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"Have this talk on the way, man," he said, moving around the hood to climb into the driver's seat.
"Avi, talk to me. Where is she bleeding?"
"Her shoulder. She's bleeding a lot," he cried. "She got shot."
"Okay. Alright. It's going to be okay, bud," I assured him, not knowing if it was, but needing him to think that. "Is Alessa awake? Can she talk?"
"She's awake," he said.
"Did somebody call the police?" I pressed.
It seemed like Alessa's first call had been to me, relaying the information on the men who'd shot her.
"I don't know. I don't..."
"Shots out in the open at a skating rink," Brio said. "Someone called."
He was right.
My head was spinning.
"Where are you, bud?"
"Under her."
"Under Alessa?" I clarified.
"She jumped on me," he said, making my heart squeeze in my chest.
She'd jumped on Avi.
She'd taken a bullet for him.
"Okay. Are you hurt, bud?"
"I hit my head."
"Okay. Are you bleeding?"
"I don't think so."
"Okay. Alright. Bud, I am like... ten minutes away, okay?" Especially with the way Brio was whipping in and out of traffic. "But if the ambulance comes before I do, you can go with Alessa, okay? I will meet you at the hospital."
"Okay."
"Can I talk to Alessa, bud?"
"I'll try," Avi said.
I heard rough breathing.
"Alessa?" I asked, voice sounding choked, airless.
"Yeah."
"Avi said you're hit in the shoulder?" I asked.
"Yeah. He's okay."
"I know he is. Thank you, babe. For protecting him."
"I..." she started, but her voice trailed off as others joined, sounding far away.
"They're here, Dad," Avi said. "They're looking... oh. No. No," Avi cried.
"Av, what?"
"She's bleeding somewhere else," he said, crying again, a little more hysterical than before.
"Where, bud?"
"Her hip."
Hip and shoulder.
Those were two of the safer locations to be hit.
"Okay. She's going to be okay, bud. The doctors are going to fix her right up."
"And she can come home?" Avi asked. "With us?" he clarified.
"Of course she can, bud."
"We can take care of her," he insisted, sniffling hard. "I'll make her tea."
"Absolutely we can," I agreed.
"Dad, I have to go with Less now," he said. "No! I'm going with her!" he shrieked at whoever was trying to tell him no. "I'm going," he said again, this time to me.
"Okay. Good. Good for standing up for yourself," I added. "You won't be able to hear me in the ambulance, bud. So you're going to need to hang up. But I will be there as soon as I can. Can you ask the paramedic where they're taking you?"
"They said Mount Sign High."
"Mount Sinai, okay."
"Eight minutes," Brio said.
"Eight minutes, bud. I will be getting there right after you do."
"Okay."
"She's going to be okay," I said again before hanging up.
My head slammed back against the headrest as I let out a deep breath, one I felt like I'd been holding the whole phone call.
"Tell me, so I can tell your brother," Brio demanded.
I rattled off the descriptions Alessa had given me, then listened as Brio recounted them to Lorenzo as he wove through traffic.
"Go on, check on your people," Brio said, double parking on the street near the hospital. "Your brother is sending some guards," he added.
"Okay. Thanks, man," I said, nodding, then climbing out.
"Avi!" I called when I made my way into the emergency room, finding him sitting on a gurney in the hall, holding an icepack to the back of his head.
He was covered in blood.
Alessa's blood.
"Dad," Avi said. As soon as his gaze fell on me, his eyes welled up, his body folded forward, and he started loud, hiccuping crying.
"Hey, hey, it's alright," I said, pulling him against my chest. "You're okay."
"Less..." he cried.
"Less is getting taken care of, bud."
"She can't die."
"She's not going to."
"You don't know that."
"You know what I know? Getting hurt in the shoulder and hip hurts and might require some surgery, but she's going to be just fine."
"Yeah?"
"Absolutely. Is your head okay?"
"I have a headache."
"We're going to do CT scan just to make sure he doesn't have a concussion," the nurse said, moving in at my side.
"Uncle Milo," Avi said, half raising his hand to my side where Emilio was walking in, making a beeline for us.
"Heya, man. How's the noggin?" he asked, giving Avi's shoulder a squeeze.
"Bud, can I leave you with Uncle Milo for a minute, so I can check on Alessa?" I asked.
"Yeah," Avi said, trying to be brave.
"Your Nonna is on her way too," Emilio said, giving me a nod.
"Five minutes, bud," I said, giving his leg a squeeze before moving away.
"Alessa Morelli," I said as I made it to the nurse's station. "She came in with two gunshot wounds," I clarified. "Is she okay?"
"Are you family?" she asked.
"No, but I am," a voice said, coming in at my side. Gio Morelli. "That's my sister," he added, giving me a tight nod.
"Okay. She's in with the doctor now. I will have an update for you in just a minute," the nurse said.
