Page 53 of Medical Malpractice

I didn’t have to be a doctor to know he was in critical condition. The bullet had hit something vital, Leonardo’s rapidly deteriorating state evidence enough.

Despite that, I pushed harder against the injury, fighting against the inevitable.

“You’re not leaving me, Leo! You said you would fight for us, for me. Then fight, goddamn it!”

My aggressive rant was cut off by his gentle fingertips tenderly tracing my cheek, my jawline. “I’m sorry, darling. For everything. I never meant to hurt you, never meant to cause you pain. I would have spent the rest our lives making it up to you, earning your forgiveness—”

I crumbled, my face twisting in so much agony, it was unbearable. “Please, Leo. Please,” I begged. “Fight for us.”

Then, my husband truly crushed my soul by fulfilling the vow he’d made not so long ago—who knew it would be tried and tested so soon.

“I’m happy to give my life for you, Ella. For our family. I’ll fight for us forever.”

His vibrant grey eyes began to lose their light as his hand fell away from my face, his strength and consciousness waning.

I cried, pleaded and argued. But in the end, I repeated the same mantra—the only one that mattered. “IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou…”

And when his chest shuddered with a shaky exhale, my emotions and mind split open, and I was assaulted with one singular memory—Leonardo on his knees, begging for our marriage, stating he’d fallen victim to his fear of the worst-case scenario.

“And what are they, Leo? What are the worst-case scenarios in your perfect little world?” I’d asked.

“Losing you…”

Losing you. Losing you.

I broke apart.

Chapter 30

LEONARDO

Time had become a nonentity, my thoughts slipping in and out of consciousness, distorting reality.

I was fighting against a heavy nothingness that completely weighed me down when all I wanted was to grasp onto that voice—the one that remained just out of reach.

“Fight for me. Fight for us,” Gabriella repeatedly called, luring me from the elusive shadows, teasing a world of light and love that I desperately sought.

Please, stay with me. Pull me out of this abyss.

I wrestled against the fog for the millionth time, and was pleasantly surprised when my body responded to my commands.

My lids fluttered open, my mind adjusting to the bright surroundings when my vision cleared on the most beautiful sight.

“Welcome back, husband. We missed you.”

I had slept through the entire aftermath.

Shortly after I passed out from blood loss, emergency services arrived. Nico was promptly arrested, and I was rushed into surgery to remove the bullet and repair the artery that was hit. That definitely explains the blood loss.

Post-op, I was placed in a medically induced coma to aid in my recovery. Days passed for Gabriella and the family. For me, it was mere seconds.

It was early hours in the morning. The girls were staying with Daisy, and Austin was safe at his aunt’s house.

After a thorough nurse and doctor check-up, I was finally left with my wife. Her emerald eyes were misted in moisture as she fussed with my bedding in an attempt to hide the trembling.

“It’s okay, darling,” I managed to croak, catching her hand with my weak grip. “I’m okay.”

Gabriella paused for a moment, collapsed in the seat sidelining my hospital bed, then dropped her head on top of my chest, her frame jolting with silent sobs.