Page 234 of The Havenport Collection

Matteo

I slumped in my chair, looking over at Val, who was sleeping soundly in the hospital bed.

We were stuck in the ER for the night since her blood oxygen had been so low.

I didn’t care. It wasn’t the first time I had slept in a chair next to my girl, and as much as I would love for it to be the last, I knew better.

Gio had gone home and brought us some stuff—clothes, her favorite stuffed lobster, and a toothbrush for me.

He had wanted to stay, but I sent him home along with the entire family that had filled the waiting room at the tiny hospital.

I loved my family, and they sure as hell showed up when you needed them, but I could only take so much right now.

In typical Rossi fashion they were making a ton of noise and asking a million questions.

I felt so badly for the poor hospital staff, but if I knew my Nonna, she’d have pastries and flowers delivered tomorrow to smooth things over.

That woman knew how to handle everything and everyone.

She had to, raising her own four kids and then taking charge of my five siblings and me after my mom left.

Even in her eighties, nothing was slowing her down.

Nonna, my dad, Bruno, Christian and Dante, Nora, and Gio had all waited for hours before begrudgingly heading home. Gio would have stayed, but I made him promise to see Nonna home safely. I loved them, but Valentina was doing much better and we would be able to go home tomorrow.

I was kicking myself. The flu? We were so careful. I was adamant about hand washing and I insisted that every single member of our family get a flu shot every single year. But I couldn’t control everything; I couldn’t.

I wanted to pick her up and take her home, desperate to get out of this hospital. I could only imagine the germs crawling around this place. It made me shudder. I wasn’t always a germaphobe, but when I realized just how dangerous they could be to my little girl, I got really paranoid really fast.

Attempting to close my eyes, I was hit with the realization that the next few weeks would be even harder.

Val would likely be put on an oral steroid for at least ten days, which meant mood swings, hyper behavior, and no sleep.

Plus follow-up medical appointments. I could feel my blood pressure rise. At this rate I’d never be able to work.

It was the single parent’s lament. Never enough time.

Not enough time to work and earn a living, and not enough time for my child.

All guilt all the time. Guilt when I left her with family, and guilt when I came home early, worried that my business might not make it and we’d be out on the street. I could not win.

I leaned back in my uncomfortable chair, ran my hands through my hair, and said a silent prayer of thanks. This one had been bad. But my girl was tough. And if I could just protect her forever, be there every day to watch her and do everything, it would be okay.

But I knew the day would come when I wouldn’t be there, when she would be on her own, and it scared the living shit out of me.

I had called Mandy—she was her mother after all—who was worried sick and texting me constantly.

As nice as it was for her to be finally taking an interest, as the person who had done a hundred percent of the management of Valentina’s health since birth, her endless questioning of every decision enraged me.

And to top it off, she was interviewing for jobs in Boston and wanted to discuss a potential joint custody arrangement with me.

That’s what her email had been about. My daughter was in a hospital bed, and she was going on and on about how she had gotten her life together and was ready to be a mother, blah blah blah.

I had heard it before and knew not to let Val get her hopes up. And she would get custody over my dead body, that was for sure. But I had learned long ago to treat Mandy with respect for the sake of my daughter. Normally, I could do it, but tonight my nerves were frayed.

I closed my eyes and saw the pretty smile of the nurse. Eliza. I had seen her around town a few times. I think she was friends with my cousin Gina. Nonna had certainly recognized her, giving her a hug when she came into the waiting room to find me.

She had been so great. Totally calm and told off that asshole doctor right to his face.

Unlike the doc, she had listened to me, respected the information I was giving. And actually paid attention.

I clenched my fists. I can’t believe that fucker almost gave her penicillin.

There are notes on her file, I said out loud that she was allergic, and they slapped a bright orange “Allergy” bracelet on her arm when she was wheeled in, for fuck’s sake.

But he was too busy and too important to pay attention.

I shuddered. Anaphylaxis was no fucking joke, especially for an asthmatic. I hadn’t recognized the name of the drug; I thought I had memorized the list of all of them. I made a mental note to keep better track of new antibiotic developments.

But Eliza. She figured it out right away. She told him and he ignored her. And then she got in his face. It was pretty amazing.

Hot, really. She stood up for my kid and put that ass in his place. He seemed furious. But Val got what she needed and was safe. That’s all that mattered.

It took a lot of courage to push back against that arrogant ass. I wondered if she was that aggressive outside of work…

She was young, too young for me. But sitting here in the dark, coming down from the adrenaline of the night, my mind wandered.

Even those loud unicorn scrubs could not hide a gorgeous body.

She was rocking some delicious looking curves.

Her hair wasn’t quite blonde and wasn’t quite brown.

More of a rich caramel color. Like a really fine whiskey.

And it looked cute up in her practical ponytail.

I had the overwhelming urge to give it a playful tug.

God, I was such a perv. Creeping on some lovely young woman while my daughter was in the room. Fuck, I was an asshole. I was turning into one of those creepy old men, and I had to fight it.

Maybe Gio was right. I did need to get laid.

I hated to admit it—he was already smug enough—but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to get back out there.

Go on a few dates, socialize a bit. My mind immediately returned to Eliza.

The eyes, the freckles, the mischievous smile, and the tone of her voice when she yelled at Doctor Shithead.

Sitting here in the dark at two a.m., I couldn’t help but think about those eyes.

Deep brown with little gold flecks. Totally unique with a playful sparkle.

And her smile. The way she gushed over Val’s nails and brought her books to read and extra pillows.

Then she quizzed Val about her favorite movies and made her feel so relaxed while they were drawing blood.

Even I had to admit her knowledge of the entire Disney catalog was pretty impressive.

She made this terrible ordeal a whole lot easier. And I vowed to thank her properly next time she came in to check on Val. I wasn’t great at expressing myself. But I owed her.

I didn’t have to wait long before she was back to take vitals and check on Valentina.

She tiptoed in, wheeling her computer station, and gave me a weary smile.

“I’ll be super quiet,” she whispered, gesturing at my sleeping daughter.

I watched as she gently adjusted the pulse oximeter on Val’s tiny finger and took her temperature.

She gently changed the IV bag and flushed the line, all without waking her up.

I appreciated it. My poor kiddo was fighting an infection and trying to recover from one of the worst asthma attacks she had experienced in years.

As she was heading toward the doorway, I jumped up and followed her out of the room, into the dimly lit hallway. The floor was quiet with just the faint beeping of monitors.

“Hey,” I said, touching her arm.

She turned toward me and looked up at me with those big brown eyes.

“I wanted to thank you again. For what you did. Everything really.” I ran my hands through my hair. I was really screwing this up. Why was I so tongue-tied? I might be on the quiet side but I could generally string a few words together when necessary.

She gave me a warm smile. “I was just doing my job.”

“No.” I still hadn’t let go of her arm and noticed that I had taken a step closer to her.

I could see the freckles across her nose and smell her girly, floral scent.

She didn’t move, didn’t pull away, instead holding my gaze.

“You stood up for my daughter. You not only figured out it was the wrong antibiotic, but you fought for her. I’m so grateful. That kid is my world.”

She didn’t move. We were so close our chests were almost touching, and she gave me the most beautiful smile. “That means a lot. Sometimes nursing can be a thankless job.”

“Well, I am a huge fan,” I said, “And you saw my entire family here. You are the Rossi Family hero tonight.”

She blushed and immediately looked at her feet. It was adorable.

“Did you get in trouble? That doctor, he seemed like he had it out for you.”

“I’m sure I’ll hear from HR soon. But I don’t care. My patients come first. Always.” The steely determination in her voice was clear.

“I respect the hell out of that.”

She leaned forward with a gleam in her eye. “And I’d happily do it again. Valentina’s safety is more important than his stupid ego.”

I wanted to pull her into a hug. Crush her in my arms and tell her what those words meant.

Tell her everything. How I had spent the last eight years keeping my baby safe and how much it had taken out of me.

How every single ER visit took years off my life.

How some days I didn’t know how I’d ever survive parenthood.

Instead I reached out and grasped her hand. “Thank you.”

Her small hand fit perfectly in my larger, calloused one. I noticed that her left hand was bare, not that I should be looking, and that her nails were short and painted purple.

“I need to get back to my rounds,” she said, still holding my hands.

I nodded, letting her go and heading back into the dark room.

I sat down in my chair bed feeling a little bit lighter. Just holding her hand for a moment had bought me some much needed peace.

I closed my eyes and let my mind drift to the captivating woman with the sparkling brown eyes and whiskey-colored hair.