“Okay,” he replied quietly. After a long pause, he said, “I’m scared. Marco said it was bad.”
“I know. I am too. All we can do right now is get there as soon as possible.”
When we finally made it to my apartment building, I was ready to jump out of my skin. I knew we had more than an hour of travel left before we got to the hospital, but I just wanted to get started. “We’ll be down in ten minutes,” I told Paolo.
“Yes, Mr. D’Angelo.”
Greg and I raced through the lobby, barely acknowledging the security guard at the desk. I was thankful the elevators in the building were fast because I wasn’t in good enough shape to run up twenty-six floors. Michael was standing in the open doorway of my apartment, waiting for us. I wrapped my arms around my brother and held him tightly.
Greg slipped by and closed the door behind us. “I’ll get our bags.”
Michael stepped back. “You should check yours to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”
I noted that his overnight bag and laptop case were already by the door.
“Would you mind packing up my laptop? It’s on my desk,” I asked Michael.
“Not at all. Where’s your case?”
I pointed toward the entryway. “In the closet by the door.”
Greg followed me to my bedroom, where he began packing up his things. My roller bag was on my bed, already full of clothes and a pair of sneakers. I went into my ensuite. Greg and I danced around each other, getting our toiletries.
When I started to zip my bag closed, I noticed my hands were shaking. I took a breath, trying to settle myself. Greg’s hand covered mine. “Let me help.”
He finished zipping the case and then pulled me into his arms. I clung to him like a drowning man. “I’m not ready to lose him.”
“I know,” he murmured. “And you haven’t lost him. He’s still here. Take it one moment at a time.”
I stayed in his embrace for a little longer, breathing him in, before pulling away. “We should get going. Michael’s waiting.”
The three of us were silent on the elevator ride down to the lobby. My brother was practically vibrating with tension. Thankfully, the car was right outside the building. Greg hesitated as we were getting in. “I can sit in the front seat if you’d rather sit in the back with Michael.”
Before I could object, my brother said, “I’d rather sit in front.”
That problem solved, we loaded our luggage into the trunk, and I gave Paolo the address for the hospital. As soon as we made it out of the Lincoln Tunnel, I pulled up the GPS on my phone to get an ETA, then I called my mother and put it on speaker.
“Anthony!” My mother’s voice was thick with tears and her accent was more pronounced. “Are you coming?”
“Yes, Ma. Michael and I are on our way. I was uptown, and it took me a while to get to my apartment.”
My mother sniffled. “They just took your father into surgery. They said he has a blocked artery. They have to do a coronary bypass.” The last word came out on a sob.
I heard Michael mutter, “Fuck.” I was desperately trying to hold it together. Greg took my hand and held it.
“Tony.” Marco’s voice came through on the phone. “What’s your ETA?”
“We just got out of the tunnel, so about an hour,” I replied.
“Ma said Michael is with you?”
“Yeah.” I paused for a beat. “So is Greg.”
“Good,” he replied.
The relief that swept through me at his casual acceptance surprised me with its strength. I squeezed Greg’s hand, feelinglike he was the only thing anchoring me. “Who’s there right now?” I asked Marco.
He blew out a breath. “Marie and Vinny are here. Tino’s on his way.”
