Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Ever feel like you’ve been hit by a semi? That’s exactly how I feel right now. Like fucking shit. I’m doing my best to downplay just how bad I feel. The last thing I want to do is worry Daniella more than I can see she already is.
“Dani?”
“Yeah? What do you need?” she asks, stopping her current pacing of the length of the room.
“I could use a drink,” I tell her.
“Right. You should be drinking water.” Daniella walks over to me and picks up the bottle of water I left on the bedside table. “Here. Drink this.”
“I don’t want water.”
“What do you want?”
“You.”
“Huh?”
“I want you to come sit on my face and let me drink straight from your pussy.” I smirk.
Daniella blinks a few times and then shakes her head. “Seriously, CJ? You look like you’re dying and you’re thinking about my vagina?”
“I’m always thinking about your vagina, Dani,” I remind her.
A throat clears, and I look past Daniella to find my father doing his best not to laugh. “Heard you weren’t feeling too good?” he says, walking farther into the room.
“Move out of my way. I swear to God, Carlo Junior, if you’re sick because you’ve done something stupid, you won’t have to worry about an infection taking you out, because I’ll take you out myself.” My mother rushes into the room, stopping at the side of the bed.
“Ma, I’m fine,” I tell her. “Daniella is overreacting and really shouldn’t have worried you all.”
My mother turns to look at Daniella and then back to me. “Is she pregnant?”
“What?” I ask, confused, and then I see the devastation written all over Daniella’s face. “Fuck,” I groan as I shift to get up.
“Don’t move.” My mum pushes at my shoulder. “I cannot think of any other reason you two would run off and get married in a damn chapel.”
“Ma, stop,” I hiss and then watch Daniella walk out of the room. “Fucking hell.”
When I go to get up again, my dad’s voice stops me. “Don’t move. You look like shit.”
“I need to go and find her,” I tell him.
“I’ll go.” Dad walks out the door, leaving me alone with my mother.
“What?” Mom asks when she sees the now pissed-off look on my face.
I take a breath and count to ten in my head. I will not cuss out my mother. “She’s not pregnant. We got married because we wanted to. That’s it,” I say. “And she’s not going anywhere. I love her, Ma, and it would make my life a hell of a lot easier if you were nicer to her.”
“She’s not going anywhere? You sure about that, CJ? Because I was here last time she left. I saw the destruction she left behind. I don’t ever want to see you hurt like that again.”
“You know, it takes two people to make a relationship work, not just one. Daniella leaving wasn’t just on her. It was both of us. You can’t hate her for that.”
“I don’t hate her. I love her. I just don’t want to see you hurt again, CJ. A mother’s heart can only take so much. One day, when you’re a parent, you will understand that,” she says.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her I’m not going to be a parent. I’m okay with that, but that’s not my thing to tell. Daniella has kept this secret for years. I’m not going to be the one to tell anyone.
“I need to find my wife,” I grunt as I try to sit up again.
“The doctor’s here.” Daniella walks back into the room, with my father behind her and the doctor behind him.
“I don’t need a doctor,” I groan.
“Yes, you do,” Daniella and my mom say at once.
“I’m fine, Doc.” Ignoring them, I look to the doctor, who is opening his bag at the end of the bed.
“Really? Because you look like shit, CJ,” he replies.
“That’s what I told him,” Dad says.
“He’s going to be okay, though, right? You can fix him?” Daniella asks.
“I’m sure it’s nothing serious, sweetheart,” the doc says.
“You think you’re getting rid of me already? We haven’t even been married a day. Trust me, Dani, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Some things are actually out of our control, CJ, like infections because you do stupid shit like jump in swimming pools while you’re healing a bullet wound.” Daniella scowls at me.
“You went swimming?” The doctor raises a brow at me.
“I went in a pool. I wasn’t swimming,” I tell him.
“What were you doing in a pool?” my mother chimes in.
I can’t help the smirk that forms on my lips, and when I see Daniella’s cheeks flame red, I smile wider. “Nothing you want to know, Ma.”
“Seriously, CJ? I swim in that damn pool,” Mom grumbles. “Carlo, have the pool drained, the entire thing disinfected. Actually, maybe we should just rip it out and have a new one put in.”
“Antonia, come with me.” My dad takes my mother’s hand and attempts to pull her out of the room.
“I’m not leaving until I know what’s wrong with my son.” Mom snatches her hand out of my dad’s grip and turns back around.
“It’s an infection.” The doctor looks at my exposed abdomen. “I’m going to set you up with some IV antibiotics. You need rest and absolutely no more swimming pools.”
“Is it serious?” Mom asks.
“He’ll be fine,” the doc tells her. “The antibiotics will fight the infection. Give it a couple of days. I’ll stick around until tomorrow to monitor your progress.”
“I’ll show you a guestroom. Once you’re finished here,” Mom says.
“Thank you, Mrs. Bianchi.”
“Heard there was a party. Must have missed my invite.” Mr. De Bellis appears in my bedroom.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Daniella jumps up from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“It’s not every day I’m told my daughter got married,” Mr. De Bellis says.
“Don’t worry, Gio. It’s not because she’s knocked up. Or so I’m told,” my mother mutters that last part under her breath.
“I… I’m going to make coffee,” Daniella says in a quiet voice. She doesn’t make eye contact with me before she leaves the room.
“Fucking hell, Ma,” I grunt. “Can this wait, Doc? I need a minute with my wife.”
“It really shouldn’t wait, CJ. The sooner we get you started on these antibiotics, the sooner you’ll feel better.”
“Stay here. I could use a coffee.” Mr. De Bellis walks out.
“What’s going on, CJ?” Mom asks.
“Antonia, not our business,” Dad tells her.
“He’s our son, Carlo. Everything regarding him is our business,” Mom counters. “Why does your wife keep running out of the room?”
“I don’t know, Ma. Did you ever think that this is a bit much? Everyone just being here?” I suggest.
“Well, if you weren’t stupid enough to get into a damn pool, CJ, I wouldn’t have had to come over. I’m going to make you something to eat. Soup.”
“Can you make lasagna?” I try to hold back my grin.
“Lasagna? You really want to eat something that heavy?”
“I always want to eat your lasagna, Ma.”
“I’ve got some in the freezer at home. I’ll get Aiden to bring some over.” Mom walks out of the room.
“Dad, you need to get her to leave.”
My dad laughs at my request. “Yeah, okay, sure.” He shakes his head. “She’s not leaving until she knows you’re on the mend.”
“You guys have two other children. Maybe you should check in with them. I’m sure Aiden’s got himself into some kind of trouble overnight.”
“No doubt he has,” Dad says. “What’s going on with Daniella? How did you get her to marry you?”
“We talked. Worked shit out.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes.”
“Why does she look upset every time your mother mentions her being pregnant?” Dad presses.
Fuck, sometimes I wish my father weren’t so fucking observant.
“She’s not pregnant,” I assure him.
“Okay. Has she been before?”
“No.”
“Then why is it a touchy subject?”
“It’s not my thing to tell. Just drop it. We’re good. I finally have what I want and I’m not letting anyone or anything fuck it up again.”
“Good. Make sure you do everything you can to keep her. I like her.” Dad smiles at me. “Finally a kid who marries someone I actually like.”
At this, I laugh. My dad loves my sister’s husband. Jazzy married her long-time best friend. Our father makes it a habit to pretend he hates the guy, but as far as choices go for my sister, Jake isn’t bad. He loves her, treats her like the queen she is.
“What’d Jake do this week to piss you off?”
“His name wasn’t in the obituary section of this morning’s paper,” Dad grunts.
“You know if it was, Jazzy would be heartbroken. You want your little princess broken-hearted, Dad?”
“Fuck no, which is why the asshole is still breathing.”
“Okay, all done here,” the doc says. “Settle in, CJ. I’ll come back to check on you in a bit.”
“Thanks, Doc,” I tell him, then turn to my father. “Dad, find my wife and drag her ass back in here for me.”
“I’m not doing that.” Dad laughs and walks out of the bedroom.
She’s still here. She’s not leaving. I keep repeating those words in my head. It’s all I can do not to drag my own ass out of this bed and go to find her.
But then, the image of her leaving that fucking hotel room all those years ago hits me and I’m picking up the IV bag from the hook and seeking her out. I need to find her.