His Angel

Situations

Vanessa

There was a really bright light in my eyes. It was so bright it hurt. I felt lighter and more free. Was I dead?

"How is she?" Was that Gabriel?

"She's responding," The voice of Doctor Strouse said.

"And the baby?"

I heard her sigh. "I'm afraid I can't answer that at this moment in time."

"Can you at least get her to wake up?!" He was losing his patience. "I just want her to know what happened." I was a little groggy, but I knew how to open my eyes. At first all I saw was the white ceiling and then Gabriel's worried face. "Oh, my love, I was so worried!" He handed me a cold glass of water and I chugged it down, greedily.

"What happened?" I asked them.

"I'm not exactly sure, miss," Doctor Strouse said. "But somehow the egg wasn't completely fertilized..."

"That can happen?" I asked, confused.

"It seems to be the only logical explanation," she said.

"But the baby is okay," I hoped. They looked at each other and Gabriel asked her with his eyes. He doesn't know?

"I'm afraid...there is no baby," she whispered, looking down.

"What!?" Gabriel roared. His face went from a soft curious to a hard and furious. He grabbed Doctor Stouse by the throat and lifted her from the floor. I screamed and sat up, a little too quickly. "You knew about this didn't you?! Did Alejandro send you!? You knew it wouldn't survive!"

"I...I swear I....didn't," she choked out.

"Put her down," I whispered. That was enough to grab his attention. I pulled the covers back and l ripped open the hospital gown to reveal my stomach. There was once a promising baby bump, a hope for a future family, but it was now flat with no promises and no hope. Gabriel dropped her to the floor as she sputtered and coughed. He walked over to me in one long stride, taking my hands in his. "I can't believe this happened."

"I know, Vanessa, but we'll get through this," Gabriel said, stroking my hair.

"When can I go?"

"Whenever you like," Doctor Strouse said, rubbing her neck.

"I would like to go now."

*~*~*~*~*~*

I was numb for the next week. I had stopped eating so much, down to a cup of fruit a day. I just wasn't hungry. Gabriel was always away, burying himself in his work like an ostrich might bury its head in the sand. What a coward not to face me. Not once did he shed a tear for the child we lost. Did he even want it in the first place? It was time to make a crucial decision.

I had to leave.

I grabbed a suitcase that was under the bed, taking as many clothes as I could out of the drawers and closet. I gasped upon hearing a crashing sound from outside the bedroom door. It opened to reveal Gabriel, but something about him was different. He staggered across the room and he smelled heavily of alcohol. What had he done?

"Vanessa," he smiled at me. Then he looked at my suitcase and the things inside. "What is all this?" He frowned.

"You don't have to take care of me anymore. There is no baby so you don't have to pretend like you want to be with me. I'm going back home."

"You can't!"

"I can."

"But what about our love?!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Vanessa, I love you." My eyes widened at his confession. It was said that people are the most truthful when intoxicated. He fell on to me, balancing his weight on the thick bed post. "I've loved you since our first night together," he said, slurring a bit."I always wanted a woman like you in my life to bare my children, but I have a secret that you can't ever know. That's why you can't leave."

"What is it?"

"Shhh," he said, putting his finger over his lips. "There's no going back, mio dolce."(my sweet)

"What do you mean?"

"The second you bore my child you sealed your fate with me. You have to stay."

"Why would I have to stay."

"They'll kill you if you don't."

I gasped. "Who?!"

"The other Families. They still think you're pregnant and they'll do anything to keep an heir from being born."

Families. That sounded like... "Are in the Mafia, Gabriel?"

His eyes widened and he looked at the refrigerator we had in our room. "Hey!" He shouted at the appliance. "Don't talk about my girl like that!" He charged towards it and started to punch the steel refrigerator.

"Gabriel, stop!" I pulled him away as he got one last punch in.

"Did you hear what he was saying about you?!"

"I think you need to go to bed."

"You can't leave, Vanessa. They'll murder you."

"You're being over dramatic."

"I am not!"

"You are."

"Not."

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Gabriel," I warned. He giggled. Literally giggled. Like a teen school girl with an embarrassing crush on the school bad boy. "Get ready for bed please."

"Only cuz you said please." He got dressed for bed and I cleaned his bloodstained knuckles. They were definitely going to be sore in the morning. He laid down and I followed, putting my suitcase under the bed again. Just as I was about to drift off to sleep I heard him whisper. "I'm in the Mafia, Angelo, and they'll kill you if you leave. That's why I can't let you go. If anything were to happen to you...I can't lose you and our baby girl too."

My last thought was
Baby girl?

Such a sad chapter😭literally crying