CAPO

39. I love you

Buzzing.

That's all he could hear. Incredibly annoying buzzing. He could smell cologne too, the smell of a cigar. And that god awful buzzing.

It didn't stop, it didn't falter, it didn't go higher or lower. It was just one, annoying sound of buzzing.

He was losing his mind. The buzzing was driving him insane. He had to get rid of it so he could go back to sleep. He had to break it into pieces so he could shut his mind off and go back to sleep.

Lifting his hand, he balled his fist into a ball and aimed at the direction of the buzzing.

"Ow! What the fuck, man? Whyd you hit me?"

Giovanni pried his one eye open, "You were being fucking annoying," He gritted out, his voice deeper than usual, the rasp was as sharp as a razor blade.

"That's the one thing that always woke you up when we were kids, I had to try it out," Enzo shrugged, rubbing his nose with his palm. Giovanni grumbled tiredly, pushing himself up with his aching arms. His entire body felt like it was on fire, it felt he had been in the depths of hell for an eternity.

"How long was I out?" He asked Enzo, pushing his hair from his face.

"Two weeks,"

Giovanni's tired eyes shot open, "Two weeks?" He breathed, "Two fucking weeks? Jesus, Enzo. You couldn't have woken me up sooner?"

His brother narrowed his eyes, "You were half dead when I found you, Giovanni. I had to give you blood, man."

Giovanni shrugged, "Thank you for the blood, but still. You couldn't have woken me up?"

"We tried, dickhead. Arabella was the one who tried the most,"

Arabella. Arabella. His life. His love, his sun.

"Where is she?" Giovanni shot, his voice quick. Enzo's eyes darted to the white envelope next to his bed on the food tray. Without a word, Giovanni took it, completely ignoring his growling stomach, his need for the bathroom and a cigarette.

Enzo retreated out of the room without word, shutting the door behind him. Giovanni gently opened the envelope, taking the folded piece of paper from inside, folding it open.

Neat, clean handwriting. Giovanni smiled, leaning back against the headboard as he read.

"Dearest Giovanni

If you're reading this, it means you're awake.

I've rewritten this letter many times. I cannot find the correct words to say to you now.

You've been asleep for nine days today. I don't know how much it'll be when you wake up. It hurts to see you like that. You were so cold when you first came out of surgery.

I was mad at first. Mad at you for always wanting to fix everything. I was more angry than sad when I first heard you were taken to the hospital, I wanted to yell at you for being so reckless and getting yourself shot. There was so much blood. Blood was coming out everywhere, it was dripping everywhere. I can still remember how you reached out for Enzo and before you could reach him, you were out.

But then Enzo told me that you weren't going to wake up for a while. And I can still remember how hard I cried that day, it was like I had lost a piece of me. I spent all day with you, every day.

I am so deeply, utterly, ridiculously in love with you. I love you. I can't love anyone ever again like I love you, Gio. I don't know how I would've lived without my heart if you died. How could I have? How could I have gone to work and seen the chair you sit in? How could I have seen the window and not imagined you smoking by it?