*ARTURO*
I could not face the Condo alone, so I packed a bag, and for the first time I locked our door, though Louisa is next door, I do not trust that any visitor she may have might not venture over to ours and help themselves, and I don't want anyone else sleeping in our bed.
Rio had taken me in, he said we could console each other, think he needed someone to bounce ideas off, and there were few people out there that either of us trusted enough to do that, with. My Dad would be happy to, but I think Rio is trying to keep things to a need-to-know basis, and Dad really does not need to know the ins and outs at this point, maybe when the shite hits the fan, then others will hear about all the shady stuff that has been going on.
I am not interested in the shady stuff, I just want my girl home, and I think that is our bond, we both want the same thing, he has lost his sports buddy, and I have lost my everything. That is how it feels, I have this hollow emptiness, L
*ARTURO*“On it sir.”The television went blank and I stood there staring at the black screen a little longer.“Hey, your coffee is getting cold.”Rio reminded me and broke the spell I was under. I smiled at him and sat beside him, picking up a cake and taking a large bite, the first thing I have eaten since Lena was taken.*******The heat imaging cannot find people underground or so I am told, however, if they have a fire going for heat or cooking, we might find them we are hoping that whoever is holding Lena is not too smart, and Danny is going to fly over today, and if no success, will go again at night, we might be lucky, we just need an idea which one of the three places they are held up in, if the imaging fails,Rio suggested we send in a small camera on wheels, but we need to be fairly close to operating it.It is hard sitting here watching the black screen and mobile waiting for something to happen, after about two hours we heard that we will need to do a night run. The image wa
*ARTURO*The television screen flickered to live viewing, one of the men was wearing a camera on his head and we could see what was going on, they were creeping slowly down the tunnels, the ground had a lot of footprints in the sand, and that was what they were following, an easy guide to the main cavern. even when they came to the fork in the tunnels, I knew was coming up, the footprints only ever went one way, it appeared they had been living in this place for a while, and the thought of this being their main hideout flickered through my mind. This new gang in the city had grown so fast and hidden so well, and for them to be hiding here, they had to have someone who knew the area to place them here.“The gang has high-up help and contacts to be here?”I suggested to Rio, who was leaning forward on his arms watching the screen intently.“You're right, we have most of the names now, we just missing a few links, when they fall into place, then we shall start rounding them up.”Rio said c
*ARTURO*“Any news on the condition?”Rio may appear to be relaxed and composed, but after spending this time together, worrying, and giving each other support, I could pick more on how he really is, he is a very complex man, I already liked him and so does my Dad.“Critical, but stable.”So my girl is hanging in there, I had no idea if she was dead or alive until that comment, now to see what that means. We chatted for a while, killing time as we all watched the driveway, eager to see the ambulance arrive.Gustavo had all the staff stay clear of the area, only the three of us were allowed here until the client was moved to ICU in the lab. This is not unusual if we have a high-profile client, they like their privacy, and none of the staff would think to question it.The ambulance came up the driveway, with no lights and sirens, which we rarely do, unless it was a major heart attack, and the paramedics were struggling with the patient.Most of the time it is all planned surgeries, most
*ARTURO*Once I was over the shock, we talked some more, Rio is a good guy, and to be duped by Mona as he had showed how easy it was to do to anyone, and how we might need to look deeper into the marriage recording, with today's technology we should be able to avoid ever having bigamy again, I know some countries it is okay to have more than one partner but not in ours, so we must find a way to improve the recording, will we have to end up with DNA samples or fingerprinting to prove who we are? Should we get that deep, something like this group should never have been able to form, It may have started as a bit of fun thirty years ago, but it grew into something ugly and more sinister.It was nearly three hours before Dad came out of the room holding Lena and sat beside me at the table, Rio was the first to stand up and get him a coffee and toasted sandwich. Dad looked shattered, he does not do all-nighters anymore, and tonight had been not only long for him but he had to work on someon
*ARTURO*“Yeah, but I was hoping for something.”“I understand, it is hard being on the other side of this, the family member often suffers in the beginning more than the patient but he or she has little knowledge of what is wrong and possible outcomes. But for a doctor, having a loved one in bed sick, is even harder when you understand most of it and possible outcomes can eat you up.”I nodded, and could not agree more, I am a top heart surgeon, but at the moment I feel as useless as a person with no doctor knowledge at all, is it worse knowing all the possible outcomes, when a family member has no medical background, would not know to worry about what possible outcomes?Dad stayed with me for about an hour, giving me suggestions on her care and promising to return after his shift at the surgery, he had pushed most of his patients onto the other doctors, and as he is the owner of that said practice, he could do this, but it was not easy, as Dad loved to give his patients his personal
*ARTURO*Dad reduced Lena’s medication and was now allowing her to wake up slowly, the time of truth was nearing, did she have brain damage? Not remembering me, was my biggest fear, it was not uncommon when having had such bad head trauma to lose a big part that caused pain, and years could disappear from your memory, sometimes it is temporary, and other times it could take years or some kind of trigger to bring it all back.She may go back to thinking she was still married to Dante and that would break my heart.It was Sunday. Rio made some pies, not as good as Lena’s but they smelt good, and brought in some beers,Gustavo joined Dad,Rio, and me, to watch the game, the television was on loud, and we had dressed up in our favorite team's shirts, we even put one on Lena, she was breathing on her own now and we were all just waiting for her to wake up, I had a bet with the men, I bet she would wake up on the first score, Dad said closer to the end and Rio said on the introduction music,
*MILENA*At last, I pieced together who Gustavo was, and Dad, how could I forget my loving father, he may have had a rough time with Mum and was not always there when I needed him, but he had always been my go-to for sports and our time together, part of why I started watching sports was to be with my Dad and away from the others, my brother, oh I have a brother, his wife is pregnant, I must catch up with him, bet he is confused with both divorces, Dad's and mine. Mine? I have gotten divorced, who did I marry?I got another pie and talked a bit to Dad and Gustavo, still not knowing who the other two men were yet, they were familiar and that was it. Dad hugged me and so did Gustavo, more and more were coming back, but there was a big gap, as a doctor I understand it, but it did not make it any easier living it. The other man came and gave me a hug, he said he was my doctor, but I felt there was more to it, and then it hit me.“Hank?”That was the man's name,Hank. Felicia his wife, and
*ARTURO*Rio won the bet, and though we were happy that one of us did. The biggest part is that Lena was awake and some of her memory was there. She seemed to be foggy and of course tired, staying awake for the whole game surprised us all, the amount she did remember told us there was no permanent brain damage, and she was able to eat, though only a little, and seemed to have good movement, all good signs. We were worried about any type of brain damage that could have caused difficulty in many areas including motor skills, which would be the hardest if Lena could not use her arms or legs or even her hands, but it seems all that was working fine, so far.“Don't worry son, she is strong, her memory will come back and she will remember you, it is not unusual to lose part of the memory in the beginning.”“But she remembers you and Mum, but not me. It is hard Dad, I was so hoping...”“I know son, give it time.”Dad patted me on the back and left, coming back in the morning to check on her.
*ARTURO*“Can we do both Rissa and Mum's funeral simultaneously? I do not want to go through it twice. Plus, I have an operation booked for a few days; we need to avoid clashing with that.”Lena showed almost no remorse or hurt; it was as if she was now immune to it all, and that worried me.Rio looked at me with the same surprised look, but we needed to figure out how to proceed.“I will call the hospital and see when I can collect her body and notify the funeral service of the added change.”“Want to come home for coffee?”Lena asked Rio.“No, I need to head home, shower, and change. I have a busy day tomorrow.”Rio hugged Lena and shook my hand; I got to pay the bill this time.Lena was too far gone in her thoughts to even think of the bill; score one for me.**********The following two days were a blur. Dad said that Lena might have selective amnesia, not wanting to have that pa
*ARTURO*Being woken up with that news shook me a little; I had to be there for my girl instantly while my head was still foggy. I can honestly say I was awake when I heard those words over the phone and pulled Lena to me. She was shaking, and though her voice was clear, her heart was beating faster, and she was fighting tears. Once she hung up the phone, she cried for a little while. I asked why the tears, and she said because, in her heart, she had lost a mother and sister; even if they were terrible and caused much pain and sorrow, deep down, they were still her family.We headed to the kitchen for breakfast. All ideas of relaxing at home were gone. She will want to go to work and keep her mind busy. We had intended to have a late start; I had no surgery, and her work in the lab was still cooking.I did my rounds at the hospital and released more patients before heading to Lena’s lab. She was checking on the monkey and Mr Green's stats. I loved that she
*JACKO*Being called out to the Sun Valley Sanitarium with my team was not a pretty sight. We could not arrest the woman who did the stabbing as she was already there for life, being classed as a danger to society and never to be released. The two women were never meant to have been put in that wing with that dangerous woman. I am kicking myself for not checking on the woman when I got the news of the first beatings, but I had so much on my plate. I got the call on my way there to check on them that they had been stabbed. I was nervous calling Rio and relieved when his phone went to the message bank. I hung up on Lena, and she promised to tell Rio. I feel bad for interrupting his joy of his first grandson and the honor of being named after him. I will have to catch up later and have a congratulatory drink.Lena seemed to take it well, but then she most likely had a lot to handle lately, and this would be just another blimp on her already rocky road of life.Our team is
“Is that why your Dad is not here? He was at the hospital holding mini Rio?”Felicia giggled,Paula and Alma arrived in time for all the news to be repeated.The den was different without Dad there. It had been a while since I celebrated the game with others, which had not included my Dad being there. I genuinely hope he gets to spend more time with Diego and his little growing family; the three of us used to be closer and somewhere along the line. Mona chased him away. I am sad that I had not noticed her doing it. I was too busy at the time, getting my doctor's degree, and missed out on seeing my brother at a critical time in his life. I hope he knew I supported him with his life choices.“Lena, the lass, is out of hospital and back home. She has her family with her to support her, and the courts have put the man in jail. She can get a divorce from him. Now he is in jail. It has made it easier. I believe she will sell the house and move in with her sis
*RIO*“Come see our son.”Judy beckoned them in.Diego was the first to go to bed, while the rest were held back and watched. He kissed Judy on the lips and then kissed the newborn's butt, and we all chuckled.Lena then offered to let him cut the cord; she turned the baby over so we could see the little boy. Diego took the scissors and cut the cord, and we all cheered as Diego gathered the little one in his arms and kissed his head. I took a small blanket over to him to wrap the baby in and waited for him to.When the baby was wrapped,Diego wanted to give Judy his attention, so he handed the baby off to me. I was shocked he did not give the child to Nate, but then Nate was a mess and may not have been up to holding the little one.“Here, Granddad, take Rio for a while, will you?”I looked at him with shock, but his face was full of love and pride; there was no sign that he was joking about the name, and he broke into a broad smile as I took the little bundle in my arms and almost wept a
*JACKO*The court hearing was underway. It was a Saturday, not a typical day for a court hearing, but it was the only time we could get it heard. The judge slotted the day in for us, as we promised it would only take the day. The courtrooms were booked out for months, and we no longer wish this case to be drawn out. The courtroom was closed, and no public, including the media, was allowed in. We tried to keep out who was going to others; it looked low-key. If someone wanted to push, they could dig further and find out, but it's been so good so far. When I arrived, I had yet to investigate.I sat in the audience watching as our prosecutor tore strips off the first few men from the Gutter Boys gang to pieces, and the four of them went to jail. The first three guys tried were the ones that hit Lena’s car and were also the ones that fired the tranquilizer darts at Scott's team. They had a good lawyer, but our case was airtight, and they were sentenced with parole, but they still had five
*MILENA*Arturo made watching the fireworks a whole new enjoyment. The thrusts into me were almost timed to the explosions going on outside, though I am unsure if he even noticed what was going beyond the window. The largest red flower bloomed in the sky as I skyrocketed over the threshold, and if Arturo had not held on for dear life, I would have collapsed because of the intensity of the climax.After a cleanup, we headed over to Louisa’s. I insisted we knock and wait, which I noticed Arturo only does at work. I had told him it was a courtesy to knock first, but he just shrugged and walked in anyway.Before he learns to knock, he should walk in on something he does not want to see. Louisa did not seem too surprised. He walked in without knocking, and I wondered if it was a family thing, and if so, I had no chance of changing his ways since I never locked my door in the beginning. I must have thought it was an open invitation. If I wanted him to knock, I would have closed the door. Be
*ARTURO*After arguing with Milena about her bodyguards for what felt like the one-hundredth time, she caved and agreed she would not leave the Condo without them. I would not have peace of mind at work if I had to worry about whether Lena was still at home and was okay. Scott promised better security this time round and had secretly put a bug on Lena, I think, on her phone, but I am not sure, and he won't tell me, but he said if she leaves the Condo without the security, he would know she was on the move and get the men to her. I wouldn't say I liked it, but it was the best we could come up with.Tonight, we were having dinner with my sister. She contacted me an hour ago to ensure we were still coming. She did not want to start cooking, and we did not turn up. Luckily, I had finished in the theater and could answer the phone. It is hit-and-miss to catch me when at work.For a change, instead of walking home, I took our car service. I saw the bodyguards parked across the road as we ap
*MILENA*Today, I decided to stay home, sorting out my things and generally cleaning up the Condo. We were going to go next door for dinner, and I thought about making a sweet to take with me.Arturo said it was unnecessary, but it is what I like to do, and he was wise enough not to argue with me. The place did not need much cleaning. We both seem to clean up after ourselves, leaving just the floors and washing to be done. The sliding door to the balcony was wide open, allowing a fresh breeze to blow through the place. It was nice to be able to open the place up and let nature clear the air inside, not that it was bad or anything; it was a nice refreshing feeling it gave me when I felt the wind in my face. We can often get a strong breeze up here, and having the door open was not good. Today is a good day.I had the television on, listening to the sports commentary about this weekend's games, and there was nothing of great interest yet. The television was more background noise. I had