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I have so much hope that it hurts me. I hope that Nico comes home alive. I hope that Nico is a part of this baby’s life the way he says he will be. I hope that Nico tells me, one day, that he loves me.
“Hope hurts,” I sob, covering my face with my hands, and Mia hugs me to her.
“I know it does, honey,” she says, and I bury my face in her shoulder and start to cry.
Nico doesn’t return for hours and hours, and all I do is curl up in Mia and Dante’s bed and cry. Francesca comes to check on me a few times, trying to be reassuring, but I can see the worry on her face. She’s just as upset as I am.
Finally, the intercom buzzes through Mia and Dante’s room and I scramble out of bed, rushing down the stairs.
There’s a man standing there, one that I don’t recognize, with wild eyes, covered in blood. His arms and shirt are soaked with it.
“Call Jimmy Sawbones,” he croaks, and Dante puts an arm on his shoulder.
“Angelo? Where are you hit?” he asks.
Angelo swallows. “I’m not,” he says. “It’s Nico.”
That’s when I black out and hit the floor hard.
* * *
I cometo with Mia holding these awful smelling salts beneath my nose.
“Nico,” I gasp, sitting up, and Mia struggles to her feet. She’s too pregnant to move quickly, but she does the best she can helping me up.
“Go slow,” she warns, but her face is pale and I know something is wrong. I’m trying to remember what it is but passing out has made me so dizzy and fuzzy...
Nico.
I rush into the living room and Nico’s on the couch, absolutely covered in blood. Dante and Angelo both have their hands on his back, holding pressure, and Jimmy Sawbones, the doctor to all the famiglia in the area, has just come in the door, rushing to the living room.
I just stare at him, knowing that I’ll get in the way if I go over there.
“Did you see the wound?” I ask Mia, and she slowly nods.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” I whisper.
“It’s bad,” she agrees, and I feel faint again but I manage to keep consciousness, tears streaming down my face.
“I can’t fix this,” Jimmy says almost immediately. “We have to take him to the hospital.”
Dante doesn’t argue, grabbing his keys.
“Let’s go.”
“What is it?” I ask Jimmy, clutching at his arm in desperation. “Where’s he hit?”
“In the back,” he says, not mincing words. “It’s stuck in there, and it could be close to his heart.”
“Oh my god,” I sob, and Mia grabs me as I try to get to Nico.
Francesca’s also downstairs, standing next to the couch which now has Nico’s blood all over it. Her face is pale and she looks like she’s about to pass out.
I go to her, grabbing her and hugging her tightly, and she slowly, very slowly, hugs me back.
“He’s going to be okay,” I say, but my voice is choked with tears and I don’t know if I believe it.
“He’s going to be okay,” she repeats in a near-slurred voice. She’s in shock, and I’ve been there. I’m probably right there with her because I can’t imagine Nico not making it. I can’t imagine any scenario where he’s not in this world.
