“Mommy! Daddy! You’re back!” Those whimpers were the first thing Alice heard when Josiah opened the enormous main door of the mansion, for her to guide Massimo's wheelchair inside "Why did you leave me here?" Millicent wailed and, before Alice could even properly cross the threshold, her daughter was already there, with her eyes full of tears, hugging Massimo's legs as if she were afraid he would leave again.
“Millie…” Thea came running after her “We talked about this. Your parents didn’t go alone because they wanted to…”
“It’s okay, Piccola.” Massimo picked her up quickly, cradling her as if she were hurt and not just sad that she hadn't spent a few days away from him “Mommy and Daddy are so sorry we didn't take you. But, it was for a good cause. And I promise that the next t
“Very well, Mr. and Mrs. Bianchi…” Dr. Lewis’ assistant smiled sympathetically, motioning for them to follow her “You can come in now. Dr. Lewis is waiting for you.”“Thank you.” Alice replied, waiting for the woman to turn and walk a few steps away from them, before she leaned towards Massimo, murmuring “And you, lighten that mood. There's no reason to be so grumpy like that. It’s just a routine appointment.”“I don’t understand what the point is in continuing to do this.” he snorted, annoyed “I don't feel any pain anymore, I've never missed a single physiotherapy session in the last month and my exams have had almost no changes. Why do I still have to be here, when I have so many important things to do at home and at work?”
“Now, updates about the corruption allegations against Stanford Mitchell, who was removed from his position as judge two months ago, causing a major scandal in the Supreme Court.” the reporter on the small television screen said, while Alice watched, her vision darkened by the sunglasses she was wearing inside that small café “New accusations and the breach of Mitchell's telephone secrecy revealed several cases of corruption in which the former judge molded his judicial decisions in accordance with the payment of those who sought him. In addition to the names that could be identified through the calls, the public was informed today that, after weeks of maintaining his innocence, Mitchell pleaded guilty last night and began cooperating with police through confessions regarding his verdict-buying scheme. It is hoped that more names can be revealed soon, so that victims affected by the fraudulent sentences can seek their rights. We’ll be back with more information after the break.”Clutch
“Mother! Let’s get out of here, please!” Amber begged softly, sounding almost like a dog squealing, but Kendra just continued ignoring her “Everyone is watching!”“Everyone is watching because you are acting like a cow about to go to the slaughterhouse, you fool!” Kendra growled through her teeth, discreetly reaching for Amber's wrist so she could squeeze it “Align your posture and lift your chin. We're still Dawseys! It is not a simple difficult phase that can bring us down. Our surname and our legacy will always come before us, no matter what happens.”“But shouldn’t we be looking for Dad?” her daughter swallowed hard “I told you. The jewelry he took was what we had set aside to pay the next installment of the Campbell money...”
“Up, Daddy! Up!” Millie screamed louder and louder, while Massimo held her aloft, moving her around as if she were flying.“Millie! Calm down!” Alice begged, setting the bucket of popcorn aside so she could run to them “And, don't ask Daddy to do something like that. He has to be completely rested to be able to have surgery tomorrow.”“It’s okay. We’re just playing.” Massimo tried to calm her down, but at least he had Millicent sitting on his lap again.“Yes! We’re playing flying, like the cool Superman movie Daddy watched with Grandpa Tommaso when he was little like me!” Millie said, excitedly “We’re going to watch this today, aren’t we, Daddy?”“We'll watch whate
“Very well, Mr. Bianchi…” a nurse with a wrinkled face and gentle smile said, standing in front of the operating room with a clipboard in her hands as she looked at the stretcher where Massimo was “I'll go back to take you to the center surgery in a moment, but take as long as you want to say goodbye to your wife. Everything is ready.” “Thank you.” Alice replied, trying not to sniffle.“Don’t be like that, love.” Massimo tried to console her, stroking her hair while Alice leaned even more over his body on the stretcher, covered only by the hospital gown “I already told you. Everything will be fine. I’ll be back soon, better than you’ve ever seen me.”“I… I know…” she wiped away her tears, hating the fact she couldn't be as confident as him “But it's still hard knowing that you're about to enter an operating room again… I was in this same hospital last year, when I found out that you had been in the accident, did you know?” Alice admitted, blushing “I was still very afraid that someon
Under Alice’s feet, the carpet of the hospital waiting room was starting to look worn out, but still she continued pacing back and forth without a moment’s rest. Every second that the clock ticked, she took another look toward the door that connected the corridor to the operating room, but no one appeared. 4 hours. 4 hours, 12 minutes and 34 seconds had passed since the nurse had announced the start of the procedure, but there was still no news or any sign that Massimo’s surgery was over. Everything around was completely silent, with the exception of the sound of her footsteps and her occasional sobs, as Alice tried not to think the worst and end up crying.Her husband was going to be fine. The expected time for a surgery could always vary and that specific one was quite intrusive. The doctors were probably just taking their time to make sure Massimo’s sutures were as perfect as possible. Yes, that had to be it. He had promised that everything would be okay and that he would come bac
Massimo first sensation was that someone had hit his head with a baseball bat. His back was hurting as if the flesh had been sliced in half and his entire body was weak and stiff. Even his eyelids were heavy as if they were lead, but, as it seemed to be the only part of his body he still had the strength to control, Massimo struggled to open his eyes, grunting slightly as an intense light pierced his vision, making him close it again.Fuck, why was he feeling shit like this? And, mainly, why did he have the distinct impression it wasn't the first time he'd gone through something like this? When was the last time his body had been completely defeated like that? The confused memories in his mind said it had something to do with pain, blood and the loud noise of an ambulance piercing his ears... But, at that moment, he could only smell alcohol, something sickening that seemed to be medicine and the low soun
“Very well, Mr. Bianchi… Can you tell me which part exactly I’m playing right now?” the doctor asked and, because of the blue cloth that had been raised above Massimo's waist, hiding the doctor and his assistants from their view, not even Alice could tell.“That’s…” Massimo squeezed her hand lightly, concentrating “The space below my fingernail, right?”“Good.” the old man said, a smile clear in the heavy accent in his voice “Now, I will press a textured object against the sole of your foot and you must tell me what it feels like.”“They play doctor just like us at home, right, Mommy?” Millicent murmured, sitting on her lap as she watched the doctors work, curious.“Ki