Chapter 43
Audrey
Deja vu is terrifying.
The events of the night were so eerily familiar. Papa waking me up in the middle of the night, urgency and pain laced in his voice. Hearing Max’s name mixed with bad news. The plummeting of my heart into my stomach.
The only difference was that I was home this time. I was able to wrap my arms around Tatianna’s trembling body. Feel her tears on my shoulder.
I was able to climb into the car with her, Papa, and Dad and ride to the hospital.
I was able to do all of the things I couldn’t before.
And while I wished I could’ve done them all the first time, I didn’t know if I could’ve handled it back then. Hell, I could barely handle it now.
Papa and Tatianna weren’t able to tell me much - they hadn’t been told much themselves. All they knew was Max had been in another “accident.” At this point, we all knew what it was code for.
I didn’t know how much Tatianna knew about Max’s relationship with his father, but she knew enough about the lifestyle to read between the lines.
By the time we reached the hospital, her tears had dried, replaced by a fiery rage. She stormed through the parking lot of the hospital and through one of the private entrances of the hospital, her dark curls bouncing behind her.
Inside, her eyes scanned over the nearly empty waiting area until her eyes fell on her ex-husband.
Rafael was standing on the other side of the room, an unlit cigarette wedged between the frown on his lips.
Tatianna walked right up to him and slapped him so hard the cigarette flew out of his mouth.
Even Adrian, who’d been pacing a few feet beside him, stopped and raised a brow in surprise.
“You bastard,” Tatianna yelled, raising her hand to hit him again. “What the fuck did you get him into now?”
Rafael caught her wrist before her closed fist could come down. “I had nothing to do with this,” he replied. “He caused this all on his own.”
Tatianna yanked her arm out of his grasp. “After last time, you promised you’d keep an eye on him!”
“He doesn’t need a babysitter. Besides, it’s not my fault he can’t take a gunshot. If you’d let me raise him-”
“He’d be dead,” she snapped. “Hell, for all we know, he might already be!”
Rafael’s shoulders fell at the idea. Sighing, he lay his hands on her shoulders. “Listen, mi amor, we have the best doctors on our payroll working on him.”
She scoffed. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She shrugged off his hands. “What the hell happened?”
The sliding doors behind us opened again, and we all turned our heads to see who was entering.
“What is she doing here?” Tatianna hissed as her eyes fell on the petite woman shuffling inside.
“Rafael,” the woman spoke, her voice small. She slowly crept up to Tatianna and Rafael, afraid they might bite. “I…I got a call to come here. That my son…” Her voice started to crack as she trailed off.
“Oh, great,” Tatianna said, turning back to Rafael. “You’ve pulled both of them into your bullshit.”
Rafael sighed in frustration. “This is not my fault.”
“He’s right,” the woman chimed. Her eyes lowered. “It’s mine.”
Tatianna feigned a sympathetic look. “Oh, honey, you don’t have to keep defending him. Whatever this is about, I’m sure he could’ve done something about it sooner.” Her gaze was lethal as they turned back to Rafael. “Couldn’t you?”
I saw Adrian roll his eyes as the two of them began to bicker again. Quietly, he drifted off from Rafael’s side and went down the hall.
I followed, quickening my pace to catch up to him. “What happened?” I asked.
He glanced down at me. “An accident.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit.” I stood in front of him, blocking his way. “Tell me.”
His brows stitched together as he examined the determination and worry in my eyes. “How much do you know?”
“Enough to know bullets were involved.”
He nodded. “Come on,” he said, stepping around me. “Walk with me.”
I struggled to keep up with his long, quick strides as they picked up again.
“An enemy’s crew ran them off the road,” Adrian explained. “Chased them down, then beat and gunned Max down.”
I flinched at the bluntness in his tone. “How many times?”
“Four: one in the shoulder and three in the chest.”
“And his brother…?”
“He took one to the ribs. The bullet didn’t hit any vital organs, so the doctors aren’t too worried.”
“But, Max…?”
Sighing, he seized his steps and turned to face me. “You want me to be honest?”
I nodded.
“It’s not looking good.”
The confirmation of my fears made my eyes burn. Tears I’ve been holding back came to the surface, and I didn’t fight them from falling over my cheeks. “Have the doctors mentioned if the bullets hit his…?” I waved my hand over my heart.
“No. None of them have come out of surgery for updates yet. When we brought him in, they just said…” He trailed off, his own eyes glazing over with a layer of moisture.
His jaw muscle bounced as he blinked to clear them.
“He’d already lost a lot of blood and given the complexity of the wounded areas, they…
they just promised they’d do all they could. ”
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to offer some comfort. “Well, he’s a fighter, so…”
Adrian nodded in silent agreement. He turned on his heel and resumed his stride.
“Where are you going?” I asked, jogging to catch back up with him.
“The cafeteria.”
I raised a brow. “But it’s the middle of the…” I trailed off as he gave me a firm look that told me not to question him.
“Do you want anything?”
Unsure how to answer, I shook my head.
“I’ll be right back.”
We reached the exit on the other end of the hall. Lingering in front of the doorway, I watched him hurry off with the same urgency and rage Tatianna carried when she strutted in.
I didn’t know what he was up to, but I knew it was nothing good.
Sighing, I turned on my heel and headed back down the hall.
Stepping back into the waiting room was like stepping into purgatory.
The mindless elevator music, the bland white walls, and anxiety of the known were a perfect recipe for insanity.
It didn’t help that the staff purposely avoided eye contact, keeping their gazes straight ahead or on their clipboards as they walked, hoping to steer clear of questions they didn’t have answers to.
I felt bad watching Tatianna pace back and forth, Rafael fidgeting with his unlit cigarette and phone, and Janelle - Jayden’s mom - interlocking and separating her fingers.
The worst possible outcome was probably running through their heads, and no amount of preparation would help them with the blow if it came.
Papa tried to keep Tatianna calm while Dad sat beside Janelle in a comfortable silence. Although there was nothing either of them could say to comfort the mothers, I knew they sure wished there was.
After an hour or two, Rafael glanced around and suddenly noticed his nephew’s absence. “Where’s Adrian?” He asked.
“He went to the cafeteria,” I replied. “To get us all coffees.”
Rafael narrowed his eyes, seeing right through my lie. “Fuck,” he swore as he stormed off down the hall.
Tatianna finally cracked a smile. “I hope he burns the whole city down,” she mused.
Not too long after Rafael disappeared, two doctors, a man and a woman, finally came down the hall. The male doctor approached Tatianna while his colleague went to Janelle.
I tried to keep an ear on both conversations, but found myself gravitating to the one Tatianna was speaking with.
“How is he?”
“Still in surgery,” he replied. “But, we wanted to give you an update. All of the bullets have been removed from Maximilano’s body.
He’d lost a lot of blood, so we had to treat him very carefully.
The chest cavity can be very delicate. We needed to make sure the bullets hadn’t hit any vital organs or arteries. ”
“Did any?”
“Miraculously, no. One was dangerously close to his heart. A few inches to the right and it would’ve been fatal.”
“So, he’ll be okay?”
“He’s not out of the woods yet,” he said, halting her optimism. “We’re still repairing the damage and running checks for any other internal injuries. But, he should be out of surgery within the next hour or so. I’ll be back with another update then.”
“Thank you.” Tatianna’s gaze went to Janelle, who was finishing up with the other doctor.
Fresh tears painted her pretty face, and she was doing her best to wipe them away. “Okay. Thank you,” she murmured.
The doctor offered her a sympathetic smile before turning away.
Tatianna slowly walked to Janelle’s side. “Is he alright?” She asked, her voice full of caution.
Janelle nodded. “Yeah, he’s out of surgery,” she replied, keeping her eyes to the ground. “They were worried about the bullet puncturing his lung, but thankfully it didn’t get that close.”
“Sounds like those boys had shitty ass aim.”
Janelle let out a broken laugh. “Well, they’re closer to the bottom of the food chain. What else did we expect?” Pulling in a breath, she finally raised her gaze. “I do apologize for this - all of this. We wouldn’t even be here if-”
“Stop,” Tatianna cut her off. “Our boys are alive. That’s all that matters.”
She and Janelle shared a smile before Janelle walked to the doctor waiting at the double doors for her.
“Oh, Tati, growth looks so good on-” Dad shut his mouth at the glare Tatianna sent him.
Papa and I chuckled at them.
After another two hours of waiting, the doctor finally returned. “He’s out of surgery,” he confirmed with a small smile. “And doing well so far. Like we said, he lost a lot of blood, so recovery may take a bit longer than we’d all like. But, he’s breathing on his own which is a good sign.”
Clutching her chest, Tatianna let out a deep breath of relief. “Thank God,” she whispered. “And thank you and your team.”
“Of course, Mrs. Guerra. Would you like to see him? He’s still unconscious, but you’re welcome to come sit with him.”
Tatianna reached for my hand. “Will you come with me?”
My brows creased together in surprise. “Are you sure? Usually, it’s only the immediate family.”
“Girl, stop acting like you’re not my soon-to-be daughter-in-law and bring your ass on.” She towed me along as she followed the doctor. Her grip on my hand tightened with every step.
She hesitated at the room door, reluctant to go in and see the state Max was in.
Squeezing her hand, I offered her a soft smile of reassurance.
Blinking back the tears brimming her eyes, she weakly returned it.
The doctor twisted the knob and pushed the door open.
My heart sank into my stomach as I lay my eyes on Max.
A large bandage was wrapped around his head, a large red spot distinct near the left side of his forehead.
His right eye was swollen and bruised, a deep purple surrounding it.
His lip was split, and both of his cheeks were littered with red and blue bruises.
A nasal cannula looped around his face. His torso was covered by the white and blue hospital gown and the pure white bed sheet.
Tiny bruises and IV needles scattered around his arms. His usually rich, bronze brown skin now reflected a sandy tan, most of his color lost due to the lack of blood in his system.
“Oh, baby,” Tatianna whispered beside me. She released my hand to walk to his bedside. She clasped one of his hands in both of hers. “Everything’s okay now. You’re going to be okay.”
Hesitantly, I approached the other side of his bed. Every inch of my brain yelled for him to wake up. To look at me and smirk. To tell me he was fine.
I needed him to complain about the stiff, uncomfortable bed or the disgusting hospital food the nurses were going to feed him once he was completely lucid or the hideous borders lining the walls or the blinding white lights.
I didn’t care how drugged-up, groggy, or cranky he might be.
I just needed him back.