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The trip to the hospital, which usually only took fifteen minutes, felt like an eternity for Thomas. He veered through traffic snarls and sped through lights, laying on the car’s horn when vehicles were too slow to move out of his way.
During his daredevil driving, he glanced at Lorena. She was a ghost of her former self. Her hands were clutched in her lap, and her face was pale.
Her eyes were glassy as if tears were about to spill.
Thomas thought about offering comforting words. But what could he say when they didn’t even know what had happened? He knew in his gut whatever it was, it was due to Sonny and his goons. The link to their ruse, Sonny falling for it, and an unforeseen emergency with Lorena’s father wasn’t by mere coincidence. Thomas kept his eyes focused out the windshield, stayed mum, and drove like hell.
Thomas’s car finally screamed up to the front doors. And before he had a chance to put the gear shift into park, Lorena jumped out and ran inside. He killed the engine and quickly ran after her. An illegal parking ticket be damned.
“Please, I’m here. Somebody tell me. What’s happened to my father? Alfredo D’Augustino.”
Thomas made it to her side in time to see Lorena wrap her knuckles on the pristine white counter until she got a nurse’s attention. Lorena held onto the counter’s edge with all her might, as if the wrong word could have her crumple to the floor.
“Uh, yes, Ms. D’Augustino. I’m Nurse Windwood. The one who called you.”
“Yes, yes, please, go on. Tell me what happened to my father.”
“We have your father stable again.”
“Again? What do you mean again? He has been stable for several days now. His vital signs were great the last time I was here. I don’t understand.”
“Well, Ms. D’Augustino, your father has been attacked. Someone came into his room early this morning and beat him quite terribly.”
“Oh, my God, no! Please, oh Lord, not again!”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. We’ve yet to examine all the CCTV footage with the authorities, but we assume the attack occurred at the shift switch, 6:30 a.m. when things are more chaotic. We say this because none of the staff saw the attacker enter the ward, and all visitors must check in at this desk. But there’s more ….”
“Oh, my God, my dad. More? What more?”
“Well, like I said, we’ve got his vitals stabilized, and we’ve treated him for the lacerations. Earlier, we had him undergo a CT and MRI for any brain or skull damage. None detected, thankfully. As for what’s more, well, you’ll see for yourself when you enter his room. We wanted you here before we went any further with the authorities in case they wanted statements from you as well. Please, do not touch anything when you enter his room. The police are on their way.”
Lorena grabbed Thomas’s hand, and the couple tore down the hall to her father’s room.
The moment they entered, it was painfully obvious what was different. On the old man’s side table sat a brand-new vase of flowers with a card attached. As her father was asleep due to the painkillers, Lorena tiptoed up. With a tissue covering her fingers, she carefully opened the card.
To Alfredo and Lorena, With Love, Your One and Only Benefactor. Stay Healthy.
That was it. Nothing more. But that said a lot.
Whispering, Lorena spoke. “Thomas, oh my God, look at this. I’m not stupid. This is not a get-well gesture. I know what this means and who sent it.”
Thomas read the card. His quizzical look turned dark, and he nodded.
“The price paid has nothing to do with this guy. Lorena, you didn’t know the depths he’d go to for payment. My guess is he’s finally figured out the intel you sent him is fake. And this is payback.”
“Thomas, my God! Sonny and his thugs could have killed him. Look at his poor face, his arms.”
Thomas sighed. “I see. Before this beating, your father was hanging on. But this? Sonny has put him back in critical care.”
“And he’s so weak, Thomas. Another attack …” Lorena gulped back tears.
Thomas didn’t voice it to Lorena, but he knew there would be nothing for the authorities to go on in terms of DNA or fingerprints, or even CCTV footage. The guy was far too wily for that. Dressed as a nurse or doctor in generic scrubs, steal a hospital ID and some disposable gloves. Sonny would be in and out and leave Alfredo half-dead before anyone noticed.
“It’s obvious Sonny knows you’re with me now, and he wants you back under his thumb. And he figured the best way to make you jump was through your father. Listen, I’ll post guards here around the clock from now on. And at your place too. If Sonny wants a fight, he can fight me on equal terms.”
Lorena fell into a bedside chair, took hold of her father’s limp hand, and gently kissed it over and over. Tears poured down her cheeks in a steady stream.
“It’s all my fault. I should have known taking anything from Sonny would end up being a fatal move. There’s no negotiating with that man. What if all his money did was keep my dad alive so later on Sonny could kill him himself?”
