𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 ⚔︎

15

don bruno peralta was hospitalised after an extreme coughing fit took hold of him when he and his wife were having dinner at their home in queens. it definitely hadn't something he ate that caused it: soup and bread was not a meal that made you erupt into loud, long wheezes and your lungs feel as though they were shrinking.

he had been in manhattan general for three days now, and there was no sign of him getting out any time soon. instead of getting better, he steadily got worse.

on the morning of tuesday, june 7th, eddie and sal decided to visit him. eddie knocked on the door of bruno's room, a bouquet of white roses in hand.

"who is it?" bruno called hoarsely, his short sentence followed by a cough.

"it's eddie and sal, bruno."

"come in."

they walked into the room, met by a rather mesmerising scene. countless bouquets surrounded bruno's hospital bed, arching around him like a wreath. red carnations, pink gardenias, white lilies: their sweet scents filled the nostrils of the duo as they came closer. bruno was sat up in his bed. he looked like he had just been to hell and back; his face was sickly, his eyes sunken into his skull, and he was as skinny as a rake. he looked weak, awfully weak. an IV stuck out from his right arm, hooked up to the machines, and one came slithering out of his nose like a snake.

"hey fellas," bruno said.

"good morning, bruno," sal said. "we brought you a little somethin'."

sal handed him the bouquet and bruno held the white roses delicately in his hands, taking a big whiff. "oh, wonderful. thank you, ed."

eddie dipped his head. "not a problem. how are you holding up?"

bruno set the bouquet down beside him. he let out a raspy sigh. "well, i'm not my best at the moment. gloria is worried sick about me, my kids, my grandkids... i think half of new york has come to see me!" he laughed, motioning at the flowers.

"i can imagine," eddie said. "have the others visited?"

"yes, yes. everyone sends their regards," bruno coughed. "even that twisty old bastard, marc."

sal let out a small chuckle. "well, at least he's saved face."

"i imagine you've come here to talk business?" bruno said.

"yes, i have."

"well," bruno heaved, sitting up straighter. "my underboss, enzo, is in charge right now. the unions, the rackets, the trades — he's got it all under control."

"that's good to hear," sal said.

"but if the shit hits the—" the old man erupted into a coughing fit, his heart rate on the monitor spiking up and down. it took several seconds for him to collect himself. "if the shit hits the fan, i've appointed my grandson, paul, as the new don of the peralta family."

"paulie?" eddie said. "i thought he wasn't apart of the business."

"yeah, he ain't in the business. he's a pilot," bruno said. "but when he was a kid, his father and i taught him a few things. he knows the ins and outs, trust me."

"are you sure he's..." sal trailed off nervously. "equipped? he's only 25 years old—"

"of course he's equipped, you fuckin' idiot," bruno retorted. "are you seriously gonna question the abilities of my kid? you—"

"alright, alright," eddie said, raising his hands. "he was just askin'."

bruno surveyed sal with cautious eyes before flitting his attention back to eddie. "paul's gonna be the boss. and that's just how it is."