“You’re both right,” I sigh, wiping my tears away. “I need to stay strong for Rocco. We don’t know the details. He’s still alive.”
I nod, over and over again, in defiance of death.
The night goes on and people come in and out of the ER. I end up falling asleep.
I have dreams of our future. Rocco and I have a child together. We have a nice house, not
too far away from the lake I used to frequent.
In these dreams, Holly is close with our daughter. I can’t make out most of the details, but I know that we’re happy. We’ve always been happy together, except for one small period of time. This time.
But that’s just because I feared getting too close to him.
Oh, how stupid I was. He’s the sweetest, most charming man I’ve ever laid eyes on. When I met him, he was wild and bad, and everything my mother told me to stay away from. But when I got to know him, I understood who he really was.
He’s a man who wants to give his life for love. That’s the noblest thing a man can do, in my opinion.
“Ma’am?” a voice from above says. “Ma’am, it’s time to wake up.”
“What?” I swipe at my eyes with my fingers. “Is it time to wake up? Is he okay?”
I jump out of my seat, blinded by how exhausted I am, and I nearly run through the door to his room.
“Madison, hold on,” Dasha says. “Let’s just hear what she has to say first.”
I glance at the doctor. She looks like she’s had the battle of her life back there. She breathes steadily and looks me in the eye.
“He’s going to pull through this.”
I feel an emotional release shoot up inside me. Love. This is what love feels like. It’s painful and heart-wrenching sometimes, but when you hear those words, you want to thank the lord above for giving you one more day with him.
“You’re lucky he’s a fighter,” she says. “That bullet hit an artery. I’ve never seen anyone pull through something like that before.”
“He’s… he’s okay?” I manage to say, drying my face with my shirt. “There’s nothing wrong with him?”
“He’s going to be in and out for a while. He’ll have to stay here and rest. We need to run some more tests and see where he’s at,” she says. “But he just woke up from surgery and he keeps calling for you. Normally, we’d put him to sleep, but he’s denying the protocol. He says he needs you in there.”
I glance at the door, and the woman says, “Follow me. You only.”
She glances at Dasha and Holly, making sure they stay put.
“Go!” Dasha says.
I nod and follow her inside the hall. My steps are heavy, but my body feels as if it’s floating on through.
“Am I awake?” I ask.
“Very much so. It’s been a long night for you, I’m sure.”
Through the window of Rocco’s room, I can see him resting. He’s hooked up to a large machine. Weakly, he waves, and my heart nearly stops.
“Okay, here it is. Try and be quick, please. He needs to rest,” she says, opening the doors. “You hear that Mr. Morelli? You need rest. You got five minutes before I give you a heavier dose of morphine.”
“Ay ay, captain,” he says, smiling from all the drugs they’ve got him on. “Nurse, close the door. We need a little time alone.”
He winks.
“I’m your doctor,” she says. “I’ll be back in ten minutes. No engaging in any cardiovascular activity, if you know what I mean.”