Chapter 13: Dom

"You said what?"

I'm not sure if I'm hearing this right, because I am sure that Danil just told me that he has suggested to my parents, not to mention G and Matt, that once I'm released from the hospital, that I come and stay with him.

"I offered my place," Danil confirms.

"Why?"

"The words kinda tumbled out of my mouth. I was standing there, your parents were arguing with G and Matt that if you went to stay with them, they would corrupt you, and suddenly I was offering my place."

"Your place. Like where you live?"

"Yeah."

"Seriously, what the hell were you thinking?" Because I really cannot believe that Danil suggested that.

"I was thinking this would be a perfect way to spend more time with you."

"You cannot take on that responsibility." He really can't, and even though I like the sound of staying at Danil's, and it might be the ideal place, this is not something I can ask of him.

"Dom, you know that you can't stay with your parents. There are too many stairs. Your parents also are not going to let you stay at Matt or G's. So what alternative is there?"

"There has to be a rehabilitation center that I can stay at."

"Yeah, I can really see the family agreeing to that," Danil starts. "Look, you staying with me is the best option, especially as your parents don't know I am gay. They will be able to visit, and they aren't going to worry that I'm going to corrupt you. Their words, not mine."

"If only they knew that you corrupted me a while ago," giving him a smile.

"I corrupted you?" Danil laughs. "You're joking, right? I don't have toys…"

I burst out laughing, but suddenly stop when pain races through me. Damn ribs.

"Ribs?" Danil asks.

"Yeah, the doctor said it could take anywhere from four to six weeks. Most of the time its okay. Just deep breaths, coughing and laughing remind me that they aren't healed yet."

"Well at least they moved you out of the ICU."

The doctors hadn't kept me on the ICU ward for long once they were sure that I was stable, and moved me to the neurology ward, which specializes in caring for someone with a head injury. The only issue is that I don't feel like someone who has a head injury, the only thing that proves this wrong is the part where my legs are still not working.

"Yeah, it's nice to get out of the ICU. Hopefully the PT's will be able to get a wheelchair for me, and then I can leave," I say over to him.

Danil gives me a gentle smile. God, I have missed him. It's been a few days since he's been able to get here, and he had to come with Frank and G, so I wasn't even able to give him a kiss hello, but then they had gone for coffee.

"You know, we are on our own now. How about saying hello properly?" I ask Danil.

"G and Papa could come back any second," Danil tries to argue, but I can already see he's getting up out of the chair beside my bed.

"Hey," I say, as I smile at him.

Danil doesn't say anything back to me, just leans over and locks his lips with mine, his tongue demanding entry. I gladly open my mouth and let Danil deepen the kiss. Our tongues doing a dance they know very well.

When Danil breaks the kiss, I can see the passion in his eyes for me. Even though I'm lying in a hospital bed and my stupid legs don't work. Danil still wants me.

"Look," Danil states, and there is a flash of something in his eyes that I cannot read. "I know we had planned to come out once we knew what Alessias reaction was, but with everything that has happened, I think we need to keep it quiet."

Oh, so that was the flash of emotion. Danil was concerned that he was going to say something that I disagreed with.

"We really have no option," I agree, thinking back to what Danil said about me staying with him. He was right, they would never consider a rehabilitation center or anything clinical like that, as long as family is available to look after me."Especially if I am going to be staying with you."

"You're gonna stay!" Danil exclaims, and his entire face lights up.

"You were right," I start, and I swear his smile gets bigger at my words. "My parents won't send me off to a facility if they know I can stay somewhere for free."

Before I'm able to say anything more Danil's lips are on mine again. Kissing me as passionately as someone can while leaning over the side rail of a hospital bed.

"Ahem." Danil jumps back so fast I don't know how he didn't stumble, but he quickly sits down, trying to act like he wasn't just caught kissing me. We both look over to see the doctor standing there. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

I was released from Dr. Winston's care, but he still comes around to see me, usually at the start or end of his shift. I'm beginning to figure out which one it is depending on the look on his face. Right now, he looks awake, not happy, but awake. So, I'm guessing the start of the shift. He comes over, looks at my chart and makes some small talk before going again. I think the death of my sister is affecting him more than he is letting on.

"I didn't know you were a couple," the doctor says.

"No one does," Danil starts. "Well, a few of my friends do, and Alessia," but he pauses for a moment before saying, "did." Past tense. The doctor just nods, but I can see the hurt in his eyes, which wasn't there a second ago.

"We were, or we are keeping it a secret at the moment," I explain to the doctor. "My parents are…"

"Nuts," the doctor answers and smiles, but it's a fake smile. He's trying to hide what he's feeling with humor.

"Have you heard them?" I ask him.

"Mr. Romano…" the doctor starts.

"Doctor, please call me Dom. Mr. Romano is my father, or worse, my uncle," I say firmly. I have requested this a few times, but he still goes back to Mr. Romano, though he has no issue calling G, G.

"Dom," he says, but he isn't that comfortable saying it. "I think the entire hospital has heard them. I know we shouldn't gossip about patients' parents, but some of the things they have said...."

"When it comes to certain topics, ‘nuts' is the right description for them," I answer, giving him a smile.

"Thankfully my mom is wonderful. Oh," Danil turns away from the doctor to look at me. "She wanted me to pass on her best and tell you that she will come and visit soon."

"Tell her thanks and I'm looking forward to seeing her," I deliberately pause and give the doctor a look before continuing to talk. "Your mom is amazing but your father…."

"His father is what?" And all three of us turn to see G standing in the doorway, Frank standing behind him with an amused look on his face, he heard my words.

"A scary motherfucker," I say over to G, which causes the pair of them to burst out laughing.

"Well…" G looks behind him to Frank who just smiles and gives G a kiss.

"It's good to see you doing so well G," Dr. Winston says. "I'll leave you guys to it, see you soon, Dom."

"Hey Doc," G says just as the doctor turns to leave. "I've been hoping to see you. Been carrying this around with me for days."

I watch as G hands the doc a white envelope, one that I have seen before. It's an invitation to their wedding.

"What?" the doctor mumbles, just staring at the envelope, like it's going to explode or something.

"Invitation to our wedding. We couldn't think of a better way to say thank you for everything that you have done for this family," G states.

"But Alessia," the doctor starts, before looking over to me then saying, "Thank you," and leaving the room.

"G, that was so nice of you," I told him.

"You know it's Dr. Winston that has treated us all. Starting with Lorenzo," G explains.

Well, that explains his interest in me. If he has looked after us all, it would also explain the pain he so clearly feels when we mention Alessias name. The one he couldn't save. I have been told that he did everything he could, out in the field, to save her. I will need to talk to him again. Tell him that he is not to blame. It was the person who rammed us with his truck who is to blame.

"Danil." G saying Danil's name pulls me out of my thoughts. "You told Dom your idea?"

"Yeah, he was surprised," Danil answers.

"Not as much as us," G replies. "But we really can't thank you enough. The more we have thought about it, the more perfect it really is."

"Well." And I see the glint in Danil's eyes and know what he is going to say next. "Its only right that family look after each other, isn't that right, Uncle Dom?"

Oh, that fucking little shit. If I could move out of this bed I would… hell I have no idea what I would do.

"Uncle Dom?" G asks, sounding confused.

"G," Danil starts, and I cannot believe that he is going to explain this. "You are marrying my Papa, this technically means you'll be my stepdad."

"Oh, shit!" G exclaims, and I see the joy spread across his face. "Which makes Dom, as my brother, your step-uncle."

"Yep," Danil confirms, and I wish the ground would open up under the bed and swallow me whole, because I know that I'm never going to hear the end of this now.

"I cannot wait to tell Matt this. It will make his day. Uncle Dom," G states.

"G, please don't," I beg, but I know that I am completely wasting my breath and my brothers are not going to let me forget this. It makes me wonder what they will say when they find out that Danil is also my boyfriend.

"Gio." And there is a stern note to Franks voice that G seems to understand, the smile doesn't drop from his face but he stops teasing me and turns to Danil.

"All teasing aside, are you sure that you are okay looking after Dom, what about your work?" G asks.

"Work has said that I can work from home most days, and when I can't, my friend Rory has offered to help," Danil explains.

Well, he forgot to tell me that little nugget of information, but that was nice of Rory to offer to help. I vaguely remember him from the bar before my accident. Snippets of memory have been returning, but I'm still very grateful that I can't remember the actual accident.

"That was nice of him, but what about his work?" I ask.

"According to Rory it's not going to be an issue. He works for his Papa and basically said as long as he has a laptop and access to the internet he can work anywhere."

"Still a very kind offer."

"Rory has been amazing these last few weeks…" But his voice trails off when he realizes that he was probably about to say more than he should.

"Looks like everything is in place then," Frank announces. "You just need to get better."

"I plan to. I'm not attending your wedding in a fucking wheelchair," I say over to Frank.

"Wheelchair or no wheelchair, we are just so happy that you are going to be there," Frank says.

The weight of his words hangs in the air, because someone who should be there, won't. Alessia is going to miss one of the most important days of G's life. The day will be special, but now there will also be that little hint of sadness.

"Look, we really need to get going," G suddenly says. "Sorry we can't stay longer, but I need to get to the restaurant."

"Of course you do." There is no point staying here with me. Don't get me wrong, the company is nice, but I also understand that the business cannot run itself. I'm sure he has spent more time away from the restaurant these past few weeks than he should have.

"Would you mind if I stayed a little longer?" Danil asks.

Both G and Frank look over to him, and I have to wonder how he is going to explain wanting to stay here and keep me company.

"Sure," G says, but there is a confused expression on his face.

"Its just, if Dom is going to be staying with me, I thought it might be a good idea to get to know him etc. Plus, I was hoping to catch his doctor and see if there is anything I should get to make it easier for him in the apartment."

"That's actually a really good idea," Frank says over to him, and from the look he gives me and Danil I think that he is starting to wonder just how close we are. But I don't think he would say anything. He wouldn't want to betray Danil's trust in any way. "Do you want me to come and get you later?"

"Thanks Papa, its okay. I can grab a cab, or my apartment isn't too far, I can walk," Danil says, and the second the words are out of Danil mouth, Franks face goes stern.

"No. You are not to walk. Do you hear me?" Frank demands.

"Papa…" Danil starts.

"This is not up for discussion. Until we find out the reason behind the accident, no one is going to walk anywhere."

Hang on. Reason behind the accident? Surely Frank doesn't think what happened to us was premeditated? From the information given to me, which hasn't been a lot – I think because everyone is scared of triggering some kind of flashback and traumatizing me – we got hit by a truck, whose driver was probably not paying attention, or drunk.

"Frank, you don't think that this was anything other than an accident?" I ask him.

"The police are still investigating, three, almost four weeks later. That's not a good sign. Wyatt and Liam are trying their best to get information, but it's not their division," Frank explains, and I can see that he believes every word that he's saying.

"But Frank," I start, because no matter what he is saying I'm never going to believe that this was anything other than a freak accident. "It was me and Alessia in the car. No one would want us dead, regardless of our connection with the Romanos."

"But you are still connected, and I am not going to risk anyones lives. We have already lost too much. Way too much," Frank states, and I know not to argue with him. "So until I'm convinced that it was just an accident, everyone in this family is under my protection."

"Papa. You can't protect us all. Please, be sensible," Danil states, and the murderous look Frank gives him, makes Danil shut his mouth and not say anything more.

"You can get a cab, but you have to text when you are leaving and again the second you get home," Frank starts. "I will give you thirty minutes from when I receive your leaving text to get home. Any longer than that and you will have me knocking on your door, regardless of the company you have."

Danil doesn't say anything but just nods his head in agreement, we both know that when Frank is in one of these moods that the best thing to do is shut up and agree, he would never back down anyway.

At this point, G and Frank both come over to me then, give me a hug and say that they will try and come back tomorrow, but if they don't, Matt and Trip would be coming in to see me anyway, and he thinks Momma and Papa will be too.

When they have gone, I look over to Danil, "See, your father can be one scary motherfucker," I say, giving him a smile.

"That was just weird," Danil replies. "Have the police come in to see you yet?"

"Briefly, just after I woke," I confirm. "Until that little outburst, I wasn't expecting them to come back."

But if the police are still investigating the accident, why haven't they come back to see me? I have been awake for almost a week. Surely someone must have told them that I was awake. In the TV shows, the captain of the precinct always tells the investigating cops that the witness is awake and to get over to the hospital.

A knock on the door to my room distracts me, and when I look up, I see my doctor walking in.

"Sorry Dom, I didn't realize that you had company," the doctor says. "I'm only coming to check you over, so I won't be here too long."

"Danil's my boyfriend. Can he stay?" I ask. "Apparently I am going to stay with him once I'm released."

"Ah yes, but I didn't realize you were a couple," the doctor says, coming over to me.

"The family doesnt know," Danil explains for me. "Do you mind not telling them? We just want to concentrate on getting Dom better and then deal with them."

I was not expecting the doctor to laugh at Danil's words, but there he was, laughing. "Yes, I understand, no offense Dom, but your family is…"

"Intense," I venture.

"Overprotective nut heads," is Danil's choice of words.

"Those are definitely good descriptive words for your family," the doctor says, smiling over to me. "So Dom, how are you feeling?"

"Good, doctor. Still getting tired," I say.

"You will for a while, your body went through a lot. Any headaches, dizzy spells?"

"Nope."

"Thats good. What about your legs? Any sensations? Pins and needles?"

"Nothing."

"It is still early days yet. Let's check them?" The doctor removes the bed clothes and goes to the end of the bed. "Can you close your eyes for me, please?"

I dutifully put my head back and close my eyes. I know why the doctor is asking me to do this. He doesn't want me to watch him and try to fake a response. Not something I would do anyway. It's not like it would help me.

"Can you feel this?"

"Nope," I say quietly.

"And now?"

"Sorry doc, they are dead."

"They aren't dead. All your scans came back clear. Spinal cord is all intact. Just your brain is a little confused over how to work your legs. Time. You just need time."

"I know." The doctors have been saying this to me since I woke up, but I'm getting sick of it now. How much time is it going to take? Days, weeks, months, hell it might be years. But every time I have asked them that question, they cannot answer me.

"Dom, you're young, fit, and healthy. Anything is possible. Plus, tomorrow you start your physical therapy, and hopefully that means we can let you go home soon."

"Will I need to get anything for him in the apartment?" Danil suddenly asks. "Like any special aids or anything?"

"Dom is going to need help getting from the bed to his wheelchair, not to mention wheelchair to toilet. Then there is the question of bathing him etc, but I think I will leave that one up to you. Anything else that is needed will come out as his healing progresses."

"Okay," Danil replies.

"I'll leave you to it," the doctor says, leaving the room.

"Danil," I say, looking over to him. "You seriously cannot do all that for me. Lifting me into bed, the damn toilet."

"You just watch me," Danil replies, giving me the same stern look as his father, and I know not to argue.