“I care about her very deeply, Bianca,” I said, rubbing her shoulder. “I’ll stay here as long as you both need me to.”
Adrian appeared several minutes later, dressed in blue scrubs. “She’s going to be fine, guys, but I’ll warn you, it’s going to look bad when you see her.”
“How bad?” Bianca asked.
“Her back was badly wounded from the shrapnel, and she’ll have some scars. The ICU doctors are going to place her face-down for twenty-four hours and put her in a medically-induced coma so her back can receive some open-air.”
“A coma?” Bianca asked. “That sounds bad.”
“It’s not,” he said, shaking his head. “It will actually help her heal. You all can visit her, but she’ll obviously be unconscious. Tomorrow afternoon, they’ll wheel her up to the sixth floor for two more days of recovery. She’ll be positioned to lie on her side so her back can continue to heal.”
“Will she have any permanent damage?” Bianca asked.
“Besides the scarring, no. She’s young and healthy. Once she goes home in a few days, I expect her to resume normal life as she heals.You’ll need to apply antibiotics and hydrogel once per day. She won’t be able to reach it, so you’ll have to help her.”
“Of course.”
“Within a few weeks, she’ll be good as new. I promise, Bianca. It could’ve been much worse.”
Rising, Bianca pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m so grateful for you.”
“Anytime.” Drawing back, he smiled. “Also, Chris is doing just fine too. He should be able to go home this evening. He told me that he’s pretty sure he needs to stay away from Rossi women for a while.”
Bianca laughed and swiped her tears. “I need to make him some very tasty dinners and ply him with some of Michael’s expensive wine. He’s certainly earned it.”
“My wife loves to give away my hard-earned wine,” Michael said, rising and shaking Adrian’s hand. “Thank you, Adrian. We appreciate everything you do for us.”
“Not a problem at all. A nurse will be out soon to take you to the ICU.”
A few minutes later, a nurse named Kim approached us and led us to the fourth floor. Bianca went in first as Michael and I hung back in the waiting room. Forty-five minutes later, Bianca returned, appearing exhausted as tear stains marked her cheeks.
“I need some coffee,” she said. “Nick, maybe you can sit with Alexis while Michael and I go find the cafeteria.”
“I’ll be happy to sit with her, Bianca.” She squeezed my wrist before trailing off with Michael.
I stepped into the room, the steady beeping of the monitors attached to Alexis ringing in my ears. She lay face-down, and her back was crisscrossed with open scars that had some sort of gel on them.
“That’s hydrogel,” Kim said, breezing into the room and replacing one of the IV bags that hung above Alexis’s bed. “It looks gross and sticky, but it will make her wounds heal very quickly. I’ll be outside at the nurses stand if you need anything.”
I nodded, unable to speak as I gazed at Alexis’s back. She would always carry the scars of being in our family. Of living in our world. Inmyworld.
Lowering to the chair, I gripped my chin as I softly stroked her hair.
“Hey, princess,” I said, unashamed of the tears that formed in my eyes. “I’m here.”
She lay completely still, the monitor beeping as my heart felt an intense pain I’d never experienced, even when my parents died.
“We’re going to get you all fixed up, and then you’re going to get the fuck out of Brooklyn. You’re going to go somewhere safe and follow your dreams, and no one’s ever going to hurt you again.”
I continued to stroke her hair, holding my trembling chin as I prayed to God to help her recover quickly.
Bianca entered the room and stopped short, two cups of coffee in her hand as she gazed at us.
“I...” she hesitated as her eyebrows drew together. Her eyes roved over my hunched shoulders as I tenderly stroked Alexis’s hair. “Well, I...uh, got some coffee for you.” Approaching, she handed me a cup.
“Thank you,” I said, rising and taking a sip. “I’ll let you sit with her now.”
“No,” she said, a slight confusion in her eyes, and I understood she was probably recognizing that I was soul-deep in love with her daughter. “Will you stay with her a bit longer? I think it will be good for her to hear your voice. Michael’s on the phone, and I need to cancel my shooting range appointment this afternoon.”
