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SAbrINA

E verything still looks out of focus and I’m having trouble completing a clear thought but this doesn’t matter.

Monte is here. I know he is. I can feel him holding my hand as he softly sings the lyrics of That’s Amore . He knows this will make me happy.

I turn my head toward him and blink forcefully a couple of times, willing the haze of the drugs to fade enough so that I can really talk to him.

There’s pain, plenty of it.

I feel like a hole has been drilled right through my body, which makes sense because that’s exactly what has happened. I’ve been told I’m lucky. No organs or arteries were hit.

Monte pauses his song and smiles. “Hey, cupcake.” He presses his lips to my palm. “Are you back now?”

“Sort of.” There’s an IV line trailing from the arm that’s not confined in a sling to keep it immobile. When I take a closer look at Monte’s face, I see his eyes are red and he looks drained. Exhausted. “What did they do to you?” I ask.

“Nothing,” he says. “They removed the bullet from my arm. I’m so sorry, Brina. They wouldn’t let me see you. By the time they took the cuffs off you were in surgery.”

A tear leaks out of my eye and rolls down my cheek. “Are you okay?”

The questions nearly makes him break down but he takes a deep, steadying breath and smiles. “I’m fine now. You probably saved my life, Sabrina.”

“Then it was worth it. And nobody can tell me different.”

Those aren’t empty words. I have no regrets about risking my own life to save his.

Monte strokes my hair, gazing at me with concern. “Daisy is here. So are my dad and Nico. Since I have my dad’s car, he and Nico caught a ride up here in Big Man Bowie’s burger truck.”

Though the act hurts a little, I laugh at the idea of everyone piling in for a midnight road trip in my brother-in-law’s hamburger truck.

Monte chuckles and then leans in to gently kiss my lips. “Your mother is flying here in Vittorio’s jet. And the minute you’re ready to talk, Anni and Luca are waiting by the phone.”

“I don’t know where my phone is,” I tell him. “I lost track of my bag.”

He reaches down and picks up the sling bag covered with pastel dragons. He sets it on the edge of the bed. “Your phone and wallet are still inside. I checked. And I’ve got something else for you, although I’m not sure if you want to see it.” He reaches down again.

“Cupcake!” I try to grab for the plush pink cat too quickly and nearly yank my IV out. “How did you find her?”

He grins and lays my carnival prize carefully on my chest. “One of the bystanders picked it up and gave it to the cops, thinking it might be yours. I cleaned the dust off and by some miracle there were no blood stains.”

“Monte, can you lay down with me? I always feel better when I’m in your arms.”

The hospital bed wasn’t made for sharing and it’s a tight squeeze but Monte manages to navigate the IV line and stretches out beside me while also being careful of the bandages on my right side.

His arms circle me with extreme care and even though I’ve just come out of surgery and there’s a bullet hole in my body, a sense of happy peace chases away the scariest of the shadows.

The worst is over. We’re alive and we’re together.

Monte helps me dial Anni’s cell phone. She snatches it up before the first ring finishes. Hearing the anguished tears in my sister’s voice while knowing that Anni hardly ever cries almost sends me into a spiral of uncontrollable weeping.

But for Anni’s sake, I remain calm and do my best to reassure her.

“Please get some rest,” I say because I’m sure she’s been up all night, worrying in agony. “And give sweet Janie a kiss from her Auntie Brina. Everything is okay here and I’ll call you later. I promise.”

She sniffs but there’s also some teasing in her voice when she says, “My little sister, the voice of reason.”

“Isn’t it nice for a change? And I’m not that much younger than you.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll always be my little sister.”

The emotional tears are threatening to return. “And you’ll always be my Anni.”

I’ve barely hung up with my sister when a nurse walks in to check my vitals and wheel me up to my private hospital room.

“Am I allowed to eat?” I ask her. “The last thing I ate was a carnival funnel cake and a lot has happened since then.”

“I’ll check with your doctor,” she says.

“Do you guys have bagels?” I ask. “Or better yet, pancakes?”

Monte, who walks beside my bed while it’s being wheeled through the corridors, laughs.

“I’ll see what I can do,” the nurse promises.

The second I’m settled in my hospital room, I ask for Daisy. I hate the idea of her driving up here in the middle of the night and pacing the hospital floors with worry.

Monte quickly escorts my sister to the room and she lets out a small cry of joy to see me awake and sitting up in bed. Big Man Bowie wanders in after her.

“Are you hungry?” he says. “I’ve got the truck outside. Say the word and I’ll whip you up a burger.”

Bless the man and his unending mission to feed people. I’d love a burger.

Monte and Daisy conspire to fuss over me like a pair of mother hens. When I ask about the other Castelli men, Monte worries that too many people in the room might be too much for me right now.

Of course it isn’t. Sal and Nico are family. They should be here.

Nico, following Monte’s orders, already visited the cabin to retrieve my laptop and some clothes.

“I was so worried about you,” Nico says as he hands my backpack over.

“We all were,” Sal says and he blinks away tears. “There’s only one Sabrina. We love you, kiddo. I hope you know that.”

There’s no way I’m going get through the rest of the day without crying again. “I love you guys too.”

When the doctor stops by for a quick exam, everyone except Monte leaves. Big Man Bowie has promised them all a hamburger breakfast and he says he’ll find a way to get some food up here to us.

Monte holds my hand while the doctor delivers a very sobering outline of what I can expect in the weeks to come. Apparently, all those movies where people run around good as new a week after getting shot full of holes are fiction.

Just because I escaped the worst outcome doesn’t mean there’s no damage. There will be pain and lots of physical therapy and limited shoulder mobility. In the meantime, I’ll really need to be careful.

“Looks like you’re stuck dealing with my overprotective care for a while,” Monte says. He drops a kiss on my forehead but he’s doing his best to act cheerful when he’s struggling with a lot of other emotions.

Shortly after the doctor leaves, a nurse shows up to check my vitals and ask about my pain. The pain isn’t terrible now but I can feel it gnawing at the edges and know it will become worse later.

There’s still no sign of any pancakes but luckily Big Man Bowie saves the day and arrives with fresh hamburgers.

“I snuck them in,” he declares proudly.

Indeed he did. Two burgers, one for me and one for Monte, were lovingly prepared and then stored in a white paper bag, which he ‘hid’ under his shirt in a very visible way that fooled no one. He would be a dreadful smuggler.

Daisy, nearing the end of her first trimester of pregnancy, must be feeling very maternal because she insists on helping me while I try to eat my food. I could use some help so I don’t complain. Then she carefully brushes out my hair and ties it up in a loose bun to keep it out of my way. My sister will be a wonderful mother, just like Anni.

Sal and Nico need to return to the city to deal with pizza business so they take the car. Nico says he’ll be back tomorrow. I’m told that I won’t be discharged for another couple of days. I know without asking that Monte won’t be going anywhere until I do.

Daisy doesn’t want to leave but she is tired so Big Man Bowie takes her to the cabin to get a few hours of sleep. She wants to be here when Mama and Vittorio arrive this afternoon.

The room becomes very quiet with all of our company gone.

I scoot over and pat the bed. “Reclaim your rightful place.”

Monte grins and slides in next to me. The television is on but the volume is turned down. Neither of us are too interested in watching whatever bubbly morning show is playing.

Monte touches my cheek and kisses my temple. His sigh is filled with sorrow.

“Are you really okay?” I pat his leg.

“No. I almost lost you.”

“But you didn’t.”

He nods and his breath tickles my neck. “Do you remember when I asked you to go for a walk?”

“Yeah, but I think we’ll have to postpone it. I’m not really up for hiking today.”

He sniffs out a laugh and then grows serious. “There’s a reason why I suggested a night hike. I planned to bring you back to that meadow we found yesterday. And then I was going to propose to you under the moonlight.”

He takes my hand and laces our fingers together. He brings my hand to his lips for a soft kiss and needs a few seconds to compose himself before continuing.

“Sabrina, you are my wife. But when we got married, it wasn’t your choice. I’m asking you to choose me now. Will you marry me, Brina?”

“Monte.” I pull him closer. “Of course I’ll marry you. And you are my choice. You always have been.”