18. Injured

It turned out that Leonardo's business this time was quite long, he only returned to headquarters three days later. He came home very tired, dirty and full of blood. Just by looking at that, Caterina could already guess what had happened. Leonardo was involved in another battle, but she didn't know who his enemy was this time. Fortunately the blood was not Leonardo's, it was just the enemy's blood splashing onto his body and clothes. He only had a small cut on his palm. It seemed that he parried a hand weapon attack with his hand.

Some of Leonardo's men were badly injured. However, there were no casualties. Everyone returned safely.

Caterina didn't know what to do. She was actually worried about Leonardo's condition, she wanted to run over and check on him to make sure he was okay. However, Caterina didn't want to take the wrong step. She was afraid Leonardo would get angry again. The woman could only stare from a distance.

“Kate, please help me treat the others.” Dante gave the order.

“But, Dad. There are no orders from Leo, I'm afraid he'll be angry if I touch his men. Even if my intention is to help, it would still be wrong in his eyes if he doesn't like it.” Caterina gave a reasonable excuse.

Dante could not insist. He understood his daughter's current position. Ever since Caterina had been taken home by Alex, the woman hadn't participated in La Vendetta's organizational activities at all. She was busy with her own affairs. This was because she herself did not know what her status was at the headquarters. Whether she was a prisoner or a returning member as before.

“Kate, Mr. Bianchi wants you to check her hand.” Alex came to tell her.

“M-me?” Caterina asked incredulously. Her eyes widened to look at Alex who was standing not far from her. “Aren't you wrong? You know how he reacts whenever I try to treat him wounds. He wouldn't allow me to touch him.” 

“I was just delivering Mr. Bianchi's message,” Alex said casually, then walked away.

Caterina was silent where she stood. She looked at Leonardo in the distance, the man sitting on the sofa alone. His calm and cold figure always dominated the surroundings.

“You'd better go to Mr. Bianchi right away,” Dante suggested. He grabbed his medicine box and then left to treat the injured member.

Caterina felt so conflicted. She bit her lower lip while her eyes continued to stare at Leonardo in the distance. She felt very uneasy.

“Is he trying to find fault with me this time so he can punish me?” Caterina asked herself. She was sure that she would not be able to focus on treating the wound on Leonardo's hand. For her hands would be trembling, her heart racing, her breathing ragged. She was always nervous when she looked at him.

Leonardo turned to look at Caterina. His face was expressionless; Caterina couldn't guess what he was thinking. For a moment they looked at each other from a distance.

Leonardo averted his gaze. He turned to look at his injured palm; the wound was deep and wide. This was nothing to him, so he showed no pain at all. The man let out a long breath. Caterina continued to stand there without wanting to do anything, so he decided to treat the wound himself. He didn't want to be pushy, as he didn't want Caterina to feel pressured and end up choosing to run away again.

The tall man stepped into the medicine cabinet. He searched for alcohol, then doused the wound with it to clean it. After he felt the wound was clean enough, he dabbed it with red medicine, then covered it with gauze wrapped in a bandage. Meanwhile, Caterina just stared at the scene. She felt guilty when she let Leonardo treat his own wound.

Caterina's heart seemed to stop beating when Leonardo stepped towards her. She felt very scared when she saw the expression on Leonardo's face. The man stopped right in front of Caterina; he looked at Caterina for a moment, then sighed deeply.

“Thank you for doing nothing.” Leonardo said in a sarcastic tone, then he hurriedly left Caterina.

Caterina was silent. She understood and understood the response Leonardo gave. This was because he only remained silent after Alex told him that Leonardo had asked for his help.

“It's not my fault; I was just guarding against your tantrum.” Caterina muttered.

“Kate, Doctor Dante is overwhelmed with the wounded. We need your help; at least lend a helping hand to your former colleague.” Alex approached Caterina again. She was a little pushy, so Caterina wanted to treat the injured members.

“Is that okay? I'm afraid Leo will get angry if I intervene.” Caterina looked doubtful.

“Why would he be angry if your energy and knowledge can help?” Alex emphasized. “Mr. Bianchi wants you to rejoin La Vendetta; just do what you've always done. There are many people who need your help.”

Caterina was silent for a moment; she took a deep breath to make up her mind. She felt it couldn't hurt to help someone in need, so she opened her equipment locker. She put on rubber gloves, then reached for the medicine box. She hurried to help her father, who was on duty.

“We're glad you're back, Kate. Mr. Bianchi has recruited several male doctors to be Dante's assistants, but their work has been less than stellar, their handling very poor. When he pulled the bullet out of my leg without anesthesia, I thought he was doing it to kill me. You know, La Vendetta is hated by many, so Mr. Bianchi can't just hire anyone. The only ones suitable for this job are you and your father.” One of the men treated by Caterina commented.

“Just pray that I can continue to help you guys. I don't know how long Leonardo will let me live.” Caterina said with emphasis.