I look over at him. "Did she…" I clear my throat. "Did she ever have anything before? Like…history with something? Any illness?"
His jaw tenses. He doesn’t look at me. "No. Not that Iknowof." He swallows. "I came back to Italy three years ago. She never said anything. She’s never…never been sick around me."
Footsteps. A soft voice.
"Excuse me? Are you here for Claudia Fontana?"
We both look up. The woman wears scrubs. Clipboard in her hand. Gio stands immediately. "I'm her son."
She nods, gentle.
"We’d like to speak with you, if that’s okay." He freezes for a second. I stand up beside him and wrap my arms around him without thinking. "Go," I whisper. "It's okay. Go."
He doesn’t say anything, but I feel his hand touch my back for just a second before he steps away. And then he follows her down the hall. And I stay behind.
Alone. Waiting. Again.
Gio
I follow the nurse, fast. Too fast maybe. My legs don’t feel steady but I’m not slowing down.
The room smells like disinfectant. Disgusting.
My mom is lying there, with tubes and wires and machines. I feel sick. Then the doctor starts talking. Some middle-aged guy in a white coat.
"She's stable, but…there’s something you should know."
I don’t breathe. Here it comes. "She's had an underlying lung condition for a while. Years. Might’ve ignored the symptoms. It’s chronic."
My jaw clenches.
"What the hell are you talking about? Chronic?"
"She might’ve known. Maybe didn’t want to worry anyone?" "No. No way," I say, shaking my head. "She would've told me."
"It’s not uncommon," he adds, like that fixes anything. "The coughing, the fatigue—it can be subtle, until it’s not."
I want to punch the wall. I want to grab a chair and smash it. But I just stand there, swallowing whatever the fuck is building up in my throat.
"Is she gonna die?"
He looks at me like he wishes I hadn’t asked.
"It’s not terminal, but it’s serious. We’ll manage it. But you need to be prepared. This doesn’t just go away."
I nod once.
"She’s gonna be asleep for the night," he says. "You should go home, get some rest, sir. We’ll call you if anything changes."
"No," I say, quick. "No, what if something happens? What if she stops breathing again? You think I’m just gonna go home and chill?"
"We’re monitoring her constantly. I promise it’s all under control. If anything changes, we contact you first."
I look down. Eventually, I give a tiny nod that doesn’t mean shit. I turn around without saying bye. I walk out the room stiff as hell. I open the door and see Rava waiting.
"How is she?" His voice is too soft.
I swallow and it feels like there’s glass in my throat. "She’s sleeping. She’ll be here for the night. They’re monitoring her."
