Chapter 7 - The ICU Floor
For thirty-six hours, the world ceased to exist outside the private surgical wing of Burlington Memorial Hospital.
I hadn't slept. I hadn't changed my clothes. My jeans were still stained with dried mud and snow from Vermont, and my eyes were bloodshot. I sat in a hard plastic chair in the waiting room, holding a cold cup of coffee I hadn't touched.
Nero lay beside my chair, his head resting heavily on my sneakers. The hospital administration had tried to remove the dog twice, but after Danny produced official private security credentials—and after Nero flatly refused to move six inches from my side—they gave up.
The heavy double doors of the surgical suite clicked open.
A senior surgeon in blue scrubs walked out, pulling down his mask.
I stood up so fast my head spun. "Dr. Miller? How is he?"
The surgeon looked at me, then at Danny, who was standing near the window. "He’s tough. Tougher than any man his age has a right to be. We repaired the vascular damage near his clavicle and re-stitched the abdominal wall. The blood loss was severe, but his heart is strong."
I let out a long, shuddering breath, my knees trembling so violently I had to grab the back of the chair for support.
"Can I see him?" I asked quietly.
"He's in recovery," Dr. Miller said. "He’s still under heavy anesthesia, but... frankly, nurse, he’s been muttering your name since we pulled him off the ventilator."
Ten minutes later, I stepped into the quiet room.
Stefano lay under crisp white blankets, his chest rising and falling in a steady, peaceful rhythm. Heart monitors beeped rhythmically in the background. His face was pale, but the harsh, cold lines of pain were gone.
I walked over to the side of the bed and sat in the armchair.
Nero trotted over, placing his large chin softly on the edge of the mattress near Stefano's hand.
I reached out, taking Stefano’s warm, calloused fingers in mine. "You made it, you stubborn man," I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. "You actually made it."
His fingers twitched against mine.
Slowly, his long dark eyelashes fluttered open. His dark eyes were foggy from the medication, but the moment they found my face, a deep sense of relief washed over his features.
"Alice," he breathed, his voice barely a whisper.
"Don't talk," I smiled through my tears, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "You're in Burlington. The surgery went well. Carmine is in federal custody, and the money has been recovered."
Stefano didn't care about the money. He squeezed my hand weakly, his thumb stroking my knuckles.
"You didn't leave," he murmured.
"I promised I'd be your nurse until you were recovered," I said softly.
"I don't want you to be my nurse, Alice," Stefano said, his voice quiet, clear, and intensely honest despite the anesthesia.
I froze, looking at him. "What?"
"I want you," he said simply. "I want you in my life. Not because I need someone to patch my wounds, but because you are the only light I've seen in this dark life of mine for twenty years."
My breath caught in my throat. My heart beat wildly against my ribs.
"Stefano, your world... it's dangerous," I whispered, voice trembling. "I'm just a girl from Warwick. I like quiet shifts, cup noodles, and reading on the couch."
"Then I will build you a quiet life," Stefano promised, his dark eyes burning with absolute sincerity. "I am stepping down from active leadership of the Marchetti operations. Danny is taking over the day-to-day management. I'm stepping into the background. No more street wars. No more weapons."
He looked at Nero, who let out a soft tail-thump against the floorboards.
"I spent my whole life surrounded by men who pretended to respect me because they feared me," Stefano said softly. "You showed me what real loyalty looks like. You and this dog."
I looked down at our joined hands, then up at his handsome, earnest face. The fear that had gripped me for weeks suddenly dissolved, replaced by a profound, overwhelming warmth.
"You really mean it?" I asked softly. "Stepping back?"
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"I mean every word," Stefano said, raising my hand to his lips and pressing a tender kiss against my knuckles. "If you'll have me."
I smiled, a real, bright smile that lit up the quiet hospital room. "Well... Nero already decided I'm staying. So I guess I don't have much of a choice."
