THIN ICE |BOOK I |BWWM|

•ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 28•

•SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA•

Andres' POV

A shrill cry bounced around the clean bright hospital room as Julia continued to bear down and soon the nurses finally laid Nicolai's nude body across her bare chest. The tips of her fingers weakly brushed against his moist tresses as she chortled, letting out her first happy tears in years.

Nicolai's breathing calmed and his cries died down to whimpers as his cheek nestled against Julia's cleavage. His warm rose cheeks beamed under the crescent moonlight filing in through the wide slits of the window blinds.

The nurses assisted Julia in completing her delivery, cleaned up, and finally allowed us privacy.

"You wanna count his fingers and toes again?" I massaged various tufts of Nicolai's hair between my index finger and thumb.

"No, I'll let him sleep." Julia soporifically smiled.

I chuckled, a prideful grin capturing my lips, "He looks just like you."

"I hope he stays that way."

Julia's embrace tightened protectively as her gaze re-examined the baby boy and I could tell festering terror was threatening to come out of remission.

I fondly palmed Julia's soft buzzed curls and kissed her cheek.

"He won't find you, and we'll both protect him."

She crossed her legs, as I stroked the tender skin on her knee.

"Always."

~~~~~~~~

My thoughts weaved between past and present as the school's tight-bunned, slim waisted principal, Mrs. Goodin, and an officer stood before me.

I slipped my hands in my pockets letting their questions slide down my back as I eyed the officer.

Sloane.

Our family's control of San Francisco was vaguely new, but respected nonetheless. I had no doubt Officer Sloane's questioning was a formality. He knew who he worked for.

"...and Nicolai was found in the boy's school locker room along with another injured student. Fortunately, we have recovered the gun and placed the student responsible in custody. Now because the shooting occurred in a secure area we don't know what exactly occurred."

"How'd the gun even get inside?" I played along, crossing my arms across my puffed out chest.

"That's something we did catch," -Mrs. Goodin sighed- "Right outside of the locker room we have Nicolai pulling the gun out of his book bag and showing the other injured student. They then both go into the secure area followed shortly after by the third student running out."

The gun I gave Julia. I told her to hide it.

The pain playing tennis between my temples grew and I clenched and unclenched my fists as Officer Sloane stepped forward.

"The weapon was registered in your name. Do you know how Nicolai could have gotten a hold of it?"

"I'm not the one to ask. I don't live with him and his mother."

Sloane nodded, asked me a few more questions, and recorded my answers.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Maniscalco. I'm sure we won't have to bother you anymore with questions."

"I'm sure you won't."

While I concluded with Mrs. Goodin and Officer Sloane, a middle-aged stocky doctor with a green scrub cap came forward barely giving me time to recoup.

"Excuse me, Mr. Maniscalco? I'm Dr. Gregory, I need to speak with you."

I turned to the doctor, giving him my full attention.

"So I have good news and bad news. Good news is—no vital organs were hit."

"W-What's the bad news?" My teeth raked across my lower lip as I braced for impact.

"The bullet is still lodged deep within his abdominal tissue."

"Oh mio Dio, Polpetta." —I breathed deeply, trying to maintain composure—"So what now?"

"So now we have the option to keep the bullet in there until he's more stable or take it out now. If we wait, we run the risk of him becoming infected throughout his body. If we take it out, he could lose a lot of blood and go into shock."

My back straightened and I pressed knuckle into my top lip as I started a loosing battle against my tears.

"Both choices are risky, and we're equipped to deal with whatever happens. It's your choice, but time isn't on our side."

The weight of pent up anxiety crushed me under its thumb.

Where was Julia? She needed to be here for this!

Nicolai's charismatic toothy grin along with his playful and quirky behavior played on a loop in my mind. Julia here or not, Nick's still my responsibility. He wasn't gonna die on my watch.

"Take it out." 

Dr. Gregory nodded, turning to his nurse to prepare the documentation.

"We'll have you—"

"Where is he!?" A blaring panicked voice shook from the entrance to the pediatric emergency area earning everyone's rapt attention.

My heart lifted from the floor of my chest as I recognized the voice's owner and was quickly singled out under Julia's keen radar.

"Andres! Where is he? Where's my baby?"

Julia's red rimmed eyes found mine and I brought her shaking body into my embrace.

"It's okay Jules," -I smoothed my hand across her arched back- "No vital organs were hit."

She glanced up at me then to the doctor standing with us as his head moved up and down in agreement.

"We discussed removing the bullet, which Mr. Maniscalco has agreed to. The other option is keeping it in until Nicolai is more stable but-."

"Wait? You said they could remove it?" She snarled.

"You weren't here, so I made a decision."

"I wasn't here, so you made a-," -Julia repeated to herself and shoved me away- "Sei a pazzo? You don't have the right to make that type of call!"

"Yes I do, Julia." I held my ground.

"You think just because you help take care of him you can just sign off on things? That's my job Andres! You are not his father!!" Her forehead creased as her top lip crinkled.

"Yes I am!"

A deafening silence suffocated the space between us, kicking Julia in the back of her legs as her knees buckled.

"W-What?"

"Nicolai is mine. I'm his father."

A/N: "you're worst critics are sitting up front and they're giving you two thumbs way up."

-Owl City

(Just some random encouragement)

Oh yeah, btw Andres is Nick's dad.