“Si, Bianca. Just calm down.”
I touched his sweaty, bloody forehead. “Enzio, you’re burning up. This is…” I glanced over at Lucy. “Put Mario here and please bring me all the ground coffee you can find…and any antibiotics.”
“And liquor,” he slurred.
“Pa-pa-pa,” Mario made that sound again as she put him on the bed. He crawled to Enzio and patted his face. “Pa-pa-pa-pa.”
I gasped, a chill running down my spine. “Oh my God. That’s why he started crying. He felt you coming and was telling me it was you. He thinks you’re his father.”
Enzio’s eyes shone with…tears. One rolled down his face as he glanced toward my baby slowly, and then he nodded, kissing the little fingertips. “Si, Mario. Papà.”
I rubbed my palms against my thighs and stood, not sure how to feel right now. “Looks like I’m not the only one confused about the resemblance.”
“I am his father, Bianca. It has nothing to do with my looks.”
A disturbed sigh escaped me. I pressed my lips tight so I wouldn’t say something I’d regret. It wasn’t the right time. Thankfully, Lucy arrived with supplies.
Enzio grabbed a bottle of whiskey and gulped on it. I took the first bottle my hand found. “Take a deep breath. You need something to bite on?”
Shaking his head, he took another swig.
“Okay.” After Lucy put Mario in his crib, I untied the bloody shirt and spilled liquor all over Enzio’s wound. He roared and swore, his fist so tight around the bottle he could break it. I must admit his pain amused me. “Give me the coffee, please.”
Lucy opened the can and gave it to me. I took a handful and pressed it to the gushing blood. Then I repeated the process until all the bicep was covered. “This will stop the bleeding, but with the bullet inside, you can get poisoned or infected. And that artery… A professional must take care of it.”
His whole face was sweating now, his eyes drooping. “The doctor will be there. Don’t worry.”
I took the whiskey from him and put it on the nightstand. Then I grabbed the antibiotics bottle and dropped a pill on my palm. “Take that just to be safe.”
He popped it and quietly stared at me.
“What?” I set his head back on the pillow.
“Did they teach you the coffee trick in Food Science?”
“They taught a lot of tricks in Food Science. But I learned that one long before. I fell a lot when I was a kid, and…no one was there to kiss my boo-boos, so… I guess I picked it up from Alfarez.”
He grunted, his tongue dry as it licked his lip. “Did you get a chance to finish school? Cosimo said something about it…”
He’d offered to pay for the whole thing when we started dating, but I thought he was buying me, so I refused. Then after we got married, he insisted I went back to school. I wanted to so much, not that I could have worked anymore. Mafia wives weren’t allowed. But with the way we fucked, I was pregnant in no time. “I was planning on, but Mario happened too fast.”
“I see.” His tongue darted out again.
“You should have some water.” I poured him some and helped him drink it.
He rested his head on the pillow. “Why are you taking care of me?”
I cocked a brow. “Anybody would do the same thing.”
“Yeah, anybody, but not you.”
I tucked my hair behind my ears, hinting at Lucy to leave the room with my glance. She excused herself quietly. “Well, you still owe me one day. I’m not gonna let you die before you give it to me. After that, it’s fair game.”
He gurgled something that resembled a chuckle.
“Enzio, do you have any idea who did this?”
“The same person who forged the will,” he said lazily, his eyes drooping lower.
