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Past Forgiveness
Felinus still wasn’t sure what had caused Issac’s sudden breakdown during the surprise visit of Felinus’s family. He assumed, having watched Issac carefully as they ate, that it had just been too much too soon. In the back of his head, he had always known that he’d eventually have to bring Issac around to the mandated monthly Sunday dinners Nona insisted all of her grandchildren had to attend. Vinny, he knew, attended every Sunday as did Felinus’s mother though she wasn’t pressured since Nona was her mother-in-law. Brutus made a point of going twice a month if their schedules allowed him the free time. Lucio would be unpredictable in his frequency, sometimes going every single weekend for three months then suddenly having to cut back to once a month for six months but always made a point of bringing one or both of his dogs, whom Nona spoiled rotten with table scraps. Felinus kept his fairly consistent on the third Sunday of every month. He should have expected her to come when he missed it to stay with Issac in the hospital. He just hadn’t considered how overwhelming the doting, loud old woman would be to Issac.
He had sent out messages to everyone he could think of who might have gotten word about visitation to tell them to contact him first before showing up. Everyone he could think of, except the one he really should have thought of.
“For the love of God, let me do my work, Felinus,” Issac argued with him, two days after Nona’s visit. “I’m already behind enough as it is!”
“Dr. White doesn’t want you doing anything more taxing than watching a movie.” Felinus uncrossed his arms as he glared back. “You’ve already been approved for your leave of absence by the school. You shouldn’t be hunched over a desk when you are healthy, let alone when you have six broken ribs and fifteen fractures.”
“I don’t want a leave of absence,” Issac started, then pointed at Felinus. “Don’t you dare push that fucking button.”
Felinus held his thumb above the red button to the painkillers. Issac was in much better condition, but getting too excited was still risky. “Then calm down,” he ordered, keeping his eyes locked on Issac’s. “Getting worked up puts you are risk of ripping something inside you, you know that-”
Someone knocked on the door and they both looked at it.
Felinus frowned, setting the button down as he reached slowly for the pistol he had kept in the small of his back. He tried to reason that it was very likely a nurse checking in on them, but they hadn’t raised their voices. Issac had figured out very quickly that raising his voice was an automatic button push from Felinus.
“Felinus,” Issac started, anxiety in his voice as he moved to stand between Issac and the door.
Nikola stepped in, holding the door open behind him.
“Nikola, you should have called,” Felinus sighed, letting go of the pistol.
“I told him not to, il mio gatto,” Esposito said as he came around the corner and smiled. “Traffic was terrible all the way here and I did not want to build on anticipation.”
Felinus started to take a breath to say the Don hardly had to worry about such things when a third man stepped into the room.
Fergus O’Hare wasn’t dressed to impress as he had been at the charity event. If Felinus saw him on the street, he would have assumed that someone had dressed up like a stereotype of an Irish mobster for a costume party, complete with suspenders and freshly bruised knuckles.
“Gatto,” Esposito hissed as Felinus’s hand jumped back to his gun. “Ritirarsi!”
“Con rispet, no, Don,” Felinus said, tightening his hand on the firearm but not pulling it out as his eyes remained locked on O’Hare, who made a point of showing his empty hands without risking the attention of the hospital staff moving around outside the room.
“You disrespect my hospitality, Gatto,” Esposito said, his voice lowering into a command that usually made Felinus rethink life itself. “Fergus is my friend and my guest. You will not break that.”
Felinus wanted to say that they were in a hospital so the rules of hospitality didn’t count, but it would be pointless. If the Don said someone had his hospitality, then every member of the Family had to treat his guests as they would their own. Him breaking the hospitality would be the equivalent of attacking the Don personally. He let go of his gun.
“Fergus would like to speak with you, topolino,” Esposito continued, suddenly back to the friendly voice as if Felinus hadn’t acted at all. “Alone.”
“Absolutely no-” Felinus started then stopped as the same rage he had seen in Esposito when Felinus had been accused of poaching turned on him.
“I did not ask you, Gatto,” he said firmly. “This is Issac’s decision to make, and his alone.” His eyes shifted back to Issac. “Nikola will stay right outside should you need him and Gatto and I will return shortly.” Felinus looked back to see Issac’s expression had turned to that same cold calculation that had stared him down over a plate of ziti as it shifted from Esposito to O’Hare.
Felinus’s eyes darted to O’Hare and was surprised to see that instead of looking angry or bothered by Issac’s stare, he was almost smiling, though the lines around his eyes had deepened like something hurt.
“If you’ll take an old man’s advice, Issac,” Esposito said, his tone gentle. “I would hear him out. If nothing else, it will give you answers.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Issac said after a few more moments.
“Baby boy,” Felinus said softly.
“Gatto, show me the cafe,” Esposito ordered, raising his voice.
Dammit,Felinus swore silently and tossed in a few more words on top of it, including ones he overheard Tiger teaching Issac. He walked around to grab his coat and phone, placing Issac’s phone directly into his hand. “I’ll be right back,” he said, squeezing his fingers.
Issac looked up at him, squeezing them back, and nodded as he took the phone and made a point of showing Felinus his own contact ready to dial at the push of a button.
Felinus nodded as he pulled the jacket on, covering the pistol, and walked out of the room. Esposito was ahead of him, Nikola behind him, and O’Hare was left alone with Issac for the first time in fifteen years.
