“He’ll get it,” Rafa said grimly, but his face registered relief. “Is that something he can have here? If he’s discharged, it’ll take a miracle to get him into a facility.”
“We have the ability, but we can’t force him to agree. That’s down to you.” The doctor smiled at Noemi. “You know where to go and who to see, right, Noe?”
“I do, thank you.”
She waited until they were alone, and she and Rafa sat down in the hallway while Zani was being treated. “Do you want to call your parents?”
Rafa shook his head. “This would kill them. And Zani… the one leverage I have is not telling them. I can use that to get him to agree to rehab.” He looked at her. “You’re very pale, Noe. Are you okay?”
She nodded but truthfully, she had begun to feel nauseous. “I think I just need some water.”
He went to get some for her, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Maybe we should get you checked out too. You took a fall.”
Noemi leaned against him. “Hey, if being thrown down stairs doesn’t do it…”
“Don’t joke about that. Look, I’m going to get someone. I’m taking a risk on you or the twins.”
He got up and Noemi sat back sipped the cool water and closed her eyes. Soon enough, Rafa returned with Joan, who said, “Come on, you. Let’s get you checked out.”
As Joan checked her vitals, Noemi insisted that she didn’t need a doctor. “I think he just caught me with his elbow and bruised my stomach. The babies feel fine.”
“Well, the scan will make sure. Your vitals are good.”
A few minutes later, she smiled at Noemi and Rafa. “Your babies are doing just fine. This is getting exciting, people.” Noemi leaned against Rafa, relief flooding over her. Rafa kissed her forehead.
“Bepi was getting fussy.” Noemi looked up to see Leo staring at the scanner, still pressed against Noemi’s bare belly. Bepi was at her side. Noemi felt her heart sink.
Rafa got up and took Bepi’s hand. “Thanks, Leo. Listen…”
Leo turned away. “Leo!” Noemi called out to her sister, seeing the stricken look on her face, but she couldn’t get off the bed fast enough. “Rafa, go after her.”
Rafa shook his head. “No, Noemi. Let her go. She needs to process this.”
Noemi wasn’t happy about it, but she let it go, knowing Rafa could hardly go chasing her sister through the hospital. Instead Joan helped her clean up the scanning gel, then Noemi slid from the bed, thanking her friend. She took Bepi from Rafa, wanting to hold the little boy and get some comfort. Rafa put his arms around them both. “Look, I’ll stay here with Zani, try to get him to agree to rehab. Why don’t I get a driver to come pick you and Bepi up to take you home? Both of you need some sleep.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Bepi was fast asleep by the time he and Noemi arrived back at the mansion. Noemi put him to bed, stroking his little head. “I love you, little one.”
Downstairs she cleared up the mess from earlier, then sat down, waiting to hear from Rafa. It was a little after midnight and she longed to try to call Leonora, wanted her to yell at her or something just so she could feel less… what did she feel? When it came down to it, Noemi hadn’t gotten pregnant by design, especially not to torture Leonora. So why did she feel so guilty?
She remembered Lazlo telling her how hard it was for anyone to persuade her not to feel that guilt—maybe it was just in her genetic makeup. God, what a freakin’ mess. Exhaustion set in then, and she curled up on the couch to wait for Rafa to come home.
Rafa sat in the chair at the side of his brother’s bed and waited for him to wake. To his relief, Zani was responding to treatment and had been awake and cognizant for a few minutes but had fallen back asleep.
“Better for him to sleep,” the doctor had told him. “When he’s asleep, he’s not jonesing for a fix.”
“Right.”
Zani stirred now and opened his eyes. He saw Rafa sitting by him and pulled himself up against the pillows. “Rafa.”
“How do you feel?”
Zani smiled ruefully. “Dumb. Stupid.”
“No arguments here.”
“Is Noe okay? I feel terrible.”
“She’s fine. The babies are fine.” Rafa watched his brother’s reaction. “You knew?”
Zani nodded. “I overheard. Sorry. I don’t sleep so good.”
“That would be the coke and God knows what else. What the fuck did you think you were doing using in my house, Zani? Where my son sleeps?”
“I am sorry, brother. I truly am. God, Rafa… do you know how hard it is to be as good as you are? I fucked up.”
“You’re always fucking up, Zani, and don’t turn this around on me. Jesus, you’ve had everything, every chance, and now…” Rafa stopped, taking a deep breath, calming himself.
“Have you called Dad?”
Rafa shook his head.
“But you’re going to?”
Rafa nodded. “Unless you get treatment. Here. Now. You stay here and go through rehab. Then afterwards, you can live with us but with weekly drug testing. You work for me. You straighten out your life.”
Zani had a strange look on his face. “If only it was that easy, man.”
“What does that mean?”
Zani just shook his head. “Look… Okay. I’ll do it. Do you think I want to live like this? No. Fine. Rehab.”
Rafa didn’t know whether to believe him but decided to take him at face value. “Good. I mean it—you miss one session, fail one drug test, that’s it. Is there anything else you want to tell me, Zani?”
“Like what?”
“Like what happened in Europe? Like the reason you came back? It wasn’t just running out of money, was it?”
Zani looked away from him. “It doesn’t matter now.”
Driving back home, Rafa arranged for a security guard to be stationed at Zani’s hospital door. “To keep him in, as well as undesirables out,” he told the man.
When he got home, he found Noemi asleep in the living room. He picked her up in his arms, smiling as she stirred. “Come on, sleepy.”
Noemi was awake by the time they got to their bedroom, and she pressed her lips to his. They had no need for words now. All fatigue fled as they undressed each other and climbed onto the bed.
Noemi stroked his cock until it was rock hard then Rafa pushed into her as she wrapped her legs around him. They made love slowly, their eyes locked on the other’s, forging a deeper connection as they moved.
Noemi stroked his face with both hands. “I love you so much, Rafael Genova.”
“You are my love,” he murmured, his lips against hers, “The love of my life.”
Her eyes widened, and he nodded, showing her he meant every word and tears rolled down her cheeks. He kissed them away. “We are forever now, my love. Forever.”
His pace quickened as she clenched her vagina around his unrestrained, thrusting cock, and their breathing grew harsh and ragged as they both reached their climaxes. Noemi’s back arched up, and Rafa took her nipple into his mouth as she moaned and writhed, sucking hard then letting out a long groan of release as his cock pumped creamy cum deep inside her. They made love once more before falling asleep just before dawn.
A few hours later, a bored Bepi crawled onto their bed and settled between them, chatty in the early morning, making them both smile. Noemi took a long shower as Rafa dressed Bepi.
It was Saturday, so they ate a leisurely brunch, and Rafa called the hospital to check in on Zani.
“Well,” he told Noemi as he ended the call, “He’s still there. That’s progress.”
Noemi smiled and smoothed his curls. “It is. I’m going to call Leo to see if she’ll see me. We have to talk sooner or later.”
“You should… but can I ask a favor?”
“Anything, babe.”
“Could you call her later? There’s something I would really like us to do, and if Bepi is with us, it might make things easier.”
&nb
sp; Noemi half-smiled. “Intriguing… what is it?”
Rafa grinned. “I think it’s time, Noe. I had planned a night out for us all at a restaurant, but now I think it’s important we do this today. I think it’s time you met my parents.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Day one of rehab, and Zani was already regretting it. The specialist had been by to advise him what would happen—he was to go cold turkey—Rafa’s suggestion.
“Thanks, brother.” He murmured, downing a glass of cold water.
His skin felt itchy, he was dripping sweat, and irritation made him antsy and jittery. He walked to the door, then stopped when he saw the security guard Rafa had stationed outside. Zani grumbled to himself and went back to bed.
He managed a couple of hours sleep before he was awoken by the nurse checking his vitals. She smiled at him. “How are you feeling?”
“Like death.”
“Good,” she said brightly, “then it’s working.” She grinned at him, and he couldn’t help chuckling.
“You’re enjoying my torture.”
“I admit I am, but only because I know how much better you’ll feel when this is all over.”
Zani’s eyebrows shot up. “You?”
She smiled. “Yup. Fifteen years ago. Then I got my nursing degree, and now I torture people who went through the same thing I did. It’s my penance.”
Zani chuckled. “Except you enjoy it.”
“I enjoy it when you get better. Now, take your poison.” She handed him the painkillers, the few drugs he was still allowed. “Only to take the edge off, I’m afraid.”
“Better than nothing.”
“Are you hungry?”
Zani turned on the charm. “Not for food.”
The nurse, Georgia, grinned. “That’s all that’s on offer.”
“Then no thanks.”
“Just keep your fluids up, and I’ll be happy. Oh, and you got a card. I left it on your table.”
When Georgia had gone—Zani missed her already, she was super-cute with a great rack and a butt that he could bounce coins off—he opened the envelope she had left him.
At first, he didn’t understand what he was seeing: a piece of paper with a collage of photographs set out like a photo story on it. One was of a woman from a distance, taken as she was walking along a street somewhere, he guessed, in France. Her hair was dark, her body slim, dressed in a simple summer dress.
It was the next photograph that made his knees give way. The woman was laying on her back, her eyes open and staring. Sophia. Her blonde hair dyed brunette, her beautiful face lovely even in death.
Two telltale bullet holes in her torso. Blood spread across the cotton of her dress.
They had found her.
The next photographs sent chills down his spine. Rafa. Noemi. Bepi. And the words written under them…
One of them is next.
As they drove to Rafa’s parents house outside of the city, Noemi squeezed her lover’s thigh and smiled at him. “What are you going to tell them about Zani?”
“Nothing. Or at least I’ll fudge the details. Tell them he’s gone away to clear his head. I promised him that if he went through rehab, I’d protect him. Dad’s a mild-mannered guy but he’d been pushed to the brink by this. As angry as I am with him, I don’t want Zani’s life ruined.”
“You’re a good man.”
“Would you believe it if I told you Zani wasn’t the devil either?”
Noemi smiled. “I would and I do. I believe he’s genuinely sorry for what happened.”
Rafa smiled. “We’re here.”
He turned into the driveway of his parent’s estate, but it was still a few moments before the house came into view.
“Wow.” Noemi gaped at the size of the place—it made Rafa’s place look like a shack. “How many bedrooms does this behemoth have?”
Rafa laughed. “You really don’t want to know… but it has two ballrooms.”
“Because of all those pesky balls one needs to have at the exact same time,” Noemi shook her head, smiling. “How the other half live.”
“Says the surgeon.”
Noemi snickered. “I’ll let you know when I need a house the size of Bainbridge Island.”
Rafa helped Noemi from the car and then retrieved Bepi from his car seat. Noemi took a few deep breaths. She had only ever been in the same room as Rafa’s parents once, while they visited Thomasina, and although they had been introduced, she had been too occupied with Tomi to pay much attention. Hindsight is a great thing, she thought to herself now. If only I had known then that I would be giving birth to their grandchildren in a couple of years.
The thought made her giggle, and Rafa raised his eyebrows. She told him in a low voice, and he laughed as they walked to the door. “If only we had known, indeed.” He took her hand. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. They’ll love you.”
He opened the door, and rather incongruously in Noemi’s opinion, called out. “Mom, Dad, it’s me.” Noemi hid her grin; they’d been announced by the CCTV already, she was sure.
She squeezed his hand again, and he smiled at her as his parents came to find them. Stefano Genova grinned widely. “Hey, hey, hey!”
Bepi ran up to his grandfather, and Stefano swung him into his arms. Rafael’s beautiful, elegant mother, Eloise, came up to them, and kissed Rafa’s cheek. “Hello my boy. And hello again, Dr. Castor… may I call you Noemi?”
“Of course, Mrs. Genova.”
“Eloise. Now, Rafa tells us you have something to tell us? Why don’t you all come through; we’ve had some food prepared and some punch.”
Noemi looked at Rafa who nodded encouragingly. Yup. They were doing this. They were going to tell his parents about the twins. She held Rafa’s hand tighter.
She couldn’t help the gasp when Eloise and Stefano led them out onto the patio. The grounds were huge and beautifully landscaped. Noemi realized she was gaping when Eloise chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment, dear.”
“You should! Your home, these grounds, wow.” Noemi knew she sounded starstruck, but the place was sensational. Suddenly she felt like an outsider, and a jolt shot through her. What was she doing in this world?
Luckily no one else seemed to pick up on her discomfort, and soon they were sitting down, Bepi happily playing with his grandparent’s dogs, and Rafa was taking Noemi’s hand. “Mom, Dad, I won’t keep you in the dark any longer… you’re going to be grandparents again. We both know it’s crazy fast, but Noemi has made me and Bepi so very happy. I hope you will give us your blessing.”
Stefano and Eloise looked at each other and for a moment, Noemi had a nightmare vision of them throwing her from the house for ‘trapping’ their son. Instead the older couple beamed and embraced them both. “Darlings, we’re so happy for you.”
Noemi was relieved, but she still felt as though something was being unsaid. She waited until Rafa and Stefano were strolling around the grounds to speak to Eloise.
“Eloise… I know this must be a surprise to you, especially with me being Thomasina’s surgeon. I assure you, my relationship with Rafa began way, way after Tomi passed.”
Eloise smiled. “What makes me think you’ve been practicing that line?”
“It’s not a line—”
Eloise held her hands up. “I meant no malice by that. What I meant was you seem desperate to convince us that you didn’t start a relationship with Rafa by design. Darling… we already know that. Rafa has spoken to us about your romance, and believe me, my son is an excellent judge of character. If he had thought that you weren’t genuine in any way, he wouldn’t be with you.” She patted Noemi’s hand. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re a successful surgeon, a career woman. Rafa is very lucky.”
Noemi felt her anxiety lessen, and she smiled at the other woman. “I love him so much. You raised an incredible man.”
Eloise thanked her then sighed. “If only I could have raised two such men.”
“Zani?”
“Maybe in time, he’ll calm down?” Noemi wished she could reassure the other woman, but Rafa had made a promise to his brother, and she wasn’t about to break that promise for him.
“He’s forty-three, Noemi, I think his time to calm down was about twenty years ago. Do you have siblings, Noemi?”
Noemi nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She needed to call Leo, to try to explain what was going on. “I do. A sister. Adoptive sister—I was adopted by my family—but we’re very close.” She hoped that wasn’t a lie now.
They spent a couple of hours with Rafa’s parents before traveling home. Rafa had supper with them before excusing himself to go to the hospital. “I won’t be long, honey. If you want to go see your sister when I get back, I can drive you?”
Noemi shook her head. “I’ll call her. I expect she won’t want to see me yet.”
Rafa kissed her forehead. “In that case, I might go to the office to make sure everything is good there. Do you mind?”
“Not at all, baby. Bepi and I will play some games, maybe do some reading.”
“Momma Bear.”
She grinned. “It’s good practice. Besides, I’ve been neglecting Mouse too. We’ll have some fun out in the yard.”
Rafa kissed her. “Take care of our babies in there.”
“I will.”
Noemi played with Bepi and Mouse until both the dog and the boy were exhausted, then as they cuddled up with her on the couch, she called Leo.
At first, she didn’t think her sister would pick up, then as she was about to end the call, she heard her voice. “This isn’t a good time.”
Noemi drew in a deep breath. “Then tell me when a good time would be, Leo. We need to talk.”
“No, I don’t think we do, Noe. There’s nothing to talk about. You’re pregnant and I’m alone. Once again, you win.”
That hurt. “Once again? What are you talking about? No one wins; this isn’t a game. I didn’t get pregnant to torment you, or to win a competition only you seem to be in.”
The Doctor’s Promise Page 12
