Mr. Mafia's Bodyguard

Chapter fifty-five

My eyes fluttered open slowly, but the light that stung them made me shut them back tightly again. I could hear a continuos beeping sound beside me, and I felt pain in several places but the most prominent was on my arm and wrists. A few more seconds later, I open my eyes and let them adjust to the light. I take note of my sorroundings, white walls, white ceiling and blue curtains, I try to sit up but strangely, I can't move, I feel trapped though nothing ties me down. I turn and I can see the heart monitor on the side of my bed, my gaze shifts to my wrist were I felt a certain stinging pain like a needle and I noticed it was connected to an IV. I noticed I was wearing a blue hospital gown and I wondered how I got here. My head hurt as I recollected the activities that put me in this position and winced in pain.

"You are awake." I turn to the door to see the all too familiar face I had longed to see the last time I was conscious. Stephano.
He stood at the door, looking disheveled, his eyes held no brightness to them anymore, they were dull and almost lifeless like he had lost a lot of sleep. He started to take slow strides towards me and as he got closer, a smile appeared on his face and only widened fully as he stood beside my bed, as if realizing he was not hallucinating. I smiled back, causing me to feel the dryness of my lips as they stretched to accommodate a smile.

"You found me." I whispered, and it was like a croak. My throat was dry.

Stephano's smile faltered a bit and he hurried to the small table beside me, grabbing a glass of water. He edged closer to me and leaned, his arm came around my shoulder carefully, lifting my head as the other hand brought the glass to my lips, helping me. I sipped the water hurriedly, feeling it quench the scorching dryness in my throat. Some droplets of water escaped by the sides of my lips as I emptied the glass, he dropped it on the table, before wiping the water droplets off my face with the back of his palm. His blue eyes searching my face as he did, I could see a certain relief and sadness in them.

"Last time I found myself in a hospital like this, I was just rescued form the trafficking ring." I uttered, doing a mini flash back to that moment.

His eyes saddened even further, and I suddenly whished I didn't say that.

"I am sorry." He whispered.

"Don't say that, none of it is your fault." I replied, wishing I could reach out for his face and caress it.

"I am sorry I didn't come sooner and I am sorry I let you go even after seeing the threat note." He kept talking.

"Don't say that Stephano, we are here now, and that's all that matters." I smiled, I felt happy now, knowing that I survived another trauma, and he was right here with me.

"What happened?" I asked, curiosity taking the best of me.

"You should rest first, you were severly dehydrated. I will tell you later." He spoke quickly, his gaze trained on the bandage wrapped around my arm.

"No, I want to hear it now." I replied defiantly.

His gaze flickered to my eyes immediately, he stared at me for a while, and I continued to stare defiantly at him. He sighed, "fine."

He went ahead to tell me how he discovered where I was and who took me, and how Hector helped save me. I was left speechless when he narrated what transpired between him, his father and Grandma. I had no words, and I felt sad, knowing it had to happen like that. I felt bad for Grandma, having to make such a difficult choice, but making the right one in the end. Tears pricked my eyes and I was quick to blink them back. I slowly raised my hand, reaching out for Stephano who sat beside me with his tender gaze, and I touched his face, sliding my fingers through the curve of his face and jaw and caressing him, letting him know how I felt, without having to use words.

"Wow! Look look who is awake!" We both turned to the door where Stephanie and Sophia stood smiling broadly. Stephanie was holding a white bag in her hands and beaming as she ran towards us and Sophia stood at the door smiling, her bulging tummy looking as big as ever through her flare dress.

Stephanie leaned towards me, ignoring Stephano who muttered to her to be careful and she touched my face lovingly. "I am so glad you are okay."

"I missed you." I replied truthfully, returning her smile.

Sophia now stood beside her, smiling. "I heard what happened Ari, I am sorry you had to through all that."

I felt a tear slip through my eyes in that moment but Sophia was quick to clean it with her palm. "I am sorry it happened like that." I apologized sincerely, sad that this drama had to unfold because of me.

"Oh no, don't say that. I hold no grudges dear, I understand perfectly how it all happened, and I know it happened with good cause, I now have my brother back and happy and safe for once in his life, it makes everything worth it for me, and it's thank to you." She smiled.

I opened my mouth to say something but she stopped me by placing her finger to my lips. "Hush now, we brought food, let's eat."

Stephanie quickly opened her bag handing everyone a wrap of food and we ate happily, chattering about Sophia's pregnancy and what we should name the baby and if it would be a boy or a girl. I felt, relaxed, happy and safe. I felt like I had a family again, and it made me really glad and I prayed for it to remain like this forever.

I was smiling and chuckling over a silly name Stephanie came up with when suddenly I started feeling sick again, my stomach turned and a certain nausea and weakness came over me, I saw Stephano's frightened gaze on me and he quickly stood up to help me, but I simply turned my head to the left, pouring out the contents of my gut to the floor. And feeling mad at myself for having to do this right now of all times.

"Are you okay? Let me get the doctor." Stephanie stood and left the room hurriedly while Stephano helped me into a seating position and rubbed my back.

"I am sorry." I whispered when I felt I was done.

"Hush, you can't keep saying that for every little thing." I heard Sophia say.

Stephanie strutted into the room with a doctor and a cleaner behind her. The doctor was a young man, with dark black hair and friendly eyes. His hands were tucked into the pocket of his clothes as he approached us. He stared at the vomit as if inspecting it, the food I vomited was as fresh as it was when I chewed it, though it was somewhat foamy.

"Good to see you awake miss, how are you feeling?" The doctor smiled at me, not at all repulsed by the sight of vomit on the floor which the cleaner was now taking care of.

"Weak and nauseous." I replied simply.

"Have you been having similar feelings lately? Maybe over the past few days or weeks perhaps?" He asked again.

I looked towards the ceiling thinking about it. "Yeah." I breathed.

"Okay. Well it's nothing to worry about. I think you might be pregnant."

"What?" We all gasped at the same time.

I didn't even turn to look at anybody's expression, sure they all mirrored mine. Shocked. I was just staring at the doctor in bewilderment.

"That's not possible." I shook my head. "I had an accident many years back that caused my womb to shift, I can't get pregnant due to that."
It happened when I was in the trafficking ring, I don't know what they did to me. But when I was rescued I was told about it, that I couldn't get pregnant unless it was fixed perhaps through a surgery, but I never went for it, I didn't think I would ever want kids, I was afraid to.

"Well, we are about to find out. I will run some tests." The doctor said before walking towards the door.

"Pregnancy tests." He added as he headed out the door.

I felt scared all of a sudden, and I felt beads of sweat appear on my forehead as I slowly shifted my gaze to Stephano, he was just staring at me as if trying to figure out what I was thinking, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking either.

A/N: I am currently about to start working on an another story, and I will like to know why you guys want to see next. More mafia romance? I will share a few details in the next chapter. Lemme know what you think, I have three ideas lined up and will let you pick what to see first. One mafia romance, one arranged marriage and a fantasy romance.