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Her smile is beautiful. “I understand, and your secret is safe with me.”
I close my eyes, just for a second. The next thing I know, my parents and Jason are there.
My mom is stroking my arm, and based on what they told me earlier, I understand I’m lucky I can feel it. “There’s my sweet boy,” she whispers as tears slide down her cheeks. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
“I’ll try not to.” I want to ask where Gianna is, which is odd, but I’d like to know.
Jason asks me a bunch of questions and does a series of tests, asking me what I can feel. At the end of it, he smiles. “You passed with flying colors.”
“Thank God,” Dad says, weeping. “Thank You, God.”
“That said, you’re looking at a long recovery, Milo. We need to keep you very still for a few days to give the surgical site time to heal. The downside to keeping you still is that it can cause secondary concerns such as blood clots, which is why you have these pressure stockings massaging your legs. We’ll be monitoring you very closely over the next week or so.”
“So I have to lie here and look up at the ceiling for days?”
“Pretty much, but we’ll sit you up a little more every day.”
“Well, that kinda sucks.”
“It beats the alternative,” Dad says. “We’ll be here to keep you entertained. Don’t worry.”
“Did someone call my work?”
“Not yet, but we will. I’m sure they’ve heard about it. It’s been all over the news.”
I’m not sure how I feel about being all over the news.
Gianna appears by the side of my bed, and I experience a profound sense of relief. I wonder what that’s about. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay, I guess. Can I have some water?”
“Small sips,” Jason says. “We don’t want you to aspirate.”
“How will I eat?”
“Carefully. We’re giving you everything you need via IV but will introduce some soft foods tomorrow probably.”
“So, no cheeseburgers for a while?”
Jason smiles. “Sorry. Not until we can get you moving. We want your surgical site to be stable before we move you.”
Over the next few hours, every member of my family cycles through. Because Jason is family to us, they break the rules and allow two visitors at a time. Maria and Austin are standing by my bed when he gets a text that makes him frown.
“What’s up?” I ask him. I’m jonesing for my own phone, but I’ll save that request for tomorrow.
“The media has connected me with the shooting of a Giordino. ‘Future Brother-in-Law of Marlins’ Superstar Austin Jacobs Injured in Drive-By Shooting.’”
“Sorry to drag you into it.”
“No worries, bro. I don’t care what they say as long as you’re okay.”
Maria can’t stop weeping as she stands next to my bed, pretending she’s not weeping.
“What’s with the waterworks, sis? I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, and I can’t make it stop no matter how hard I try.”
“She’s been like this since last night,” Austin adds. “We’ve gone through an entire box of tissues.”
