Why can't I see Daddy?
Is he going to die?
Are we safe now?
I find him in our temporary bedroom, cross-legged on the bed with his favorite book.
He looks up as I enter.
"Is he awake yet?" Enzo asks immediately.
I sit beside him, smoothing his hair. "Not yet, sweetheart. But the doctors say he's getting stronger."
"You're still sad." It's not a question. At this point, I know it’s a gauge for him to decide how worried he should be about Luca.
"I'm just tired."
Enzo frowns, closing his book. "Are you sick too? I heard you getting sick again."
My heart aches at his worried expression. "My stomach's just upset because there’s been a lot of stress. But everything is going to be okay."
"Can I see him? Please? I'll be really quiet."
The plea in his voice nearly breaks me.
Enzo’s bond with Luca is absolute.
And now, he fears he’s going to lose his father and I’m doing a terrible job alleviating his concerns.
The truth is, I’m not sure what’s going to happen.
Luca has been unconscious for a week.
The doctor says he’s done all he can and now it’s up to Luca.
He says the prognosis is good, but the longer Luca is unconscious, the more concerning it becomes.
"Soon," I promise, though I don't know if it's true. "When he's a little stronger."
I pull Enzo into my arms, his small body warm against mine.
He snuggles close and I wish I could make the world safer and happier for him. “Come on. Let’s get you ready for school.”
I was torn about sending him to school after everything that happened. But it was clear that Enzo needed normalcy in his life. Alessandro upped Enzo’s security even higher than after my brother kidnapped him. Enzo looks like he’s part of a royal family with all the men keeping eyes on him.
Of course, I do too, which makes it hard to do anything private, especially out in the world.
Today, after dropping Enzo off at school, I tell my security that I need to stop at a pharmacy.
Paolo shakes his head. “You can have staff pick up?—”
“We’re out now.”
They don’t roll their eyes, but I know they’re annoyed.
Even so, we head to the store.
They start to follow me in, but I can’t have that. “Look, I’m just buying feminine products. I don’t need you for that.”
