Santo 6-1

(Santo)

I'm like a caged lion in my own home.

I pace back and forth, glancing at Matteo from time to time.

My little brother finally raises his head and removes the stethoscope from his ears. Then he removes the Velcro from the tensiometer around the arm of Elio, our older brother.

"How's he doing?" I whisper, afraid to wake our big brother.

"He's stressed," Matteo replies. "The painkillers should do their job and allow him to sleep until tomorrow morning."

Matteo and I slide onto the thick carpet of the room where Elio has been taken to the emergency room. Our shoulders touch, and we sigh in unison.

Matteo tugs at his tie to loosen it and gives me a sidelong glance:

"You must be exhausted too. Would you like me to prepare an infusion for you too?"

I rub my face with both hands:

"No. I've got urgent business to attend to...". I don't know why I let my sentence trail off like that, but it's enough to make Matteo turn his head toward me.

"Hey. Elio collapsed under