Page 191 of The One
I swallow hard and nod, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. I step outside and close the door behind me, feeling like I’ve lost him already.
I try to shake off this morning’s disappointment as best as I can, unsuccessfully.
I don’t leave Tiero’s side for the rest of the day, acutely aware of how little time I have left with him, unless I can change his mind.
Ella stays with us too, and despite everything, our time together is bittersweet yet peaceful.
The transplant is scheduled for the morning two days from now, delayed because one of the specialists had to be flown in from the U.S.
Tiero insisted the doctor have forty-eight hours to acclimate and recover from jet lag. Or perhaps, though he’d never admit it, he isn’t quite ready to leave this world behind.
Maybe, in his own way, he’s giving himself one more day with Ella and me.
Tonight, I’ll stay by his side. Tomorrow, for his last night, Ella will be here.
Time is slipping away, but I refuse to give up hope. I instructed Dr. Romolo to retrieve the lungs from the donor and ensure they remain viable until needed.
Uberto found a potential heart donor. A Swiss woman in her twenties, who might be a perfect match for Ella and, by extension, Tiero.
We still need to confirm tissue compatibility. Under a pretense, her doctor called her in for a routine checkup and took a blood sample. It’s currently being analyzed, and so far, things seem promising.
It’s already been determined that her heart is the right size. The issue of course is that she’s still very much alive.
But that’s not something Ella will ever have to know. I’ll ensure the woman’s passing is peaceful and painless.
The lights in the hospital are dimmed, the machines casting a faint glow that seems more pronounced in the darkness.
The steady beeping and the hiss of the ventilator fill the silence between us. I sit beside Tiero’s bed, elbows on my knees, watching him sleep.
There are too many tubes, too many wires, too much evidence of how fragile he’s become. It makes my stomach twist.
Tiero shifts slightly, his eyes opening and meeting mine.
After a beat he asks, “Remember the treehouse?” His voice is hoarse, barely more than a whisper.
I huff out a breath. “Yeah. You made me do all the work while you sat up in the tree, barking orders.”
His lips twitch. “Born to be the Don.”
I shake my head, the memory playing out in my mind like a scene from another lifetime. It might as well be.
“You fell right through the damn floor,” I remind him.
A weak chuckle escapes him, but it quickly turns into a wince. My hands clench into fists. I hate this. Hate seeing him like this.
“I remember. You built the floor like that on purpose to teach me a lesson. To show me up.”
He reaches for something on the tray beside him, but his hand trembles too much. I catch it, steadying him as he presses something into my palm.
I don’t have to look down to know what it is.
The necklace.
Our family’s legacy.
The matching piece around my neck seems heavier now, the broken earthenware coin burning against my skin.
“It’s yours now,” he murmurs.
