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"Good news is," the doctor went ahead to proceed when we stepped forward and into his office. "We were able to seal all damaged tissue."
"And the bad news?" Alessandro sounded eager. Way too eager.
"She's in a coma right now. The brain damage is way more than we thought. It's all in the hands of fate now."
Aside from Alessandro's sultry baritone, I heard nothing else but the beeping of a machine in the room where my daughter was that finally brought me into the same space time that we were in.
"It's fifty - fifty now," the doctor’s voice rose over the incessant buzzing of the machine. "All we have to do is pray and hope."
I looked over at Alessandro. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since he entered the room, and I could see his eyes glazed wet with unshed tears.
The doctor came over to him and placed a sturdy hand on his shoulder. "She's going to be okay."
He didn't budge. Maybe he was in the same trance that I just recovered from.
"You know, my life was a mess before Artemis ever came along," I started. "I was without a purpose, goal, just kind of sifting through life. Moving without any specific aim." I shook my head and tweaked my mouth in an ugly way to match my statement.
"I never saved money because I had nothing to save for. I never thought of anyone but myself and even then, I didn't think of myself much."
Alessandro must have snapped out from his trance because the next moment, he was beside me, wiping off the tears I didn't realize were falling. I didn't seem to be in that emotional down state of depression. I just talked and with the words, came the tears.
"After my father died, I felt completely alone. I was a lonely kid, baby. Your mama is terrible with socialization even now. And Uncle Carlos and Ricardo have been her only friends. I found redemption in you, Artemis." I paused to take a long breath. I really wanted her to hear me and give me her stapled confused look ready to bombard me with questions at the next syllable.
"The life I lived, many people were grateful I wasn't the suicidal type, but the truth is, I had committed suicide a long, long time ago. I had deadened myself to anything new life had to offer and just wanted to live the rest of my miserable years waiting for the day I'll be crushed by an articulated lorry or catch a stray bullet in a nightclub..." Smiling a little, I had to add. "Well, dad helped me with that one," I laughed, but it wasn't funny.
"You gave me a reason to look forward to tomorrow, girl and I want to tell you that to your face, not to your sleeping form. When you're out of here, me and you will head over to New York University and mama's gonna bag you a degree in whatever business course you want. You and I would apply for jobs, and you help me prepare for interviews and I'll teach you all those radical hummus recipes..."
"Columbia University,” I heard Alessandro whisper and I turned to face him. “That’s the university I went to. I can help prepare you to get in. I went to business school myself...I can...pay your fees. Do everything needed so that you’ll get in and come out smoothly.” He rubbed my shoulder before pulling me into him. It was when I saw the multiple tear drops splatter on his shirt that I realized I was crying so seriously.
"See, sweetie? Daddy's going to help mommy achieve her goals and be somebody. Somebody you'll be proud of. When you wake, I'll be here to get you everything you want, okay?" I kept on crying in Alessandro's body and even felt a few tears drop on my neck. He was weeping as well.
"Mommy?"
I thought I was dreaming. I had slept off after crying and daydreaming maladaptively using Alessandro's strong thighs as a pillow, but the call became more persistent. Still very hazed from my exhausted sleep, I raised my head to see a figure sitting up in the bed.
"Artemis?" I slurred, my vision was still blurry as a foggy window and my brain was finding it grossly difficult to process who I even was. Slowly but surely, the fog in my eyes and brain cleared up and sitting right in front of me, having taken off her life support oxygen mask, looked at me still looking drowsy.
"I wanna pee, pee, mommy."
Chapter 28
"Artemis!"
My scream was sharp and purposeful to wake a sleeping Alessandro up and alert him that the miraculous had happened while making sure that at the same time, this wasn't a dream or hallucination.
Also, I needed the nurses who were also on standby, to rush and take charge of the entire medical procedure planned for her waking up. True, there was an intercom just by the wall to call in a very mature and civilized manner, but I would argue any day and anytime, that the injury scream was much more efficient.
Alessandro was in his distortion phase from the harsh waking up I gave him, but even then, he was kneeling beside his daughter staring into her face like she was a deity.
"She's really the one, Alessandro." I shrieked. If she wasn't hooked up to drip tubes and cables, I would have carried her and swung her in my arms, but there were events for everything.
"You made it through and through, Principessa. You'll be able to fight any one person. You know why? Because you fought and defeated death!"
She smiled at his wholesome statements while the nurses fit whatever she had lost that was still necessary back. With that done, we were able to communicate freely with our child. Alessandro was already preparing a video call to his mother to update her about the joyous occasion and boy, did she take it with so much joy. It took a lot of convincing to get her to remain at home and even more to get her to not cry. Before she ended the call, she promised to prepare a surprise welcome back party for Artemis which we very much appreciated.
The doctor dismissed her as free to go some three days later. The only minor things to do were to check the stitch and make sure it remained sterile as long and often as possible.
Getting home with our child, everyone was there to welcome us. Both the mob housed employees and my very own friends. Just like Mrs. Ricci promised, there was a big welcome back home party thrown in honor of the recovering child.
