Page 106 of Hostile Love
“I always knew I was your favorite.” I smirk, making her smile a little too. “When were you going to tell me about Angelo, Mama?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt your exams.” She reaches for my cheek. “I have your father’s ring and planned to explain everything. Elias stole it from Angelo in the morgue. But bad things kept happening,” she explains. “Our family has had alot to deal with lately. Every time I thought about sitting you down, something else happened. If it wasn’t the hotel explosion in Miami, it was trouble with Giovanni. You disappeared after that…”
“Mama…where am I?” A deep, croaky voice comes from my right. “What the fuck is going on?”
“André!” I straighten and meet my brother’s confused expression. “Finally decided to join us,cabron. It’s okay, brother. You're in the hospital.”
He swallows and tries to sit up, groaning.
I shoot out a hand to stop him. “You were shot, Dré. Take it easy. Do you remember?”
Dani moves to the foot of the bed and crosses her arms.
The creases on André’s brow deepen and his eyes dart around the room, taking in his surroundings.
“Yeah…I remember…” he says slowly.
I grab a glass of water from his bedside table and hold it out for him.
“Here…have a drink.”
Rather than taking a sip, his gaze drops to the tube attached to the inside of his arm. The steady tempo of his heartbeat picks up.
“Where’s my wife?” He bares his teeth. “Where’s Sin…Mat…where’s my wife?”
André drags off the thin sheet, knocking my arm and almost spilling the water.
“Wait, Dré…you were heavily sedated after surgery. Stay in bed before you?—”
“I don’t give a fuck about me, Mat!” he interrupts, wincing when he tries to move his legs.
“Where is she? If I didn’t save her…fuck…” He covers his eyes with his hand and breathes through his nostrils.
“She’s with the twins, Dré,” I explain. “They came early.”
His hand falls and his eyes find mine, dark and intense.
“She—She had the babies?”
“Yeah…” I smile. “You’re a father, Dré.”
Mama stands, leans into André, and kisses his forehead.
“They’re healthy and very beautiful, son,” she confirms. “Sinéad has had to split her time between her husband and her newborns. She’s with them now.”
“Who’s looking after her, though?” He struggles to move again, snarling in frustration. “Who’s looking after my wife? Get me the fuck out of this bed. I need to see her… I need to see their faces.”
“André,” Mama scolds. “You’re in no shape to move. Please?—”
“No, Mama,” he grits out, straining and grunting. “I have to see her…now. Don’t get in my way, for fuck’s sake. Jesus fuck, Mat. Help me out of this bed.”
I take hold of his hand to offer support, feeling his muscles vibrate from the energy he’s trying to muster. If he’s not careful, he could black out or rupture the internal sutures.
“Dré, listen to me,” I urge. “Sinéad misses you like crazy, but getting worked up won’t help. She’s okay, I promise you. Relax.”
From the corner of my eye, Dani darts into the corridor. While André rips the needle out of his arm and detaches himself from the heart monitor, she returns with a wheelchair and maneuvers it towards the bed.
“If it was me, I’d want to see my husband straight away too,” she mutters.
