It’s happening
fast. You should
come.
Fuck.
I look at Aurelio, bleeding and smiling like he’s won something. I want to stay and beat this fucker down. But that’s what he would do. He would choose violence over family every single time. And I’m not going to be him.
His laughter follows me down the hall as I give the guards their orders, and get to my car as fast as I can.
I drive to the hospital with my foot pressed to the floor, Aurelio’s words echoing in my head. Every red light feels like a lifetime. Every mile between me and the hospital is another mileaway from my brothers and from the possibility that I might not have to be the man my father was.
The hospital is bright and sterile, the opposite of the Edge. I find Tommy and Giovanna in the waiting room looking pale.
“How is she?” I ask.
“Screaming,” he says. “A lot of screaming.”
Giovanna grimaces, her hands at her stomach, and groans.
“Gi?” Tommy asks, leaning down. She groans again and looks up at him with big eyes. “Fuck, okay. At least we’re at the hospital, right? Let’s go, sweet girl. Time for you to have these babies.”
Despite everything, I almost smile. Three new Demonio babies coming on the same day. It’s a fucking beautiful moment.
And then I see her.
Sophie is coming down the hall carrying a large insulated food bag. Of course she’s bringing food. Even in the middle of Siena’s labor, she’s taking care of people.
She hasn’t seen me yet. I could leave. Maybe I should leave. But I dont do anything except stare.
She looks thinner, tired, with shadows under her eyes. Is that because of me?
And then she looks up. Our eyes meet across the waiting room, and the world stops spinning.
53
Sophie
The private delivery room at the hospital is spacious with Siena in the center on the bed and Matti and I on either side of her.
I’m elbow-deep in sterile gloves, counting minutes between Siena’s contractions while Dr. Rossi barks orders from the adjoining suite where Giovanna’s twins have decided to make their appearance simultaneously.
Three babies today, and thank God. The overwhelming chaos of the birthing rooms is probably the only thing that could erase the memory of how Vin stared at me in the hall.
“Sophie, I need you to stay with Siena,” Dr. Rossi calls through the open door. “Her labor is progressing faster than Giovanna’s but the twins are in crisis.”
My heart hammers as I move down to the end of Siena’s bed as Matti holds her hand and whispers in her ear. I’m not a doctor. I’m a chef. But Dr. Rossi walked me through the basics incase he needed an extra pair of hands, and now here I am, about to help deliver my cousin’s baby while trying not to think about how I’ll never do this myself.
“We’ve got this, Soph.” Siena grips my hand hard enough to crack bones, her face shiny with sweat. “I trust you.”
I smile, praying my terror doesn’t show through. “You’vegot this, love. Let’s friggin meet this baby!”
“Matti! You’re squeezing my hand too hard,” Siena grits out through another contraction, and I can’t help but smile despite everything. Even in labor, she’s in control.
“Better?” Matti rubs her hand, his knuckles are bruised. I wonder what that means Vin has been up to and if he’s okay.
My stomach twists, but I push the thought away. Siena needs me.
