and Massimo has. Dominic hasn’t and that’s probably for the best. Strong as her heart is I’m not sure how she’s going to feel about Dominic after this. I don’t know if hearing his voice will help, even if it’s to express his sorrow.
Massimo and I get coffee from a little shop and sit on the bench outside the main hospital entrance. We don’t plan to be away for too long.
Massimo looks like he needs the break and some sleep so I’m going to offer to stay here while he goes home. I had a break when I was with Isabella, leaving a few minutes after she fell asleep. That was several hours ago.
“Hey, how about you go home in a little while. Go and I’ll take over,” I suggest.
“No, I need to stay even if I get an hour of sleep in my car. I don’t feel like I can leave her. I don’t think she’d want me to, especially now.”
He’s probably right. “Massimo, you need some sleep. We don’t know what’s going to happen or what she’ll be like.” That brings me to the other thing on my mind. “I don’t know if I can go through heading to Rhode Island with her in this condition.”
He stares back at me and nods. “I know, but I’m going to tell you to do it brother. You need to. It needs to happen. Not taking the chance is like leaving a wound open to fester. I just contemplate on whether or not I should go. That’s not a mission for me to cast on you though because we’re going to be strongest together.”
“Together? What about Dominic. I don’t think we should take him. Massimo, I know last night was an accident, but it showed the seriousness of his problem. He needs help.”
“I agree and that’s why I’m going to suggest that we don’t take him. I barely recognized him last night. I always want to be the guy to take care of everything and everybody, but that spreads me too thin. When you do that it means you’re just touching base and not quite prioritizing. We might feel like we were there for him, but he doesn’t feel that way, and he’s right that we didn’t talk about Pa. We didn’t. I can’t. Pa died in my arms Tristan. That’s not something I want to remember.”
I nod understanding. “ I can’t believe we’re here though. At this point with Candace in the hospital because Dominic shot her.”
It doesn’t sound real. It sounds like some crazy shit I made up because when I think of them I remember them looking like a couple as they walked along the beach. I think of her eyes brightening every time he spoke to her.
“If she pulls through this is going to change them. It’s going to change her.”
I release a sigh of frustration.
He downs his coffee and I take a sip of mine. I can’t drink anymore so I set the cup back down on the bench table.
Massimo stands after a few minutes. “Come on let’s go back in.”
I nod and throw the rest of my coffee away.
We walk back to the room. Dominic is still in the same position.
Obviously, questions were raised as to what happened and how it happened. Everyone was so distraught last night that explaining Candace was shot by accident sufficed for last night so the doctors could do their work. I expect the cops soon though. In our world things get covered up and we get away with all kinds of shit as the criminals we are. But things like this are answerable, especially when it comes to people we know.
He looks across at us when we go inside and discomfort fills his eyes.
He looks like he wants to say something to us but holds back because of Candace.
I think it’s best that we don’t talk too much around her just in case it turns into an argument, but we’ve been silent for hours. It’s not going to be easy to stay silent forever.
“I’m sorry,” Dominic says. “I’m sorry for everything and for this. I can’t begin to apologize enough. I know saying sorry isn’t enough and she’s the last person that should be here. Candace is the one person in my life that I just… she means so much to me. Last night I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I can’t believe I’m here with her like this. I’m going to talk to the cops