dakota stood next to him, and her hand went low on her belly. Before Franco could put two and two together, Matteo announced, “We’re expecting a baby.”
The room erupted into cheers. Mama had tears streaming down her cheeks as she stood and closed the gap between her and Dakota. Soon, the happy couple was surrounded by family members who also vacated their seats and hugged Dakota and Matteo separately or together.
“When are you due?” Mama asked, wiping a tear away from her cheek with her napkin.
“January 17.”
“How wonderful!”
Mama would be beside herself now. He had a feeling she’d been waiting for grandbabies to come along ever since Angelina married, even though she didn’t openly put pressure on them. He glanced at Angelina, who seemed as happy as everyone else. Perhaps she and Marc weren’t trying for babies yet, given their budding careers.
Another knife tapped against a glass, and everyone turned toward Tony who stood next to Carmella. “I hate to steal my older brother’s thunder, but Carmella and I have an announcement too.”
Mama’s eyes opened wider.
“Mama,” Carmella began, “at Dakota and Matt’s wedding, when you mentioned Megan becoming the family photographer for weddings and babies, I thought surely you’d guessed. But we wanted to wait until we were in our second trimester before announcing anything. Anyway, we’re expecting too!”
“What!? Two babies?” Mama swayed, and Paul, grinning, wrapped an arm around her for support before she hit the floor.
“I never thought I’d see the day when Angela would be caught off guard by anything pertaining to her kids, but I think you guys have done it.”
“Nonsense!” She waved him off and crossed the room to Carmella and Tony. “I’m just happy!”
Franco couldn’t help but think how Mama would react to his announcing having a baby with some future partner, assuming that day ever came. That would definitely catch Mama by surprise. He half grinned at the far-off notion.
After releasing them from a hug, Mama asked Tony and Carmella, “And when is your due date?”
“We must have found out about the same time as Dakota and Matt. Our baby is due January 9,” Carmella responded.
“My goodness! Two babies so close together!” Mama looked astonished. Then a huge smile broke out on her face. “But I couldn’t be happier. I only wish Rafe were here.”
“Actually,” Tony interjected, “I told Rafe at shift change this morning.” He grinned at Matteo. “At least I told him our good news.”
Rafe and Franco had once talked about feeling the pressure of their Italian heritage to marry and have their own kids. His oldest brother just might be a confirmed bachelor, and Franco’s marital and parental future was iffy. Franco, for one, was thrilled to have their younger brothers fulfilling Mama’s dreams.
Wait until Rafe got off duty and heard the news about Matteo and Dakota’s baby too. Mama lived about equal distance to Tony’s and Matteo’s homes. Franco hoped the roads would be kept clear in January. Although Mama wouldn’t let a little snow on the roads make her miss being one of the first people her grandchildren saw.
“I might as well give you both fair warning,” Angelina said. Wait. Not his sister too. But she merely smiled and added, “I plan to spoil all my nieces and nephews rotten and send them home hyped up on cannoli.”
“Same with me, although I will include cookies and lots of pasta,” Mama added.
Mama’s family was growing fast—two new daughters in as many years and now two grandbabies on the way. Franco congratulated his brothers and their wives, wondering what kind of uncle he would make. He’d never really spent much time around little kids. Might be interesting.
One month later
Rico held Michelle’s hair away from her face as she dry heaved into the toilet. His heart ached for her. Thankfully, Gina was at school. The girl became understandably upset at seeing her mother in such agony. It had been a long six weeks since this ordeal began. He wanted to shield Gina from as much of the ugliness of cancer as he could, because he couldn’t shield her mom.
Was the chemo even working to combat the aggressive disease ravaging her body? Michelle had so much to fight for, but would she come out victorious or was the treatment only making her final days miserable?
Not your decision to make.
Rico would support Michelle in whatever she chose to do. Even though he’d never taken this much time away from his pub, he had left the business in capable hands. Right now, his sole focus would be on Michelle and Gina. They needed him.
Michelle raised her hand, and he helped her to her feet. She’d lost so much weight; she felt as light as a feather.
“Let me help you back to bed, Miche.”
“Thanks,” she croaked. Her voice sounded as raw as his emotions.
After he had settled her in bed, her face as pale as the sheets she lay on, he asked, “Do you want to sleep now?”
She shook her head. “I can sleep later.”
Rico took a seat beside her bed in the wing chair he’d fallen asleep in last night. Sometimes he slept on the sofa, but she’d had a rough night. He’d have to get used to it. Michelle didn’t want to go back into the hospital, and she wasn’t ready to call in hospice, either.
She did have home health aides coming in daily to take care of the things Michelle needed that he couldn’t do for her. Usually, they came after Gina had returned home from school. Rico would take Gina out to eat, because the smell of food made Michelle even more nauseous.
“How many more treatments do you have?” he asked.
“Two.” Her eyes swam with unshed tears. “But I don’t think they’re working, Rico.” A tear slid down her cheek. “What am I going to do if…? Gina…”
He squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry about a thing. You’re going to beat this. Chemo is hell on everyone. Let’s just get through these treatments. Then I’m sure you’ll be feeling better again soon.”
I wish I could be as certain as I sounded.
Michelle gave him a wan smile. She didn’t believe those words any more than he did, but she also didn’t call his bluff. Normally, Rico remained upbeat and positive, but watching the misery his cousin had gone through since mid-July had begun to wear down his spirit too.
Fucking cancer.
“Promise me something.” Her voice barely a whisper, he leaned closer.
“Anything, Miche.”
“If anything happens to me—”
“Nothing’s going to happen. You’re going to beat this.” He wouldn’t let her entertain any other outcome, despite his own feelings lately.
She waved away his words, but even that slight exertion took everything out of her. Michelle’s hand dropped onto the sheet. “Sure. I could get hit by a bus.” She rolled her eyes and gave him a weak smile at her attempt with dark humor. “Anyway…promise me you…will take Gina in. She loves you like a papa.”
Tears burned his eyes, and he let them fall unashamedly. “Don’t worry about Gina. I’ve got both your backs.”
The two cousins had been through a lot together. Rico’s mama had suffered some severe bouts of depression when Rico was in grade school, and Aunt Sophia—Michelle’s mother and Mama’s sister—had taken him in sometimes for a month or more.
He and Michelle had shared a bedroom in their small apartment, cementing a lifelong bond. They’d become as close as siblings during those times and others. He liked to think he was the reason she chose to attend college in Colorado, even though she preferred the big city over Aspen Corners or even nearby Breckenridge.
Given that Michelle had no other close relatives and that Aunt Sophia was too frail to raise Gina, Rico had always assumed he’d take on the role if anything happened to Michelle. He just hoped he’d never be put in this position. Michelle had always been the stronger of the two of them.
Michelle remained silent a moment, her eyes closed. Then she opened them and smiled. “I appreciate that. I’ll call an attorney tomorrow. Make sure everything’s legal.”
Her breathing evened out, and he eased himself out of the chair to let her sleep awhile. He’d fix her some broth and try to get one of her supplement drinks down her before the nurse came, but right now she needed rest.
While the whole chicken simmered in the pot for the chicken and rice soup Michelle had asked him to make—one of the few dishes that didn’t make her sick—he allowed his thoughts to wander to Franco. He hadn’t seen much of him since their night at the Masters at Arms Club, mainly because Michelle had taken a turn for the worse soon after, and Rico had been needed here instead. Franco had called twice in the days after their first scene to make sure he was doing okay. Apparently, Franco was concerned about something called subdrop, but Rico had never felt better—at least as far as their play session had gone. Angie had been right about BDSM helping to reduce stress. He could use another session right about now, but that was out of the question.
While subdrop hadn’t been an issue, Rico hadn’t been able to get the man out of his head. Other than those brief phone calls, Rico hadn’t been able to meet up with him again. They’d reverted to how they’d been communicating with each other before Matt’s wedding—a text here and there between friends.
Rico wouldn’t be satisfied with that status forever, but what could he do about it now? Hopefully, they’d eventually be able to be together again when Michelle was feeling better.
Because I’m not giving up on a cure yet.
As Rico removed the chicken bones from the soup, the intercom buzzed, pulling Rico out of his head. He answered it to find the aide had arrived. Good thing, because he hadn’t checked in on Michelle in an hour or so.
“I was making some homemade soup,” he explained after letting her in. “It’s about the only thing she’s craving these days.”
“Smells delicious. How’s our patient doing?”
He shrugged. “She had a rough night, and today hasn’t been much better. Can’t keep anything down. I was going to give her a bottle of her supplement shake this afternoon but didn’t want to wake her up.”
The woman nodded understandingly. “I’ll check on her. You take a little break when Gina gets home.”
This routine had been established over the past two weeks after school had started. Rather than having Gina walk the twelve minutes to and from school, most days a neighbor took her to school and Rico picked her up.
“I think we might go to the zoo today, while the weather’s still nice.” Gina loved animals. And he wanted to shield her from the harsh reality of Michelle’s condition. But this also would give them time to talk. The little girl had a lot of worries and wanted to present a strong front for her mama, but sometimes when it was just Gina and Rico, she let her defenses down and cried her heart out.
He gathered his keys and wallet. “We’ll be back by seven. Just add rice to the soup when she’s ready to eat. Thanks for everything.”
“That’s what I’m here for. Go!” She shooed him out the door.
Rico had to admit that being outside again gave him his first opportunity to breathe fresh air all day. That tiny apartment made him feel claustrophobic at times. How Michelle could stand being cooped up in there boggled his mind—even before she’d been confined to her bedroom mostly. Of course, before she’d gotten sick, Michelle had spent her days at work and Gina had been at school, except for vacation days. The apartment was about the size of the one Michelle had grown up in back in Chicago. He was probably the only one not used to city living.
Rico hung the official, school-issued tag on the rearview mirror, which would allow him to pick up Gina. Pulling into the line later than usual, he knew it would be five minutes or longer before he’d make his way to the front of the line. Time to readjust his attitude to something more positive. No, he wasn’t above putting on a happy face for the little girl who didn’t deserve the hand she’d been dealt lately, either.
He watched the elementary school kids running out to jump into their respective cars, keeping an eye out for the dark-haired beauty, Gina. She came out talking with a girl who looked to be about the same age. They said goodbye, and Gina ran over to Rico’s car, getting into the back seat.
“Zio Rico, guess what?” She buckled her seatbelt after dumping her backpack on the seat beside her.
“I have no clue, Sweetie.” She greeted him the same almost every day.
“I’m invited to Olivia’s birthday party on Saturday!” Her delight was infectious. Thank God she had something to look forward to.
“Sounds like fun. Would you like to go to the zoo this afternoon? Maybe we can find something in the gift shop that you can give her for her birthday.”
“Yeah! She loves monkeys and sloths.”
He couldn’t contain his grin as he pulled away from the curb. “I’m sure we’ll find both there.”
“How’s Mama?” Some of the joy had left her voice.
He drew a deep breath. “She’s been sick to her stomach today. Nancy is taking care of her now.” Rico didn’t like using the word hospice around Gina, unsure what she knew about why the home health aides were there. He glanced in the rearview mirror, remembering to take down his parking ID, and noticed Gina nibbling at her lower lip as the worry lines formed on her forehead. He couldn’t promise Michelle would be better when they got back to the apartment. But he could distract her. “Which exhibit do you want to see first?”
“The penguins!” Her enthusiasm returned instantaneously. She’d have to deal with seeing her sick mother soon enough. First, they’d enjoy themselves for a few hours at the Denver Zoo.
“Are you hungry?”
“Not yet. Maybe after we visit the penguins.”
They remained quiet for the rest of the ten-minute drive. After parking, he put her backpack into the trunk and took her hand as they walked to the entrance. Gina skipped and bounced more than walked. Minutes later, she was nose to glass at the exhibit as if talking with one of the penguins on some level. Maybe she was. He pulled out his phone to take some photos to share with Michelle later.
After a while, she lost interest in the animals swimming back and forth in the tank and returned to his side. Her face carried a somber expression.
“Zio Rico, is Mama going to die?”
Gina couldn’t have shaken him more if she’d sucker punched him. He hunkered down to her level. “Sweetie, we’re all going to die at some point.”
“I know, but I mean…” Tears welled in her eyes, and he went completely onto his knees and wrapped her in his embrace.
“I don’t know, honey,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m hoping and praying she gets better soon. Right now, the medicine is probably making her sicker than the ca—disease.” He hated the word cancer and didn’t want to say it, even though Gina had some concept of what was happening. Kids knew so much more these days than he did growing up. They were exposed to so much in their own lives but add the news and social media and it was just overload.
“I’m scared.”
Me too, Sweetie.
But he’d put on a stronger front for her. “It’s okay to be scared when something’s going on in our lives that we can’t control. But Mama’s doctors are doing all they can to make her better. We’ll just keep praying the treatment works, and she’ll be good as new soon.” Was he wrong to give her false hope?
“My class prays for her every morning.”
Going to a school affiliated with her parish made it impossible to keep anything from her classmates and their parents. Still, knowing they were praying for Michelle made him feel good. She needed all the prayers she could get right now.