FRANCIS
“Set the meeting in Italy. Si, Calabria. I have no desire to go to Belfast,” Francis said into his cellular phone.
“Not Belfast. This time the meeting will be in Dublin,” Luca informed.
“Dublin... Belfast…I’ll travel to neither.”
“Si. I’ll make the arrangements. But Francis, you know I can handle this alone if you need. I know that you prefer to be with Tracy.”
“And you have a wedding that you need to pretend to help with.”
Francis could hear the smile in Luca’s voice.
“I think that Tammy is on to me,” Luca chuckled. “I just want to say I do and push my bambino into her.”
“I suggest that you continue the ruse,” Francis advised.
“Si,” Luca said through laughter.
“Get me a final count and a distribution list. We’ll talk more when I return. Stay sharp.”
“Si, always.Congratulazioni per il tuo bambino.”
“Grazie, cugino.”
Francis ended the call and smiled at the thought of becoming a father. He’d never really thought about it. It wasn't that he didn't want children; he just didn't want to have children with the type of women that he kept around. His life hadn't allowed him enough time to invest in one woman, and he had never entertained the idea of changing his life.
Until Tracy.
He’d wanted her from the moment he laid eyes on her. Her beauty, intelligence, and sinful curves were magnetic. But there was more to Tracy. She was different. She often smiled, but she was unable to conceal the sadness behind her eyes. Francis understood that she had suffered a loss, and everything in him wanted to help her to heal. Francis had met women plagued by sadness before but, truthfully, their emotional state, however troubling, had never been a big concern to him. But once Tracy entered his life, everything changed. Francis had practically chased the stubborn woman. And if she wasn't carrying his child, she’d probably still be running.
Francis walked toward the nurse’s station. Since Tracy had been transferred to the third floor the night before, there was a different staff occupying the desk. Whereas the nurses from the night before seemed to fear him, the new staff was offering flirtatious smiles and lingering lustful looks. He smiled as he reached the nurses’ station and requested to speak with the doctor that had tended to Tracy the night before. An extra friendly nurse batted her lashes and promised to page the doctor. Francis thanked the woman and graced the other gawkers with a smile. Surely, the women were aware that his woman and unborn child were lying in a room just down the hall. That fact, apparently, was a non-factor to brazen women. But to Francis, it was the only factor.
Figuring that he had enough time, he headed to the elevator. He was going to find the gift shop and buy his donna some flowers.
When Francis returned to Tracy’s room, Dr. Cross, the obstetrician, was already speaking with her. But she wasn't alone. There were two detectives in the room. They seemed to be questioning Tracy about what had happened the previous night. The cops were looking at Francis suspiciously as if they were assessing whether or not Francis was responsible for Tracy’s injuries.
Francis was unbothered by their presence. Tracy knew exactly what to tell the police. He placed the flowers at the foot of Tracy’s bed and moved to stand beside her. Tracy hadn't gotten dressed as he instructed. Maybe it was a show of defiance on her part. Francis realized that Tracy was going to fight his authority every step of the way. But the sooner she came to realize the decisions he would make from then on would be for her safety and well-being, the better off she would be. After further thought, he figured that the presence of the detectives may have been the reason Tracy hadn’t been able to get dressed.
Once the detectives concluded their interview, they exited the hospital room, promising to find her unknown attacker and bring him to justice.
The doctor smiled at Francis. “Before I was interrupted, I was telling Tracy that the baby was strong and she would heal just fine. I wrote a prescription for prenatal vitamins. I also advised her to schedule an appointment with an OB/GYN. She should be receiving prenatal care and getting plenty of rest.”
Francis was confused.
“OB—?”
“An OB is a doctor for expectant mothers,” the doctor explained.
“Si…yes. I’ll see to it.”
“I’m sure of it,” Dr., Cross chortled.
Victoria and Tracy laughed, but Francis ignored the doctor’s remark and asked, “May we go?”
“Yes. The nurse will be in with discharge papers in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Tracy said with a smile.
It was good to see her smile, but as he looked at the bruises on her face, he wanted to shake Will alive so that he could kill him again.
