Chapter 24 Antonio

Forty bouquets of Rose Gemma and Baby’s Breath.

Forty bouquets of flowers called Rose Gemma where each stem has more than forty petals of coral, peach, and pink.

Forty bouquets symbolize the forty days since Gemma was put under for her wounds to heal.

My heart aches every day that I come in and sit beside her. Thankfully, being a doctor who used to work here, the staff doesn’t care if I come and go. They all offer me looks of pity and words of encouragement because there’s nothing else to say.

The worst part is I can’t make a single fucking choice for her. I want to be that for her, but the truth hits me as hard as I hit the water to save her. I’m not her next of kin. With her parents out of the country, and not coming back, it falls to Bash.

I don’t go home. I go to the doctor’s lounge and my old locker when I need to shower. Ronan was around the first few weeks but disappeared again after bringing me a duffle bag of clothes from my place. I couldn’t even be there for him. He had to come back and thankfully he was able to slip back out of town without Verducci getting his hands on him.

The scar-faced asshole peeping tom? Haven’t seen him and the security footage from her place hasn’t shown him around since Gemma was admitted into the hospital.

“You need a shave, Antonio.” Dr. Melanie’s voice cuts into the quietness like a knife through my heart.

I don’t have the stomach to look at her as I sit in the chair beside Gemma’s bed.

“I, uh, um,” she hems and haws around whatever she’s trying to say until I glare at her. She gulps and speaks. “I wanted to come down and tell you how sorry I am about all of this.”

“It’s not often the Director of the hospital takes interest in a patient. I’ll make sure the Marzano family is aware of your concern. I have no doubt they’ll donate millions to your new cause.”

“Antonio, I really am sorry. I’ve tenured resignation until after your leave of absence is complete, which I've approved. So—”

She can barely get the sentence out before I’m out of my chair, charging toward her. Luckily for her, Bash and Casper arrive to get between us. Casper notices the tension and flashes his movie-star smile before ushering her out of the room.

“That fucking bitch...thinks she can come in here to butter me up like I give a fuck about a leave of absence now. The love of my life is barely hanging on and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m a fucking doctor and I can’t do shit to save her!”

Bash peeks over my shoulder at Gemma before pushing me toward the private bathroom and closing the door behind us.

“Were you really about to hit that woman?” he asks.

“I wouldn’t have hit her, but I can’t promise the rest of the floor wouldn’t have heard me tear her to shreds. The fucking nerve of that money grubbing—” I grumble and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

“We’ve been friends for practically a lifetime, bro. I love you and I need you to calm down for my sister’s sake.” Bash’s words wrap around me and I break.

Tears fall.

My cheeks redden and heat burns through my nose as I finally release the emotions holding me captive. Bash looks stupidly uncomfortable, but he’s never been okay with the more intense displays of emotion. Always the stoic. Always the Don .

I let my tears fall into the sink and turn the water on to make him more comfortable. After I splash my face with some water, it looks like I need some sleep rather than I need a shoulder to catch the tears.

“I wasn’t able to get to her in time and now she’s here,” I tell him. “I jeopardized her rescue because I felt like they were moving too slow, and I felt so fucking helpless.”

This time, as my tears reignite, Bash releases his public persona for a moment to console me. He pulls me into a hug for me to cry against him and I hate it, but he’s the only man I know to show me any kind of affection or care. That breaks me, too.

“You have so much, Bash. All I have is her. All I have is Gemma and she’s lying there. I can’t do shit about it. What kind of fucking doctor am I?” The question causes anger to surge through me as I push Bash away from to throw a punch at myself in the mirror.

The glass shatters, but the only evidence of me hitting the glass is a small cut across my knuckles. The bathroom door opens. We both turn to see a groggy Gemma standing there, tugging her IV pole along.

She’s grumpy as she says, “Are you assholes going to be in here long? I really have to pee.”

My breaths come fast and furious. I’m panting as I shove Bash out of the way, “Go get her doctor! NOW!”

Gemma groans and frowns as Bash rushes forward, kisses her on the forehead and zooms past her. She looks at him running from the room and looks at me, “What the fuck is wrong with him? What am I doing here?”

“Hey, babe, let me help you,” I tell her and approach her slowly.

She sniffs and shrugs her shoulders. “That’s up to you. I didn’t think watching me pee was one of your kinks, but whatever, I like to keep an open mind.”

That draws laughter out of me as I help her take awkward steps toward the toilet and help her use the bathroom.

“You’re lucky I’m not on my period or it would be like shark week. Wait a minute, you can’t be down there doing stuff. I feel weird, like Jell-O, and I’m so damn tired. What did you do to me? Did you fuck me senseless? Literally,” she says sleepily.

“I’m helping you, Gem.” I answer with laughter and happiness radiating through me. “Do you remember the car?”

“Oh no! Natalie’s going to be so pissed. I fucked up the car. Is the water damage that bad?”

As I clean her up and help her back into bed, I ask her. “Baby, do you remember crashing in the car?”

“Yes, and you were a Mer-man. You can poke me with your trident any day.” She laughs and yawns.

“Is that the only thing on your mind?”

“Do you know you had a tentacle dick in my dreams?” she says just as Bash comes in with the doctor and a nurse. Their eyes widen with intrigue.

I turn with my hands in the air. “Just help her.”

“I don’t need help.” Gemma protests. “All I need is my husband’s octopi-dick.”

She reaches for my crotch and actually grabs it for emphasis. One eye closes as I have to pry her grip off me. I lean down to whisper in her ear. “Behave yourself, Gem.”

“You behave, doc. You’re the one with the hard-on,” she says with a smile as she releases her grip, turns her head, and passes out.

The doctor and nurse immediately move to treat her. Gemma wakes up as they fuss over her vitals to shoo them away. When they try to explain what they’re doing, she reaches under her pillow with disappointment riding her face.

Gemma fights them with slow moving limbs as she says, “I would shoot you assholes if someone didn’t move my piece. Leave me alone.”

I catch Bash smiling from the doorway and go to join him.

“She doesn’t know she’s been in a coma, does she?” he asks.

I shake my side-to-side. “No. She’s talking like that crash happened a few days ago. I don’t want to be the one to tell her it’s been weeks.”