Chapter 25
Romero anxiously smoked in the corner of their bedroom, letting his doctor and the pair of midwives attend to his wife.
It had been around a week since she broke the now plainly obvious news to him.
Wishing to enjoy the privacy of this news for a while, they elected to hold off on allowing outside intervention.
He berated himself for not seeing it at first.
Lucrezia had been exhausted, unwilling to finish her plate at mealtime, and was not as keen on his touch in certain areas. He chalked it up to her discomfort given their new situation with Esposito and gave her space.
Romero felt a fool for not taking action sooner, but Lucrezia assured him that the fault was no one”s, as she had not realized at first.
The pair of midwives, one older and one younger, assessed Lucrezia”s vital signs and monitored her blood pressure, which were all normal, much to his relief.
Doc took notes on a small pad of paper, nodding when the women informed him of her numbers.
”Are you having any pain or discomfort, Mrs. Mancini?” the older man asked.
”Not pain, but the morning sickness seems to never end. Whoever called it that was a liar. It”s all day.” Lucrezia frowned, bringing Romero back to the miserable memory of just that morning when they were camped in the bathroom and waiting for the vomiting to finally subside.
He clenched his teeth just thinking about it.
All the money, power, and resources he had, but he couldn’t give Lucrezia relief.
”Isn”t that the truth. Have you been keeping up with fluids? Eating well?” The woman asked again.
Lucrezia somberly looked over to Romero, knowing full well she could barely keep her food down. Water and bread were about the only thing she could tolerate these days. His cook did his best to bring her foods that were bland but still nutritious.
”I...try. Everything”s basically repulsive to me.” She frowned.
”Well, Mr. Mancini is perfectly capable to see to it that you don”t become dehydrated. The last thing I want is to see you in the hospital, ma”am.” The doctor pointed to her with his pen with a warning glance to Romero.
He curtly nodded, knowing he”d do anything to keep his wife here where she would be safe. She had already expressed desire to deliver at home, noting that she would be more comfortable in a familiar environment.
Romero wholeheartedly agreed.
”Now then, let”s have a feel of this little one. Would you mind lifting your skirt, Mrs. Mancini?” The younger, cheerier midwife politely asked Lucrezia after thoroughly washing her hands.
His wife looked to him and passed her glance to the doctor, who quickly turned his back so as not to look at Lucrezia in a state of undress.
”Pardon me, ma”am.” He awkwardly cleared his throat.
Lucrezia lifted her dress just enough, and the woman palpated her belly.
”What are you hoping for, Mrs. Mancini? Boy or a girl? Do you have any names?”
Lucrezia hummed, and Romero realized he too was unsure of that question. He never thought he would be a father to begin with. So now, faced with the impending event, he came to see that he was utterly clueless.
”I just want a healthy little baby, that”s all. I love Romero’s mother’s name.”
She smiled as she looked at him, the glow just seeping from her pores.
Lucrezia was fucking radiant, and seeing her smile made up for how out of control Romero felt these days.
If she smiled, she was content.
”Giulia Mancini. It has a ring to it. Maybe even Giulietta. If it”s a boy, we can go with Giulio.” Romero mused on the names. They felt just right, and now it felt even more real.
He was going to be a father.
Lucrezia smiled even bigger.
”I love it! Giulietta and Giulio.”
”Always good to have options, ma”am. Popular names nowadays, too. I think-”
The midwife”s words trailed off as her two hands pressed on either side of Lucrezia”s belly.
Her brows furrowed while her eyes darted back and forth between her palms. Romero could see the wheels turning in her head.
”Will you pass me the pinard horn?” She asked the older woman, who hurried to her side with the narrow instrument.
”W-what is it?” His wife nervously sat up straighter, but the older midwife laid a hand on her shoulder.
”Just need a quick listen, ma”am.”
Romero ignored the woman, rushing to put out his cigarette, and came to Lucrezia”s aid.
The woman”s mouth moved slightly while she pressed the horn to Lucrezia”s belly, as if counting in her head.
”You”re both too quiet, what is it? Is something wrong with the baby?”
Lucrezia instinctively reached out her hand, which he squeezed as they both sat with bated breath.
”Babies, Mrs. Mancini.” The midwife removed the horn with a big grin.
Romero could have heard a mouse squeak in the room at that moment.
The only noise that roused him was the strain of the swivel stool as the doctor turned, shock on his face.
Lucrezia quickly pushed her skirts down to cover herself. ”I”m sorry? Did you say...babies? As in multiple?”
The two midwives smiled.
”There are two heart beats, Mr. And Mrs. Mancini. You”re having twins!”
The younger lady clapped excitedly.
The doctor furiously wrote down this new information, muttering about how a much closer eye would need to be kept on Lucrezia.
“Are you sure? You hear two heartbeats?” Romero had to remind himself to take in air as he got down on his knees by Lucrezia’s side.
“I’m sure. That could account for how sick you’ve been, Mrs. Mancini.” The midwife confidently squared her shoulders.
”I-I don”t see how that could be possible. I”m not a twin. Neither one of my parents is a twin. Romero?” Lucrezia looked up at him.
He painted a picture of his family tree in his head, starting back as far as he possibly could with his great grandparents back in Italy. For the life of him, he could not recall a twin birth anywhere in any branch of his family.
”No, not to my knowledge.”
”Twins aren”t as uncommon as you may think. Live twin births have likely been around since the dawn of civilization. Some cultures even view them with great honor and see them as a sign of good fortune.” The older lady explained.
Lucrezia hadn”t blinked in a long while, and he wasn”t sure she was absorbing all of the information.
Romero stepped in, doing his best to mask his sudden increased worry for her.
”Is my wife”s health in danger? Are there things we need to be concerned about?” He squeezed her hand a bit too hard, fighting the urge to pull out another cigarette.
”Only if she’s become malnourished or dehydrated, but you’re both doing a good job. We’ll monitor you closely, Mrs. Mancini. And don”t worry, son. Your wife is perfectly healthy, and I see no alarming symptoms. But, Mrs. Mancini, it”s important you stay hydrated and rest as often as you can. I’d put you at about seventeen weeks along now, so we”ll schedule visits twice a month instead of the typical monthly. I think that”s only appropriate. Though I”m sure your husband would like to see me here a lot more.”
You bet your ass I would, Romero thought.
He”d move the doctor into one of the spare bedrooms if he could. He wanted a medically-trained eye on his wife every second of the damn day.
The two of them seemed to come back down to Earth at the same time, looking at one another and not knowing what to do
”Twins.” Lucrezia smiled.
”Our twins.” Romero kissed her, not caring who saw.
Lucrezia giggled and pushed her hands on his chest.
After the last evaluations, Romero walked the doctor and midwives out of his house. Once the women left, he halted him.
”Thank you, Doc. For everything. We appreciate you being here.”
”I wouldn”t miss it, Mr. Mancini. This is an exciting but also very scary time. And I understand you”re still in the midst of this whole...Esposito debacle?”
”A bit of an understatement, but yes. So I trust that my wife”s delicate condition stays between us, yes?”
”I”m your doctor, Romero. This is all confidential. My office is locked when I leave each day, and records are all secure. You have nothing to worry about.”
Romero shook the doctor’s hand, seeing him out.
A deep pang of worry began to grow in his chest, knowing that Jr. was still out there, and he still had spies everywhere.
His soldiers were under strict orders to take out anyone suspicious around the premises, and security had been all but tripled. A bird didn”t land on his property without him knowing about it.
But this fortress could only hold he and his wife for so long.
There was still an army of Esposito”s men out there. Watching.
Waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Romero trotted upstairs, eager to get back to his wife. When he came to their bedroom, he found the bed empty. He searched the bathroom and walk-in closet, but she wasn”t there, either.
Romero felt the airways in his chest constrict.
Lucrezia knew he didn”t like her wandering off without telling him.
He moved with determined haste down the hallway, doing his best to breathe through the anxiety.
Movement caught his eye to the left, the doorway of what was going to be their childrens’ nursery.
His wife was sitting in the rocking chair, wistfully looking out the window.
”Lucrezia,” he sighed her name.
She looked back at him, cradling the stuffed bear given to her by his mother. Her hands held it snug to her chest.
”Perla, I don”t like not knowing where you are.”
He felt her want to roll her eyes, but she resisted, looking away instead.
”I”m sorry. I just needed a minute to myself to think.”
Romero didn”t like the melancholy in her voice, when she had been so happy just moments ago.
”Talk to me, baby. Tell Daddy what”s wrong.”
He knelt beside her in the rocking chair, dragging his fingers across her cheek. They were wet with fresh tears.
”I was prepared for a baby. One baby. One at a time if we were to have multiple. But two? At once? I-I don”t know how I can-if I can even-I don”t know.” She choked back a sob as she squeezed the bear tighter.
Romero chose not to speak, recognizing Lucrezia needed to be listened to.
”Adding this on top of whatever”s out there-” she gestured to the outside world- ”knowing someone out there wants to take you from me, the uncertainty makes me sick. I don”t know what I”m doing. I go day after day, remembering out of nowhere that I”m a mother now. I have no idea how to be a mother; I didn”t exactly have the greatest influence. But I already know how much I love them, and I want to keep them inside me forever, but I can”t-”
Lucrezia was cut off by her own crying, burying her face in the bear as her shoulders shook.
”Oh, baby girl. Sweet piccola perla, come here.”
Romero stood her up for a moment, sitting in the rocking chair and bringing her down on his lap.
Lucrezia sobbed in his chest, still holding her bear as he rocked her and his babies.
He pressed his palm to her belly, waiting for the tiny kicks.
One of the babies obliged, and he felt as though he could soar.
”I”m here. Daddy”s here,” he softly moaned against her forehead, realizing he was speaking to his entire family.
”Nothing and no one will come between us. You”re safe here in this house, Lucrezia. And you are going to be an excellent mother, you hear me?”
Romero tipped her chin up, wiping her face with his handkerchief.
”How? How do you know?”
Romero explained how loving, gentle, and nurturing she was. How she saw to it that every one of their staff was thanked at the end of each day.
Lucrezia was soft where he was rough, and kind where he was ruthless. At night, when they were in bed, he felt her protective palm against his heart when she believed he was asleep. She would only be satisfied when she felt several, steady beats. Only then would she roll back over and go to sleep.
If anything, the question should have been: How did Romero know he would make a decent father?
It wasn’t like he had the greatest influence, either. His father was just as bad as Tomasso was but more emotionally negligent to Romero and his mother’s needs.
Romero recalled feeling nothing when he died. Not grief but not happiness. There was no thought driving him as he made all the preparations for the funeral.
He promised himself then, though doubtful of this outcome at the time, that he would be nothing like his father if he had children of his own.
Now, here he was, determined to make good on that promise.
His Little girl settled down, eventually falling asleep in his arms.
Romero seamlessly stood up and carried her back to their bed.
Lucrezia curled up in a small ball, cradling the bear to her belly.
He could watch her like this for hours, secure in the knowledge that his wife was cared for, loved, and comfortable. And their babies were nestled safely in her belly.
Romero couldn”t deny, however, that there was a finality to that safety. They would be born, grow up, enter adulthood, and he would age alongside them. He was older than Lucrezia. The thought of leaving her widowed petrified him to no end. It kept him up all night sometimes.
There would be an endpoint to his ability to protect his family, at least in this life. No denying or escaping that reality. Everyone died eventually. Some later than others, but death would come for him one day.
And that put a new kind of crushing weight on his shoulders, unlike anything he had ever felt before.