day fifteen without you, and I need you to wake up now. Please, Nicco.” I kissed his knuckles. “I need you to wake up.”
“I’ll give the two of you some space.” Tristan’s hand rested on my shoulders. I glanced up at him, offering him a weak smile.
“Thank you.”
After Nicco was moved out of the ICU into his own room, I’d refused to leave his side. For four nights, I had slept curled up on the couch, before Matteo and Enzo practically dragged me out of there. They made Genevieve and Alessia take me back to the house and make sure I got a shower and ate something other than stale sandwiches from the hospital vending machine.
Now we had a schedule. Someone was always with him so that I could try and look after myself too.
A knock on the door startled me and I glanced back to find Enzo standing there. “I know it’s your time with him but I—”
“It’s fine, you can come in.”
Enzo had taken it the hardest. I knew he blamed himself. It was something we had in common.
“How’s Nora?” I asked when he dropped into the chair at the other side of Nicco’s bed.
“She’s... okay.” He frowned.
“It’s okay that you’re spending time with her, you know?”
“It’s not like that.” He ran a hand through his hair. “She just helps me—”
My hand shot up. “I don’t need to know the details.”
That made him smile, but it quickly disappeared when he settled his eyes back on Nicco. “Come on, Cous. We need you to wake up.”
“Do you think he can hear us?”
“The doc says talking helps. But I always feel like an idiot, sitting here, talking to myself.”
Silence enveloped us. Enzo was still as intimidating as ever, but something had changed between us since that day.
“Killing someone changes you,” he’d said to me in the hospital as we waited for news about Nicco.
I felt different but not in the way I'd expected.
I’d been so against Nicco and Antonio dealing with Mike Fascini and his deranged son in their way, I hadn’t stopped to consider that maybe we all possessed darkness inside us. It just didn’t appear until you were pushed to your limits.
I was hardly surprised my limit was Scott hurting Nicco.
I’d let him hurt me, taunt me, and tease me. I’d let him do despicable things to me. But watching him drive that knife into Nicco had ignited a fire inside me, and in that moment, the darkness had shrouded me.
A shudder rolled through me. We’d been through so much.
Too much.
“You’ll learn to live with it,” Enzo said, as if he could hear my thoughts.
“There’s nothing to live with.” I looked him dead in the eye. “I did what I had to, and I’d do it again, a thousand times over.”
He dragged his bottom lip between his teeth, studying me. “You know, you’re kind of scary right now.”
“I’m Capizola and Marchetti. You should be scared.” My lip curved, and laughter rumbled in his chest.
“He won’t like it, you know.” His eyes flicked to Nicco.
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied.
All that mattered was that Nicco came back to me.
Three days later, I’d finally got the call I’d been waiting for.
“He’s awake,” Alessia had squealed down the line.
I’d abandoned Genevieve in the kitchen and asked Luis to drive me straight to the hospital.
“He’s going to be disoriented,” Luis said. “The doctors said it could still be a long road to recovery.”
“I know.” My body hummed with trepidation as we rode the elevator to Nicco’s floor. “He’s awake, Luis. I didn’t think—”
“I know.” He took my hand, squeezing it gently. “I know.”
The second the doors pinged open, I took off running, skidding to a halt when I spotted him through the blinds. Nicco was sitting up, laughing at something Alessia was telling him. He must have felt me watching because his eyes found me, shining with relief.
I’d been so eager to see him, but now the moment had come I couldn’t make my legs work.
“He’s all yours.” Alessia appeared at the door. “Luis can treat me to ice cream in the cafe.” She skipped past me and grabbed his hand, dragging him down the hall.
I entered the room, freezing when our eyes collided again.
“Bambolina.” His voice was cracked.
“You’re awake,” I breathed. “You’re really awake.” The invisible thread between us snapped taut, pulling me toward him. “How are you feeling?” I reached for Nicco’s hand, smothering a whimper when his fingers tightened around mine.
“Ssh, don’t cry. Please...”
“I thought I’d lost you.” My teary