2. Where is he?

ERICA

I woke up with a jerk in a sterile white room with white lights and smell of disinfectant. The last thing I remembered was walking or trying to walk with Leo and Riley, but as I breathed slowly and closed my eyes, the little bit of flashbacks rushed in. And through blurred memories snippets of Antonio came back. Like him holding me in his arms and I remembered him wiping my tears though I couldn't remember why I was crying in the first place. But his words were crystal clear in my mind, him telling me that no one will hurt me because he was there for me.

The throbbing pain in various parts of my body pulled my attention to myself and I pulled the blanket off to find myself in a blue hospital gown. My eyes tracked the bandages on my arms and one around my wrist in the left hand, besides them I could feel that there was one on my shoulder too and another on my side. For a brief moment I wondered why I was covered in bandages like I had a fight with a wild cat but then... my eyes widened as I remembered him curling his whole body around me and taking us down on the car floor.

I remembered the feeling of confusion and the shock that had pulled a scream out of me when the car windows had shattered as the sounds of guns firing had echoed around us. With each memory that resurfaced the steady beeping of my heart on the monitor accelerated until it resembled like I was going to have a heart attack. Terror closed its hands around me as I looked around the room, once gain, searching for him.

I slid out of the bed and for a moment the room blurred and the floor swayed beneath my feet but I pushed on, and as I took a step toward the door only two questions echoed in my mind. Where is he? Is he okay?

The IV attached to my hand stung as it stretched when I moved away from the bed, I looked down at my hand and without care pulled it out, ignoring the pain of the needle and the ache that burned in my right wrist. The blood pooled where the needle had pierced the back of my hand, but without paying attention to it I made my way to the door, my mind and heart whispering only one name. Antonio.

When I opened the door, I stopped as I came face to face with the backs of two men who were standing there in black uniforms. They turned around to face me when they heard the door being opened. “Miss?” One of them enquired.

“Where is Antonio?” Before they could answer, I added, “I want to go to him, take me to him.” His eyes fell to my hand and I looked down too. The blood was still there and now some of the drops dripped down on the white tiled floor. I looked back up and repeated, “Now, take me to him. Please.”

He shook his head as he replied, “Miss, please get back inside the room. And I’ll call the doctor to fix this.”

“No. I want to go Antonio.” When I tried to move, both the men stood in a position that made it impossible to get out. “Where is he?” I asked, fear and frustration leaking into my words. I just wanted to see if he was alright.

“Miss, we have been given strict orders to keep you in the room.”

“Who gave you these orders? Antonio?” I asked, hoping that those gunshots were my imagination and he was still his controlling self and not hurt.

The other guard shook his head as he answered, “Ephraim.”

“Where is Ephraim then, tell me that.”

“He is with Capo.”

“Is he okay?” I questioned.

Before he could answer I saw Ephraim exiting a room down the corridor. “Ephraim!” I screamed his name, uncaring that I probably should not scream in the hospital corridor. The guards at my door tuned to look too and I took the opportunity to make a run for it.

I heard the guards footsteps and even as my dizzy mind refused to co-operate, I pushed on and reached him. “Ephraim...” I was breathing heavily even though it wasn’t that long of a distance.

Ephraim closed the door of the room he just stepped out of and grabbed my shoulder as I swayed. Looking over my shoulder he motioned the guards to move back and then looked back at me. I asked, “Where is Antonio?” My eyes went to the closed door behind him and I questioned again, “Is he in there? What happened? Where are we? Is he okay? Is he hurt?”

At first looking at his severe expression I thought he wouldn’t answer me and that once again he would tell me to stay away but he surprised me when he actually responded in a soft voice, “You shouldn’t be out of bed. The doctor said that you needed rest and lots of fluids.” He took my hand and softly caressed the back of it which was swollen from the needle and now was smudged with blood. “You were drugged, badly. A little more and you could’ve been in a coma or worse.”

There was worse thing than a coma. But I didn’t ask him that as in that moment I didn't care what could've happened to me, all I wanted to know was what happened to Antonio. I opened my mouth, ready to beg him for answers when he looked back at the door and added, “He is in there.” When I took a step forward he shook his head as he said, “You cant go in. He will be alright, though.”

“H-how did this happen?” I knew the answer, the flashbacks gave me enough but I still wanted for him to voice it that it was because of me. He was hurt because of me.

“He saved you. Took two bullets to keep you safe.”

Tears ran down my cheeks, unchecked, and I didn’t even try to stop them. “Can I see him please? Just once, Ephraim?”

“It’s not a good idea.”

“Ephraim...”

“Look. I know... I understand that you want to see him, but pain and him don’t go well.” He raked his fingers through his hair as he said, “Just stay away for now, rest, and I’m sure you wouldn’t have to come to check on him, he will be with you when he is in the right frame of his mind.”

“He will be ok?” I asked in a trembling voice. I felt like it he gave me any other answer except yes break down in pieces.

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Promise?”

At that his eyes turned soft and he said, “Don’t worry, he won’t leave you to fend for yourself. He cares for you more than his life and proved that today.” He turned me around and curled his arm around my shoulders as he said, “Let me walk you back to your room. You shouldn’t be roaming around like this, you have a concussion and several cuts from the shattered glass which had him behaving like a wild beast because you were bleeding.”

“But he was shot.”

He shrugged. “He was on pure adrenaline and it took me and a few EMTs to put him in another ambulance, so he could get treated before he died threatening everyone in sight.” Every word he said was like a balm to my soul but hurt my heart, because it meant that he didn't care about himself, but he put me first even when he could've died.

When we reached the room in which I had woken up I said, “I don’t want him to be alone.”

Ephraim caressed my head as he nudged me inside the room and followed after me. “He is not alone.” When I looked back at him, he answered my unasked question, “Mario is with him.”

.

A. Gupta

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