The Woman in the Back Room by Jessica Gadziala

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Ten

Alessa

 

 

 

 

Getting shot was just adding insult to injury.

I had no interest in going ice skating.

My first winter in New York, I was making my way out of the Morelli house, and slipped on some black ice, fracturing my wrist when I tried to catch my fall.

Ever since then, I held what I considered a healthy respect for ice. Meaning I didn't willingly walk on it unless I had no other choice.

So the idea of strapping a blade on my feet, and trying to dance on the damn ice was nowhere near within my comfort zone.

But what can I say? The kid had tenacity. And he knew what my button was. So when he started picking at me about being a chicken, well, I had to prove him wrong, didn't I?

I had mixed feelings about Santi not being able to make it.

On the one hand, I was relieved that he wouldn't see me make an idiot of myself. On the other, there was always this low, baseline disappointment whenever Santi said he couldn't be around for some event or another.

I wanted to tell myself it was because Avi loved spending time with his dad.

I knew better, of course, but I put in a valiant effort to make myself believe that.

The ice skating had been every bit as awful as I'd anticipated. For me. Who fell about every five feet. I was pretty sure my ass was horrifically bruised. As was my ego as Avi skated circles around me.

But, hey, he had a great time. And I'd decided we were going to this hot new ice cream place to get giant sundaes with all sorts of toppings. Even though it was like forty degrees out.

"Ice cream has no season," I told Avi when he pointed out how cold we both were from the rink.

We had just stepped out of Winter Village, had paused near the big fountain so Avi could tie his shoe.

I'd just been looking around.

And thank God I had been.

Because it would have been too easy to miss a couple of random guys standing outside of a massive tourist attraction.

If I hadn't been looking, they would have taken us both out before I could even move. But I caught the motion as their hands went inside their jackets at the same time.

I saw a glint of metal.

"Avi, get down!" I yelled, starting to turn as one of the bullets pierced into my shoulder.

With no other choice, I fell on Avi, needing to protect him fully as the shots continued to ring out.

Another bullet burned into my hip as I was falling, leaving me letting out a string of curses as I tried to push up on my good arm, lift some of my weight off Avi as the chaos around us rang out. People screamed and ran.

"Avi, reach into my left butt pocket and get my phone," I demanded. "Please," I added, closing my eyes tight at the burning pain in two separate sides of my body.

The kid was trembling with wild, terrified eyes. But he did it. And he dialed his dad. And he held the phone up to my ear to let me rattle off the descriptions before I let myself mope about the pain while Avi talked to his dad.

The next thing I knew, the cops and paramedics were pulling me off Avi, checking my wounds and vitals.

Then we were in the ambulance.

An openly crying Avi sat down near my feet, a little too far out of reach.

"Avi, man, come on. You know two little bullets can't take me down," I told him, but he was too upset to really listen.

His dad would be with him soon.

As well as half of the Costa Family members, most likely.

We'd been separated at the hospital, both of us needing to be looked over. I'd called out to him that everything would be okay, but he looked shut down and disassociated sitting on his stretcher.

I was rolled into a room where my clothes were cut off of me as the doctors cleaned and inspected the wounds.

The bullet in my shoulder was wedged in the soft tissue. Which meant they could fish it right out, pack it up, and wrap it.

But the one in my hip, well, it went ahead and got itself lodged in the bone, creating some fracturing that needed to be dealt with.

I'm sure it was more technical than that, but that was the gist of it.

Then I was being wheeled off, and fell into a blissful oblivion.

The next thing I knew, the beeping of machines penetrated through the fog of anesthesia, a constant, annoying noise that had me grumbling awake.

"Wake up, sunshine," Gio's voice said.

"Ugh, I must be in hell if your ass is here," I said before my eyes even fluttered open.

"Glad to see they didn't carve out your bad attitude with those bullets," he said, giving me a smile as I looked over at him.

Gio was not someone who worried. I think when you were in the line of work that he was, not much got a rise out of you, or made you sweat.

He looked strained, though. Worried, even.

For me.

"Surgery went well," he told me, moving closer. "Got the bullet and the fragments. You'll be walking like an old lady for a few weeks, then you can be back to kicking ass and protecting little kids in no time."

"How is Avi? He hit his head, right?"

"He's fine. No concussion."

"So he's home?"

"No. Got those stubborn-ass Costa genes. Refuses to go home until he sees for himself that you're okay."

"Did Lorenzo find the guys?" I asked.

"How about you stop worrying about that right now?" Elio said, coming in the door. "Everyone is on it. We'll worry about that. Not you. You need to get better. Mom is going to set up the living room for you," he added. They had a brownstone, and the bedrooms were on the upper floor.

"No!" a little voice joined the ones of full-grown men. "She's coming home with us," Avi insisted, pushing past Elio to rush to my side. But then losing his nerve at the last foot away from the bed.

"Hey, bud. How's your head doing?" I asked, reaching toward him, but he flinched away from me when he saw the IV in my hand.

"Avi!" Santi called, voice raised, panicked.

"Snuck off on the old man, eh?" Elio asked. "In here, Santi," he called out the door.

"Avi, I told you that you can't..." Santi started, then trailed off when his gaze landed on me. "Alessa." He breathed out my name. That was the only way to describe it. Like it was pure relief. Like he'd been holding his breath this whole time.

"Hey," I said, hearing a crack in my voice. But, no, that couldn't be right. My voice didn't crack. I didn't break down. That wasn't me.

"Hey, man," Elio said, whacking a hand into Gio's chest. "Let's go get some coffee, and check in with Pops," he suggested.

"Yeah, we'll be right back," Gio agreed, following Elio out the door.

"Does it hurt?" Avi asked, drawing my attention away from his father.

"See this button?" I asked, finding it with slow, clumsy fingers. "If I push this button, I get pain medicine. I don't feel anything."

"Dad said you're coming home with us," Avi said, lower lip pouting out at the idea that his father had given him false hope. "So we can take care of you," he added. "I was gonna make you tea."

"You make good tea," I said, nodding. "Maybe I should come home with you then," I told him, watching the way his eyes lit up.

"Hey, bud," Santi said, grabbing his son's shoulder. "Can you go sit with Nonna for a couple minutes, so I can talk to Less?"

"Okay," Avi grumbled, clearly unhappy about it.

"You can come back and see me in a little bit," I told him.

"Okay," he said again, then launched himself at me, his upper half draping over my midsection.

That whole not being in pain thing? Well, that wasn't so true right then.

"Hey, I'm okay bud. I'm okay."

"I shouldn't have made you go ice skating," he said, holding too much guilt in his too little body.

"Hey, this was not your fault," I said, giving him a squeeze. "Do you hear me? None of this happened because of you. I promise."

"I'm sorry you got hurt," he said, pulling back, eyes a little glassy.

"I'm doing okay, bud. Don't worry about me."

"I'm gonna make Nonna get you some snacks," he declared, giving me a firm nod, happy to have a mission.

"You know all my favorites," I agreed, giving him a smile.

"I'll be back."

"I'll be waiting," I said, watching him walk away in his changed clothes his grandmother must have brought in for him. Because his other ones must have been soaked in my blood.

"Alessa," Santi said again in that low, hushed voice.

And something about that softness from such a hard man, well, it seemed to put a crack in the damn inside.

I started pouring.

"Oh, baby," Santi said, voice low as he moved forward, sitting off the side of my bed, grabbing my good shoulder with his big hand.

"I'm not crying," I insisted, even as I felt the tears sliding down my cheeks.

"No, no of course not," he agreed.

"It's probably from the anesthesia. It's a side effect." I'd once brought my step-mother for oral surgery, and she cried through the whole aftercare discussion while the dentist explained to me it was perfectly normal.

That was the only rational explanation.

Because I never cried.

No matter how hurt or how sick or how scared.

Never.

I'd made myself too tough for that.

Too strong for that.

Except maybe, when I realized I was with someone who was strong enough for the two of us, I could be a little weaker, I could let myself feel what I was going through for a change.

"Makes total sense to me," Santi agreed. "But, you know, if you were crying, that would be okay," he said. "You've had a rough day. I'd probably be crying too if I fell on my ass as many times as Avi said you did."

"Little brat. Ratting me out while I was half-dead on a hospital table," I grumbled, reaching up to wipe the tears off my face.

"I owe you, Alessa," Santi said, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

"You don't owe me anything. Literally anyone would have done the same thing."

"You acted quicker than anyone else could have. You saved my kid, Alessa. Don't act like that's nothing. It's everything."

"Do you have any leads?"

"Don't," Santi said, shaking his head. "We're not talking about that. It's being handled."

"I want to know," I insisted. "I'm so sick of everyone keeping me out of the loop because I'm not technically Family."

"Hey, no one is saying that," Santi said. "You're Family. But you need to focus on recovering, nothing else. That's all this is."

"They shot me, Santi," I reminded him. "They would have shot Avi. I want to know when you find the bastards."

"I'll let you know. But you're not getting involved. Besides, I hear you are going to be laid up for a while."

"I haven't talked to the doctor yet, but I imagine the hip injury is going to keep me down for a bit."

"I told Avi you're coming back with us. I know your family wants to take care of you. And if your step-mom wants to come and do that, she's more than welcome. Brothers too. But you're coming back with us."

"I know I scared Avi today. He's been through so much."

"It's not about that," Santi insisted.

"Of course it is."

"It matters, yeah, that he knows you're okay," Santi said. "But I want you there."

"I'll be useless," I reminded him. "I won't be able to take Avi to school or his after school stuff. I won't even be able to play with him for a while."

"Alessa, I don't want you there to take care of Avi. I want you there so we can take care of you."

"I'm a terrible patient."

"I recall."

"I will likely need help changing my bandages," I told him.

"I can handle a little blood."

"I'll need to eat at least... five or six times a day. Full meals."

"I'll be happy to contract that out. The women in our Families love a reason to throw together some extra dishes."

"It can't be healthy," I insisted.

"Not a single piece of lettuce. I'll put the word out," he agreed.

"You know me well," I said. Light, flip.

"I'm getting there," he agreed, and there was nothing light or flip about his tone.

"Santi, honey," Celeste said, peeking in. "The doctors would like a minute with Alessa," she said, giving me a smile, pressing a hand to her heart in silent gratitude.

"I'll be back in a bit."

"You should take Avi home," I said. "He's had a rough day. He looks exhausted."

"He will want to bring you your snacks," Santi said. "But after that, I will take him home. Hopefully you can get out of here tomorrow."

"Oh, I am getting out of here," I insisted. I didn't care if I had to sign myself out against doctor's orders.

"Stubborn," he said, smirking at me.

"Oh, sure, you find it charming now. But when I am rejecting help that I really need, you might not like it so much."

"I guess I'll have to see for myself," he said, giving me soft eyes as he moved halfway out of the door. "Alessa?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," he said, giving me a nod, and rushing out before I could tell him to stop thanking me.

After that, the doctor came in to give me his spiel before I was bombarded by my step-mother, father, and brothers for a while.

Until, eventually, Ciro—of all people—pushed them all out.

"Thanks," I said, giving him a small smile. "They were driving me a little nuts."

"I could tell," he agreed. "You alright?"

"A little tired," I admitted.

To that, he nodded. "Looks like you have one more visitor," he said, looking out the door. "And then you can get some sleep."

"Send Avi in," I told him, fighting off the exhaustion that was making my eyelids get heavy. "He needs to get to bed," I added, half to myself.

"So do you," Ciro said, uncharacteristically concerned for my well-being.

"Soon," I agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, moving back out.

"Av, bud, you look dead on your feet," I said as he moved in with puffy eyes and dark circles.

"I wanted to bring you your snacks," he said. "Nonna told me that hospital food is gross."

"It kind of is," I agreed. "You got me the goods, right?"

"All of 'em," Avi agreed, bringing two plastic bags over, and dropping them on my tray table.

"You're the best, kid," I told him, reaching out to press my hand to his cheek. "Now go home and get some sleep, okay? That way you're good and rested to be my own personal servant when I come home tomorrow," I added, getting a little smile out of him.

"Okay."

"Goodnight, bud."

"'Night, Less," he said, moving toward the door where Celeste was still waiting. In her six-inch heels. My ankles ached for her.

"You need anything else?" Santi asked, moving close to the side of my bed.

"Well, if you could tell the rest of this floor to shut the hell up so I can sleep, that would be great."

I got a small chuckle out of him at that as he grabbed my knee, giving it a squeeze.

"Know you're a terrible patient, but be nice to the nurses. They'll be nice back," he said.

"I plan to spend a lot of time unconscious," I told him.

"Well, that will work too. It looks like your brothers are taking turns standing guard for you tonight. You can rest easy."

"Do you have someone?" I asked. "Coming over," I clarified. "To keep an eye on you and Avi?"

"Enz said Emilio and Brio are going to be taking turns for the foreseeable future."

"So, you should lock up the knives," I said with a weak smile. "Otherwise, Brio is going to be teaching Avi how to throw them or something."

"Probably a good idea," Santi said, giving my knee another squeeze. "I'll be back in the morning," he assured me, tone firm. "To take you home," he added, then made his way to the door.

I know he didn't mean it that way, but all I could feel was the warmth spreading across my chest as though he did mean it.

"That's a new development," Elio said, coming back in with a cup of coffee for each of us.

"I don't know what you're talking about, El," I said, wincing as I bent the bed upward, so I could drink.

"No? Then you better tell your eyes that, because they're saying a lot of shit when you look at that man," Elio said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed, stretching out his long legs, making his suit pants slip up to show off blue socks with golden fleur-de-lis that matched his pocket square.

The man needed to be in magazines with his sense of style.

He'd probably charmed all the nurses out of their phone numbers already.

"My eyes aren't saying anything but my shoulder hurts and I'm tired."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Who are you trying to bullshit, me or yourself?" Elio asked.

"I work for him. I protect his kid."

"Mmhmm."

"Don't 'mmhmm' me like that. It's true."

"Yeah? Then why did that man look like he was waiting to hear news about his woman, not his employee?"

"Stop."

He needed to stop.

Because I was in pain and tired and vulnerable. My defenses weren't as strong as I needed them to be to have this kind of conversation.

"Why? What's the problem? When have any of us ever cared about who you fuck, Less? You're a grown-ass woman."

"I'm not... it's not like that."

"But you want it to be. And it looks like he wants it to be. Who gives a fuck? Is this a Family thing?" he asked. "Because the Morellis and Costas have always been allies. Can't see that being any kind of problem."

"I work for him."

"Yeah. And?"

"And he just lost his wife."

"Way I hear it, they weren't man and wife aside from on paper."

"Still," I insisted. "And Avi lost his mom."

"Yeah, well, I get that the kid is a complicated angle. But he seems fond of you too."

"It's not happening."

"You're stubborn as fuck, Less."

"I'm rational, Elio."

"Yeah, sis, but there's nothing fucking rational about catching feelings."

"Well, then, it's good that I'm not catching any," I insisted.

"Yeah, okay," Elio said. "We'll see about that."