“Gio…” She spoke in a weak voice, almost inaudible. I noticed her raise her hand, so before she could do that, I held it and gently brought it down. “Why can’t I see you? I can’t see anything. It’s pure black.”
My lips trembled due to her feeble voice. “I’m here. Stop talking. You’re going to be okay, Millie. Just hold on, please, hold on.”
She offered a faint smile but didn’t say anything more, and I held her hand the entire time.
We reached the hospital, where everything was prepared and waiting for our arrival. Millie was swiftly transferred to a hospital bed and rushed into the emergency room. I followed her, still holding her hand tightly. However, they stopped me from entering the emergency room.
“Mr. Locatelli, you can’t enter the E. R.,” a nurse blocked my path. I shot her a cold look, but I was quickly pulled away by Dario.
It seemed like they thought I would insist on entering. I remained in the waiting area, refusing to leave. My clothes were stained with Millie’s blood, and if Dario hadn’t persuaded me earlier, I wouldn’t have even washed my hands. Millie’s blood was all over me.
I was alone for a moment in the waiting area, my head bowed. I could hear the footsteps of others, the sound of my interlaced hands hurting me. I was hurting myself. Now, I was back in the hospital, but this time, it was my wife in the emergency room.
I felt like I was going to vomit. The hospital’s smell made me nauseous, and bad memories began to resurface. I hated this feeling.
“Gio.”
The thumping of footsteps stopped when they called my name. I raised my head and saw Taddeo and Beatrice. I hadn’t called them; perhaps Dario or Elliott had informed them.
“What happened?” Taddeo asked, quickly approaching me. Beatrice didn’t waste any time coming closer as well.
My heart felt incredibly heavy, and I was fortunate I could still breathe. It ached as though someone were piercing my heart directly.
Before I could respond, Beatrice shouted, “You’re bleeding!” and pointed at my left chest. Dario had been telling me to see a doctor since earlier, but I didn’t want to leave Millie. I didn’t want her to wake up and think I’d left her.
“Shit, Gio! You need to see a doctor,” Taddeo said when he noticed that I had wounds as well.
I didn’t move. I couldn’t even feel the pain from my wounds. The pain I felt didn’t originate from there, and it wasn’t the reason for my weakness.
Millie…
Fucking hell, why did she take the bullet for me? I should have been the one hit, not her. I was the target, not her. She should have let me take the bullet. But instead, she saved my life, and now her life hung in the balance between life and death.
It happened again, a familiar scenario. Someone dear to me risked her life to protect me. Once again, I found myself being protected when I should have been the one protecting her. I gripped my hand so hard that I felt it might leave marks on my skin.
After a while, Dad and Mom arrived at the hospital. Mommy approached me, accompanied by Sienna and Gianna. It appeared they had received the news.
I locked eyes with Gianna. Not once had I ever been mad at her. Since childhood, we had shared a bond, a unique understanding between us. But what was she thinking, sending my wife to the battlefield?
I stood up and stared directly at Gianna. I towered over her as her icy eyes met mine. I wanted to wipe that cold expression from her face, to unmask her and see right through her.
“Why did you let her go to the island?! I told you to watch over my wife.” My voice was controlled, but I was on the edge of losing my restraint.
Dad and the others tried to hold me back, but I didn’t yield. I gave her the cold, dark glare I had never shown my own sister.
“I know you’re selfish, Gianna. I know you always think of yourself, treating others like insects. But I hoped… I hoped you wouldn’t let Millie go. If you hadn’t allowed her to leave, this wouldn’t have happened to her!” I reached out my hand towards Taddeo, who was trying to restrain me. “You know how important Millie is to me, Gia. I entrusted her safety to you. I called you and sent you to that island, but you failed me. Even though we’re twins, you don’t care. The only one who matters to you is yourself. If something happens to Millie, I don’t know what to feel. Just don’t-” I bit my lip hard, trying to stop myself from saying anything worse.
Slowly, the coldness in her expression began to fade. She looked at me, and for the first time, my words reached her heart encased in ice.
Gianna’s lips trembled in a way I had never seen before. For the first time, I saw her show emotion. “Gioseffo-”
I pulled her hand away as she tried to reach out to me. Dad stepped between us.
“That’s enough!” Dad pulled me away and told both of us to stop. Mommy noticed the blood on my chest and shoulder and became hysterical.
I reluctantly allowed them to have me checked by a doctor. Feeling utterly drained, I let them do as they pleased.
After tending to my wounds, I had my own room. The cuts were deep, so the doctor insisted on bed rest. However, I couldn’t afford to stay here and rest; I needed to be with Millie.
“Sir, the doctor’s orders are for you to stay-” I cut off the nurse who entered my room. I was struggling to get up and leave, but as I opened the door, my dad’s men were waiting.
Dad was also present, his gaze fixed on me. I remained silent as I tried to exit the room. His men immediately stopped me. “Rest,” Dad commanded.
They pulled me back into my room, forcing me to lie down. I resisted, even though my wounds were aching.
“Gio!” Dad’s authoritative voice echoed within the room, but I wasn’t afraid. Nothing was scarier than not knowing what was happening with Millie.
“I need to go, Dad! My wife needs me.”
“You need to rest! You need to recuperate.”
A doctor entered the room. While our men held me down on the bed, the doctor administered something to me. I resisted at first, but after feeling the effects of the injection, I began to lose my strength and felt drowsy.
“Sleep for now, Gio,” my father’s voice was the last thing I heard before falling into a deep slumber.
~*~
I woke up and stared at the white ceiling for a moment. As I realized where I was and why I was in the hospital, I immediately sat up.
I glanced at the clock; I had slept for only an hour.
I left my room and walked towards the emergency room where I remembered Millie had been taken.
My family and Millie’s family were still there. I noticed that even Raffaele and Carter had arrived, probably while I was asleep.
I walked quietly until I saw Taddeo, Dad, and Mommy talking to a doctor. Everyone was on high alert due to Millie’s condition.
The doctor left, leaving Dad seemingly shocked by what he had heard. I didn’t feel good about it, so I decided to make my presence known.
“How’s Millie?” I asked in a calmer voice.
They looked at me, and I could see the concern in my parents’ eyes. Taddeo approached me, and there was a noticeable rise and fall of his chest as he breathed heavily.
More doctors arrived, including Dr. Josephine Diaz, Millie’s OBGYN. She was the one who conducted Millie’s monthly check-ups and guided us through the process of having a child.
“Gio,” Taddeo got my attention. “Millie needs an operation to remove the bullet. Her OBGYN is here, and there’s a fetal surgeon on standby in case anything goes wrong.”
I took a deep breath as Taddeo spoke, furrowing my brow at his cryptic statement.
“Cut the chase, Taddeo-”
“Gio, Millie’s pregnant.”
I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I leaned against the wall as Taddeo repeated the information.
The knowledge that she had been shot earlier was still racing through my mind, and now I was hit with the revelation that she was pregnant.