Wait For Me

Chapter 3 - Healing and Dirty Dealing

TW: character utilizes a razor for a spell but it requires them to cut themselves

Three days. For three days Anthony sat by his brother's side and waited for him to wake up. The first day, his brother fell into a fever that had him thrashing around unconsciously. Both Anthony and his twin had taken turns wiping the sweat from his head and arms with cool washcloths, until the fever broke in the early morning.

Molly checked the wound and stitches, and although she herself made sure she cleaned the outside well, she presumed that the knife used had been filthy, and that the infection was from within their brother's wound.

The second day, Bruno slept. Not that either younger sibling could really blame him since he had had such a rough night previously. Today though, he seemed well. His natural color was back, and his chest was rising and falling peacefully. Anthony himself could barely keep his eyes open.

"Go rest Tony. He'll be here when you wake up," Molly had told him gently, once Bruno's fever broke. But Anthony was adamant. He was the cause of his brother getting stabbed in the first place. He refused to leave his side. With a resigned sigh, Molly had given her brother a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek, before she headed to her own room for some much-needed rest. Her cold was mostly gone, but there was no point in risking it coming back simply because she overdid herself.

Anthony had watched her go, sighing to himself as he looked back at his older brother. "At least one of them is okay."

Now he was seated at the bedside, leg bouncing as he tried his damndest to stay awake. A discarded newspaper sat by his side. Although the topic was interesting, it didn't hold Anthony's particular interest at the moment.

BREAKING! KILLER STRIKES AGAIN! RISE IN CRIME AS MURDERS SWEEP THROUGH THE CITY! Connected or coincidence?

Anthony hadn't bothered to read the rest of it yet, he knew it was about the new set of murders that seemed to be taking place at least once daily. The Mafia might take their secrets to the grave, but everyone knew that even they didn't kill so frequently. Anthony knew his brother would be interested in what it had to say when he woke up. If, a nasty part of Anthony's mind spat. Anthony shook his head. No, no. Bruno would be fine. He just needed to wake up, that's all!

Finally, his bodily instincts won the fight he had been fighting for nearly two days, and his head fell forward onto the side of the mattress in front of him.

It was a light snoring that roused Bruno from his slumber. At first, he noticed his throat was very dry. Then he felt the sun warming his face. He took a deep breath in, wincing when his side began to ache. Ah. Right. He remembered being stabbed in his lower abdomen, and then the drive home. Everything after was a blur. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, and a hand came up to wipe away the crust in his eyes. How long was I out, he wondered. Finally, his eyes opened fully, darting around the room as he inspected his surroundings. Though he'd had the good fortune to not have been in here for injuries before, current non-withstanding, he instantly recognized the room he was in as the infirmary in their mansion. As for the cause of the snoring? His eyes landed on the sleeping form of his brother at the foot of his bed. From this distance, he could see the rough black and blue under one of his eyes, and a swollen cheek going down. Not only that, but the bags from a lack of sleep were also significantly noticeable.

"Antho- "he tried, but his voice came out in a dry whisper. He wanted answers, but more than anything, he needed water. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Antonio?"

His brother continued to snore, unmoving.

Bruno frowned. If his brother was fast asleep like this, it wouldn't be hard to deduce that he had been up late. But reaching forward with an arm proved to be too uncomfortable as it tugged at the stitches in his side. Resorting to another method, he shuffled his leg to the other's face and gently pushed up with a foot. "Hey!" he whisper-yelled.