As Mr. Torrisi and Raya sit down across from us, Simi stirs in my arms. My attention snaps to her, and when her eyelashes lift, and she sees me, a toothy smile appears.
“Mama.” She rubs the side of her face against my chest before sitting up. Her fingers begin to move, rubbing the silk, as she glances around the cabin, then she whisper-shrieks, “Are we flying?!”
“Not yet. The plane is about to take off,” I say, keeping my tone soft as well.
She leans forward and places her hand on Georgi’s forearm, then whispers to him, “We’re going to fly!”
He leans closer. “Why are we whispering?”
“So we don’t upset people,” she replies.
My heart constricts painfully in my chest.
Georgi moves his left arm, and I see the pain flash over his face as he brushes his palm over her braid, where some strands have come loose. “You don’t have to whisper,printsesa. No one will dare get upset with you.”
“Why?”
Georgi playfully boops the tip of her nose with his fingertip. “Because I say so.”
Simi looks at me, then loudly announces, “Mama, I need to pee-pee.”
“Softer,malka,” I hush her.
“But Georgi said I don’t have to whisper,” she argues as she begins to wiggle her body out of my hold to climb off my lap.
I help her to her feet before undoing my seat belt.
Simi doesn’t wait for me and darts away, but not looking where she’s going, her foot hits Mr. Torrisi’s shoe, and she trips.
Both Georgi and Mr. Torrisi react. Mr. Torrisi grabs hold of Simi while Georgi sucks in a sharp breath that has my eyes flitting between him and my daughter.
Simi pushes against Mr. Torrisi’s hands and worms out of his hold, her face going pale from fear.
I quickly take hold of her and lift her. Her arms shoot around my neck, and she holds onto me for dear life as I walk into the aisle and toward the sign that shows where the toilet is.
“Fuck, I’m bleeding again,” Georgi snaps.
I hear movement, and glancing over my shoulder, I see Raya, Mr. Torrisi, and Santino getting up.
There’s an urge to return to him so I can tend to his wound, but Simi comes first, and I hurry into the toilet. Shocked to see it’s a full bathroom with a shower, sink, and even a seat, I put Simi down and lower her sweatpants before helping her to sit on the toilet.
“I’m sorry, Mama,” she whispers while relieving her bladder.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,milo moe.”
When she’s done, we flush, and I pull up her pants before leading her to the sink. After washing our hands, I lift her into my arms, and as I open the door, I hear Georgi chuckle while saying, “Chill. It’s just a little blood. Jesus.”
“Little blood, my fucking ass,” Mr. Torrisi growls. “The stitches came loose.”
With Simi’s need taken care of, the urge to tend to Georgi overwhelms me, and I hurry down the aisle to get to him.
Raya and Mr. Torrisi are crowding Georgi, and Santino is crouched in the aisle, digging through a large first aid kit.
Georgi’s eyes latch onto me when I’m near, and the corner of his mouth lifts. “Don’t worry, my nurse is here, so you can all sit down.”
Mr. Torrisi moves toward me, and I take a step backward, lowering my head, but instead of interacting with me, he takes a seat by the other men who are sitting in the section near the front of the cabin.
Raya takes the seat her father sat in previously, and it gives me space to move. I set Simi down beside Georgi, then get to work.
