CHAPTER 31 #3
I was feeling hesitant as I stood outside the door of Dante’s private room at the clinic the next morning.
I had been home to sleep the night before, too exhausted to stay at Dante’s side as I had wanted to.
The rest had helped me some, but my sleep had been fitful, filled with flashbacks and nightmares of everything that had happened – so much blood and violence, fear, and pain.
I’d woken feeling stiff and in pain, but somewhat rested, at least compared to the day before.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, I’d asked Dio to bring me straight back to the hospital.
Cal had been kept in the night before for observation, and Arran had stayed with him, and I had been eager to see them both and to check on Dante, who was supposed to be waking up from his sedation early that morning.
I’d come straight to Dante’s room, most worried about him, but now I was unsure about going in there.
Arran said Dante had woken up violently the day before and the thought of that happening again made me feel nervous.
I wasn’t afraid, necessarily. Not of Dante.
Not really. Except he did hurt me before…
last time he was under the influence and out of control, and now he could wake up that way again, and if he hurt me…
I wasn’t sure our relationship could ever recover from that, and it terrified me – the thought of losing him.
Of having to let him go because I was unable to feel safe with him.
“What’s wrong, Piccola?” Dio asked from where he was at my side.
“Maybe I should check on Cal first?” I worried as I turned to him and leaned into him, resting my forehead against his chest. My head still hurt from the concussion, and my wrist throbbed, and that pain was making everything seem so much more daunting.
“Don’t you want to go in to Dante’s room? Are you afraid?” he asked knowingly. He settled his hand at the small of my back then cradled the back of my head with the other, and it felt so good.
“Nervous,” I admitted. “Arran said he woke up angry yesterday. After everything…”
“Sshh. You don’t need to explain. Let’s go and see Cal. You can stay with him and Arran while I talk to the doctors about Dante, alright?”
“Yeah. Okay.” I lifted my head and turned to move away from Dio reluctantly, but he moved with me and wrapped his arm tightly around me, pulling me close.
“I wish you would take some pain killers, baby. I can see that you’re in pain right now,” he told me.
“I don’t like to take anything, not after I started taking those drugs before. Whether I want to believe it or not, my mother’s addiction is in me, Dio. I have to be careful,” I reminded him tiredly.
“That’s not true. You were going through a hellish time, and you made a mistake. It wasn’t an addiction, Cara.”
“It could have become one though, if Arran didn’t find out, I could have taken that dark road. I won’t risk it again. I don’t even hurt that much.”
“I don’t want you to hurt at all,” he said firmly.
Luckily, we walked into Cal’s room and found him and Arran sat on the edge of the hospital bed, both fully clothed and Cal’s arm in a sling.
“Hi,” I greeted as they both turned to look at us.
“There ye are, darlin’. We were just talkin’ about ye,” Arran announced happily as he got to his feet and came my way.
Just seeing him after the night I’d had, and all we’d been through filled me with relief and emotion in equal measure, and without thinking, I stepped out of Dio’s hold and rushed into Arran’s arms, landing against his front hard.
“Is Cal okay?” I asked shakily as I clung to him and breathed him in.
“Aye. He’s about to be discharged, so we can get him home. He’s fine, lass. What about you?”
“I missed you.”
“Didnae sleep well, eh?”
“Not really,” I admitted.
“She won’t take any pain killers and she’s in a lot of pain,” Dio added with some frustration.
“I’m alright,” I argued, but I didn’t move from where I was pressed against Arran, his arms around me.
“Come and sit down, beautiful. Let me get a cuddle too,” Cal said, and I looked around Arran to him where he was still perched on the bed, holding his hand out to me.
I smiled shakily as I pulled away from Arran and went to him. As soon as my hand landed in his, he pulled me close and scooped me up with his good arm.
“Cal!” I cried, worried he’d hurt himself, but I was already in his lap by the time my protest was out. “Your shoulder!”
“Calm down!” he smiled. “You don’t weigh a bloody thing.”
“Arran! Tell him!”
“He’s fine, wee one. Quit yer fussin’ and let the lad hold ye. He’s been worryin’ about ye all night,” Arran dismissed with a wave of his hand.
“Did you get a wink of sleep?” Cal asked as he wrapped his arm around me and studied my face.
“A few hours, but it was a rough night,” I admitted. “I missed you and Arran.”
“We missed you too, babe, but we’ll be home tonight. Didn’t Dario stay with you last night?”
“He was in and out. He was fielding a ton of phone calls,” I explained quietly, not wanting Dio to overhear and feel bad for not being at my beck and call all night. He’d been with me as much as he could, but he had a lot of work to do with Rafe still out of action.
“I need to find out what’s going on with Dante. Stay here, okay baby?” Dio called over to me from where he had been talking to Arran near the door. I looked up and nodded, giving him a shaky smile.
“How’s Rafe?” Arran asked as he approached and sat in a chair beside the bed, opposite us.
“Exhausted after yesterday. He had to sleep with oxygen last night because he pushed way too hard. The doctor checked in on him this morning and suggested he stay in bed for today at least. Thankfully, Rafe was too worn out to argue. Terza is keeping and eye on him,” I explained. “I’m worried about him.”
“He’ll be alright. He just needs to actually allow his body to rest and heal. Hopefully, he can do that now things are going to settle down,” Cal assured me.
“Things better settle down,” I sighed.
“They will. Yer past is dead an’ buried now, and Rafe is getting’ the family outta this darker side of things.
Life will get quieter, hen, and you will finally get that peace ye’ve been hoping and waitin’ fer.
It’ll take a while to recover from everythin’ that’s happened, but we can start lookin’ te the future now, all of us. A good future.”
“He’s right, Cara. Brighter days lie ahead now. You just need to hold on. We’ll get there,” Cal agreed.
I opened my mouth to tell him I wanted that – the brighter days and a future with the two of them and Dario. And Dante too, hopefully, but before I could utter a word, a loud shout erupted from somewhere, and my body froze as I looked around me.
More shouts, followed by crashes and a thud so loud the walls shook, and I knew what it was.
“Dante!” I cried. All of my earlier apprehension and caution left me as I jumped down from Cal’s lap and set off running. All I could think about was how afraid Dante sounded when he called out and I wanted to be there for him, just as he’d come for me when I’d been afraid before.
“Cara!” A hand grabbed my arm just as I left Cal’s room and I turned as Arran gently pulled me back.
“I have to go to him!” I cried.
“No, lass. He’s no’ thinking straight right now. He wouldnae want ye near him when he’s like that.”
“I don’t care! I’m going, Arran. Let me go,” I demanded firmly. I pulled from his hold on me and rushed to the private room I had paused outside before. The door was open and I could see Dio was in there, along with some frantic looking nurses.
“Don’t fucking touch me!” Dante growled, his voice rough and almost hoarse, as I stepped in and looked up at where he stood beside the bed, his fists clenched and his body looking painfully taut.
His face was ashen and his eyes were wide and wild with fear and fight in equal measure.
He was dressed only in a pair of pyjama trousers, his chest bare and covered with dressings and bandages, now stained with blood since he’d obviously ripped his stitches in his chaos.
“Dante, sit the fuck down! You’re safe. Everyone is safe,” Dio snapped at him, but it was like Dante wasn’t even hearing him.
His eyes were moving back and forth between the people in the room warily, watching and planning his attack.
“We need to sedate him again!” A nurse called fearfully.
“And then what? Do you plan to just sedate him forever?” Dio barked. “He has been tortured for weeks, has a head injury, and is waking in a strange place. Just give him a fucking chance to get his bearings!”
“He’s already ripped open his stitches. If he carries on as he is….” A voice started to argue, but I blocked it out as I stepped forward, moving around Dio and two nurses huddled close to the door.
“Dante!” I cried, praying he would hear me.
“Cara. What the…get back!” Dio hissed.
But Dante had heard me, and he whipped his head round my way, his eyes roaming the room until they met my own. For a long moment we just stared at each other, but in that moment some of Dante’s panic seemed to calm and I saw him take in a shaky breath.
“Hey big guy,” I said carefully as I slowly moved closer.
“Cara.” The word barely came out as a sound, but I heard it.
“I’m here. We’re at the hospital. You were beat up pretty badly once the others rescued us. Remember?”
“You…you’re hurt?” he uttered. I could see his body shaking now I was closer to him, and I worried he was going to collapse if he tried to stand much longer.
“I’m okay. The doctor took care of me. Can you sit down? You’re bleeding.”
“Wh-where are they?”
“Who? The others?” I questioned gently. Dante nodded, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Rafe’s at home, resting. Cal has been discharged this morning, and Arran is with him. Cara has a fractured wrist and a mild concussion, but she’s okay. We’re taking care of her. Everyone is alright,” Dio cut in.
“Everyone except you, who is bleeding. Please, just sit down Dante…please,” I almost begged.