Omerta

Chapter 34

        When we walked into the house I wanted to scream when I saw everyone come rushing into the foyer to greet me. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to see these people. I was exhausted, drained, devoid of anything. The only exception was Dom who came barreling through everyone to get to me. 

"Are you okay? Nobody told me anything until about 10 minutes ago. I rushed over as quickly as I could. I would've come to the hospital but they said you were already on your way here" Dominic garbled out one after the other. 

When Maria got sight of me she gasped. "They didn't even wash her up? Dio Mio. Giuseppe, do something" she clung to her husband's side and hiccuped like it were her who was covered in blood and soot. "Ma, che sei grullo?" (are you joking) Vicent scoffed at the state I was in. "Basta! Nicolas, let her get cleaned up and then I want you both in my office," Giuseppe stopped everyone from talking. (Enough!) I saw Nick's demeanor change and he rounded his shoulders to look at his father. 

        "No. The doctor said she needs to rest her throat. She can't talk tonight. She's going to bed after this," he looked at his father to challenge him. Giuseppe looked at me. Him and I had a staring contest from across the foyer. My cold dead eyes met his cold dead gaze and we just looked into one another until the voices around us brought us back. Was it you Giuseppe? Did you try to kill me tonight? 

Everyone looked uncomfortable here. It was hard to read anyone right now in the condition I was in. I decided to just start walking upstairs. Dom came rushing after me and once we got upstairs and away from prying eyes he hugged me tight to him. 

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. I know you can't talk right now, but I wanna know everything. I'll protect you. I promise," he said. "I'm dirty," I croaked out, but he hushed me and told me he didn't care, to rest my voice. I nodded and squeezed his hand.

        When Nick got to the top of the stairs Dom rushed over and shook his hand. "I heard you ran in after her. I don't know how to even thank you for this Nico. You saved my cousin" he said in a moving voice. This really affected him. "No need to thank me. You'd have done the same," he pat Dom on the back before coming up beside me. Nick doesn't know how to handle emotions, so he was fidgeting like he was awkward. 

"Let me help you wash up," Nick said softly to me. My eyes snapped over to Dom, but Dom just nodded and told me to get clean and rest. "I'll come to you in the morning," he promised. I hugged him one more time before trudging into my own room. 

I could feel Nicolas's eyes all over me assessing me. He quickly pulled me to him, catching me off guard. He hugged me close and rested his cheek on my head. 

        "That's the scariest fucking thing that's ever happened to me. Well happened to you, but you know what I mean," Nick said, still holding me. I kept thinking about that damn zippo lighter every time he spoke. I shook it from my mind and hugged him back, because if nothing else I owe my life to Nick today...no matter what tomorrow brings. 

"I don't know why you ran into a burning building to save me, but thank you, Nick. Truly. You saved my life," I told him in a soft tone since I could still speak I just wasn't advised to. 

"We'll talk about everything tomorrow, but for now let's just get you clean," he said. I had just as many questions for him as he probably did for me. I took my phone and the lighter out of my pocket while Nick was turning on the water for me. I tucked the lighter into a pair of rolled up socks in my drawer for safe keeping.

        When I peeled my dirty shirt and shorts off my body I felt relieved to be removing the sweaty, soot riddled items. I had a dressing on the burn across my thigh that I technically shouldn't get wet. I decided I would try and keep that leg away from the running water. Nick rushed off and got this little plastic stool and told me to sit on it. My leg was out of the shower with a towel over it, while the rest of me was under the shower head of cool water. I didn't want anything hot on me. I have never experienced the kind of heat I did today and I never want to again. 

Nick took his clothes off and joined me in the shower and that's when I remembered the mark on his ribs. I reached out for it. It looked like the kind of burn you get when your hand touches the top of the oven and a line is burned across. It wasn't an opened or bubbled up severe burn. It still looked tender though. 

"It's nothing. Trust me," he removed my hand and gently placed it back on my lap. He got a cup and started rinsing my hair and down my arms and torso. 

The water that ran from me came swirling down in shades of red and black. He used a washcloth to clean away any dry blood from my ear, neck, and hairline. He used body wash to remove the black soot from my flesh. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being taken care of. It's what I needed tonight. I could try and be strong tomorrow. Tonight I just need to be vulnerable.

         The image of those flames kept coming to my mind. The anguish I'd felt when I thought I was going to die. I could feel it again. I don't know how long I sat there letting Nick wash all the horror off of me, but when his hands stilled my eyes finally fluttered open. He was looking intently at me like he was waiting for something. "What?" I asked. 

He shook his head and looked away like I may have just caught him lost in thought. I took his hands and washed them under the water beside me and then his forearms. He'd definitely cleaned himself off a little bit, but I spotted soot in subtle places like behind his ear and used my fingers to gently wash it off of him, like he had with me. 

When we both got out of the shower we toweled off being careful not to touch our burns or my head stitches. I helped him cover his burn even though he said it wasn't necessary. Nick must have instructed one of the staff members to go to the pharmacy because everything had been waiting for us when we stepped out.

"Should I stay with you tonight?" Nick surprised me by asking. Tonight wasn't about right or wrong, or the fact that tomorrow I couldn't be truthful with him anymore. His family were my number one suspect. Tonight I nodded yes. I wanted him here.

        We both laid flat on our backs side by side staring up at the ceiling. After I chugged a tall glass of water my throat was feeling better, even if I did feel the slight effects of the smoke inhalation still. It made me wonder how long I'd actually been breathing that in. I'd been unconscious for a while and the facts aren't so linear when something that traumatic is unfolding. I was finally the first to speak. 

"Nick...how did you know where I was tonight?"