41. Beating Hearts

Chapter 41

Beating Hearts

The sterile scent of disinfectant fills my lungs as my eyelids flutter open. Attempting to prop myself up, I wince, glancing at the IV needle inserted into my right forearm. Oh, God. I hate needles. I look around the private room, the humming of various medical machinery ringing in my ears. I frown, unease stirring in my stomach. I hate hospitals even more.

"Oh, thank God." I crane my neck toward the far end of the room, smiling as Milo walks out of the ensuite bathroom, relief gracing his worried face. "You're awake."

"Where—" I clear my throat, my mouth dry as he sits down on a stool beside me. "Where am I? What happened?" I blink, looking out the large windows, the sun beaming through the blinds. "What time is it?"

"You have been unconscious for eight hours, Kiara," Milo whispers, his grip gentle as he takes my hand in his. He passes me a glass of water off the side table and I take a slow sip. "I was worried you sustained head trauma." He sucks in a deep breath, caressing my cheek. "Fuck, baby, I am so happy to see your eyes."

"Eight hours?" I hum, squeezing his hand as I shift my weight in the surprisingly comfortable bed. "Am I—am I okay? That seems like a long time."

"Yes," he smiles, kissing my knuckles. "Aldo came with us and I made him run every test imaginable. It is a miracle that you do not even have a concussion."

"I don't?" I peer up at the IV drip. "What is this for?"

"Hydration." I whip my head to the door as Dr. Giardini enters the room with a clipboard in hand. "Hello, Kiara, welcome back. How do you feel?"

"Good? I think? My head doesn't hurt as much anymore." I sit up, Milo refusing to let go of my hand. "I don't have a concussion? Really?"

"Yes," Aldo confirms, flipping through the documents. "All your injuries were superficial and minor."

I frown. Didn't feel minor last night. "Then why did I faint?"

"There is only so much stress and fatigue a person can take, Kiara," Aldo explains. "This was your body's way of letting you know that you need to slow down and relax." He looks down at Milo. "However, since Milo refused to believe my initial diagnosis, I have the last of your lab results here."

"Lab results?" I ask, glancing at Milo. "For what?"

"I thought perhaps Marchello had drugged you," Milo says in a bitter tone. "I did not want to take any chances." He nods at the clipboard. "So, everything is normal?"

"We found no trace of sedatives in your blood. However—" Aldo purses his lips, his gaze darting between me and Milo. "We did discover high levels of hCG."

Milo blinks, glancing at me as I take another sip of water. "hCG? What is that?"

"Human chorionic gonadotropin hormone." Aldo clears his throat as he elaborates gingerly, "It's a hormone only produced during pregnancy."

"What?!" Water spurts out of my nose. "Pregnancy?!" My gaze darts to Milo who's grinning, a glow of pride in his dark eyes. "But I can't...get pregnant. I have?—"

"Are you sure?" Milo asks, his tone hopeful. "She is pregnant?"

Aldo nods. "Yes, roughly five weeks."

My jaw drops. "Five weeks?! How is that even—" I pause, attempting to calculate my last period. Fuck, it's always irregular. Sometimes it doesn't even come. The last time was— Shit. We should've used a condom. It completely slipped my mind. "Oh God." I gasp, jerking upright as I peer down at my stomach. "Five weeks? That means, the first time we?—"

"Amazing," Milo muses, rubbing his chin as he lets out a low, cocky chuckle. "Evidently, the potency of the Di Vaio seed transcends modern medicine!"

"Milo!" I shoot him an incredulous look as I smack his shoulder. "Shut up!" I peer up sheepishly at Dr. Giardini. "I was told that my chances to conceive were under five percent, I don't understand how this happened."

"Five percent is not zero percent." Aldo shrugs, suppressing a grin. "But perhaps Milo is correct. Powerful sperm."

I blink. "You have very poor bedside manners, Doctor ."

"Kiara, please," Milo smirks. "It is his professional opinion. We must listen to him."

"You seem very pleased with yourself."

"I am overjoyed , tesoro," Milo whispers in a sweet tone. "I love you and I know you will be an amazing mother." He places his palm on my stomach, his eyes soft and dreamy as he adds, "This baby does not know how lucky it is. "

Holy shit.

"Baby," I mutter under my breath, my heart racing with confused elation. "We're going to have a baby?"

"A baby?! Oh my God! A baby?!" Julia exclaims, busting through the door, balloons and flowers in her hands. Antonia, Natalia, Luisa, and God, everyone else, piles into the cramped room. "Ah! Are you serious, cara?" She vibrates with excitement, looking at Milo. "I will be a zia ?! Me?"

"Julia, please do not scream, we are in a hospital." Milo's unable to rein in a wide, proud grin. "But yes, it would seem that Kiara is pregnant."

"Baby?" Natalia coos, running up to the bed and poking my stomach. "In there? A baby?" She turns around and looks at her mother. " How? "

"Uh—" Julia stammers, casting her husband a flustered look. She cringes, forcing a smile. "A miracle?"

"It is a gift ," Antonia states, striding toward me. She cups my cheek. "It is a blessing, Kiara." She pauses, frowning as she scans my face. "I cannot believe that bitch did this to you."

Before I can open my mouth, Julia says with a sour expression, "Milo told us what happened with Vittoria. Truly unbelievable. I say the world is a better place without her in it."

"I agree," Luisa scowls. "She was an idiot to think we would not find out."

"It is over now." Milo squeezes my hand, casting me a knowing look. He did it. He told them that she was the mole. "Let us move on, yes?"

"Yes!" Julia claps her hands, a cunning smile on her face. "Now we can start planning the wedding." She gasps, covering her mouth. "Oh my God! We must do it now! Before she gets fat! "

"Julia!" Antonia clicks her tongue. "Pregnant is not fat."

"Tell that to Chanel!" Julia bites her lip in thought. "Oh! We can do it on New Year's Eve! We are having a party anyway; we will make it a wedding! It is perfect!"

Milo clears his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "New Year's Eve will not work," he says, glancing at Paolo. "It is too soon."

I purse my lips. "Is there somewhere you need to be on New Year's?" If he thinks he's going to Russia to blow up the warehouses himself, he's lost his damn mind. "Well?"

"Paolo and I will be out of town," Milo states. "We will return on New Year's Day."

"Paolo!" Julia crosses her arms. "When were you going to tell me about this? You are leaving? Why? For what?"

Irritation and fear flush my cheeks. He is not going to fucking Russia.

"I think New Year's Eve is a great idea, Julia," I state, casting Milo a subtle glare. "I'm sure whatever is happening that night does not require their personal attendance. Right? Perhaps, you can participate from afar ?"

"No, I cannot?—"

"Milo, please!" Julia snaps. "What is more important than Kiara? Hmm? She is carrying your fucking child! Do you not want to marry her?"

I suppress a grin as Milo's jaw clenches. Julia, my greatest weapon. "Of course, I want to marry her, Julia."

"Then what is the problem?" Julia asks through her teeth. "If it is a matter of time constraint, do not worry, little brother, I will take care of everything ."

"Yes, baby," I say, feigning a pout. "What's the problem?"

Milo sighs, glancing at Paolo who nods in approval. "I suppose there is no problem. "

"Then it's set!" Julia exclaims, giddiness exuding from her body. "Luisa and I will get started on preparations right away! We only have five days! There is so much to do!" She perches on the edge of the hospital bed. "What kind of flowers do you like? Colors? Silver or gold? And your dress? Mermaid? Ballgown? A-line? Trumpet? White? Cream? Champagne?"

"Uh—" I stammer, suddenly feeling overwhelmed and nauseous. "I?—"

"Perhaps this can wait until Kiara has fully recovered," Dr. Giardini pipes up, catching my flustered demeanour. "I think it is best if you all leave. She will return home later today but for now, we should let her rest."

I mouth thank you, casting him a grateful smile before squeezing my future sister-in-law's hand. "Honestly, Julia, I trust your judgment. Do whatever you want." I look over at Luisa. "Can we keep this small? Under fifty people? Is that possible?"

Luisa scrunches her face. "It is doable, but we might offend some of our allies if they are not invited."

Our allies. My allies.

I take in the smiling faces of everyone around me. They're here for me. They're here because they care about me. Because they love me. Because I am one of them.

They're my family.

The last time I was in a hospital, I was alone. Thirteen and alone.

I don't feel alone anymore.

I place my hand on my belly. I will never be alone again.

"Okay," I say, letting out a content breath. "Invite everyone we know."

"Big is always better, cara!" Julia exclaims as Natalia attempts to crawl up on the bed. "Talia, what are you doing?"

"I want to say hi to baby!" Natalia frowns, struggling to lift her tiny body.

"Here—" I give Natalia a boost up on the bed.

Natalia kneels beside me, lowering herself down to my stomach as she whispers, "Hi, little baby. You be my friend?" She looks at me with doe-like eyes. "It hear me?"

"Yes, it can hear you," I sniffle as Milo grabs my hand, caressing the underside of my wrist.

"I would like to be alone with my future wife," Milo says, kissing the back of my hand. "We will see you all at home."

"Thank you all for coming. It means a lot," I whisper, wiping the tears from under my eyes as I get swarmed with hugs and kisses.

When the room empties, I tug on Milo's arm. "Lay down with me." I roll to my side as he climbs into the bed. "Milo—" I run my fingers through his hair. "Were you going to go to Russia? Was that your plan?"

He sighs. "Marchello was supposed to go and lead the operation but now I cannot trust him."

"So, you were going to go yourself?" I ask, shaking my head. "It's too dangerous Milo. Your men can do it themselves. You said you had everything ready to go."

"There cannot be any errors, Kiara," Milo says, tracing the little circle on my arm. "That is why I wanted to go myself."

"You said you'd never leave me. I can't risk losing you." I glance down at my stomach. " We can't risk losing you."

"And that is why I will stay." He pulls me against his chest, his sweet breath fanning against my forehead. "I love you, Kiara. I know this is all happening so fast, but I have never been more happy in my whole life. To have a child with a woman I love, that is truly a gift."

"You're not scared?" I swallow. "I'm scared."

"The greatest challenges yield the greatest rewards, tesoro," Milo whispers, brushing his nose against mine. "And there is no doubt in my mind that we are capable of providing this child with a beautiful life."

"Are you going to be mad if it's a girl?" I ask in a low murmur. "I know you probably want a boy. An heir."

Milo's chest rumbles as he laughs. "Kiara, if our daughter is anything like you, she will one day rule the fucking world."

I blink. "You're putting a lot of pressure on our unborn child."

He grins. "Pressure makes diamonds, tesoro, and our child will shine brighter than the burning sun." He drags his thumb across my bottom lip before arching down and giving me a gentle kiss. "God, I love you. I cannot wait to call you my wife."

"I love you too, so much." I close my eyes, every wound I've suffered over my lifetime, closing up, healing, disappearing. Tolstoy was right. Life and love. It's the only remedy for pain. "I wish my nana was here. I think she'd like you."

"Where is she buried?" Milo asks, smiling against my lips. "We can move her to our family plot if you'd like."

I peer up at him. "You can?"

"Of course, Kiara. She is part of the family."

Family.

Maybe that's the true remedy for pain.