A New hope

Chapter 27-Dr. Tullio

Tullio-

I turn towards Ciana, finding her looking down towards the ground. The poor girl is covered in so much blood, even more in the water surrounding her. My heart aches for Ciana, my sister has been through so much already, she doesn't need this on top too. I take out a few towels from the bathroom closet and grab the clothes Elio brought in, setting them into a pile. I kneel next to the tub, pushing the curtains all of the way back so I have more access to her.

I rest my head on my arms looking at my sister. Her eyes find mine. I smile, "you keep getting hit with one bad thing after another don't you?"

She laughs but it turns to a sob. "Tuli what did I do? Is he really dead?" I gently reach out to push away her wet hair from her face. "You, dear sister, defend yourself from someone who was going to hurt you, to kill you." She shakes her head, "hey, look at me" she does her face turning towards me, "this is not your fault, he put you into a situation that the only way out was death. You didn't choose to kill him, you chose to live." I say gently running my hands down her hair.

My fingers find something sticky on the back of her head. She groans when my fingers run over the area again. My brain turns into medical mode, my eyes quickly accessing her body. The water has finally washed away most of the blood.

"Tullio let me in," I hear Alessio's voice from the other side of the door, "I have your kit." I look towards Ciana, watching her, she nods slightly and I move to open the door. Alessio looks down towards me and gives me a comforting look. He brings his hand to the back of my neck, pulling me towards him gently. "I know it's hard to do this, to see this. You're still a child, we can take her to see an adult doctor if you want." I shake my head, knowing that she would be more comfortable with me. He nods, walking into the room. I watch him as he grabs Ciana from the tub, not caring of the bloody water that pours onto him. He sits down on the ground, pulling her into his chest, her sitting on his lap.

The flood gates open and she sobs into his chest. Alessio always does a good job at making you feel very safe around him, especially when vulnerable. He gently rocks her back and forth, muttering comforting things to her.

I look away from them, having to stop tears from coming to my eyes. I grab my kit from the floor, looking up into the room. My brothers plus Roman and Romeo all stare into the bathroom, looking at the scene. I look towards Elio, who's gently pushing back an upset Gio who's trying to get into the bathroom. "Gio come on," he's as much a father figure to us as Alessio is, he should be in the room too. He makes his way into the bathroom, sitting down against a wall, staring at Ciana.

"Ciana you need to tell me where you're hurt" I say as I close the door. She looks up from Alessio's shoulder. "I don't know, everything hurts, "she hiccups, then groans holding her ribs,"I think my back is the worst though." I frown, turning to set up my kit on the counter.

I tell her to stand up, which Alessio helps her do. Her uniform is almost molded to her skin and I know it's going to hurt to take off. I grab some scissors before walking toward the clothes pile I placed earlier. I grab the t-shirt, good, it's long enough to cover her. I cut a line down the back, forming a make-shift hospital gown.

"I know this is going to make you uncomfortable but I need to get access to your body." She looks towards me nervously but gently raises her arms. I hand her a towel before cutting the side of her uniform from top to bottom on both sides. Skirt too. I let her peel off the front of the uniform and she covers herself with the towel. I gently grab the back piece and begin to peel it off. She groans and Alessio goes to hold onto her, letting her lean into him. I continue peeling it off but not only does fabric come off but skin too.