The Thorned Rose

28

Evaluating heart rhythm. Heartbeat detected. Put in the recovery position. Keep pads attached.

I did exactly as the machine said, also laying part of her now cut up jumper over her chest area, for modesty, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart was beating, very slowly and very quietly, but it was beating.

About three minutes later, two paramedics rushed into the room, they moved her onto a stretcher and carried her to the ambulance. I gave them each two thousand euros for their discretion, and they accepted willingly. I rode with her in the ambulance, holding her hand the entire way.

It had now been a week since she had come into the hospital, and they had to put her under a medically induced coma because of the brain damage she had suffered, so we were in the Intensive Care Unit, surrounded by the hum-drum of the machines that were fighting for the survival of those who, like Sav, couldn't eat, drink or breathe by themselves. The reason they put her in this drug-induced coma was so that it would protect the brain as it healed, and it also meant they could effectively operate on her abdomen. Her intestine was pierced by one of the stab wounds, and pierced in another place by another stab wound, which caused a lot of complications, but hopefully they are all sorted now. The other two stab wounds didn't affect any major organs, but they were still devastating. Here she lies, all patched up, bruised and broken, with a million tubes and wires sticking into her, and a huge oxygen mask covering most of her face, yet she looks peaceful, and beautiful.

I rarely leave her bedside, appointing Dimitri to be in charge of all of the various businesses that had to be attended to after the incident, and from what I hear he has been doing well. If I do leave, it is to go back to the house, take a shower, get a change of clothes and perhaps have a small something to eat, although I haven't really been that hungry recently, and I always sleep in an uncomfortable pull out bed by her side. My family and Dimitri, as well as the other men who did care for her, especially the ones that were in the room as we literally brought her back from the dead, often visit, dropping off flowers and cards, sometimes chocolates, which she cannot eat, but they are still growing in a pile on the table next to her head. The room is filled to the brim by a sea of colourful flowers, that I know if she was awake would light up her eyes. Often, when people visit her, they also bring me something, like a magazine, or some food, or a cup of coffee. I always appreciated the gesture, although often never drank the coffee, ate the food or read the magazine.

"Don Sandrino, may I speak with you outside?" asked Dimitri, walking over to me. I nodded my head, and before I left, I took Sav's hand and planted a soft kiss on the back of it. I followed Dimitri outside, and took in a breath of the fresh outside air.

"Domenico is still on the run, this is the perfect time to take back your power," he informed me, I tried to stop him talking but he carried on, "listen, I know you want to be by her side, but wouldn't one of the best gifts you could give her is make sure that none of this was in vain? Imagine the guilt she may feel, if she experienced normal emotions, when she found out she was the reason that you didn't win back control, as we have been fighting for so long to do." I knew he was right, I just hated leaving her, even to just shower at home.

"Okay Dimitri, set up a meeting in an hour at the house, I will be there in half an hour, and I want you to debrief me on everything that happened since I left with Sav in the ambulance," I said, and he nodded his head and left.

When I went back up to see Sav, the doctor was by her side, reading her chart.

"Dr. Medzeldino, how is she?" I asked.

She looked up at me and smiled sweetly, "good news, we will be planning on reducing the amount of drug that is keeping her in the coma, and if she responds well to it, we will continue to reduce it."

I smiled broadly, shaking her hand, "that's amazing news, thank you so much." I called my mother and Loretta, to make sure they were here by her side when I left, as I wanted a recognisable face to be there in case she woke up.

I drove quickly back to the house, and went down into the meeting room, where Dimitri sat with my six capos: Rico, Dino, Lazarro, Zaccaria, Stefan and Eros. I took my seat at the head of the table and we started the discussion. A car, driven by Stefan, did follow Domenico when he drove away from the warehouse that day, but he had a gun, and shot the drivers of the cars next to him, so that they crashed together and blocked the way for Stefan's car, like the psychopath Domenico is. I could tell Rico was thinking the same thing as he clenched his fists in anger. Since then, he had been on the run. Aleksander's men arrived the day after to take the women and children to his warehouses in Poland, to then be able to process them and send them home too, and Aleksander himself is arriving tomorrow, with another huge load of men. Haris and Nasir would be arriving later today, with Haris towing behind an army of assassins, and Nasir towing behind the Bosnian mafia. There was no plan set in stone, but ideas flew around the room, and I hushed them when there was a knock on the door. The maid announced that people had arrived, and I watched them all enter the room, taking seats, and standing around when the seats were full.

It was inspirational speech time...