Page 52 of My best friends little sister

I arrive back at the hospital with 2 buckets of fried chicken and a whole tray of strawberries, some of which are suspiciously missing. I had a hard time trying to keep Ivan from eating everything before we got back.

I head to angelicas room to find her and Mateo sitting on the bed watching the tv, to my surprise Sullivan is sitting in the chair beside the bed also watching the screen intently.

As Ivan and I walk in they all turn, angels face lighting up the second she sees me, or maybe its the food, I dont know.

I turn to sully who's watching us from his chair, a pleased look on his face. He gives me a small nod which I return, ''sully. How are you doing?''

He stands from his chair and smooths out his clothes, ''I better get going. Goodnight everyone'' he says with a friendly smile. I see angels face drop slightly like shes disappointed hes leaving.

Sully looks hesitant to join us but eventually gives in and sits back in his chair.

Mateo and Ivan try and pick a movie while sully and angel talk.

I sit there, content. I'm surrounded by the people I love.

Yes, the situation may not be great what with angel and sully both being shot and almost killed but aside from that, this feels perfect.

Once Mateo and Ivan settle on a movie everyone starts to dig in. angel seems nervous at first, I assume because its fast food which she isn't very comfortable eating, but after a little while she eases and takes her first bite.

I watch her more than I watch the actual movie, I dont even know what they put on because I wasn't interested.

Watching angel like this was a perfect enough movie for me.

The way she watched the screen with pure joy, the way she ate like she had no issue with food at all, the way she talked to the others about the movie like us spending this time with them was a regular thing. Maybe it should be.

I just observe everyone every now and then.

The way Mateo and Ivan sit together and argue like twin brothers about something in the movie.

The way they both care and tend to angelica like shes their precious little sister.

If she shifts slightly and winces, both of them have their eyes on her making sure shes okay before turning back.

And then theres Sullivan. A man that ive known my whole life, that I know is just as ruthless when it comes to what we do as my father was.

Yet here he is, looking like an ordinary man.

He looks happy as he watches the movie, occasionally joining Mateo and Ivan's little disagreements or turning to talk to angel.

Sully's been through a lot besides being in the mafia.

His wife wasn't able to have kids. They tried for years and had multiple miscarriages.

Eventually they decided to adopt their first child when suddenly his wife fell very sick with stage 4 brain cancer and died only a few months after her diagnosis.

That was a few years ago. I had never seen him so broken. He was destroyed, a shell of a man yet here he is, happy. The first time in a very long time that ive seen him genuinely happy.

And then theres me. A broken boy that grew into a hard ruthless man, in charge of the biggest Italian mafia in the world at the age of 14 after losing his parents.

Never in my life did I ever think id be so.

..happy. I spent so long feeling angry and lost without my parents.

Not knowing how to live or function properly, at least not for this life.

I miss my parents every day, even more so since I met angelica.

That pain of knowing they would never get to meet her sits in my chest constantly, but this?

This is my family right here. My beautiful girl.

My 2 best friends who are basically my brothers.

The man who practically helped raise me and really stepped up when I needed someone even though he didn't have to.

All of them together in one room, talking, laughing, enjoying time together.

I cant imagine my life without them anymore. A future without angelica by my side? A future without my best friends in the whole world here to keep me on my toes but also keep me grounded? A future without the only father figure I have left? I couldn't bare that life.

The old me would have laughed at myself for my thoughts and feelings. He would have told me i was whipped beyond belief. That I was pathetic and weak, but angelica changed me. This new me that shes helped create is sat here feeling these feelings and is perfectly okay with them.

I dont fucking care how weak or pathetic I sound. I dont fucking care how whipped people think I am. If loving my girl more than anything in the world means I'm whipped, then yea. I'm fucking whipped.

I slip out of my dazed thoughts and look at angelica. She looks so tired but doesnt make an effort to tell anyone. The movie looks as if its coming to an end soon so I dont say anything either, letting them finish it.

I move slightly and sit on the edge of the bed.

Angel looks at me confused but then realises what I'm trying to do and shifts to the side so I can lay out on the bed.

I pull her gently into my lap, trying not to hurt her or irritate her wounds.

She cuddles up to me burying her face in my chest as I wrap my arms tightly around her.

I watch the end of the movie, softly stroking her bare arm with my thumb. Shes fast asleep by the time its over but I dont wake her.

The guys notice angels sleeping body in my arms and whisper goodbyes before leaving.

I dont move, scared I may wake her. Instead I decide to grab the blanket and pull it over us both, making sure angelica is fully covered so she doesnt freeze to death.

God knows that girl has no control over her body temperature.

I just stay there for a little while, holding her tightly in my arms like someone could rip her away from me at any moment.

I smell her hair trying to remind myself that I'm not dreaming and that shes here, alive and safe in my arms. Her hair smells so faintly of her shampoo but I can still smell it. It smells like my angel.

After some time I can feel myself drifting off. I fight it to begin with, desperate to stay awake and just hold angel close to me forever, but at some point during that battle I feel the darkness take over and I fall asleep with angelica still in my arms. Just like she should be.

This is my home