Page 11 of Amadeo (Dark Legends #4)

Amadeo

I glanced over at Deacon. Two things had just happened here that I did not see coming. Deacon awakening and with absolutely no memory.

“Assolutamente no, cazzo!” No fucking way! my father swore loudly.

“Deve lavarsi la bocca con il sapone, Signor Descalia,” Gia chided him. You need to wash your mouth out with soap, Mr. Descalia.

I kept forgetting that she knew Italian.

I shook my head. Only the good doctor would tell my father off and in his own language, no less.

She had no fear of the man or of anything it seemed.

Most often, people with just a little sense knew he wasn’t someone you messed with.

Like he was known as the Bad Moon Rising .

Did she even know this fact? Or how about the fact that anyone who crossed him, paid for it. Case in example…Deacon in a coma.

Dr. Ribisi had courage to spare though. I also did believe she would protect her patient beyond what anyone guessed.

Despite her dislike for me, I admired her a lot.

She showed me no patience but went to school for most of her life.

That showed patience. Also, the way she spoke to Deacon a few minutes ago, so softly, gently.

And he had responded, doing exactly as she asked.

He calmed down immediately. A good bedside manner is what that was called.

Too bad it didn’t extend to someone like me.

I wasn’t sure what it was she thought I’d done in the past?

Yes, I could have someone look into it but I refused to do that.

I would get her to tell me. That was my goal.

Maybe not a smart choice but I felt determined to stay with this until I found out the truth.

Trouble was, would it set her and I free?

And what would that mean? Maybe I could clear this up somehow and she might agree to a date?

Cause I really believed there had to be some kind of mistake.

But I sure as hell couldn't defend myself if I didn’t know what the accusation was.

I knew my teen years had been a little reckless as I rebelled like most young men did, normally.

There had been the last five years of normal casual dating.

I do know I never hurt anyone, not that I remembered.

Never led a girl on then dumped her as Gia hinted at that more than anything else.

Gia and the nurse took about ten more minutes attending to Deacon. He still had his IV and oxygen through his nose, but he’d been freed of all the machines except for the heart monitor.

He hadn’t fought them or even moved around much, then he had finally fallen to sleep.

Or was it sleep? I wondered if he would go to sleep again and not wake up. Hell, I had no medical training and Google did not count.

Gia walked over and told my father, “He will be in a weakened state for a few more days. Perhaps longer? We do not know yet. It is a challenge when a comatose patient wakes up.”

“So how long until we know?” my father asked.

Shrugging, she replied, “Could be a month? With this kind of situation, it depends on many factors.”

My father said nothing substantial but he looked pissed as he grumbled under his breath then pivoted and stalked out of the room.

I glanced back over to Gia.

She glared at me.

I slowly shook my head and asked, “Why are you staring poison daggers at me, again?”

“You called him?” she accused.

I was puzzled for a few seconds then realized what she meant as I asked, “My father, you mean?”

Nodding, she lowered her voice to add, “How could you do such a thing? You knew Valen would be upset to see him in here.”

I fought to control my anger as I replied, “I did not text or call him, Dr. Ribisi.”

“Yeah, no one called him.”

We both turned to look at Tito.

He pointed upward.

Her and I both looked to where he pointed.

At first, I didn’t see it. Then my eyes narrowed. “Well, shit.”

Gia scoffed. “I never knew they were there.”

Tito shrugged. “Honestly, I forgot about the cameras. Installed them myself more than a week ago. You have to understand we can take no chances.” Even as he said it, he glanced over at Valencia and sighed.

Gia reached out and tugged on my sleeve as she apologized, “I’m sorry.”

I didn’t know how to reply. In fact, I felt convinced that if I opened my mouth, I would most likely insert a size 12 shoe. So, I said nothing.

She didn’t wait for my reply anyway as she turned and went back over to check on her patient.

I got it that Gia hated me and she had instantly jumped at blaming me for harmful meddling.

I was fast believing now that wanting her was a bad idea.

I wish I didn’t want her at all, but since I tasted her lips, I felt bound to win the good doctor over.

I still wanted her in my bed and in my life.

Insane? Absolutely. But it’s been said that nothing great came easy, or was it that nothing crazy came easy?

I felt pretty discouraged at this point though.

So, if my world sucked, maybe I could help Tito’s world which had suddenly fast tracked to being fucked.

Tito being my father’s henchman so to speak and in love with the enemy's sister. The enemy by the way, was now awake and on the road to being well enough to be dead. I reached over to pat Tito’s arm. “You okay, man?”

He looked over at me and his expression showed his worry. “No, I’m not.”

I wasn't surprised when he told me the cold, hard truth.

That was the way he and I were, as friends and as cousins.

Truth all the way. It had been like that ever since his dad died and I braved the wild trail to go and talk to him at the lake.

“This is all very rough,” I told him. “How about you take a couple of hours and like…take your girl somewhere to talk?”

Tito stared at me. “I have a shift—”

I raised my hand up at him. “Dude, you also have a woman who is really upset. You need to take care of that. I on the other hand…” I paused to look directly over at the doctor. “Don’t have a woman, so I am free to take at least half your shift.”

“Danm, cuz.” He chuckled. “You are always such a nice guy.”

I laughed and again glanced over at the doctor. “Not according to some.”

He followed my gaze and said, “I know and I don’t understand it. Why does she…” He shook his head and didn’t finish his sentence.

“Why does she hate me?” I filled in the blank. “I’m still trying to find that out. Seems I did something so terrible in the past that she won’t even be nice to me, let alone, date me.”

He tucked his head back. “The fuck?” he exclaimed in total surprise. “You, doing something terrible? The Boy Scout, Mr. Nice Guy and possibly the most polite motherfucker of all time?”

I laughed. “Hell, I’m not sure those are compliments, cousin.”

“To me, they are all true. Grazzi for the break.” He smiled then turned to go over to Valencia. Speaking in low tones to her, he then waited.

Pausing, she looked at her sleeping brother then back over at me. Finally, she stood from the chair and allowed Tito to take her to the door. Stopping at my chair, she said to me, “I-I’m sorry.”

I looked down at her and asked, “For what, Valen?”

“Yelling at you and acting…” Her voice fell away.

I took her hand in mine and told her, “This is not easy. I get it. But I do want you to know something. I won’t be hurting him. Only if he gives me no choice and he is not in the shape to even do that. Try to get some rest and I will be watching over him.”

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded and went out the door with Tito.

“He’s leaving?”

I looked over to see Gia standing close by. “Yes, I told him to take a couple of hours and talk to her. Or whatever he needs to do to make her feel better.”

“That would take getting Deacon out of here. He would need to be far, far away,” Gia stated firmly. “Otherwise, she is not going to be feeling better. I saw the look in your father’s eyes. He doesn’t intend to just let him leave here.”

I knew she was right, but the situation was beyond me. “I know that. But I can’t change any of this.”

“Look, I’ve had many cases before this and it's not likely that Deacon will regain all of his memory.”

“Ok, why are you telling me this…” I paused as it came to me.

Nodding, she added, “Now you are getting it. Your dad will kill him for something he probably won’t ever remember doing. He won’t care about Deacon having no memory of his crimes, he will just have him summarily executed.”

I tilted my head at her and my question came out on its own, “If you know that, why do you work for the Mafia?”

She froze and stared at me. Raising her hand, she slapped my cheek.

My head snapped to the side from the force of it and I then looked back at her. “The hell?”

Her dark eyes glittered with those gold flakes and blazed to almost fully gold now. “Why do you work for them?” She seethed.

As my cheek stung, my heart did too. I replied, “I cannot help being born into it.”

This answer made her halt as if she never considered this.

“You weren’t born into it, were you?” I asked her.

Slowly, she shook her head as she gave no verbal answer.

“I can see you resent my father and his beliefs,” I bravely went on. “So why for one, did you agree to come here?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” she replied. “To protect my patient.”

“Ok, but why do you work at the Famiglia hospital?”

Giving me no answer, she again shook her head at me.

“So that one isn’t easy then?” I pressed.

Turning away, she went over and spoke to the nurse again, seeming to dismiss me altogether.

Well, I should be used to that. I sat down in my guard’s chair, I was used to being dismissed by her.

And damn, that woman could slap. I traced my burning cheek with my fingers and smirked.

It stung, but the fire in her eyes and her face?

Fuck, if it hadn’t stoked me up. I wondered again if those gold flecks also morphed in her eyes when she climaxed.

What the hell was the matter with me? The woman just growled and slapped me. So I wanted her even more? I might just be losing my damned mind.

I settled in for being ignored and looking at my phone.

Then it died on me. Damn, I hadn’t charged it in a day.

So much for digital distraction. I had relied on it to be my savior, because if I watched the good doctor, I might go insane.

I shut my phone totally off then leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

I did feel tired, but no sleeping was allowed on a guard job.

I tucked my phone into my pocket and stood from the chair.

Heading over to where the nurse stood by the bed, I looked down at a sleeping Deacon.

Nurse Jocelyn stared at me.

Yes, I could feel it, so finally I swung my gaze over at her.

She smirked at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Why did she slap you?” she whispered low.

I smirked back. “I asked the wrong question.”

“I swear I have never seen her react the way she does around you.” Nurse Jocelyn chuckled.

I stared at the nurse with true curiosity now. “So what is she normally like? Not this fire breathing dragon who slaps the spit outta guys?”

“No.” She looked around to be sure the good doctor wasn’t anywhere near as she admitted, “Yes, she can be very intimidating. No one tells her what to do. For one, she is more educated and highly skilled than all of them. The other doctors, who are all male by the way, tiptoe around her.”

I reached up and rubbed my freshly slapped cheek as I quipped, “I can see why.”

Still smiling, she shook her head. “Oh no, she has never had many altercations. Certainly not where she slaps people. Like she’s untouchable is what is said by the men at the hospital.

Cold, unreachable.” The nurse chuckled again.

“In fact, they all seem to bore her and she ignores them completely.

But she sure as hell doesn't ignore you! Dang, you have gotten under her skin.”

I paused at this conclusion. “So that isn’t her normal bedside manner?”

She shook her head. “No way.”

Here I had been feeling down that she hated me and seemed to have a score to settle with me. Now, I’d gotten a whole new perspective. “Thank you, Nurse Jocelyn,” I told her in a low voice. I felt some hope now. I never looked at it like that. Maybe I could change this under to being on her skin.

“What are you two whispering about?”

I looked up at Gia and told her the truth, “You, of course.”

At my brutal honesty, Nurse Jocelyn gasped.

I laughed and added, “I tried to get info on you like, do you have a boyfriend? What’s your favorite color? Are you really so rude to everyone else like you are to me? You know, the regular stuff a cad like me would ask.”

The nurse actually laughed now. “Oh, my God.”

Gia stared at me then crossed her arms over her chest. “Why ask my nurse? You should just ask me.”

I smirked at her and retorted, “I would but I’m not wearing a helmet. I could get hurt.”

More giggles from the nurse.

Dropping her arms, Gia looked pissed now as she pointed to the restroom. “We are disturbing the patient. Let’s go in there and discuss this.”

I almost made another crack, like did she wish to be undisturbed while beating me senseless?

Or have no witnesses to my tragic death.

I kept my remarks to myself and my smirk hidden as I turned away.

I suppose my curiosity had robbed me of my good sense.

But if she had something to say, I wanted to hear it, even if it was more insults.

I headed to the restroom, knowing I was probably about to be told off all over again.

I did know I would either regret this or love it.

When it came to this woman, there were only two speeds…

Super sexy and super hateful. She also had only two temperatures: hot and icy fucking cold.