Elsa
A nurse is in Marcello’s room, reading his vitals, when I walk in. His heart machine starts beeping wildly when he sees me.
“What the fuck?” Marcello rasps.
“Hello, baby.” I walk over to the bed, ignoring the dark glare he sends my way. “How does he seem today, Angela?”
“Much better, signora. No sign of infection and he is gaining his energy back.”
“Oh, good.” I smile at him and lean in to kiss his cheek, which is now coated with whiskers. “Ciao, baby.”
Marcello is absurdly attractive when he is clean-shaven, but that is nothing compared to how hot he looks with a beard. I will beg him to keep some facial hair when he feels up to playing with me again.
“You are not supposed to be here,” he says when the nurse walked out.
“And yet, here I am.”
“I should call Gabrielle and have him lock you up in the dungeon.”
“But you won’t because he is busy with other things that are more important than me.”
“Nothing is more important than you.”
“Aw, that’s sweet.” I press my lips to his. Even though he doesn’t have much energy for kissing, I still like the warmth of his mouth, the feel of his breath on me. The reminder that he is still here.
“Who brought you?”
“I’m not telling you.” I know better than to rat out my accomplice. I drag an armchair closer to the bed. “Maybe I drove myself.”
“If you did, then I will spank your ass, Elsa.”
“You’d have to catch me first, Don Marcello.”
“I won’t always be in this hospital bed. Then I will make you pay.”
“Boy, you are feeling better,” I grumble. “I almost miss the groggy-and-too-tired-to-boss-me-around Marcello.”
“You like when I boss you around.”
I kiss his temple and whisper, “True.” Then I dropped into the armchair. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been shot. You look tired.”
“I’m fine. Just working long hours.”
“Are you eating and sleeping enough? You shouldn’t stress yourself out. This is not your responsibility, you know.”
“I want to do it. I want to be of help, Marcello. I can’t just be in your home like a mushroom rooted to the ground. I want to put my brain to use.”
I chew on my bottom lip.
“I know, baby. And I am grateful that you are trying to help. I can’t be here any longer. I want to come back home.”
“But you won’t be able to leave until a few weeks.”
“Days, you mean.”
“What? You’re coming home in a few days? Is that safe?” I look at the machines and think about his injuries. He’d almost died ten days ago, for fuck’s sake. No way is he ready to leave this place.
“Do not worry. Gabrielle is having a bedroom in my wing converted to a hospital room. It’ll be safer for me there.”
I suppose that is true. And it makes my banishment from the hospital a non-issue. “He’s hiring a team of nurses, I hope.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to play nurse, dolcezza. Though I would very much like to see you in the outfit.”
Dirty man. God, I love him. “I’ll buy one for when you’re feeling better.”
“Rocco says you are very good with the businesses. That you have an easy way with the employees and a head for the work.”
I grin and bat my lashes at him, preening. “I like it. I mean, some of the conference calls are boring, but for the most part I’m enjoying it.”
The side of his mouth curls. “It’s good that you took it on, so Gabrielle could focus on other things.”
I licked my lips.
“You are going to make a good mafia’s wife,” he murmurs.
His words catch me off guard. I stare blankly at him and his face is dead pan serious. No way I could have misheard him.
I don’t know why my heart is suddenly racing.
“I am sure I will be if it is for the right man,” I say, my eyes not leaving his.
“What are you trying say, dolcezza? That I am not the right man?”
A lump catch in my throat making it hard for me to breathe.
“God! What a terrible way to propose to girl!” I exclaim throwing my hands in the air and sucking in a deep breath at the same time.
Marcello chuckles, but it sounds painful.
“What do you want? An island of flowers? A diamond ring?” he raises a coy eyebrow at me.
“Fuck you, Marcello. That doesn’t even sound any but of romantic the way you say it.”
“You know I am trying here Elsa. I don’t know any of that romantic shit.”
He frowns.
“Well, I want some romance,” I pout.
“You know I would give it to you if I wasn’t stuck in this hospital bed,” he hisses through clenched teeth.
I give him a heartfelt smile.
“We can’t take about this yet then,” I shrug.
“I almost died, bella. I can’t waste anymore of my life waiting. At least I have learnt not to wait when I want something I can have,” he says.
“That is not how it works in this kind of situation. You will have to be patient. If you don’t have patience in you then you will learn it.”
He sighs and looks up the ceiling.
“I love you.”
His eyes blink and then he looks back at me and then says, “I love you so much, Elsa. I was so scared that I was going to die without telling you how much I love you and I want to live the remaining years of my life with you by my side.”
Tears start swelling in my eyes and it is almost impossible to hold them back.
“I love you too, Marcello,” I sniff as tears roll freely down my cheeks. “I love you so much but you have to give me some time to think about this. My biggest priority and worry right now is that you should first recover, and that should be yours too.”
“I know. I understand. You can take all the time you want , but remember I am not good at this game of patience. Don’t make me wait too long.”
I smile as he uses his thumb to clear away the tears off my cheeks.
God! I love him so much.