Dino lay unconscious in the white hospital bed, his face puffy and his breathing assisted by machines. Beeping monitors tracked his vital signs. Just 30 minutes ago, he had eaten shrimp for the first time, unaware of his deadly allergy. His throat had swelled rapidly, cutting off his air supply. He passed out almost immediately. An ambulance had rushed him to the hospital, with his bodyguard Luca riding along. Now, doctors and nurses watched over him closely. They administered medication through an IV to combat the allergic reaction. Though Dino wasn't aware of his surroundings, his body was slowly recovering from the severe shock. Luca stood guard near the door, his face tense with worry for his young charge.
Pietro hurried to the hospital to check on Dino. But doctors refused to let him see Dino yet.
"Sorry, Mr. Lombardi. You have to wait another hour and 30 minutes. But I need to talk to you about something," the doctor said.
"About what?" Pietro asked.
"Can you come with me to my office?" the doctor said, and Pietro wondered why the doctor behaved like this. He followed the doctor to his office.
"What is it, doctor? Is he... is he in danger? Don't tell me he's... he's...," Pietro said anxiously.
"Mr. Lombardi, so he's your son?" the doctor asked.
"Yes. Why?" Pietro looked at the doctor, confused.
"There are some bruises on his body," the doctor said.
"Like what?" Pietro asked, still confused.
"Like he got beaten by something. Are you responsible for this? Some scars are old like he got them when he was a kid. Those scars are still visible because they were severe when they occurred," the doctor said, his face grave with concern.
"We... We found him a few days ago. He grew up in someone else's house," Pietro said, surprised.
Pietro was shocked to hear what the doctor said, and he stayed in the hospital without leaving until they let him see Dino. Luca stood there like a statue, guarding Dino's room. Luca was perfect for that. He's like a stone. And he has a stone heart.
Finally, the doctors let Pietro see Dino. He was awake but looked too weak to talk.
Dino looked at Pietro in a vulnerable way, making Pietro's heart drop to the floor.
"Are you alright?" Pietro asked softly, touching Dino's hand for the first time. Dino struggled to respond.
"It's okay. We can talk later," Pietro said. "You can rest now." Pietro stroked Dino's hair smoothly. Dino looked at him with surprise.
Pietro was thinking about whether he should tell Dino he was his father or not at this time. Finally, he decided to reveal it to him once they went back home. He couldn't wait to take his son home, so he sought out the young man's doctor to inquire when he could take the boy home.
"Sorry, Mr. Lombardi. You can't take him today. He must stay here for at least Two days. We need to make sure he will not have any delayed reactions. He's deathly allergic to shellfish," the doctor said.
Dino hated being in the hospital. He hated that he was sick and couldn't even talk. This kind of thing had never happened to him before. He got sick when he was in the Johnsen's house, but he had never been in a hospital. Sometimes, they didn't even take him to a doctor if they felt it was just a typical illness.
Dino was surprised by Pietro's sudden kindness. He couldn't believe how he changed instantly. He even stroked his hair, and no one had ever done such a thing to him in his whole life, so he felt a little weird to get care and affection from someone.
Dino knew he couldn't go home today, which made him feel miserable. Now he had to stay in this bed all alone. It's not like he had anyone outside. But the hospital felt like a stinky prison.
The door opened, and Luca came in. "Boss, I'm outside. So don't worry," Luca said. Dino could not answer, so he just nodded his head. Luca took a glance at Dino once more and left the room.
"So, how is he?" Don asked Pietro after he came back home from the hospital.
"The doctor said he's deathly allergic to shellfish. He has to stay in the hospital until tomorrow," Pietro said.
"I have bad news," Don said, looking at Pietro.
"What?" Pietro asked.
"Caterina's father called and said the marriage will not happen," Don said, and Pietro felt sad. He tried to act like it wasn't a big deal. But the pain it caused was more intense than Pietro anticipated. He was looking forward to this marriage. Now it's over. He took a cigar, lit it up, and started to smoke.
"If you want, you can call her and try to fix this," Don said.
"I don't think she wants to marry me now," Pietro said in a dry tone.
"Why don't you talk with her?" Don asked.
"Maybe tomorrow," Pietro said and went inside. He looked at his phone and saw some missed calls from Caterina. Finally, he decided to call her.
"Hey, I just came home. Didn't hear you call," Pietro said.
"I told my dad," Caterina lashed out.
"Papa told me," Pietro said.
Pietro waited to hear a response from Caterina. But she said nothing.
"Papa told me that your dad called him and said the marriage will not happen," Pietro said again.
"Yes, it's because you lied to me. You never told me you had a son," Caterina said. She sounded like she was about to cry.
"It's because I didn't know," Pietro said.
"No, Pietro. You didn't even tell me you had a son until dinner. I feel like I'm a fool," Caterina said.
"I didn't want to upset you before the party. I was thinking of telling you after the party," Pietro said, and there was silence on the other side.
"Do you really want to call off the wedding baby?" Pietro asked, his voice strained with emotion, desperately hoping she would reconsider.
"Yes," Caterina said silently, and Pietro felt heartbroken.
"Okay then. I love... Bye!" Pietro said and waited until Caterina hung up. After a few silent seconds, she hung up without saying anything.
YOU ARE READING
Lost Lombardi
General FictionThis is a family type of story and not a BxB story. Dino had always dreamed of escaping his miserable life with his foster family, who constantly mistreated him. As an adopted child, he never felt loved or wanted, but he had a plan: work hard, fini...
