La Famiglia (59 page)

“I’m talking about me and you brother. Something is between us. I feel it.”

Carlo sat forward. He cut Lorenzo down with an angry glare. “I’m your friend. Not your brother. I had a brother. He’s dead now. Remember?”

“You blame for me that?” Lorenzo asked.

“Should I?” Carlo asked.

Lorenzo shook his head. “What the fuck did Marietta say to you? Did she tell you I killed your brother? That I lied to you?”

Carlo stared at him.

“The woman runs her mouth when she’s pissed. She’ll go for your balls. She knew how badly you were hurt after Carmine’s death. You can’t see what that was?”

“It’s not about that. Not really.” Carlo stood. “I need a fucking break from you and your problems. I have my own shit to deal with.”

“Got it. But you’re wrong. We are brothers. We have always been brothers,” Lorenzo said.

Carlo glanced back. “How is she? Marietta?”

“You know how she is. Difficult. Complicated. She’s scared for Mira. We all are.”

“Any news?” Carlo asked.

“Not yet. One of the babies is sick. They say he may not make it.”

“Gio will take the loss of his son hard.” Carlo said.

“True. We should talk about Santo. How you will handle things. We need to contain this thing in the
Camorra
until we can get the family under control.”

“There may not be enough time for that,” Carlo said.

“Agreed. You’ll let us know? If time is up?” Lorenzo asked.

“Don’t I always?” Carlo started down the steps of the terrace and walked away. Lorenzo observed him. He didn’t like the way things felt between them. He had to wonder what the true cause was.

Later –

Marietta woke. She saw several women hugging Giovanni and saying their goodbyes. She looked to her sister. Mira lie as she had all day, still and silent. Marietta stood and fixed the sheet around her. The day had passed without event. She only left the room twice to eat. Giovanni had been in and out. Now it was late.

“Nico will drive you back,” he said.

“What time is it?” Marietta asked, straining in the dark shadowy room to see the minute and hour wand on her watch move. Giovanni turned on the lamp by Mira’s bed. “Eight. Nico’s waiting.”

Marietta had no choice but to stand. It was evident the
Don
wanted her gone. He appeared as tired as she felt. If there was only one thing Marietta knew to be true about her sister it was that she loved this man. If Marietta were able to set aside her anger for Giovanni maybe it would make things easier for them all. At this point she’d do anything to make things more peaceful for her sister. She cleared her throat. He glanced up at her. “Maybe you should get some rest. Tomorrow might be the day she wakes.”

He nodded. The exchange felt genuine. Marietta smiled. No. She didn’t care for the man, but she had to respect how much he loved her sister. She gave him a small smile and left.

Giovanni rested the side of his face in his hand. The door closed and a soft swoosh echoed behind him. He stared at his wife. They were alone now. All day he’d seen visitors and met with Dominic and the doctors to discuss her wellbeing. They agreed that if she didn’t wake tomorrow they would consider some additional treatment options. He didn’t want to go this direction. But what options did he have? He felt totally powerless.

“Bella?” he said, leaning forward. “The doctors say you should be awake by now. Please, Bella. It’s time,” Giovanni pleaded. He dropped his head. Soon his grief and exhaustion got the better of him. He rested his face on the side of the bed and drifted. In his dreams he could rewind time. Do it all over. He dreamed back to the day Renaldo handed him the purse that belonged to the American fashion designer with her precious bracelet inside. If he had opened that purse, that day, and saw the bracelet what would have happened? Would they be here now? Would he have gotten the chance to fall in love with her? Maybe the price for their love was his lies. 

The soft touch of her hand over his head soothed him. Fingers raked back through his hair and combed his scalp. She often stroked the top of his head when he needed her comfort. In his dreams she delivered the hope he needed.

But this wasn’t a dream?

Giovanni opened his eyes. He blinked. The breath in his lungs seized. Slowly he lifted his head and looked into the eyes of his wife. “Bella? Bella!” he stood
“Mio Dio, Bella mia,”
he cupped her face in his hands delicately to be sure. “You’re awake?”

She nodded. Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes glistened with guarded tears. She didn’t speak. She didn’t have to. Giovanni knocked over the chair as he hurried out of the room into the hall. He saw Leo first. “Get the doctor, tell the nurses. She’s awake! Get them now!”

Giovanni returned. She was still awake and aware. The adrenaline rush had come too quick and potent to his weakened state. “You’re okay. You’re going to be fine.”

She nodded.

She understood him. Mira lifted her hand weakly and dropped it. He took her hand and kissed it. “The babies are here. We have sons. They need you. We all have been so worried.”

The doors opened and two doctors entered. Buhari wasn’t one of them. Giovanni had to step aside to allow them to examine her. Giovanni kept a hand to his brow in anticipation. Then he heard her speak. She did so with single word answers. But he heard her. The doctor asked her a couple more questions and used his light pen to look into her eyes. The wait was torture. The exam extended. She was fine. Couldn’t they see what he saw?

“
Signor
, we need to take her for a few tests.” One doctor said to him.

“Is she okay? She’s awake? She’s okay then?” Giovanni asked.

“Yes. It looks good. Let us examine her, please. It won’t be long.”

He glanced to Mira and smiled. She didn’t smile in return. She stared at him. “I won’t be far, Bella. Okay? I’ll be right here.”

She didn’t respond. He walked out feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. Dominic had left hours ago. Giovanni nearly ran to the hall where the nurses were.

“Telefono?”
he asked.

She handed it over.

* B
*

“Bring her to me,” Mancini said. He set aside his book. He removed his reading glasses. When he looked up again a young beautiful woman walked in. He had known her most of her young and adult life.

Carmella seemed shy and hesitant. She kept glancing back to Armando for reassurance. Over the years he’d seen her with his son. Armando had a wandering eye. And this woman did their domestics as well as shared his son’s bed. “Why have you returned?” Mancini asked.

“The
Donna
was taken to the
ospedale
. Dominic Battaglia returned to Villa Mare Blu with family. He said my services were no longer needed,” Carmella answered.

Mancini’s gaze switched to his son. Armando nodded in agreement with the news.

“Have a seat,” Mancini gestured. “Tell me. What had happened? How did Mira-ah-Giovanni’s wife have an attack that made her deliver the babies early?”

“I’m not sure. She and Giovanni argued behind closed doors. The next thing I heard was the men shouting for the doctor and the car. They carried her out. I had to help with the baby, Eve. I saw nothing more.”

Mancini figured it happened this way. Giovanni was a reckless idiot. He glanced to his son. “Any news on Isabella?”

“We are searching Carini for her. The monastery there could be where she’s gone. We should find her soon, Papa. I promise you.”

If they found Isabella and silenced her no one else could counter his objective to be reunited with his daughters. Mancini felt a cooling sense of satisfaction.

“
Don
Mancini, I wanted to know if it were okay that I continue to work here for the next few weeks?” Carmella asked.

He waved her question off. “Of course, now go.”

“Grazie! Grazie tanto,”
she said.

“Prego,”
the
Don
nodded. 

Armando opened the door and Carmella walked out of it. He closed the door. He stared at his father for a moment. “We need to decide on what’s truly a priority.”

“Kill Isabella. That is your priority.” The
Don
reached for his spectacles and then his book. “I expect a call from Buhari when Mirabella’s condition improves. As soon she wakes we make our move. Go.”

His son left without a word of objection.

The
Don
ran his hand smoothly over the book. The title was To Kill a Mockingbird. It was Lisa’s. Her favorite. On his long journey home she gave him the book to take with him. It spoke of racial intolerance; it spoke of the human spirit. He often read it over the years. He’d trace his fingers over the passages underlined by her with a red pen. Words that leapt off the pages, felt real. Each highlighted sentence seemed spoken from Lisa.

He smiled.

The doctors had already informed him he existed on borrowed time. And when he met Lisa on the other side he’d have the forgiveness from their girls to bring to her.

Mancini kissed the weathered binding of the book and opened it to read.

* B
*

Relaxed with contracts strewn about him as he lay in bed propped by pillows Dominic struggled to focus on the fine print. He couldn’t sleep. He had done well to avoid Catalina all day. But in the night he found it hard not to think of her. He wasn’t sure if she knew he had returned. He had lost the privilege to see her. Right now he just existed.

The phone rang.

“Pronto?”
he answered.

“She’s awake!” Giovanni said.

Dominic sat up. He removed his glasses. “When?”

“A minute ago!” He could hear the elation in Giovanni’s voice. “She woke up and touched my head. The doctors have her now. She’s awake and she spoke. Bella is fine.”

“I’m on my way!” Dominic pulled back the sheets.

“No. Come tomorrow. I want to be alone with her. Tell the family and come tomorrow,” Giovanni said.

“I will. I’m so relieved, Gio. I’ll tell everyone.”

“Ciao,”
Giovanni hung up the call. Dominic got out from under the covers and found his robe. He eased his feet into his slippers and walked out of his room. The first door he visited was Lorenzo. After two knocks Lorenzo answered in his boxers.

“What is it?” he groaned.

“Mira’s awake.”

“She is?”

“Tell Marietta. Gio expects us to come in the morning.”

“Bene. Grazie,”
Lorenzo said.

“Prego,”
Dominic replied.

Lorenzo closed the door.

“Mira?” Marietta asked. She held the sheet to her bare chest and stared at him with fear in her eyes. When Marietta returned home to him late in the evening she was so emotionally exhausted he made love to her and put her to bed without questioning her about the events of the day. It felt good to be the one to deliver the news.

“Your sister is awake. She’ll want to see you first thing in the morning.”

“Oh my goodness.” Marietta covered her mouth. “Thank you God!” she got of bed, and ran to him naked. Lorenzo brought her up into his arms and hugged her. “Thank you God! Thank you!” Marietta cheered and kissed his face repeatedly.

* B
*

Catalina heard a gentle knocking at the door. If she had been sleeping the visitor wouldn’t have woken her. But how could she sleep? She heard from Rosetta that Dominic had returned. He’d travelled between the villa and the hospital yet she never saw him and he made no effort to see her.

The knocking came again.

Catalina turned on the lamp at her bedside. She didn’t bother to put her robe on. She went to the door in her nightshirt and panties. “Who is it?”

“Domi.”

Catalina fixed her hair and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She sucked down a deep breath and exhaled before she opened the door. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I thought you were avoiding me?”

“I came to tell you that Mira’s awake,” Dominic said.

“Really?”

“Gio called. The doctors are with her now,” Dominic smiled.

“Come in.” Catalina further extended the invitation by opening the door wider. He looked tempted. She could see by the way his gaze climbed her body and lingered at her nipples or dropped to her bare thighs.

“It’s late. Get some rest. We’ll leave early in the morning,” he said and turned.

“Domi!”

He paused.

“Is that all? Really? Is that all you have to say to me?” Catalina asked.

He glanced back at her. She waited. She hoped. But he nodded yes before he walked away.

“Domi!” she called after him as he kept going.
“Vaffanculo!”
she slammed the door. His rejection after delivering such good news cut her deep. Catalina fumed.