A New hope

Chapter 4-Hello again

Alessio:

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK. I AM NOT TOO YOUNG TO JOIN!" My idiot youngest brother screams. "YOU'RE FOURTEEN, EVEN THE TRIPLETS AREN'T ALLOWED, WHY DO YOU THINK WE WOULD LET YOU," my even more of an idiot brother Giovanni screams. I hold the sides of my face. My elbows resting on the hard wood of my desk. All of this arguing is giving me a migraine. "YOU.." Cassio starts. 

"ZITTO! mi fai venire il mal di testa," (SHUT UP, you're giving me a headache) I shout, sick of all of their nonsense. They pause from their screaming match looking towards me. "Cassio you can begin training when you are fifteen just as all of us did, but you will not be joining until you are eighteen. I will not hear any more of this. Giovanni for God's sake you're twenty-two, act like it," I say sternly. Cassio has been begging for us to let him join the mafia for years, but it's no place for a child. Even one as strong and stubborn as him. Cassio and Gio scoff at the same time. I look up towards them, daring them to show me disrespect. Thankfully, they don't. "Uscire". (get out)

The door closes behind them. I lean back resting my head on the back of the chair and rub in between my eyes. I really have to see someone for my migraines. I would go to Tullio, but I don't want to worry my family, they already have enough grief on their plate. I sit in a moment of peace before the annoying sound of my desk phone starts ringing. I groan, debating if I should pick it up, looking at the number I see it's an American call.

I let the phone ring for a while before curiosity makes me slowly bring it to my ear. "Ambrosi," I say gruffly into the phone.

"Hello, is this Alessio Ambrosi?" I hear a feminine voice say.

"Depends, who is asking?" she pauses for a second.

"Mr. Ambrosi, my name is Irene Smith and I'm a social worker in Malcolm, Michigan. We have just run a DNA test on a patient here by the name of Ciana Aleesia Mitchell." I sit up, suddenly alert. Ciana? She's found? In Michigan, United States of all places? "She's just recently been taken out of the care of John and Diane Mitchell. You've come back as a match for her family. Will you be willing to take her in?" I pause, in disbelief.  There's no way that this is real. After 10 years of looking for her, we've had only a handful of clues of where she could be. I fight the hope in my chest. 

"Is this some sort of trick ma'am? Ciana has been missing for 10 years. Are you sure it's her?" I question disbelievingly. My eyes shooting to the picture I have on my desk of a sixteen-year-old me holding a smiling little four-year-old Ciana in my arms. That was a week before she was taken. Everything was easier back then.

"No sir. This is no joke, Miss Ciana is showing as a match to your blood along with the blood of who I believe to be your 5 other siblings. Are you willing to take her in or not?"

"I...of course. I am on my way as we speak," I say, standing up from my desk and briskly walking out of my office and down the hallway.  My lips spread into a grin; we are finally getting Ciana back.  "Where did you say you were? Michigan?"

"Yes, Mr. Ambrosi. I'm at Lincoln Hospital in Macolm, Michigan." My smile drops. Hospital? Why the hell is she in the hospital. I make it into the living room, seeing Gio sitting on the couch talking to Lucio. "Gio, chiama il pilota. Devo andare negli Stati Uniti adesso". (Gio, call the pilot. I need to go to the U.S. right now).

"Che cosa? Perché? è tutto ok?" (what? why? is everything ok?) he says as he pulls out his phone. Both of them get up following me as I continue talking to the social worker on the phone.

"tutto bene. Vado da solo. sarò a casa domani sera," (everything fine. I'm going by myself. I'll be home tomorrow night) I answer as I move across the house. They both stop following me as I quickly make my way upstairs and burst into Cassio's room. He's sitting on his bed, angrily scrolling on his phone. He looks up at me and watches as I move around his room. I go into his closest before grabbing the first sweatpants and sweatshirt I can find. He watches me move out of his room with the clothes muttering a 'what the fuck'.

I quickly leave the house now leaving my whole family confused. Thankfully the jet is ready when I get to the runway. "Chris," I call out the pilot's name.

"Si don?" the man replies.

"Voglio arrivare lì il più velocemente possibile. Non mi interessa quanto gas devi usare". (I want to get there as fast as we can. I don't care how much gas you have to use) he nods before climbing into the cockpit of the plane.

-

I walk into the fluorescent bright hospital. Making note of all of the sick people waiting to be seen. "Mr. Ambrosi?" I hear a familiar voice ask. I nod looking towards the older woman. "I'm Irene, we spoke on the phone. Please follow me. We have some paperwork to fill out before you can take sweet Ciana home."

"How is she?" I ask as I follow Irene. She had told me over the phone the type of situation they had found mia cara sorella (my dear sister) in. I wasn't too happy and might have broken one or two of the whiskey glasses on the plane. "She's holding up alright. Poor girl definitely hasn't had the best life. Don't worry Mr. Ambrosi John and Diane will be held accountable". oh, they definitely will be.

-

There ended up not being a lot of paperwork to fill out considering Ciana had technically been under my custody since our parents died when I was twenty. If they could be with me right now, I know they would be so happy to have their baby girl back.

Before I know it, I'm in front of a white door, knowing that my baby sister is just beyond it. I've always been a calm man, but I don't think I've ever been as nervous as I am now. I don't think it really hit me that I'm truly going to see my baby again, my tesora that I have thought lost for so many years. Irene opens the door walking in and introducing me.

And there she is. the one my family has fought and cried over, the one who we have given everything to find. The light in her eyes has dimmed over the years, so has her child-like face. In front of me is my grown baby sister. Even though I knew she wouldn't be in the greatest shape, the bruise on her face still surprises me. Oh, I will definitely make them pay for hurting my little girl.

-

I drive to the airport, barely keeping my eyes on the road. I'm afraid to look away for fear that she'll disappear. She looks so much like mama I have to fight back tears. She gobbles down the McDonald's I got for her. I remember that she always loved getting it when we were young, begging papa to stop and get her some all of the time. Usually it worked, no one could ever say no to her. Apparently, her food preferences are still the same.

-

I stroke her bruised cheek, before leaning forward and kissing her lightly on the forehead. "Wake up Ciana. We're about to land," I say pulling myself farther away from her. She groans. "Come on piccola, time to wake up".  she groans again before smashing her face back into the pillow. I smile at her childish behavior until something catches my eye. Looking towards her back I see that the hoodie she's wearing has rid up. It reveals a mess of colors and scars along her lower back. Fierce anger rolls through my body but I'm quick to mask it as Ciana looks towards me. I pick her up gently moving her back to her original seat. What actually happened to her during these past few years?

-

I can practically feel how nervous she is. I don't blame her though, going to live with six men who she hasn't seen in over 10 years has got to be pretty scary even though we would do nothing but protect her. I called Gio and had him put me on speaker for the boys to hear me when Ciana was sleeping on the plane. I told them that I was bringing her home and that I was expecting them to be on their best behavior. I wasn't too worried about Gio or Lucio but Tullio, Elio, and Cassio have never had a thing for new people even if she is their sister. I can only hope they'll be welcoming.