More Than Once by Dominique Wolf

CHAPTER 30:

“C

an I get two cups of coffee, please? One black please?” I asked the friendly grey-haired lady behind the counter at the cafeteria at the hospital.

Giovanni and I spent the rest of the night in each other's arms and only managed to get a couple of hours of shut-eye before we had to be up for early morning visiting hours. He was the perfect distraction from the mounting sadness I had inside of me. I ordered our coffees while he finished off his phone call with his business partner, Pedro. They were close to closing a deal for the building in Valencia and it was a time-sensitive agreement. I took a seat at one of the tables while they made our coffee. The hospital was quiet this morning. Visiting hours were spread out to three different times a day but I was too anxious to wait till later. We still had half an hour until we were allowed to go in. We hadn't heard anything during the night and I was thankful for that - if they were going to call, it would have been with bad news so I was feeling optimistic today.

“Here you go my dear,” the lady behind the counter said as she set our coffee cups down on the table in front of me. “Is there anything else I could get you?”

“No, this is perfect, thank you so much.”

I handed her the cash for the coffee and with one last smile, she returned back to behind the counter. I reached for my cup and took a small sip. It was still very hot but the warmth spread through me and I could already feel myself starting to wake up a bit. I was pretty sure the idea of having caffeine in the morning was a placebo but I'd take any help I could get at this point. If I turned to face the entrance behind me, I could see Giovanni from where I was sitting. He was still on the phone outside pacing up and down. I tapped my fingernails anxiously on the table as I sipped my coffee.

“Isabella?”

I heard my name and I turned back to see Camila walking towards me. She looked just as drained as I did. The bags under her eyes gave it away. I couldn't blame her as I didn't think any of us got any sleep last night. Her wavy short hair was pulled into a low ponytail, hidden briefly by the big scarf she was wearing. She paired that with a big navy coat and jeans with her rain boots reaching just below her knee. It was definitely cold but she was dressed for a storm.

“Hi, Camila.” I stood up and gave her a quick hug before returning to my seat. “Are you here alone?”

She nodded and took a seat across from me. “Smith and Mother had to head to the office today. There are a couple of things they needed to sort out.”

“In other words, our mother is avoiding me,” I said bluntly.

Camila shrugged. “She's not avoiding you, Izzy.”

“Yes, she is,” I scoffed. “Don't worry - that's fine with me. I'm only here for dad.”

“You can't blame her, Izzy,” Camila said softly. “You just disappeared.”

“I don't have enough coffee in my system to even attempt this conversation right now.”

“Well, it's time you stopped avoiding it.”

I rolled my eyes at my sister. She was definitely less emotional than yesterday and I knew she was going to have plenty of questions about the last few months. As much as I wanted to avoid it, I also wanted to get everything out in the open. I was tired of this back and forth - I didn't want any of it anymore.

“Where's your boyfriend today?” she asked, a flicker of contempt lingered in her voice.

I pointed behind me to Giovanni outside and Camila followed my gaze.

“How can you have a new boyfriend, Izzy?”

I took a deep breath and reminded myself to remain calm. “Nate dumped me months ago, Camila. He didn't want to get married and he dumped me.”

“Why didn't you tell us any of this?” She asked. “You guys broke up, you lost your job and then you disappeared. Why did you run away?”

“You don't know what it's like, Camila,” I snapped. “You were the golden child. You always got everything right and I had to grow up in your shadow. I tried to be just like you but I always fell short - whether it was with my grades, my job, my relationship.”

“You didn't have to be like me.”

“Oh but I did,” I sniggered. “You knew what mom was like. She had a plan for us and we had to follow it and whenever I didn't, I felt like such a disappointment and I was tired of feeling like that.”

I could feel a lump forming in my throat. The last thing I wanted to do right now was cry but this all brought up so much I hadn't dealt with yet.

“You could have told us,” Camila murmured. “But instead you ran off to Barcelona and we didn't know why. You may have fooled mom and dad in the beginning with the story about meeting Nate there but something just felt off.”

“Yeah, I'll admit it wasn't a solid story but it was easier to avoid all of you than to have to be confronted by the facts.”

“So what are the facts now, Isabella? I don't know anything about your life,” she said and I noticed there was a hint of sadness in her voice and it actually surprised me to hear it.

“The facts are that I have a life in Barcelona now and it's one that makes me happy.”

“And your job? What happened at Oak Tree?”

“I didn't get the promotion. He gave it to someone else and with the whole getting dumped thing, I needed to leave London.”

“But you were supposed to come and work for the newspaper. We were all supposed to work together.”

“I didn't want that, Camila,” I admitted. “Honestly, I had no idea what I wanted. Our lives were painted out so perfectly for us and I realized that it wasn't the life I wanted.”

Camila looked confused and I didn't blame her. She was programmed her whole life to follow what my parents said and she had done that perfectly. My blatant act of rebellion was foreign to her and she would never be able to understand it.

“They just wanted us to be successful, Isabella. You can't hate them for that.”

“I don't hate them for that. I hate that I always felt like an outsider in my own family.”

I took another sip of my coffee to keep from crying. I could feel my voice wanting to crack and I refused to give in to my emotions right now.

“I didn't know you felt like that,” she murmured.

“I know you didn't and mom didn't either. She was always adamant that we stuck to her plan and I know she's disappointed in me and the life I have chosen but this is the first time in my life I have ever been truly happy, Camila.”

“Well, I suppose that's what matters then.”

I was surprised by her response. I could see her fighting all her natural urges - the urge to tell me that I made a mistake and that I had no plan. She was too similar to my mother and the idea of not following a life plan was something she couldn't relate to. I appreciated what she was doing because I knew how hard it was for her.

“And Giovanni?” She asked. “Are you happy with him?”

I blushed at the thought of our relationship. “I've never felt this way about anyone before.”

“Not even Nate?”She was confused. “I thought you loved him.”

“I definitely had love for Nate but thinking back it was very platonic. I convinced myself back then that I was in love with him but I never was.”

“But you guys were together for so long.”

Her back and forth defense of my old life was starting to get on my nerves. She had moments where she wasn't being judgemental but she couldn't hide her true feelings for too long. I wanted her to listen to what I was telling her. For the first time in my life I was opening up to my sister and I wanted her to understand me.

“That doesn't mean anything, Camila,” I snapped. “I'm in love with Giovanni.”

Her eyes widened at my confession. I didn't expect to say it but it was the truth and she needed to know this was serious.

“Hi, Camila,” Giovanni said from behind me and I froze.

Oh my God. Did he just hear what I said? Camila got up and greeted Giovanni and I kept my eyes firmly on my cup of coffee.

“Is this mine, baby?” Giovanni asked, pointing to the second cup on the table.

“Yes, I hope it's still warm enough,” I said as calmly as I could manage.

I was freaking out inside. There was no way he heard me right? He would have given me some kind of indication but he was perfectly normal. He grabbed a chair from an open table and sat down next to me, placing his hand on my knee. Camila observed us and thankfully said nothing more about what I said.

“Is everything alright with Pedro?” I asked.

“There's a couple things I need to deal with but I'll do that when we get back to the hotel.”

I nodded and sipped on what was left of my coffee. We sat in awkward silence and I wanted to scream. What the fuck, Isabella? There was no way he didn't hear what I said.

“So, what is it that you do, Giovanni?” Camila asked politely.

“I'm a business owner. My brother and I run a club in Barcelona called Mala Mía,” he explained.

“A club?” She couldn't hold back on her very clear judgment. “That's, uh, very nice.”

I rolled my eyes. “You could have tried a little harder to hide your judgment, Camila.”

“It's okay, Isabella,” Giovanni assured me. “I'm sure that could seem like an unconventional choice but it's a business nonetheless and it's only successful if you work to make it that way and we have.”

“Well, I don't know much about that kind of scene. I was never fascinated by the clubbing culture.”

Her condescending tone was infuriating to me. She was just like my mother - once they made up their mind about something, you couldn't sway them and she had clearly already decided she was not going to accept Giovanni.

“Well, that's where I met your sister.” Giovanni kept his tone very polite and I was thankful for his ability to remain calm.

“You guys met at a club?” She blurted, not bothering to hide her judgment this time round.

“Yes, Camila, we met at a club,” I snapped. “You're starting to piss me off with your judgment. This is the exact reason why I never wanted to share anything with you guys. You're all the same.”

“I'm sorry, Isabella, but I just feel like I don't have any idea who you are anymore,” she chastised. “You ran away to another country and now suddenly I'm supposed to be happy for you that you're with some random club owner who, no offense, looks like bad news.”

I felt like I had been slapped. I was horrified and embarrassed by her judgemental tendencies. It was completely out of line and the similarities between her and my mother were shocking.

“With all due respect, Camila, you don't even know me,” Giovanni remarked. “You don't know anything about me or how I feel about your sister. I am here for her and I'm not going anywhere.”

I stood up. “I am here to make sure dad is okay. You and mom are exactly the same and if you guys are going to continue to be like this then I don't want you in my life.”

“Don't be ridiculous, Isabella.” Camila clicked her tongue. “We're your family.”

“Giovanni is my family now.” I extended my hand to him as he stood up. “Now, I'm going to go and see dad. I suggest you and mom stay clear of me.”

I didn't wait to hear what else she had to say. I turned on my heels and made my way through the hospital with Giovanni. Just when I thought I was making progress with my family, they went and proved to me that once again they would never change. I was angry at my sister for being so disrespectful to Giovanni and to our relationship. Just like my mother, she couldn't be happy for me.

“So, your family is really... something.”

I burst out laughing at his diplomatic response to what just happened. First my mother and now my sister - I felt so bad he had to deal with them.

“You're way too polite for your own good.” I chuckled.

We turned down the hallway to the Cardiac ICU. We still had to wait another ten minutes but I couldn't sit there with Camila any longer.

“Giovanni, I can't apologize enough for my family. I'm sorry about my mother yesterday and now my sister. She had no right to say any of the shit she said and I'm so angry at her.”

“Isabella, listen to me.” He stopped and pulled me closer to him, cupping my face. “No offense but I don't give a shit about them. I care about being here for you and if that means I have to take a couple cheap shots from your family then bring it on 'cause I'm not going anywhere.”

I was about to reply but he interrupted me with a kiss. I sunk into him and immediately felt myself start to calm down. He pulled away but leaned his forehead against mine.

“I mean it, Isabella, I'm not going anywhere,” he murmured. “Because I'm in love with you.”

My jaw dropped. Oh my God. He said it.

“You're in love with me?” I beamed.

“I heard what you told your sister...” he started.

“Oh my God - you did hear that.” I covered my face in embarrassment.

“Hey, don't cover your face,” he said as he slowly removed my hands and cupped my face in his. “I have never been so happy to hear what you said, mi hermosa, and I wanted you to know I feel the same.”

I smiled and felt the tears fill my eyes. All the emotions I had been feeling came bubbling over and resulted in this unexpected happiness I never thought I would have. I wanted to jump up and down like a little school girl. I couldn't believe it - Giovanni loved me.

“I can't believe you feel the same.” I was in shock.

“Of course, I feel the same, I love you, Isabella.”

I threw myself at him, my lips crashing down on his. I had never felt such a rush - it was euphoric.

“I love you, Giovanni.”

He smiled down at me and I could see the love in his eyes. It mirrored my own and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

“I wish I had told you in a more romantic place but I needed you to know,” he murmured and kissed my forehead.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled myself closer to him. I couldn't believe this. This was all I ever wanted to hear and I was happier in that moment than I had ever been. Whatever happened from here on out, that moment would be ingrained in my mind forever.

“It's time for you to go see your dad,” Giovanni said, pulling away from me. “I'll be right out here waiting for you.”

I nodded. “Thank you. If my sister comes here, please ignore her.”

He chuckled. “I can handle myself, baby.”

I smiled and pushed through the ICU doors. I stopped to sanitize my hands and walked over to my dad's bed. He was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling softly while the machine beeped with each breath. He looked so peaceful and I didn't want to wake him. I stopped by the nurse's table in the middle and an older woman sat behind the counter.

“Hi my love,” she greeted politely. “How can I help you?”

“My father - Oscar Avery - was admitted yesterday after a heart attack. I wanted to find out if there have been any updates on him?”

“Doctor Greenwood hasn't been around this morning but we watched over your father last night and it seems like his heart has started to stabilize. I shouldn't speak out of turn as Doctor Greenwood will know more about where your father is at but he managed to finally get some rest early this morning.”

I sighed a breath of relief. “Okay, that's great news. Do you have any idea when the doctor will be in?”

“He usually does his rounds just before lunchtime so I'm sure we'll have more information for you after that.”

“Could I please leave my number with you? I want to know what the doctor says but I don't know if I'll be here to get them. Would you mind letting me know?”

I didn't want to take this poor stranger through my family drama but I definitely didn't want to have to ask my mother or sister for any updates. They have both proven that they cannot separate their feelings so I'd have to find out myself.

“Yes, of course, dear.” She handed me a piece of paper and a pen.

“Thank you so much,” I said and wrote my number down. “I'm just going to say hi to him and then I'll be out.”

“No problem. I'll let you know what Doctor Greenwood says later.”

I smiled at her and strolled over to my dad's bed. I didn't want to wake him but I wanted to take a couple of minutes to sit with him. I pulled the chair next to his bed closer and I leaned my arm on his bed, taking his hand in mine. He didn't wake and I heard his soft snores. He needed the rest.

“Hi, dad,” I murmured. “I don't know if you can hear me but I just wanted to let you know that I'm glad you are resting now. I didn't want to wake you up.”

I was happy that he was headed in the right direction but I was still anxious to hear what the doctor had to say.

“I'm sorry I ran away to Barcelona. There's so much to that story and I'm not going to get into it now. All I want you to know is that I am happy and I am in love and I hope that when you're all better I can bring Giovanni around to meet you.”

I leaned down and kissed my dad's hand. The skin was soft and his veins were protruding out like they always had.

“I never wanted to hurt you by running away. I just needed to find myself and I think I have now so it's all about you getting better now.”

I doubted he could hear me but I felt like I had to say what I said. Out of everyone, my father was still the kindest to me and I never wanted to disappoint him.

“I'm going to go now but I promise I'll be back later to see you.”

I stood up and slowly pushed his hair back. I leaned down and left a soft kiss on his forehead. “I love you, dad.”

He continued his deep sleep and I was just thankful to see him in a peaceful state. I thanked the nurse one last time before I stepped through the doors of the ICU. Giovanni sat alone in the chair waiting for me. He looked up from his phone.

“Are you done already?”

“Yeah, he's asleep and I didn't want to wake him,” I explained. “I left my number with the nurse to update me once the doctor has done his rounds.”

He nodded and reached for my hand, intertwining it with his. “Let's get out of here.”

“Yes please.”

***

Later that day the nurse stayed true to her word and updated me after Dr. Greenwood had been to see my father. His heart had finally started to stabilize by itself through the night. After running tests, they found that he had massive blood clots in the left anterior descending artery which was what ended up causing the heart attack. The next step was to place stents in those arteries in order to open them up and avoid something like that from happening again. I was incredibly relieved by the news - it was a step in the right direction.

“Thank you so much for letting me know,” I said to the nurse on the other line.

I ended the call and let out the breath I was holding. Thank goodness. I sat against the bed and felt the anxiety I was holding onto slowly start to slip away. Now I just felt relieved. I just wanted to make sure he was going to be okay and now that they knew what was wrong, they were able to rectify the problem.

Giovanni walked back into our hotel room carrying two brown paper bags. “Honey, I'm home.”

I smiled at his playful nature and went to greet him. He placed the bags down on the table and left a kiss on my forehead.

“And?” he asked. “Did she call?”

“Yes, he's going to be fine. He had a blood clot in his artery so they need to put some stents in but the doctor is very confident that he's going to be fine.”

The relief set in across his face. “That's great news, baby!”

He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned my head against his chest. He was scheduled for his operation in the next couple of days. I was thankful that this nightmare was slowly starting to come to an end.

“So, hopefully by the end of this week, he'll be home and in recovery.”

“You must be so relieved.”

“I am.” I sighed. “These last couple of days have been a nightmare.”

“It wasn't all bad,” he murmured. “I learned a beautiful young lady loved me so there's that.”

I pulled away enough to look up at him and he was smiling down at me. His happiness was contagious and I couldn't help but mirror it. I still couldn't believe he told me he loved me - it was a moment I kept playing over and over in my head.

“Well, she does love you,” I said playfully. “But only if you brought back doughnuts like you said you would.”

He chuckled and let go of me. He reached into one of the bags and pulled out a small box of mini doughnuts dusted with sugar and cinnamon on them, just like I wanted.

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “See, this is one of the many reasons why I love you.”

He smirked and emptied the contents of the brown bag. Microwave popcorn, chocolates, sweets - he had it all for our little movie night we had planned. We were in London but we weren't exactly here under the best of circumstances and I couldn't bring myself to be in the 'touristy' mood and show him around. Giovanni suggested we gather all the snacks we needed, get into bed and binge-watch a movie or two. Who could resist that?

“Did you ever hear back from your brother?” I opened the box in my hand and grabbed one, the doughnut melting in my mouth.

“My mother is there now. Apparently, she had locked herself in the guest room - she didn't want to face my father so thank fuck they went to get her.”

“And was your father there?”

He shook his head.

“You know you can talk to me about that,” I murmured softly. “I know all this shit was happening with my dad but you're also dealing with what happened.”

He sat down on the bed and I walked over to him, positioning myself in between his legs.

“There's not much to say. My dad is a dick and I don't want anything to do with him,” he said flatly. “And I want my mother out of that house. She deserves better than this.”

“Do you think she'll leave him?”

He shrugged. “No idea to be honest.”

“If she doesn't, what are you going to do about your dad?”

“Nothing. If she stays with him, she'll have to respect that I don't want to see him again.”

I understood his frustration. He just wanted to protect his mother and he had every right to.

“I'll deal with this when we get back to Barcelona,” he said.

I slowly ran my fingers through his thick hair, “Speaking of, you need to let me know how much all this cost you. The flights, the hotel - I need to pay you back.”

He scoffed.

“What?” I asked.

“I don't want your money, baby.” He rubbed his hand up and down my arm.

“But this was all unexpected,” I objected.

“Isabella, I mean this with no arrogance but money is not an issue for me.”

I was definitely aware that he was well-off. If his car and apartment were anything to go on, he lived more than comfortably.

“Plus, what's mine is yours now,” he said as he pulled me closer to him. “We are in a relationship are we not?”

He was being playful now and I couldn't help but smile. I loved hearing him reference our relationship. This was all I had ever wanted. I wanted Giovanni all to myself and now I had him.

“I do believe we are.”

I leaned down and my lips met his. I could never get enough of kissing him. He pulled away from me.

“Listen, we better get this movie marathon going because I'm dying to have those Oreos I bought.”

I chuckled. “Fine, you pick a movie and I'll make the popcorn.”