The Mafia King's Nicotine

Chapter 53

Erik pushed Dannye aside and knelt beside her, stroking her hair softly. "Vivian." He breathed out softly, "How do you feel?"

She snatched his hand away from her face and frowned at it. She turned his fingers in her hand and looked at it almost in bewilderment.

"Are you mad at me?" She whispered, the bewilderment blossoming into concern.

He shook his head and frowned, "No, baby, why would I be mad?" He allowed her to maintain her desperate clutch on his hand, knowing she wasn't particularly in the correct state of mind.

"He only called me Vivian when he was mad at me..." her voice trailed off, her eyes glazing over as she was thrust backward in time to that terrible basement. That horrific feeling of Ollie inside of her. Gino's hands on her chest.

"Baby girl? No. No one is mad."

His voice provided a false sense of calm to fall through her. She had forgotten the sound of his voice and now that it was with her she clutched it close to her chest, trying to trap it in the cages of her heart where it could never escape her again.

"Erik?" She whimpered, but she wasn't looking at him. She was looking past him up towards the ceiling, stuck in an endless looping reverie.

He brought their joined hands to his mouth, kissing her knuckles, brushing her fingers across his stubble hoping the loving gesture would bring her back to him.

Her grip tightened suddenly and her eyes grew wide in horror at something only she could see. She squirmed on the bed, whimpering loudly, clawing at Erik's skin. She raised her other hand to her mouth and feverishly bit at her skin, trying to find some release of pain.

Dannye knelt beside Erik on the floor and adjusted the washcloth that was sliding off of Vivian's forehead, "Hey, V. You're okay. You're okay now."

Her eyes slowly turned to her brother and she focused closely on his face, mouth ajar. She dropped Erik's hand and reached out to Dannye instead.

"Vivian..." Erik was-

Shocked?

Upset?

Annoyed?

Heartbroken?

How could his wife- the love of his life, reach out for someone else in her need for comfort? Was he the reason she was like this? Did he cause her this terrible moment of pain?

He pushed off of the mattress, bringing himself up to his full height and looked down at his fragile wife. How he wished he could hold her and take away this suffering. Take away the bad dreams. Take away Ollie and everything they had ever done to her.

Her mouth opened wider and she licked her lips in thought, "Where is Erik?" She asked in a terrified whisper.

"I'm right here, Princess." He said. How could she have not noticed him? They had only spoken a moment ago.

She blinked a few times in confusion, still not looking at him, just watching Dannye intensely, "I need- I need Erik." She whispered, even softer than before, that Dannye, who was inches away from her, could barely hear.

But Erik did.

He scooped her up into his arms without even the thought that he might frighten her and cradled her in his lap, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. He pet her hair gently, her legs hanging off the side of his, as her head rested safely on his chest.

"I'll always be here, mon amour." Always.

She whined against his neck and pushed against him slightly, but gave up quickly and allowed him to soothe her.