I slumped in the chair and buried my head in my hands, praying to every god in the universe that Bianca would pull through. And then, fraught with worry, I waited for the surgeon to appear.
Three hours later, I was still waiting when I received a text to my burner phone.
BC: Simon Ferretti is dead. Bianca shot him. There was one other man in his car. The driver, who was in and out of consciousness, saw it unfold.
MC: Good riddance.
BC: Word will spread that Bianca shot Simon. I know you didn’t want a war, but you’ve got one now. Be vigilant. I hope Bianca’s okay.
MC: Thanks. At the hospital now. Please give Katia updates if you have any.
BC: Will do.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes, understanding that things had gone from complicated tofucked. A man appeared through the double doors and approached. “Mr. Caruso?”
I stood and asked with dread, “How is my wife?”
“Can we...” he eyed Enzo and Rocco, “talk privately? Maybe over in that corner?”
I nodded and we walked to the far corner, both taking a seat beside the window.
“Mr. Caruso, your wife had extensive injuries to several organs in her abdomen. We were able to repair most of the damage, but her previous D&C presented us with some challenges.”
“D&C?” I asked.
“It’s a surgical procedure to remove an unviable pregnancy, usually after a miscarriage. Did your wife have a miscarriage in her past?”
My brain scrambled to comprehend the information. “We’re newly married. Perhaps with her first husband.”
The surgeon nodded. “Sometimes, a D&C can lead to extensive scarring in the uterus, and that damage, combined with the injury, made it impossible for us to save her uterus.”
“What does that mean?”
“We had to perform a hysterectomy, Mr. Caruso. I’m sorry, but there was no other choice.”
“But will she be okay otherwise?”
“She’s severely bruised and has a few sprained ribs, but with proper rest, she should heal within a few weeks. I suggest bed rest for the first week once you take her home. After that, she’ll need to walk daily to encourage blood flow so she can continue to heal. I’m going to recommend Dr. Paul Spano, a physical rehabilitation doctor who will help with the recovery. He makes house calls.”
I expelled a deep breath. “Thank you. Home visits are important in my line of work.”
“I’m familiar with your profession, Mr. Caruso,” he said with no judgement in his tone. “Dr. Adrian Zappa,” he said, extending his hand. “My family is Italian, and some of my distant cousins work for you. They say you’re loyal and show a morality some others don’t. I appreciate that.”
“Thank you,” I said, shaking his hand. “What about Chris and Joaquin? I haven’t been able to get an update on them since I’m not family.”
“Chris had a concussion and will be fine, and my partner removed a bullet from Joaquin’s upper arm. He’ll be fine too. Simon Ferretti is dead, although the man driving his car survived. The police report states that Joaquin shot him.”
I gazed into Adrian’s eyes, grateful that he’d ensured Bianca wasn’t associated with Simon’s death—on paper, at least. That would save us a police investigation, although everyone in the families knew the truth: Bianca had murdered one of Victor’s top remaining associates.
“As far as Bianca’s recovery, does she need something special for the hysterectomy? Will it affect...” I dropped off, not knowing how to ask the question.
“Bianca can resume normal sexual activity in a few weeks. I suggest consulting with Dr. Deborah Strong. She’s a concierge gynecologist who also does home visits. But hysterectomies are a very common procedure for women Bianca’s age, and she should recover just fine.”
“Thank you,” I said, exhaling a breath of relief at the doctor’s overall prognosis. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“She’ll have a few weeks of intense recovery, but I expect Bianca to bounce back exceptionally. She’s in good health and it’s obvious she takes care of herself.”
“She likes to run, although I’ve kept her locked up so she’s resorted to the treadmill. This exact situation is why I was trying to keep her in the house,” I said, covering my mouth as I contemplated all I could’ve lost.
