Saved in Darkness

Chapter 22

FEDERICO

"Is it me or did this trip seem incredibly long?" Domani asks as we get into the SUV waiting for us on the tarmac.

I smirk at him. "It's funny how you said I was pussy whipped with Elenora before I even slept with her and here you are dying to see Clara after only four days."

"Unlike you, I will proudly admit that I am whipped," Domani sighs. "But she's a little harder to convince. It's like she keeps waiting for the chance to cut me loose and it fucking drives me nuts."

"Why don't you talk to her about it?" I check phone, and smile at the picture Elenora sent me of Mateo smiling with the text captioning:

Patatina: Matty's first smile :)

Patatina: Well, when he's awake and we know it's not just gas lol

"I've tried but she usually tries to brush it off or makes a joke about it," Domani responds next to me. "Why are you smiling like an idiot?"

I hand him my phone and he smiles at the picture of Matty, too. "Damn, he just makes you forget about everything that's buggin' you doesn't he?" Domani leans over and shows Mostro who's deep chuckle resonates in the car.

"Yeah," I state, rubbing my face, even though the comment makes me think about how Elenora and I are in a strange place right now.

The demands of nursing have been rough on her and her talking in her sleep, let alone late at night, during her nightly feeds have taken on a whole new level. She cries a lot too, but she doesn't think I notice.

I've learned to just give her space because asking her what I can do to help only seems to add fuel to the fire and she snaps at me. I constantly feel useless. But I've been reading a lot during this trip and hope I can apply some of what I've read.

"Today is the big day then?"

I look over at him, coming out of my wandering thoughts. "What do you mean?"

"It's the day you'll get the green light, isn't it?"

"Green light?" I'm even more confused.

"Nora's six week check up?"

I groan. "Fuck, I forgot. We need to make a stop, Mostro."

"Sure, where to, boss?" He asks over his shoulder. I tell him the few different stops we need to make, hoping after tonight Elenora and I can get back to being us again.

We pull up to the house a couple of hours later and Domani and Mostro help me unload everything and take it up to our room. They help me set up a few things before I end up kicking them out with their comments and jokes about some of the things I got.

I check my watch, it's almost dinner time and they're still not back, but then my phone chimes with a text from Mostro.

Mostro: They just pulled up, boss.

After a quick freshening up, I head out of the room and walk down the hallway, but when I get to the top of the stairs I hear the arguing voices of Domani, Clara and Ciccio. I wait to hear what is going on.

"He's going to fucking lose it when he hears about it," Domani mutters. "Why Nora? Why would you do it?"

"Dom, Matty is her son, too, she has a say in what happens. I mean, I tried to stop it but what's done is done. Nothing happened. I wouldn't let her do anything to Matty," Ciccio states.

"Well, if it's any consolation Matty proved Rosetta's evil. He started crying while she was holding him," Clara adds.

I let the words sink in, before everything becomes clouded in red and I storm down the stairs.