“Doug?!?” Vanessa squeals, dropping to the floor as he comes lumbering towards her.
He tackles her with his entire body weight as they both collapse to the ground. As he whines in excitement, she buries her face in his fur, sobbing and holding him closely.
“The prodigal son returns, huh? How the hell did you find him?” I ask, and Rory laughs.
“He actually found us. I brought Matteo back here to meet the doc, and you’ll never guess who was sprawled on the decknext to the pool, panting and waiting to be let inside. He found his way to a safe haven, I suppose,” Rory replies, and I’m dumbfounded.
“I thought I’d never see you again, my boy! I thought I’d lost you forever!” Vanessa cried, hugging his neck as he leans into her. “I promise I’ll never let anything happen to you ever again, Dougy.”
“Thank you, Aurora. We appreciate everything you’ve done, you and Breaker both. I am in your debt.” I tell her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
“No, you aren’t, Seb. This is a family.Youare our family, whether you like it or not.” She replies.
Shouting echoes from down the hall, Matteo’s voice instantly recognizable. It sounds as though he’s arguing with someone.
“You’re gonna have to say something to him, He’s been less than compliant.” Rory says, rolling her eyes.
“I’ll see what I can do.” I laugh, stepping past the girls and walking back towards his room.
“Take me home, I want to get out of here! She’s a masochist, I swear to God! Get me the fuck out of here on the next fucking flight! I can’t be here anymore!” Matteo shouts as I make my way into his room, leaning against the door frame.
Two of my men stand guard around his bed as he tries to remove his IV from the side of his body that isn’t charred. His chest and right arm have been treated, cleaned, and wrapped in new bandages. I’m sure that was no walk in the park. Hopefully, the doctor gave him a decent amount of painkillers for that procedure.
“What are you screaming about in here? You’re going to scare the women and children.” I say, as calmly as possible. His eyes snap to the door, finding mine instantly.
“Oh, now you come back? After you’ve had all the fun?” He snaps, sarcasm lacing his tone. He’s in pain, I can tell.
“Who is a masochist? Huh, what is all this you’re yelling about?” I ask, and he shifts in the bed, scooting back and sitting up.
“That doctor. I swear to God, she’s trying to kill me. She scrubbed half my fucking skin off. I felt every fucking second of it, too. And did she apologize? Not even once. Bitch.” He looks away, annoyed as hell with this doctor.
“Ah, so she’s a woman, huh? That part I didn’t know.” I smirk, and he rolls his eyes. “She sounds very good at her job. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“I’d rather you just put a fucking bullet between my eyes now. It would definitely hurt less.” He replies.
“If I can be honest, I am grateful to her. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if your time on this Earth had been through. At the risk of sounding like I’m cheating on my woman, I love you, Matteo. You are indispensable to me. I will do all I can to ensure your recovery is as smooth and painless as possible. You’ve already given so much for Fortuna, it’s about time you get something back for your trouble.” I tell him, and he looks out the window, thinking over all I’m saying.
“I’ve never felt like I’ve given up anything to be in Fortuna Nera. This is my destiny. I chose this, and I have no regrets. I don’t want you thinking I feel like I’m owed anything for my service to the family. I will always be grateful for this life I’ve been given. Just maybe not tonight after that devil woman is done torturing me for her pleasure. Doctor, my ass. She enjoys inflicting pain, I swear to God,” Matteo says, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I really can’t wait to meet this woman.” I reply and he sings heavily.
“Must be talking about me,” someone says, walking into the room behind us.
A petite woman with beautiful bronze skin stands at the foot of Matteo’s bed. Her curly brown hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and her navy blue scrubs are stained with blood. She checks his IV lines, making sure nothing is kinked before hanging another bag and checking his pulse.
“Hello, Satan. Come to put me back on your torture table?” Matteo asks, and I snort out a laugh. Ridiculous.
“Very dramatic, Mr. Gallo. I’ve asked you numerous times if you want the pain medication. Unfortunately, some of the pain I can’t prevent. That’s the nature of severe burns. But I can take the edge off if you want to go to sleep. Maybe when you wake up, you’ll be halfway to Italy.” She shrugs, and I nod.
“She’s right. You should take the deal. I can have you on a plane as soon as she gives me the green light, Teo. You can recover at home.” I add, and he seems to be thinking it over.
He waits several moments before finally nodding. She draws up some kind of medicine in a vial from the side table, pushing it into his IV slowly. He winces for a moment before relaxing a little more, his head bobbing to one side as sleep pulls him under. Morphine is hard to fight in such a high dose.
“He’ll be more comfortable now. As long as you keep the dressings clean and changed regularly, he’s safe to transport whenever you’re ready to go home. The girl will unfortunately take much longer to heal. I think it’s going to be a few weeks before she’s fit to travel anywhere. But she’ll be okay in the long term.” Sanaa says, and I feel the most relief I’ve felt in days.
“Thank you. I don’t know how I can possibly repay you for your service today, doctor.” I tell her.
“Don’t you know that’s not how it works around here? We don’t work in favors. It’s just what we do. I’m glad I could help today. Maybe one day I’ll need help and you’ll be able to provide it,” she holds out her hand, and I shake it gently.
