CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: WINTER
Soft whispers meet my ears.
I don't open my eyes, trying to get a feel for my surroundings, but I instantly know I'm in my bed at the mansion. The soft sheets smell exactly like the laundry detergent the maids use and I've grown to know the comfortable bed more than I've ever known any other bed in my life.
The events that happened before I passed out come rushing back and my eyes snap open, confirming that I'm in my room. I turn my head to the side, finding Vito and Giovanni gathered in the corner of the room. Vito's back is to me as he speaks to Giovanni in hushed whispers.
I continue to stare at them until Giovanni's eyes snap to mine and his brows furrow. He says something to Vito who promptly turns around, his eyes roaming over me before he moves out of the room, leaving me alone with Giovanni. Vito’s barely gone thirty seconds before he's coming back into the room with a woman on his heels. She's unfamiliar, a turtleneck pulled up to her chin and a pair of black slacks on. Her long black hair is pulled back into a ponytail. She has a bag in her hand and she sits it on my bed before turning to me with a smile.
"Hi, Winter, I'm Beth. I'm a doctor for the family and I just want to check you over to make sure I didn't miss anything while you were sleeping. Are you having any pain anywhere?" she asks.
I take a moment to answer, giving my body a mental run through but nothing feels extremely painful. My body aches slightly but it's nothing worth mentioning. I shake my head.
"Are you sure?" Vito asks, stepping forward and peering down at me. His eyes are full of concern.
I blink up at him, hesitating.
"Winter," Giovanni's firm voice snaps in and I find him glaring down at me.
"My body aches a little." I clear my throat, rubbing my arm. "But it's nothing serious."
"Give her pain medicine," Giovanni directs the doctor and his voice is so hard that I'm surprised the woman doesn't jump out of her skin. But it seems as if she's used to him because she only turns to her bag and pulls out a pill container and a water bottle. She holds the bottle out to me and it takes a moment for my fingers to wrap around them, my grip weak. Vito moves forward, his warm hand sliding over mine and helping to balance the bottle. "You need nutrients," he mutters lowly.
The doctor takes two white pills out of the container but this time she passes them directly to Vito instead of me. He takes them and gestures for me to sit up a little straighter and I do so. He brings the pills to my mouth and I open obediently. His fingers graze across my lips briefly and my face heats before he brings the bottle to my lips.
The pills feel huge going down, but the water feels good to my throat and I take a couple extra gulps of it before gesturing for Vito to pull it away.
"I'm just going to take your temperature and your blood pressure as a precaution," the doctor says and her voice is extremely soothing.
I give a nod.
Giovanni and Vito both take steps out of the way and we wait for her to finish. Everything comes back normal and she pulls back.
"I'll be back to check on you later," she informs me. "If you start to feel bad or different before then, just let one of the guys know and I'll be in to check on you. In the meantime, I recommend you get as much sleep as possible. Your body has just gone through something shocking and traumatic; it needs all the rest it can get to recover."
I wonder how much she actually knows as I look at her. But I don't ask, only nodding.
She turns to leave.
"Could you tell Donna to fix Winter some food please, Beth?" Vito asks.
"Of course." Beth gives him a soft smile.
And then she's gone.
Silence enters the room and I stare at the two men hovering. I press my lips together, unsure of what to say.
Vito opens his mouth to speak but before he does my door is flying open, smacking against the wall.
I flinch.
Maximo is standing in the doorway with Enzo right behind him. His eyes are narrowed, his lean body coiled tightly. His gaze moves over me before moving to his brother. "You didn't tell me she was awake," he says before stepping into the room.
"And yet you found out anyway," Giovanni mutters dryly.
Maximo moves to the free side of my bed and I can't help but to tense slightly. But he doesn't touch me or move any closer and the tension quickly leaves my body. Enzo remains hovered in the doorway.
"You can come in, Enzo," Giovanni says.