Blush

by Anne Mercier

  Cage nods once, hits his speed dial. “Giovanni,“ he bites out as he turns and walks out the double doors.

  “So, wait,“ I say. “Cage and Damian,“ I look at him now and he nods. He lifts his shirt sleeve to show me an R tattoo encased in what looks to be an E.

  “What does that mean?“

  Sera looks at Damian who nods once. “He's a Russo enforcer.“

  I let out an incredulous laugh. “Does shit like this really happen?“

  “Yes,“ Sera deadpans.

  I swallow hard, again, and nod. “Fuck. How do I keep her safe from this shit?“

  “You don't,“ Cage says, walking back in. “We do. Giovanni's plane is being fueled up as we speak. He'll be here in a few hours.“

  Cage's phone rings and he answers, listening, scowling.

  “Excuse me for saying but you were supposed to keep her safe before and you fucked the pooch on that one, Cage dude,“ Xander tells him. “How do you fucking figure you can keep her safe now? Is she even fucking safe back there? What if one of the staff is in with those Manzini motherfuckers?“ he all but shouts.

  Cage hangs up.

  “Names were checked by Damian. We've got security in there with her and the detail we had assigned to her, they found their bodies in a storage closet,“ Cage tells us straight up, as if this were any ordinary piece of information. Oh sure, dead bodies in the closet. No big deal.

  “Does Lucy know?“

  “No,“ Sera tells me.

  “Don't you think this is something you should fill her in on so she can, oh, I don't know, look out for herself and keep her eyes open for fucked up motherfuckers who want to kill her?“ Xander seethes.

  Cage steps forward. “It's not Sera's doing.“

  “Yours?“ he bites out.

  “No. Her grandfather. The threats weren't toward her but rather toward Sera but we still took every precaution we could against this happening. I don't know how they got through, but you can bet your ass I'm going to find out and when I do, I'll be taking care of the problem personally,“ Cage tells me, deadly calm, but rage burning in his eyes.

  I nod and wonder just how deep he is in with the Russo…cartel? Clan? Mob? Mafia? Shit, I have no idea what to even call them.

  “Mr. Kingston?“

  I run over to the nurse. “How is she? How's Lucy?“

  “She's critical but stable. We're transferring her to ICU. With the hit to the head, she would have been… well, not okay, but not critical. It was the fall that hurt her so much. According to the gentleman that accompanied her in the ambulance, she fell onto her injured hand and when she landed on the other hand, it fell right onto a piece of glass from a glass your wife was drinking from.“

  “Jesus,“ I whisper, running my hands through my hair.

  “When her hands gave out she tried to twist and did a good job of not falling on her face, but she hit the side of her head and when it hit, it bounced two or three times. Mr. Grimaldi—“

  “Who?“ I ask.

  “Mike,“ Sera tells me.

  “Mr. Grimaldi wasn't sure about the number of times her head bounced off the pavement. Now, there is a gap between your brain and your skull, very small but it's there. So imagine when your head goes forward quickly, your brain follows the gravitational pull and goes backward, hitting the back of the skull.“

  “Oh my God,“ Sera cries. I wrap an arm around her and pull her to me. I need her as much as she needs me right now because this doesn't sound good. This doesn't sound fucking good at all.

  “There's swelling of Luciana's brain and we're monitoring a small area of bleeding. If it doesn't stop or increases, we'll have to do emergency surgery to stop it immediately. As it is, she's had two seizures since she's been admitted. We're monitoring her very closely and medicating her as best as we can. In addition to that—“

  “As if that wasn't enough,“ Xander murmurs.

  The nurse nods. “Indeed. Luciana lost a lot of blood. Head wounds bleed more than any other wound on the body. We've already begun transfusing her.“

  “I'm a match with her,“ Sera tells the nurse. “Can I donate directly to her?“

  “Of course. Luciana's blood type is rare so that'd be appreciated.“

  “I'll donate if I match,“ Xander steps up.

  “We all will,“ I say as everyone steps forward.

  The nurse smiles. “Well, let's get you all typed then while they get Luciana set up in ICU. Oh, and by the way, Giovanni Russo has taken steps to keep the media at bay.“

  “How do you know my grandpa?“ Sera asks.

  “Let's just say he saved my ass when it needed saving.“

  Sera nods.

  “Alright,“ nurse, I strain my neck to look, nurse Sandy Baker, says, “let's get set up for typing.“

  “Generosity is giving more than you can and pride is taking less than you need.“

  —KHALIL GIBRAN

  I COULD SEE the light, I just couldn't reach it. It's so dark, like being in a tunnel. I see myself, my hair matted to my head with blood, wearing a hospital gown, running barefoot through the tunnel toward the opening.

  “Lucy, you don't want to go that way,“ a familiar feminine voice calls out. “You can't get to where you need to go from there.“

  I slow my running and turn around.

  “I'm dreaming?“ I ask.

  With a soft smile, Lily Manzini tells me, “No, not dreaming, Lucy, but if you keep going toward the light, you won't be able to get back to the people who need you.“

  “I tried,“ I cry out, lungs burning with exertion, frustration, and exhaustion. “I can't get out over there.“

  “You can,“ she tells me, running her hand over my hair after I drop to my knees. “You just have to be patient, something I know you're not good at.“

  I give her a wry grin. “That's an understatement.“

  She nods. “You need to rest for just a little longer, Lucy, before you can go back. You've been through a terrible trauma and your body and your little ones,“ she tells me, kneeling before me and pressing her hand to my abdomen, “they need a little longer to recover.“

  “But they need me,“ I begin to panic. “I can hear them calling my name, Aunt Lily. I can't stay here while they suffer.“

  “You can and you will.“

  “But—“

  “Lucy, you have given to everyone all of your life, now it's time to give to yourself.“

  “What do you mean?“

  “Give yourself time. Time to heal. Time to adjust to all the changes going on inside your body and in your life.“ She smiles that soft smile again. “I know you're having a difficult time with this touring business and with the Blush Baby title, but it will work out. Take this time to center yourself. Focus in your mind on what needs to be done to get where you need to go and then set a reasonable pace to get there. No rushing. No forcing things. Everything happens in its own time and it happens that way for a reason.“

  “What reason?“ I ask, totally baffled that Sera's mom is standing before me, touching me, when she'd been murdered so many years ago. She seems so at peace, serene, happy.

  She shakes her head and cups my cheek. “We never know the answers. Even now I don't understand why things happened the way they did, why we had to leave Serafina behind. I'm only thankful she survived.“

  “She's not whole anymore, Aunt Lily.“

  “She's far better than she was and that thanks goes to you and your parents. And she'll be whole again soon.“

  I don't realize I'm crying until she wipes my cheeks.

  “She would love to see you. So much.“

  “She does,“ she tells me. “I meet her in her dreams along with her father. We do what we can and you've done what you can, but now, with your continued support, she needs to find her way. Her soulmate awaits her.“

  “Who?“ I ask, more than a little curious.

  She smiles wider this time. “You know I can't tell you that but rest assured he is her 'one'
and he is everything she needs. He already is, even if she doesn't know it yet.“

  “Well, when has anything been easy when it comes to Sera?“ I snicker.

  “That's the truth, but when has anything been easy with you, as well?“

  A little more than confused I open my mouth, then close it.

  “You've sacrificed for everyone but yourself, Lucy. Take the time now to rest, recover, and become whole again. Do it for yourself and do it for your bambina.“

  My head jerks up from where her hand still rests on my abdomen.

  “A baby girl?“ A lone tear falls down my cheek.

  She merely smiles, neither confirming nor denying.

  “You need to walk back, Lucy. Let their voices and the light of their love guide you, but take your time getting there. Don't strain and don't rush. Do it in your time, not theirs. They'll still be there when you awaken. I promise,“ she tells me, helping me stand.

  “Will she believe me if I tell her I saw you?“ I ask.

  “She will. And now I must go.“ She looks to the light. “Remember, Lucy. Patience.“

  She starts to pull away, her hand slipping from mine. I reach out to her.

  “I'll visit you in your dreams, Luciana.“

  “Ti amo, bella mia Lily.“

  “Ti amo, cuore tenero.“

  She walks toward the light, her essence becoming more and more translucent until she vanishes.

  “Tender heart“ she called me, and I admit that I am. I sigh as I look away from the light and into the darkness. Patience, she said. Hell. I don't have any but apparently I need to find some and quick like, so now I'm going to take my time moseying on back to wherever it is I need to go. I'm pretty sure it's where that glow of red is in the sky, but I'm tired now, so tired.

  A shooting pain splits through my head and I fall backwards, landing on a plush sofa that wasn't there a second ago. The pain, it feels like someone is inside my brain zapping it with a Taser then stabbing it with an ice pick. I cradle my head in my hands as foreign hands pull me gently back to lie on the sofa. All I see is a pinpoint of piercing light surrounded by blackness so I close my eyes. A hand rests on my forehead, gently brushing my hair back. So relaxing. The pain begins to ebb and eases into a dull throb.

  I take a deep breath and the warmth of the blanket surrounds me. I have no idea where I am or how these things keep happening, but I need to listen to Aunt Lily. I can't go back to where I need to go. Not yet. I don't have the strength to get there.

  “Jesse,“ I whisper as I drift off to sleep.

  “The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories.“

  —UNKNOWN

  SHE LOOKS SO pale lying there in that bed. My wife. My heart. My life. I walk to the chair beside her bed and pull it close. I reach for her hand and it's cold. I hold it between both of mine, then kiss her knuckles. Why does all this bad shit keep happening? They say it all happens in threes, right? This should be the end then. We had the whore, the broken hand, and now this. That's it. Done. Finished. We don't need any more bullshit. We've been through enough, Lucy's been through enough.

  “Baby,“ I begin, “you need to come back to me. Get better and come back. I can't do this without you,“ I shake my head, resting my forehead against her hand. “I don't know how and I don't want to try. You are everything that is good in this life,“ I look up into her face, her beautiful face, too pale and too still. “I love you, Luciana.“

  “Do you think she can hear you?“ Xander asks, startling me.

  I don't look away from her face. “I'd like to think so which is why I'm going to keep talking.“

  Xander pulls up a chair to the other side of the bed. “She's become one of my best friends, you know.“

  I nod. “I know, Xan. You've become the same to her.“

  “She's so small, Jesse.“

  “But fiery and full of life. She'll make it through,“ Sera tells us as she pulls up another chair. “That's my sister and she's got the stubborn genes. She won't give up without one hell of a fight, especially since she knows there's a little baby swimming around in her tummy.“

  A smile pulls at one side of my mouth. “A mini-us.“

  “What?“ Sera asks.

  “Instead of a mini-me, it's a mini-us.“

  “I love that.“

  They gave up the fight at the nurse's station and Administration didn't even bother to try to keep us out of here. I made sure Lucy had enough space to fit us all in because there isn't one of us that was going to leave. Not for a single second. And with Grandpa Russo as well as Regina and Anthony coming, well, we had quite the crowd and being as we're in the ICU wing, we don't want to disturb the other patients.

  They just moved us a little further down the hall and gave Lucy two nurses of her own per shift. There's nothing a little money can't buy and if it gets my wife the best care she can get, I'd pay every last cent I have to, to make sure that happens.

  Her brow furrows.

  “Do you see that?“ I ask.

  “What's happening?“ Xander asks as Lucy's hands begin to twitch.

  Sera yells for the nurse when Lucy's legs begin to shake and then her body seizes up.

  “Oh fuck,“ I whisper, as the nurse and doctor run in. One barking orders and doing whatever the fuck he's doing while the other fills a syringe full of something and injects it into the IV. Within seconds Lucy's body stills and relaxes. The doctor tells the nurse to push something or other and looks to me.

  “Mr. Kingston. That's the third seizure your wife has had since she was brought in. We're going to need to do another MRI to make sure there isn't any more swelling or bleeding. If the swelling increases, we may have to do a procedure to decrease the pressure on her brain. If there's bleeding, we'll need to perform surgery.“ He's all no-nonsense and I can appreciate that, especially now. I want it straight up.

  I nod. “What procedure?“

  “If the swelling increases, we'll need to drill holes into Luciana's skull to relieve some of the pressure.“

  “Jesus,“ Ben curses.

  “And the other?“

  “We'd have to find the source of the bleed and repair it. It could very well mean opening her skull,“ he tells me.

  I drop back into the chair and nod my head, looking at Lucy's face. “Whatever it takes, doc,“ I say and meet his gaze. “Whatever it takes.“

  He nods.

  “We're going to do an ultrasound to check on the baby shortly. Do you know when Luciana's last period was?“ he looks at me.

  “Well, truthfully she hadn't had one since we were together.“

  “She had one after the weekend with you but I think that's the last one she had,“ Sera tells us.

  “Which would be about four months or so?“ Xander fills in.

  The doctor nods and makes a note. “The ultrasound tech will be in shortly.“

  I nod. “Thanks.“

  Fifteen minutes later, Ethan and Kennedy come strolling in with my sister Janalee trailing behind, each of them carrying take-out bags and cups of coffee.

  “Here you go, Jess,“ Janalee says, handing me a cup of coffee.

  “Thanks.“

  Her eyes are focused on Lucy. “How's she doing?“

  “She had another seizure and they'll be doing a MRI in a while. They're also coming to do an ultrasound,“ I tell her, glancing at her from the corner of my eye, a smirk forming on my lips.

  She nods then freezes. “Wait.“ She spins toward me. “What?!“ she all but shouts.

  “What's wrong?“ Kennedy asks, coming to see what's going on. Everyone closes in.

  Janalee grins. “My big brother here was just updating me about Lucy and telling me that they'll be doing…“ she trails off as someone walks in pushing a portable ultrasound machine. Janalee laughs. “They'll be doing an ultrasound.“

  Kennedy's brow furrows but the rest of the gang starts murmuring.

  Kennedy looks at me. “Dude. Did you not use protec
tion or what?“

  I chuckle. “It's not a bad thing. We found out yesterday.“ When his frown doesn't lift I reassure him. “It's a good thing.“

  He lifts a brow. “Yeah? She happy about it?“

  I nod. “She is.“

  “Well, alright then,“ he nods and bumps fists with me. Janalee rolls her eyes at Kennedy and murmurs, “Dork.“ Kennedy gives her a look.

  “Mr. Kingston. I'm Toni, the ultrasound tech,“ the petite blonde tells me, not blinking an eye at all the rockstars in the room. Giovanni Russo must have some pretty deep fucking pockets is all I can think.

  I nod at the lady.

  “So,“ Xander begins, giving the poor unsuspecting tech his best grin, “what are you going to be looking for?“

  “Really, dude?“ Jace murmurs. “Babies, moron. Fucking babies. It's a portable ultrasound not a satellite.“

  “Fuck off, man.“

  Toni smirks, then notes everyone surrounding the bed. There're about fifteen of us and her eyes go wide. “Um, are you okay with everyone being in here?“ she asks.

  “So long as you don't flash Lucy's vag, Jesse's cool with it,“ Meggie tells her.

  She looks to me for confirmation and I shrug a shoulder.

  “Well, alright then. The more the merrier.“

  She pulls the blanket and sheet down to Lucy's waist and then pulls her gown up. The sheet is pulled down pretty low and Xander winks.

  I give him a look. “What?“ I ask, knowing I'm going to regret it.

  “I totally knew she waxed or shaved,“ he murmurs with an appreciative grin.

  “Really?“ Janalee asks him. “X, this is so not the time to be a perv.“

  “Whatever. Lucy appreciates my perviness and I know she's in there smirking at me right now.“

  I smirk when he elbows me. “Dude, you know it's true,“ he prods.

  I nod. “Likely it's true, Janalee.“

  “Oh Lord. She supports his antics?“

  “Hell,“ Xander scoffs, puffing up his chest, “she encourages it.“

  Janalee looks at me disbelieving. I nod and she shakes her head. “I'm going to love her. I'm already half in love with her because she's so good for you which means she's one incredible lady.“