My eyes fill with tears.“You mean raped?”
His eyes harden as they meet mine, and he shakes his head.“I’m not sure.Her heart is beating, but she’s going to need fluids, time, rest, and maybe more.”
I hold out my hand, and he shakes it.“I’m Sophia Cassone Roselli.Thank you for what you’ve done for my sister.If there’s anything I can ever do for you, simply ask.”
Vincenzo nods.“Just take care of your sister,” he says before leaving with one of Massimo’s guards right on his heels while one stays behind, presumably to look after me.
Elsie brings in a basin of warm water and some cloths.I turn to the guard who’s stayed behind.“I know you’re here to help, but would you mind giving us a little privacy?”
“No problem, Mrs.Roselli.”
10
Massimo
The whole fucking room is chaos when I enter and blood is seeping from bandages taped all over my mother’s body.“Somebody give me a fucking update, now.”
Ray, the physician we’ve used for years, doesn’t keep me waiting but doesn’t stop working on Mom for a minute.“She’s lucky she’s alive.Once I’ve got her sutured up and well enough to transport, I’m going to need images and testing.She’s going to need the hospital.I’ll admit her as a Jane Doe, and take responsibility for her while she’s in.”
My eyes flare.“With our fucking soldiers outside the damn door.”
He shakes his head.“We’ll get the logistics worked out but right now, we need to save her life, Massimo.She’s lost too much blood.I have some being delivered shortly, but as you can imagine, I’m going to need to answer for it.As it is, I went through some back-avenue methods to obtain it and get it here, but it’s pure and it’s been tested.Okay?”
I inhale a deep breath.“Is it what you need to do to keep her alive?”
Ray nods.“That and stitch her up.I closed her up with some emergency tape when I first got here, but I want to get her chest sterile and close her up now that I can see what we’re dealing with.Any objections?”
I look to Leandro, and he shakes his head.“No.”
I turn to Ray.“You think she’s going to make it, or should we have our brothers and father come in before you start?If it’s their only chance to say goodbye…” I stop midsentence unable to finish.
Ray squints, assessing my mom and then turning to give me his full attention.“She’s going to make it because you guys got to her in time.Another half an hour before we sealed her up and it’s anyone’s guess.We need to get her stitched up though.When I lift this tape, we’re going to need to work fast.I want only little pieces lifted at a time, sterilize as we go, and then peel back some more and keep moving all the way down her body, understand?It’s the only thing we can do out in the field.Who’s scrubbing in?”
Fuck me.Leandro’s been through enough, finding her like that and keeping her from bleeding out all the way here.“I’ll do it.”
Ray nods.“That sterile liquid right there.Rinse up to your elbows, then I want you to sanitize with the other bottle, and then rinse again.Don’t fucking touch anything and then I’ll help you glove up, and then we’ll switch.”He looks at Leandro.“I want you to scrub in and be ready, just in case I need another set of hands.”
Leandro’s dark eyes meet mine.He’ll do anything that’s needed but he doesn’t say a fucking word.I’ve never seen Leandro so shut down in all his life.
When everyone is ready, Ray starts at the bottom, peeling the tiniest piece of tape away from my mom’s skin.“She’s damn lucky that knife didn’t go in any deeper,” he says, cleaning the area and suturing agonizingly slow as I dab at the leakage with the anesthetized material he’s provided.Little by little we move up.Mom gasps and her whole body convulses.“She’s arresting!We’re going to start CPR.Leandro, I need you to start CPR while I clear her airway.Massimo, you keep that pressure on and don’t let her bleed.”
My fucking head spins, while I’m left keeping my mother’s guts in place in her stomach.The door bursts open, the guard trying to keep Sophia out but she’s not fucking having it.“Get out of my way or I’ll shoot you where you stand, I can help!”
“Let her through,” I growl, trying to stem the flow of blood as Ray pushes on my mother’s chest.Sophia eyes the situation and starts scrubbing in in the makeshift wash area, then gloves up quickly before taking the opposite side of me.She pushes my hand around the open area, and dabs at some of the seepage.“Light pressure, keep it clear and I’m going to finish suturing her up.”Ray looks up, but his first priority now is on keeping my mom breathing and she’s still not out of the fucking woods yet.
“I’m going to be working fast; it’s the only way I’ve ever been trained.When I say go you go,” Sophia says, totally enthralling me with the way she’s stepped in and taken charge.
She works deftly, and surprisingly skillfully, the needle going in and out so fast it keeps my mind focused watching her, dabbing and pressing, then pulling up layers of the compression tape to free skin for Sophia to sew.
“Fucking miraculous,” Ray says, pulling away from the bed with beads of sweat running down his forehead as he gets my mom’s heart under control.He walks over to my guard.“Wipe my forehead.”
The guard looks at him like he’s fucking crazy but doesn’t argue when he sees my face.He uses the back of his hoodie sleeve to wipe Ray’s sweat from his brow.Doc doesn’t waste any time returning.But he doesn’t take over the job Sophia’s doing.He looks at me.“If you want less scarring, we’ll let her continue her work.I’ve not seen such fine stitching in a very long time.I can keep an eye on your mom then.Better to have me free as long as we have a well-equipped set of hands.”
Sophia doesn’t look up, too intent on her job.“Let her keep going,” I tell Ray, continuing my job as Sophia moves up my mom’s sternum and right below her breasts.The minute she’s finished Ray takes over.“Excellent job young lady.”
“Sophia Roselli, my wife,” I tell him.
His eyebrows arch but he doesn’t question it.“Nice to meet you, Sophia.Here’s the plan,” he says, looking at me.“Let’s get some more fluid and blood into her.Once she’s stable enough, I’ll have one of you take me to the hospital.I don’t want to call the emergency system; it will just bring questions that no one here wants to answer.She’ll go in under my care as we discussed.In the meantime, if you want to have your father and brothers come and see her, now’s probably the time if we’re going to keep her identity under wraps at the hospital.”
