Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous) (29 page)

I stood and walked away, and even though he was calling after me,
I kept on going. I needed air. It was hot, and the humidity in the waiting room
was suffocating.

***

An hour later, Jeremy, Megan, and Mia’s mother had
showed up. They asked what happened over and over again. Jimmie explained to
them what had occurred and exactly what was reported on the news—everything
that had happened, except that we were involved. Apparently, we were actually
at the club for fuckin’ inventory and walked into the bust. After Jimmie
snapped a bit at Jeremy, who was suspicious about the entire incident, there
was dead silence.

Just then, all of us jerked our heads at the sound of doors opening.
The surgeon walked over to us. “Mia Sullivan’s family?” We all nodded. Those who
were seated stood, anticipating the results. I had been against the wall but was
now by the doctor’s side.

“Is she going to be okay?” Sara questioned, with concern haunting
her tone.

The doctor nodded. “Yes, she’s going to be fine.”

My chest expanded as the air of relief filled my lungs. “What
happened during surgery?” Megan asked eagerly.

The doctor placed the clipboard under his arm and began using his
hands to gesture as he spoke. “In this case, it was a hemothorax. This happens
with an open pneumothorax.”

“What? English please.” Jeremy expressed.

The doctor nodded in apology, “It means that there was an accumulation
of blood in the lungs due to the gunshot wound. This caused severe respiratory
distress, and the patient presented shallow rapid breathing and oxygen
desaturation. We placed a large bore needle in the interpleural space and
removed an excess of air and blood. A Heimlich valve was also inserted to
evacuate the air from the lung. There was a lot of blood lost, but it was not
severe enough to cause hypovolemic shock. So that was a good thing.”

“Can we see her?” Jeremy asked.

“Not all of you at the moment. One can stay with her for now, but
other than that, we want to keep a close eye on her for the next twenty-four
hours. She was sedated, so she won’t be awake for another few hours, maybe not
even until the morning.”

All heads turned to me. “Can I go in and stay with her?” I
finally spoke.

“Are you the husband?”

“Fiancé.”

“Yes, follow me.” He nodded as everyone thanked him.

“Give her a kiss for me.” Sara said as she quickly hugged me.

“For us too.” Megan added as she reached and grabbed Jeremy’s hand.
I nodded at them and followed behind the surgeon.

A chill rushed through me as I walked quickly behind him through
the cold hospital hallway. We stopped by a door numbered 1020. “She’s in here.
Please remember she won’t wake up anytime soon because she’s heavily sedated.
Also, be careful with the tubes in her chest.”

I nodded. He turned and walked down the hall. I took in a few
deep breaths before going through the doors. Not certain what to expect as I
entered, my heart clenched as I saw her lying on a small hospital bed, pale and
fragile. She looked peaceful but pained as she lay there with her hair
disheveled on the pillow.

The sound of the machines beeping forced me back to reality. I
swallowed the lump in my throat as I carried myself to her.

After I had reached her side and had seen all the wires and tubes
going through her, my entire body winced. I held back the urge to pull her into
me.
My poor baby
. I reached my hand out and grazed my fingers along her
pale cheek, down her gentle jawline, and across her soft plump lips. I couldn’t
hold it in any longer. How much stronger could I be? I stood there and watched
the one person who had trusted me with everything, even her life, and I had betrayed
her. Collapsing, I kneeled down beside her and cradled her hand along the side
of my face.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” I whispered through a cracked tone. I
pulled her hand around and placed her palm along my lips. I patted gentle
kisses along her skin and stared at her closed eyes, wishing she’d flash them
open and forgive me. I rocked back and forth desperately trying not to break,
but as I continued to stare at the only woman I’d ever loved, images of her
gasping for her last breath invaded my mind, and I broke down.

I broke down in a way I didn’t know a man ever could.

I broke down and cradled her in my arms and kissed her hands, her
fingers, her face, her lips, her eyelids, and her jawline. And with each kiss,
I begged and prayed for her to wake up and forgive me.

I broke down, and I didn’t care how much less of a man it made
me, because I wasn’t a man at all without her in my life. She made me more of a
man than I could ever be. She was the reason that I wanted to start over again
and become a better man.

***

“Marcus, honey.” At the sound of my mother’s voice, I
lifted my head from the crook of my arm. I looked around and realized that I
was still in the hospital room. My eyes scanned to my side and found that Mia
was still asleep. I must have drifted off sometime in the early morning.
Yawning, I ran a hand down my face and squeezed my eyes shut. The pounding
headache and burning eyes were killing me.

“What time is it?”

“Just past noon. I went home and brought you some things so that
you can change out of those bloody clothes.”

I looked down at my wardrobe and realized that I was still
wearing the same clothing. I hadn’t noticed anything that had gone on for the
past twenty-four hours. I had been focusing entirely on making sure that Mia
was alright before stopping to worry about myself.

“I need coffee.” I mumbled.

“I have that too.” She lifted her right hand, which held a cup.
“Won’t you go into the bathroom, freshen up, and come back out and have a good
old strong cup?” She nodded. “I even brought you a toothbrush and toothpaste.”
Hesitant to leave Mia’s side, I glanced over at her. “Marcus, she’ll be fine.
I’ll watch her. You’ll only be a few feet away.”

Taking her advice, I stood from the chair that I had spent the
entire night in, lifted Mia’s hand that I hadn’t let go of yet, and brushed my
lips along her knuckles. Then I gently placed her arm back down on the bed. I
grabbed the bag my mother had brought for me and entered the bathroom.

I switched the light on and dumped the bag on top of a small
table by the sink. Glancing into the mirror, I looked at the man staring back
at me. Fuck. He looked like he had been run over by a train and then smashed
into a concrete wall.

He looked like shit.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

MIA

As I breathed in through my lungs, the air burned
against the sensitive muscle. The pain was excruciating, which caused my eyes to
flash open and me to wince. Through blurry vision, I glanced around my
surroundings. I was in a hospital room. My throat was completely dry. I tried
to swallow, but it was a scorching discomfort. The beeping from the machines
became clearer as my mind struggled to register it all. After a few seconds, I
remembered the reason why I was there and who I was looking for at the time it had
all occurred.

Marcus.

Gasping, I forced my body to sit up, but every muscle ached, and
my own body fought against every urge to do so. Hell, it hurt to move an inch.
Maybe
I should start off slowly
. I carefully lifted my left hand and saw an IV
pricked through a vein. Weakly, my hand dropped back down on the bed; it was
difficult to do anything. But I needed to know where Marcus was. I needed to
get to him. If anything had happened to him, I’d be lost.

A familiar soft face hovered over me as she gasped, “Oh my, Mia, you’re
awake. How are you feeling, honey?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. A slight
squeak was all that came out as my voice cracked. Frustrated, I slammed my head
back against the pillow. Theresa continued to stare at me with concern filling
her eyes. I wanted to ask about Marcus. I wanted to know if he was alright or if
he was hurt too. When I tried to ask again, the sound of a door creaking open
forced me to tilt my head.

There he was, safe and sound. Our eyes locked, and every emotion
prickled through me as my heart swelled with relief that he was still here, still
with me. His eyes clouded over as he slowly stepped closer toward me. Theresa
was in the background mumbling something about going to tell a nurse that I was
awake. I may have nodded. I wasn’t sure. My focus was solely on Marcus.

The last time I saw him was the night at Club21 when we left on
unsettled terms. I remembered going home that night and regretted not pulling
him in and holding him tight. I regretted not kissing him or telling him that I
loved him before we went our separate ways. I never imagined that the next day could
have been my last and I would’ve never had the chance to hold or kiss him one
last time. An overwhelming ache coursed through me. Breaking down, I burst into
sobs. He was by my side instantly. Pressing his hand along my cheek, he hushed
me. “Don’t cry, baby. I’m here.” I closed my eyes and leaned my face into his
hand. The feeling of his warm touch felt like home as he wiped away my hot
tears.

Even though he tried to soothe the pain away, the comfort of
having him so close and the thought of ever losing him forced me into a
trembling teary frenzy. My body shook uncontrollably. Marcus leaned down and
wrapped his arms around me. He was careful not to pull me in too tightly, but
the embrace allowed me to go weak in his arms. “I’m so sorry, baby. I will
never be able to take away the pain of what you went through, but if you let me,
I will try every single day.” He whispered into my hair.

Still unable to speak, I nodded into the crook of his neck and
continued to allow hot tears to stream down my face.

He held me close until the nurse appeared, and even then, I
didn’t want to pull away from him. She waited patiently until we were done.
Marcus held my hand the entire time as she asked me a few questions and checked
my vitals. After she scribbled a few things down, she smiled and informed me
that the doctor would be in shortly.

After the nurse had left me alone with Marcus, he pulled a chair
up beside me and framed my face. “Do you need me to get you anything? I can
stop by your apartment. I can grab you food or water or anything you like.” There
was nothing I needed but him at that moment. Gently tightening my grip on his hand,
I shook my head. “Your throat is sore, huh?” I nodded in response. “Want some
ice? Maybe it’ll soothe your throat?” I thought it might be a good idea, so I
nodded, and he was out the door and back instantly with a cup of ice.

It felt like when I had a terrible sore throat and I tried cough
medicine, hot tea, or water to soothe the itching, burning, and rawness. But
this was ten times worse. The ice chip helped soothe the pain for about a
second until it came back. After a few minutes, I was able to clear my throat
and actually speak.

“Better?”

“A little.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “It hurts when I
breathe.”

“Oh, baby, it’s going hurt for a while. The bullet grazed your
lung.”

Wincing at the memory, I leaned back into the pillow. “What
happened afterwards?”

“Some people died; some were arrested.”

“Lou?”

“He’ll never be a bother to you ever again.”

“Was he arrested?”

He shook his head, and I knew right then and there that Lou
Sorrento was dead.

“Good.”

Marcus took the cup of ice I handed to him and placed it on the
table beside us. “I’m tired.”

Standing, he leaned in and pressed his lips against my forehead.
“Get some rest, baby. Your mom, Megan, Jeremy, and your grandparents will be by
later on this evening. Do you mind if I stay here?” He pointed to his chair.

I shook my head. “Can you lie with me?”

He tilted his head at the small bed and studied it adorably. I
tried to laugh but winced again and slowly slid over to the left side of the
bed, making very little room for him. He climbed in next to me and lay on his
side, pulling me into his chest. His lips grazed my forehead as he ran his
fingers up and down my arm.

“Marcus?” I whispered as I snuggled into his chest.

“Yeah?” He asked in a soft, content tone.

“I love you.”

He pulled me in a tighter. “I love you too. More than you’ll ever
know.”

“Is it over?”

Not answering me, he lifted my chin for my eyes to meet his. His
eyes scanned my face until they landed on my lips. Gently, he pressed his lips
against mine and then laid my head back against his chest.

I held back my tears. I wanted this to be over with, to finally
start fresh again in our relationship, but he wouldn’t clarify, and I was left
again wondering what else could be holding us back. I was too weak to question
him; with heavy eyes, I shut my lids and fell asleep in his arms.

***

It’d been a week since I’d been trapped in this
hellhole, and I wanted out. I was feeling great, but the doctor said I couldn’t
be released until sometime next week. Marcus had been out running a few errands,
and Megan had stopped by to spend time with me. My hospital room was filled
with balloons, flowers, and get well cards.

My mother, grandparents, and Jeremy had visited almost daily. On
the first day of their visit, they all asked questions about what had happened.
I told them that whatever Marcus told them was what had happened. They were a
bit suspicious about it all but didn’t continue to push the issue. I believe Jeremy
must have put it all together, but when I told him to drop it, he did. The TV
was the last thing I wanted to watch as every news channel discussed the bust.
Some, as expected, over-exaggerated the events; others were dishing out new
conspiracy theories. Only a few got it right.

Lou Sorrento was dead, and so were a few of his men. Gio Sorrento
was shot in the arm and leg. After receiving medical attention, he was placed
in custody and would be awaiting trial. The other mob leader from New York,
Salvatore Lombardi, was arrested along with a few of his men. Others were
either injured or dead. A few of the FBI agents were killed in the line of
duty. An awards ceremony would be held for them in a couple of weeks.