by Jake Biondi
“How quaint you all look,” Camille sneered. “The Ciancios and Mancinis having a slumber party together! Your father would be rolling in his grave…if he were already in it.”Gino jumped up from the sofa. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Where else would I be, darling? My brother just died. Naturally, I’m here for his funeral.” Camille scanned the room. “Which one of you is the newly-discovered bastard?”
“I guess that would be me,” David replied quietly.
Derek stood up. “Who the hell are you?”
Gino put his hand out in a gesture to calm Derek. “This is my father’s sister, Camille Ciancio. She’s always had a flair for the dramatic.” Gino looked directly at his aunt. “I asked what you are doing here.”
Camille laughed. “I’m staying here, of course. It is a family estate and I’m family, am I not?”
“Regrettably,” Gino mumbled.
Camille walked over to Justin, who stood up as she approached. “You must be Justin Mancini, Gino’s…friend.”
“He’s my fiancé -- and you had better start showing the people in this room some respect. They are family, too.”
Camille ignored Gino as her eyes perused Justin’s body from head to toe. “Quite the sexy thing, aren’t you? I must compliment you, Gino. At least your father raised you to have good taste, even if he couldn’t keep your mother from…wandering.”
Gino looked at the other men in the room. “Guys, would you please excuse us?”
“Who’s up for raiding the kitchen?” Justin asked, trying to lighten the mood in the room.
“The food should be ready.”
“Great idea,” Derek said.
David turned to Gino. “Let us know if you need any assistance.”
“Thank you,” Gino replied, looking at Camille. “I can handle this all on my own.”
The men slowly departed from the room with their drinks, leaving Gino and Camille alone in the room.
“Because you’re my father’s sister, I will try to give you a modicum of respect, but I will not tolerate you storming in here and offending my fiancé.”
“Offend him? I thought I was being complimentary.”
“We have all been through a lot and we are burying my father and brother--”
Camille interrupted to correct him. “Half brother.”
“--half brother tomorrow. So let’s try to get along through the services and then you can get back to your life and we won’t have to see each other for another twenty years.”
Camille snickered. “You must be joking. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to stay.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You better get used to me being around, nephew of mine, because I’m not going anywhere.”
At the same time in Chicago, Jesse Morgan and Cole O’Brien were descending the stairs from the free weight floor to the men’s locker room at the Boystown Athletic Club.
“Thanks for insisting I come work out with you, bro,” Jesse said, pulling off his shirt to reveal his sweaty torso.
“With all that you’re dealing with, I thought you needed a break. Besides, we haven’t really had a chance to catch up.”
“You said Derek’s okay?”
“Yup,” Cole said, removing his shirt. “He’s staying in San Francisco with Justin and Emmett one more day for the funeral.”
“I can’t believe Tyler is gone. How is Joyelle handling it?”
“She’s on her way to the funeral. Gino sent a jet to get her.”
Jesse smirked. “A safer one, I hope.”
Cole rolled his eyes. “Right.” Then he added, “She was pretty upset.”
“Understandably.”
“Is there anything I can do to help you? You know I’m here for you.”
“Thanks, bro,” Jesse said as they entered the locker room. “I’ll head back to the hospital later and check in with Mom and Logan.”
“Has she made a decision about her baby?”
“We spoke to the ethics team at the hospital. That new Dr. Provenzano is great, very professional. He was pretty direct about the severity of the situation. They cannot predict the baby’s quality of life long-term if they continue support and treatment. She may have severe brain damage, motor issues, breathing problems. It’s impossible to know exactly what will happen.”
“It’s so sad,” Cole said as they approached their lockers. “And what can we do to support Logan?”
“He needs to agree to enter the rehab program. Mateo was nice enough to arrange for Dr. Provenzano to work directly with him. He’s the director of the program. They met the other day, but Logan is still insisting he doesn’t need the help.”
“He’s always been in denial about that,” Cole added as he opened his locker. “Let me know what I can do.”
“Thanks,” Jesse replied, opening his locker.
With a towel wrapped around his waist and wearing flip flops, Adam Miranda approached them after having showered. His smooth, muscled body glistened under the locker room’s bright lights.
“Hey, Cole,” Adam said.
“Adam, how are you?”
“I’m okay,” Adam replied as he opened his locker. “I just joined.”
“So you’re staying in Chicago for a while then.”
“I am. I’m staying in a hotel until I can find a more permanent place.”
Cole introduced Jesse and Adam, who quickly shook hands.
“Adam is from Seattle. He’s a friend of Dustin,” Cole explained.
“I see,” Jesse said. “How is he?”
“I’m headed to the hospital as soon as I get dressed to see if there’s any change.”
“I hope he’s okay.”
“Really, Cole? You think that he shot your boyfriend, so why would you care if he’s okay?”
“Whoa,” Jesse said. “Take it easy.”
Adam sighed. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair.”
“No worries,” Cole said with a smile. “I know you care about him.”
“I’m so used to apologizing for him or defending him. It’s just habit, I guess.”
“Will they arrest him if he wakes up?” Jesse asked.
“That depends,” Adam said. “On Derek and the police.”
“Derek will be home from California soon,” Cole declared. “I’m sure we’ll talk more about it as soon as he returns.”
“Dustin is a good person,” Adam stated. “He just has his demons. We all do.”
“If you can wait for me to shower, we can head over to the hospital together,” Jesse suggested.
“Sure. What about you, Cole?”
“I have a photo shoot,” Cole said. “But I’ll check in with you later,”
“Sounds good,” Jesse said, pulling off his shorts.
Cole and Jesse headed for the showers as Adam began to get dressed.
At the hospital, Mateo Martinez was at a nurse’s station reviewing a patient file when Rachel Carson approached him.
“Hey, babe,” she said, planting a quick kiss on Mateo’s lips.
Mateo put down the file. “Well, aren’t you looking particularly sexy today.”
Rachel smiled. “Thank you.”
“What brings you over here today? Just wanted to see me?”
“Of course,” Rachel replied. “Actually, I wanted to let you know that I’m leaving town for a couple of days. Going to visit an old friend.”
“Someplace nice, I hope.”
“Yes,” Rachel said with a smile. “I just didn’t want you worrying about me while I’m gone.”
“Thanks for telling me. I’ll look forward to your return.”
“I’m worth the wait,” Rachel declared with a wink.
“That much I already know,” Mateo agreed. “Travel safely.”
“Thank you,” Rachel said as Mateo picked up another file from the counter.
“I have to get to a meeting. I’ll see you when you get back.” Mateo turned and walked away from Rachel down the hallwa
y.
Rachel headed for the elevator. As she made her way down the corridor, she passed Jensen Stone’s room. She paused briefly outside the doorway and peered inside to see Hugo Martinez sitting beside Jensen’s bed. The sounds of several machines softly filled the room, but she could still hear Hugo’s sobs as he wept beside the bed.
Rachel repositioned herself outside the door as Hugo gently held Jensen’s hand.
“I’m so sorry,” Hugo cried. “This wasn’t supposed to happen to you. You have to wake up.” Hugo paused a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes. “I didn’t mean to do this to you. It was supposed to be Keith, not you. I’m so sorry…”
Rachel pondered what she heard and then quietly snuck away toward the elevator.
One floor up from Jensen’s room, Sam Provenzano knocked on the door of his cousin’s office. He opened the door and popped his head inside, finding Patrick Provenzano seated at his desk on the phone. Patrick waved Sam into the office as he wrapped up his phone conversation. Sam closed the door behind him and Patrick ended his call.
“Cousin!” Patrick called to Sam as he jumped up from his chair. Wrapping his arms around Sam in a hug, Patrick added, “It’s been too long. Are you here to take me to lunch?”
Sam smiled. “Rain check?”
“Uh oh. Sounds like you’re here on official business,” Patrick said, offering Sam a seat.
“Actually, I am,” Sam replied, sitting down.
Patrick sat back in his chair behind the desk. “What can I do for you, coz?”
“Two things, actually. My client Max Taylor is on his way here to meet with me. He is Logan’s ex-partner and Jesse’s father. He knows you’re going to be working with Logan and wants to thank you.”
“I didn’t realize that Logan dated both father and son.”
Sam smiled. “Small world.”
“And the second thing is…may I please use your office for a little while to meet with Max?”
“Of course,” Patrick said. “I’m going to see a few patients now anyway. Make yourself at home.”
“Great, thanks. Max should be here any minute.”
“Then I’ll hang around to meet him and then give you two some privacy.”
“I know all about doctor-patient privilege, but has Logan agreed to work with you?”
“Not officially,” Patrick replied. “Jesse and I are going to meet with him again today.”
“I hope it works out, for his sake.”
Max appeared in the doorway and knocked on the wall to get the attention of Sam and Patrick.
“Hello,” Max said.
Sam stood up. “Max, come on in. This is my cousin, Patrick Provenzano.”
Standing up, Patrick smiled and shook Max’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Max.”
“Same.”
“I wanted you to meet Patrick because he has agreed to work with Logan on his recovery.”
“That’s fantastic,” Max declared. “I have tried for years to get him to get some help. Thank you for helping him.”
“Well, my goal is to help him help himself. Jesse and I are meeting with him later today.”
“I hope it goes well. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”
“Patrick is going to let us use his office to talk, but I also wanted to make sure you two met,” Sam said.
Patrick picked up his tablet and two files from the desk. “I’ll see you both later. And you still owe me lunch, coz.” Patrick left the office and closed the door behind him.
Sam sat down in Patrick’s chair behind the desk and Max took the chair opposite him.
“I have to admit I was surprised by your call,” Sam stated.
“When Dustin wakes up, he’s going to need an attorney. I want to hire you to represent him.”
“Why are you hiring an attorney for him? That’s the part I don’t understand.”
“Everyone is entitled to representation, aren’t they? And Dustin works for me. I know he can’t afford one on his own…”
“Then he could be appointed one by the court.”
“Come on, Sam. You know that’s not the same thing. You’re the best there is and Dustin may be in real trouble for shooting Derek. He needs your help.”
“You know I have been a close friend to the Mancini family for a very long time.”
“That’s how I know you’re the best. You are a great thinker and will give Dustin the help he deserves.”
“But I have to ask you something,” Sam explained. “Have you thought about how this is going to impact your relationship, not to mention your friendship with Derek? I mean, you’re hiring an attorney to defend the man who tried to kill your fiancé’s brother. Do you think Emmett is going to be okay with that?”
“Sam, you know Emmett. He’s one of the most understanding people that you and I know. And he likes Dustin. I’ll talk to him and he’ll be fine with it.”
“If I were him, I’m not sure I would be. But you know him best.”
“Believe me. I’ll talk to him and he’ll be fine with it.”
“That’s between the two of you, I guess. But I wanted to raise my concern with you before we move forward.”
“Then you’ll represent Dustin?”
“I will. As a favor to you.”
“I would imagine Michael wants to arrest him as soon as he wakes up.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Sam said. “He’ll want to question him first.”
“We need to get Derek to ask for any charges to be dropped.”
“And how do you expect that to happen? Dustin tried to kill him for God’s sake.”
“I’ll ask Emmett to talk to him, to get him to support any charges being dropped.”
Sam looked directly at Max. “That’s a lot to ask of Emmett.”
“He’s an amazing man, you know that.”
“Even amazing men have their limits, Max. Don’t push him too hard. You may wind up pushing him away.”
Down the hall from Patrick’s office, Mateo, Jesse, and Patrick gathered in Logan’s Pryce’s room. Logan was sitting up in his bed while Patrick stood against the window with his arms crossed. Mateo and Jesse sat beside the bed.
“I just want to get out of here,” Logan said. “I’m fine now.”
“You’re hardly ‘fine,’ Logan,” Jesse declared. “You tried to kill yourself. I almost lost you.”
“Well, you didn’t and I’m fine now. I need to get back to work.”
“I spoke with the partners at the firm,” Jesse explained. “They’ve approved a short leave of absence. They’re very understanding and supportive. They care about you.”
“We all do,” Patrick added.
Logan looked at Patrick. “You don’t even know me.” Then he looked back to Jesse. “You told them? At the office?”
“They were very understanding.”
“Logan, you won’t be out of the office that long. Only another week or so, really,” Mateo said.
“And who’s going to take care of things while I’m gone? I am in the middle of projects.”
“They weren’t that important before you tried to hurt yourself,” Patrick said. “What makes you think they’re important now?”
Logan ignored Patrick’s question. “They need to be completed.”
“I’m taking care of them. The partners put me in charge of your accounts while you’re away. I’m familiar with most of them already anyway.”
“You’re replacing me?”
“He didn’t say that, Logan,” Patrick clarified.
“I’m just overseeing things until you’re better.”
Logan sighed. “You’re taking over my personal life and my professional life now, too.”
“He’s not taking over anything, Logan. He’s helping you get better,” Mateo explained. “This isn’t about him. It’s about you. It’s all about you.”
“Fine, whatever,” Logan mumbled. “Just get me out of this room. I can’t stay here anymore.”
“Of course,” Patrick agreed. “We’ll move you to a much better one.”
“Please, Logan,” Jesse pleaded. “Do this so you’ll get better.”
“I said fine,” Logan said, defeated. “You better hope that I don’t hate you by the time I’m done.”
“It’s not important that you like me, Logan. It’s only important that you get better.”
Mateo stood up and handed a clipboard to Logan. “We just need you to sign a few forms and we’ll get you out of this room and into the other wing of the hospital.”
Logan scribbled his signature onto the forms that Mateo presented to him.
“Perfect,” Mateo replied. “That’s the first step.”
“Can I please be alone now to pack up my things for my journey to lock-up?”
“You aren’t going to be locked up,” Mateo stated.
“I’ll help you get your things together,” Jesse offered.
“No, thank you,” Logan replied. “You’ve been quite enough help already.”
Before Jesse could reply, Patrick nudged him toward the door. Once they were out in the hallway, Patrick spoke to him softly.
“Jesse, this may be just as hard on you as it is on Logan. It’s a journey for both of you.”
“I understand that.”
“And with the added pressure of work responsibilities and helping your mother deal with her sick child…well, I just want you to know that I am here for you if you need anything at all.”
“Thank you, Patrick.”
“You have to stay healthy yourself.”
Jesse smiled. “I will. I’m just grateful for all you’re doing for Logan. And Mom.”
“I’m glad I’m able to help.”
Sam and Max emerged from Patrick’s office nearby and approached Patrick and Jesse. Upon seeing his father, Jesse rushed over to him and hugged him tightly.
“I didn’t know you were back,” Jesse declared. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Max smiled. “I just got back. I needed to meet with Sam regarding something and then you were next on my list of people to see. How’s Logan?”
“I’m happy to say that we have made some progress,” Patrick said with a smile. “He’s enrolled in my program.”
“Oh, thank God.”
Mateo joined the others in the hallway.
