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When they were alone again, Alessandra’s bravado slipped. She buried her face in her husband’s chest and cried. Drake stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.
The nurse quickly returned with pain medication, and she drifted back to a dreamless sleep.
* * *
“Shit,” Alessandra hissed as she attempted to sit up upon waking again.
“Did you have a good nap, bella?” Drake asked.
He moved from his chair beside her to raise the bed and help her sit up as the nurse had earlier. Alessandra hated feeling weak and not being able to do it herself.
“How long was I sleeping?” she asked groggily.
“A few hours. But you need it. Would you like some water?” He gestured to the cup on the little table.
She licked her dry, cracked lips and nodded. Drake brought the cup to her and held it while she sipped from the straw. While no longer cold, it was enough to soothe her parched throat.
“How’s Noah? Have there been any updates?”
Drake sighed. “He was severely injured and required surgery. It was touch and go for a while, and he remains unconscious.”
Alessandra frowned at Drake’s clinically cold response. She wondered if he did it for her benefit so she wouldn’t worry. But that wasn’t enough to put her mind at ease. She loved Noah as a friend, and it was her fault any of this had happened. Befriending a Russo put him at risk. No one was safe around her.
Dark thoughts accompanied her long into the night and provided no comfort. She kept her eyes closed and pretended to be asleep whenever someone came into the room to check on her.
The following day, Alessandra awoke alone. Light filtered through the small window of her hospital room. The clock on the wall and the position of the sun through the tiny window confirmed she’d slept well past noon. Though she remained sore, the pain was more tolerable. However, she didn’t say no to offered pain relief.
She picked up her phone, but the device shook violently in her hands after holding it for a minute, and she dropped it in frustration. App games were out of the question, so she used the bedside remote to turn on the tiny wall-mounted television and flipped through the few channels, only to find nothing on. She settled on a local station without paying attention to the program.
Drake walked into the room about an hour later.
“Where were you?” she asked.
He kissed her forehead. “Noah regained consciousness this morning, so I went to visit him. They’re confident he will make a decent recovery.”
“Decent?” She frowned.
“The most important thing is that he is awake and cognizant. The rest of it is about patience and rehabilitation. Like your hand.”
“Please tell him how sorry I am, and Jerry too. We were returning from spending the day together, and Luca and his goons jumped us. There was nothing we could do. I was so scared,” she sobbed.
Drake pulled Alessandra into his arms and ran his hands down the back of her gown. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
She couldn’t blame her husband. Not when everything was her fault. She slipped her mask into place and smiled for his benefit.
“Do you think I can go visit Noah?”
“How about we let him rest a little longer? The doctor said you need yours too.”
Alessandra asked Drake to climb into the bed beside her so she could snuggle into his comforting warmth.
“I love you, bella,” he whispered as her eyes became too heavy to remain open. “Dormi ora. Sleep now.”
***
Chapter Four
Alessandra was soon ready for discharge. She was willing to comply with every instruction but was insistent on seeing Noah before leaving the hospital. She refused to take “no” for an answer. Her friend was more important.
