Hanging my head, I choked out, “She’s pregnant, Matteo. What if—” I couldn’t finish that sentence, too afraid that I might speak the unthinkable into existence.
“I know.” His voice came out thick, likely reliving the time that he’d rushed to the hospital after receiving the news of his own pregnant wife being in an accident, only to get there and find out that only the baby had survived. “The doctors are going to do everything they can. For both of them.”
The sliding doors parted at the exact moment it hit me that I wasn’t just worried about the baby. The idea of losing Rory was . . . unimaginable. Which didn’t make any fucking sense, when only a few minutes ago, I’d wanted her dead. Now it made me sick to my stomach that I might get my wish.
When we reached the garage beneath the building, I bolted for my SUV, leaving the security team stationed there scrambling to climb into cars and follow me as I peeled out, tires squealing.
The drive was an absolute blur to the point where I was only vaguely aware of running several red lights in my rush to get to Rory. Pulling up to the emergency room doors, I jumped out, ignoring the shouts from behind that I couldn’t park in the ambulance bay.
Reaching the reception desk, out of breath with my pulse pounding in my ears, I huffed out, “Rory Bellini.”
“Oh, Lord. Not this again,” came the groaned reply from the woman behind the desk—the same one who’d been here the last time Rory was brought into the ER.
Narrowing my eyes, I gritted out, “I don’t have time for your administrative power trip. Tell me where my wife is. Now.”
She straightened her spine. “Why don’t you tone down the entitlement that comes with your last name and the amount of money you donate to this hospital, and try again?”
A disbelieving laugh spilled from my lips. “You know what? Fuck this.”
Striding to the locked double doors that separated the waiting room from the area where they treated patients, I began to beat on the unyielding surface with my fists. There was a shout calling for security from behind me, and when someone grabbed my arm, I rammed my elbow back to the sound of a satisfying crack of bone.
“Son of a bitch!” A familiar voice broke through my haze of panic. “I think you broke my nose!”
I swung on Enzo. “Where. Is. She?”
Blood poured from around my cousin’s fingers, which were clutched to his nose as he shot me a death glare.
“They took her up to L&D.” Matteo jerked his chin in the direction of the elevator bank.
Not wasting any time, I hoofed it up the steps instead, racing toward the fourth floor. When I burst through the door of the stairwell, the women seated behind glass at the intake desk stared at me wide-eyed.
Doubling over to catch my breath, I managed to pant out, “Bellini. Rory. Wife.”
“Gio.”
At Summer’s soft voice, my head snapped up. There were smudges of soot where her skin was exposed, and a large bandage covered her forehead.
Before I could ask about Rory, a soft ding sounded, and Matteo rushed past me to pull his wife into his arms.
“Dolcezza,” he whispered against her hair, his body visibly trembling with relief at seeing his wife safe.
“Summer, please,” I begged, my throat closing up.
My sister-in-law extracted herself from my brother’s embrace; the pity in her blue eyes when she aimed them in my direction caused my lungs to seize.
Collapsing onto the nearest chair, I shook my head. “No. She can’t be gone.”
Summer moved closer, dropping onto the seat beside me and taking my hand. “I managed to drag her out before the support beams gave out and the building collapsed. She’s pretty banged up, but she’s alive. The baby too.”
A rush of emotions flooded my nervous system, making me dizzy, but I hung my head with a weak “Thank God.” Rising on shaky legs, I asked, “Can you take me to her?”
“Of course.” She led me over to the desk, where I was issued a visitor’s badge, and then we were granted access to the patient rooms. Matteo elected to stay behind in the waiting area.
During our walk down the long hallway, I couldn’t help but notice the sounds coming from the rooms we passed. There were women screaming in the throes of labor and babies crying as they took their first breath. But when we reached the door marked with the name Bellini, the silence coming from within shook me to the core.
“Do you want me to come inside with you?” Summer asked from my side.
Releasing a shuddering breath, I declined her offer before pushing through the door.
