Chapter 40
ARIA
I wake up expecting to be in pain, still lying on the ratty old mattress Salvatore made me sleep on, but instead, all I feel is some soreness.
The agony has dulled to something throbbing just beneath the surface. I want to open my eyes, but they’re not cooperating. I just want to continue lying here and sleeping some more.
There’s a thought niggling at the back of my mind… it feels like it should be something important, but when I try to reach for it, it just disappears.
It takes me a second to remember that I’m not Salvatore’s captive anymore, and that’s because Enzo saved me along with my brother.
My brother…
Oh shit! Luca is alive! My brother isn’t dead, and he’s back home where he belongs. I could cry with how happy I am right now. I listen to hear something, but there’s only silence.
Well, that’s not exactly true. I hear the sound of machines humming softly from beside me. A beeping sound that keeps going in a steady rhythm. It’s strange, and I wonder what it is… and why does it keep beeping? Strange.
As I start to become fully conscious, I let out a soft groan. The dull throbbing is just a little more noticeable now. It’s not too bad, but I can definitely feel it a bit.
Shifting my body a little, it’s then that I realize that something isn’t quite right. My body feels wrong… lighter than it should be.
It feels like something is missing. I can tell my hand is resting on the top of my stomach, and I realize it’s kind of flat.
There’s nothing in there. It’s hollow and sore. Definitely sore in a way I don’t remember it being. What is the last thing I remember? I try to think…
When I try to shift some more, something on my stomach pulls a little. It feels like it’s a bandage that’s covering the lower half of it.
A memory slams into me with the force of a collision. My breath hitches because now I remember it all.
The pain. The cramping or was it contractions? The bleeding…
My baby!
My eyes fly open in an instant. The room I’m in is unfamiliar, but it definitely looks like a hospital room. I look down at my stomach and see that it is flat, just like I felt it was a second ago.
I’m just about to start panicking when I hear a sound coming from my right. It’s a soft, uneven little sound. A newborn cry. Well, maybe it’s a whimper or a little fuss? Who knows? Because I can’t tell yet.
Turning my head slowly to where the sound is coming from, tears instantly well in my eyes at the sight before me.
My husband is sitting in a recliner across the room, near the window, a little bundle wrapped up in a pretty pink blanket in his arms.
Our baby.
The first thought that enters my mind is that she’s here and she’s safe. A wave of relief hits me so hard, I have to choke back the sob that wants to escape.
He looks really hot sitting there with our baby and a bottle in his hands. She looks so tiny next to him, and I don’t miss how protectively he’s holding her.
I watch as he unwraps the blanket from her body and holds her up on his chest while making sure that one of his hands is supporting her head. He then places a kiss on the top of that little head, closing his eyes and taking a moment to breathe in her baby scent.
She’s wearing a cute pink onesie that looks adorable on her. He settles her in the crook of his arm, putting a little hat on her head before taking her blanket and putting it over her legs.
The sight of the two of them is so heartwarming that I silently thank God for bringing Enzo into my life.
“You are one hungry little monster,” Enzo says, doing some kind of baby talk with her, a soft smile filled with pure love on his face. “It feels like I just fed you. You’ve got quite the appetite on you, bambina, for only being a few hours old.”
He’s cooing to her softly, but I can still hear him from where I’m lying on the bed. He puts the bottle to her lip, and she instantly latches on, gulping down the milk he’s feeding her. “Strong too,” he says, voice full of pride.
The two of them become blurry as tears fill my vision. That may have been the best thing I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life.
I must make a noise because his head snaps up and he’s looking right at me. His whole body relaxes instantly when he sees I’m awake, relief palpable on his face, but then his expression changes to concern when he sees the tears streaming down my cheeks.
He carefully gets up, our baby still protectively held in his arms and the bottle in her mouth, and crosses the room quickly but carefully, since he’s carrying precious cargo. He slowly sits down on the chair directly next to my bed.
“Hey,” he whispers, his voice thick with emotion. “You’re awake.”
I try to speak, but I can’t because I’m overcome with emotion too. It takes me a few moments before I finally manage to get some words out. “Is she okay?”
“She’s perfect. So beautiful like her mama. She’s okay, and you’re okay too, baby. I was so fucking worried about you. Don’t ever do that to me again,” he whispers.
“I’m sorry,” I choke out.
“It’s not your fault, baby. But I was terrified out of my mind that I got you here too late, but I’m so fucking happy that you both pulled through.”
“I’m so happy too.”
“Okay, bambina. Time to burp you,” he tells her when she wiggles a bit in his arms. He carefully lifts her up to his chest and gently rubs circles on her back, and a few seconds later, she lets out a cute little burp.
“You’re already so good with her. You’re like a pro already,” I tell him, a smile on my face.
He turns her around and holds her up so I can see her, and a gasp escapes me. All my attention narrows onto that tiny face. So small, so real, and so damn adorable with those chubby little cheeks.
She scrunches her face before letting out little gurgles, and I can’t help the half-laugh, half-sob that leaves me.
“Look at what we made together,” I say, awe in my voice.
“Hell yeah, we made this together,” he says with a smirk.
He pushes his chair closer to me and lays her down on the bed, so I can see her better. I lift my right hand, the one that wasn’t dislocated, and lift it up to run my hand along her hair and cheek. She gurgles some more, a tiny finger reaching out to touch mine.
My heart instantly fills with so much love for this tiny baby, but also some sadness because of everything that happened.
“I didn’t even get to see her or hold her,” I sob. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know. I’m sorry you had to go through that amore mio. But don’t you dare apologize for anything that wasn’t your fault,” he whispers. “Stretch your hand out a bit, and I’ll put her in your arms.”
I do as he says, and he gently places her in the crook of my arms, making sure that the wire from my IV is away from her. It instantly feels like I’m whole again as I feel the weight of her tiny body next to mine.
He doesn’t move; he keeps a hand on her body at all times to make sure she’s safe. He leans over and brushes his lips against my forehead, lingering there for a second like he needs the physical reminder that this is real. I’m here. We’re here. Together.
She shifts, letting out a tiny sound before she settles again. I’m overcome with so many emotions all at once, it’s hard to even name what I’m feeling.
“Hello, bambina. I’m your mom. I can’t wait until I get to hold you properly,” I whisper, afraid that I’ll burst into more tears at any moment.
Enzo is still close, one hand resting on our girl and the other on my thigh. His touch is protective, like he can’t bear to be without us, grounding himself.
“What’s her name? Did you pick one already from the list we made?”
“No. I wanted to wait so that we could do it together,” he says, and my heart absolutely melts.
“What did you choose?” I ask.
“What did you choose?” he repeats.
“How about we both go at the same time?” I tell him.
“Okay.”
“On the count of three, then. One… two… three… Aurora,” he and I say at the same time.
“Hmm. looks like we both got good taste. Aurora it is then,” I tell him before running my hand on our baby’s little head. “Welcome to the world, my sweet little Aurora. I can’t wait to be your mommy.”
There’s a knock on the door, and it opens as Dr. Wilson comes in to check on me. That’s when I realize that I didn’t even check on my injuries. That must mean they have me on something for the pain because I don’t feel anything.
Our baby girl has fallen asleep, so Enzo carefully lifts her and puts her in the bassinet next to my bed, covering her with a blanket.
Dr. Wilson tells me they set my shoulder back into its socket. My wrist is wrapped with elastic bandages. I’m wearing an ankle and knee brace.
My rib wasn’t cracked or anything, just bruised, and finally, I have a C-section cut on my stomach. All in all, I guess it isn’t so bad. If Enzo hadn’t found me when he did, I have a feeling things would have turned out much worse.
Dr. Wilson leaves after making sure I’m good, and then Enzo and I are alone with our sleeping baby in the room. We talk. He makes sure to hold my hand in his, the entire time. Every time I wince, he notices and fusses over me.
It’s about an hour later when the door to my room opens softly, and I hear the sound of familiar voices. I look up to see my mother-in-law, father-in-law, and my brother step into my room, their hands filled with balloons and stuffed animals.
“Luca—” I whisper, my words ending in a broken sob. He rushes over to me, handing Enzo the balloons as my husband moves out of the way. “I thought I dreamed you. I thought I was dying, and you finally came back to me in my dreams.”
“I’m so sorry for everything that happened, sis,” he murmurs, pulling me into his arms, hugging me while placing a kiss in my hair.
“I missed you so much. Where were you?”
“It’s a long story. A lot happened, and I’ll tell you all about it when you’re better, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, sniffling.
“Ahem,” I hear coming from my mother-in-law, and Luca laughs before stepping away.
She doesn’t waste any time rushing over to me, gently pulling me into her arms. “Oh, my goodness! I was so worried about you, my darling girl.”
“I’m okay,” I tell her, feeling loved while wrapped in her arms. When she moves away, my father-in-law is next. He hugs me and tells me that he’s glad that I’m okay.
There’s a cry from the bassinet, and I watch in amusement as my mother-in-law makes a beeline for it, pushing everyone out of the way.
She picks up my little girl and wraps her up in her arms, cooing to her quietly. The room glows with warmth as the baby is passed around between the three of them, each person holding her like she’s their world and like she’s made of glass.
All the while, my husband hasn’t left my side. He is still holding my hand, like he’s willing all his strength to me. Every few minutes, he checks on me, making sure I’m okay.
The door to my room opens again, and this time it’s Giana. One of the nurses pushes her into my room in a wheelchair. “Oh my God! You’re okay! I was so worried about you!” I tell her when she’s wheeled closer to my bed.
“I was so worried about you, too!” she says as we both sob. When we’ve gotten our emotions under control, she looks at the others, all fawning over my baby girl with a smile on her lips.
The love in this room is so loud, it’s everything I’ve ever wished for. I can already tell from the look of things that my baby will never be without love like I was. She’ll always have someone in her corner.
I take a moment to just watch the three of them with my husband by my side. This is what a real family should look like. Though it’s rare in our world, I’m glad I fell into the right one.
My baby is at the center of it all, and it just feels right. After all the fear, the pain, and the uncertainty in my life… I ended up right where I belong. Where my baby and I were meant to be.
This is one of the memories I’ll always remember, and despite the ache still lingering in my body, I’ve never felt happier than I am right now.