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If the longest day of my life happens to be my wedding day, that should be a cause for celebration. However, this day has been marred with one catastrophe after another. Exhaustion crushes every part of my body, and my mind has a hard time focusing on what our next move is supposed to be. I'm still in my suit, and the food I just ate is settling on my stomach in a way that welcomes sleep.
By the time we get to Bailey Cedar, a private hospital in lower Manhattan, the streets are quieter from the normal hustle and bustle of the city. There's a discreet entrance our family gets to use from the underground parking garage. Lorenzo takes his time scanning the parking lot, making sure there aren't any surprises waiting for us as he parks the car.
Evelyn's flowing, wavy hair is now in a sloppy bun that I want to wrap my hands around as I taste her delectable lips again. The worry in her eyes is endearing, but I'm certain it's more aligned with how my father's condition will affect her family's position. I made her a promise, and I have every intention of keeping it.
Once we take the elevator up to the private wing of the hospital, it doesn't take long to hear the commotion that got me down here in the first place. My father's angry voice carries through the halls of the hospital like a bullhorn.
"I told you assholes that you're not sticking me with nothing else. I'm done. I'm going home! Get off me!"
Those last few words send signals of rage scorching through my body. The exhaustion fades away as both Lorenzo and I break into a run to see what's going on. There are two burly men dressed in white scrubs, trying to muscle my father into a wheelchair.
I grab one by the back of his shirt, yanking him off my father to slam him against the wall. My forearm presses across his throat like a bar, crushing his windpipe. "You're fucking with the wrong man."
"Mr. De Luca, are you okay?" Evelyn rushes to my father's side as Lorenzo takes care of the other guy.
My attention returns to the orderly under my arm as I see his face turning red from the lack of oxygen getting to his brain. I move my arm down in time to throw a left hook, and then a punch to the gut. He drops like a block of cement to the ground, giving me enough leverage to push him onto the ground. He kicks me good as he coughs, trying to catch his breath. I lean over him, pinning him under the weight of my knee and ready to release the fury of my fists over his entire body.
"Mr. De Luca! Let my orderly off the floor right now."
A quick glance over my shoulder lets me see a woman in a mint green pair of scrubs, stethoscope around her neck, and fiery red hair framing her angry, red face. She looks familiar, but I'm more familiar with the staff working in the daytime.
I turn to see Lorenzo holding the other orderly at bay while Evelyn whispers quietly to my father. The brief observation gives the guy under me enough time and leverage to squirrel away. He's still coughing and grabbing his throat, taking his hospital badge and slamming it on the floor as he storms off.
"Fucking great," the woman murmurs. She looks over at Lorenzo and the orderly. "You okay, Barry?"
Barry, the orderly, shifts his gaze between me and Lorenzo. "I don't know, fellas. Am I okay?"
"Someone needs to tell me what's going on," I tell them as I straighten out my sleeves, noticing a loose button.
"Lara Keegan." She keeps talking, noticing I don't recognize her. "We met about a week ago, Mr. De Luca. What's going on is your father has to get another X-ray. He's having some motor issues, and the doctors want an updated scan before we discharge him in the morning."
"I ain't getting discharged in the morning," Pop states firmly. "I'm leaving this shithole tonight. The last thing I need is for one of those goombahs to come in here while I'm trying to sleep and make me take a permanent dirt nap."
"Pop," I groan. "Mrs. Keegan?—"
"Miss, and you can call me Lara, Mr. De Luca."
"Lara, is there any way we can discharge my father tonight? I'll hire a nurse or something to work with him at home and bring him to an imaging center or something in a few days."
My father interjects with a trolling smile. "I'm not going anywhere unless that firecracker is going to personally escort me to those imaging appointments. If she ain't coming, you might as well kiss my ass goodbye. I hate hospitals and yous ain't never gonna see me in here again."
It takes a moment for my frustration and rage to die down as the adrenaline seeps away. I turn to Lara and make her an offer. "How much to hire you?"
"Excuse me?" she asks.
This time, Evelyn's by my side. She extends her hand to Lara and speaks softly. "First off, let me apologize for my husband and father-in-law. They can be more than a handful. I also want to apologize for losing one of your guys tonight. Alessandro is very protective of the people he cares about, and seeing someone put their hands on Pop isn't the most calming way to walk into this hospital ward."
"Thank you." Lara's clearly taken aback, and so am I. Evelyn's settling into this wifely role easily.
Evelyn continues. "It's obvious that Pop isn't going to let anyone take care of him, and we need him to recover faster. I know that this hospital probably needs you, but if we were to make it worth your while, would you consider taking a leave of absence?"
Evelyn has a way with words that I don't have the energy to muster at this time of night.
Lara shrugs. "I've been per diem for the last year since my contract expired. I think it's high time I get better working hours. I'm already into three hours of unscheduled overtime. "
This is where I come in. "I'll pay you time and a half, plus travel and lodging to start. Give it a week, and if you want to stay on board, we can iron out a long-term contract based on my father's recovery. You'll get a bonus if he's able to get back to his regular activities sooner than expected."
"You can't rush recovery, Alessandro," Evelyn whispers to me.
