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Once every last drop of blood has been wiped from his skin, I toss the cloth into the sink.
With my head bowed, I ask, “Did Aunt Greta make it?”
Damiano lets out a slow breath. “No.”
Dio.
My hands fly up to cover my face as intense grief seizes my heart in a relentless grip.
No.
Damiano pulls me back to his chest as a heavy blanket of sorrow falls over my shoulders.
Unable to accept she’s gone, I choke the words out, “No. Dio. Not Aunt Greta.”
She was so full of life and love.
How am I supposed to process that the first person to hug me, to show me any kind of love, is gone?
We’ll never feel her warmth again. We’ll never hear her laughter.
“We lost Gerardo and Martha as well,” Damiano says.
I start to cry again, the losses we’ve suffered too much to bear.
Damiano gently picks me up, and carrying me back into the room, he sits down on an armchair.
His arm brushes over the burns on my back, making me flinch.
“Straddle me,” he orders.
I do as I’m told, and pressing my face to his chest, I mourn the loss of the people I got to love for such a short while.
“Shh, amore mia,” he whispers. “I’m here.”
I feel feverish when the tears stop, and I just lie still against his chest.
This is the world we live in. We’ll love, and we’ll lose.
Somehow, I manage to dose on and off for a while.
The door opens, and I hear Carlo say, “I brought you some clothes from the house in Manhattan.”
“Thanks,” Damiano murmurs. “Have Emilio come to the clinic so you can get some rest.”
I glance over my shoulder and see Carlo shake his head. “I’m not leaving. I’ll be right outside the room.”
“Carlo,” I say as he starts to turn around. When he looks at me, I continue, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
He nods before pulling the door shut behind him as he leaves.
“Want to move to the bed so you can sleep while I shower?” Damiano asks.
I nod and climb off his lap. He picks up the bag Carlo brought, and when I follow him to the bathroom, he gives me a questioning look.
“I just want to brush my teeth.”
Damiano sets the bag down on the closed toilet lid and digs out a toothbrush and toothpaste for me.
