The Don's Bride 3

The taxi sped along down the roads one at a time as they headed towards their nearest hospital, with Vicenzo cradling his poor wife Natalia in the backseat of the car.

Maxwell sat in the front, checking in on how things were going every now and then.

He glanced back, eyeing Natalia’s condition.

“Come sta, Vince?” (How’s she looking, Vince?) he enquired in Italian, keeping their conversation private for obvious reasons.

Vincenzo was frantic.

He had never been this scared before in his entire life as he sat there, with the woman he cared about in his arms, badly beaten and close to death.

“Baby? Baby, can you hear me?” he spoke to her while cradling her head with one arm and cupping her face with his other hand.

“Keep your eyes open for me, ok? Don’t close those eyes.”

Natalia continued to gasp shallow breaths as she found herself struggling to breathe, while staring up into her husband’s tear-filled amber eyes, with her vision blurring in and out of focus.

“That’s it, keep those eyes open for me.” Vincenzo urged her with a smile.

She gasped aloud, her brows lifted as she tried to speak but couldn’t manage a single word.

“Tienila sveglia, Vince.” (Keep her awake, Vince.) Maxwell coached his Don from the front seat.

“Cosa pensi che io stia cercando di fare?” (What do you think I’m trying to do?) Vincenzo unknowingly snapped in fear.

Suddenly her hooded eyes closed, and Vincenzo’s expression mirrored immediate panic.

He grabbed her head and shook it gently to rouse her.

“Baby? Baby, you stay with me. You stay awake, do you hear me?” he demanded frantically as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Natalia’s eyes slowly opened barely a slit as she stared up at him with her eyes unfocused.

She continued to gasp in each of her breaths, fighting as the powerful overdose of drugs in her system threatened to end her life.

“That’s it, keep those eyes open, Natalia. I’m right here.” he reassured her with a smile, wiping away his tears.

“Just listen to my voice, ok? Please… please stay awake.”

Natalia blinked slowly, fighting to keep her eyes open now as she groaned.

“Maxwell, quanto tempo ancora?” (Maxwell, how much longer?) Vincenzo called out.

“Excuse me, how long until we’re at the hospital?” Maxwell asked the driver.

“Uh, maybe ten minutes.” the driver replied as he merged into another lane, speeding along.

“Faster, please! We think she’s dying!” Maxwell urged the driver in a panic.

Hearing Maxwell’s comment, Vincenzo couldn’t help the tears as they continued to fill his blazing amber eyes, at the thought that he might actually be losing her right now.

That she might not pull through this horrific drug overdose and gang rape.

The Don closed his eyes, fighting back emerging tears, then opened them again as he continued staring down at her, cradling her head carefully in his arm and stroking her face with his free hand.

“Stay with me.” he begged her.

“Don’t you dare leave me.”

Eight minutes later, the taxi came roaring into the hospital’s Emergency parking bay, skidding to a halt before Maxwell quickly got out and opened the door for Vincenzo.

He then helped to carry Natalia out while Vincenzo hopped out.

The Don then picked his wife back up into his muscular arms and together with Maxwell, they darted in through the emergency entrance to the hospital.

“Help! Help us please!” Maxwell cried out for someone to come over and help them as they came towards the front desk.

Several nurses came running over, one with a stretcher.

Vincenzo placed Natalia down onto the stretcher as Maxwell went on to explain the situation to the nurses who had approached them.

“Her name’s Natalia Moretti. She’s in her early twenties, was given a massive dose of Roofies, but we don’t know exactly how much. She’s had incredibly shallow breathing for the past fifteen, twenty minutes. Maybe longer.” Maxwell explained.

“She was also assaulted and raped.” Vincenzo forced the words out, giving the nurses all the horrific details that they knew about.

“Please help her.”

As two nurses worked to strap Natalia onto the stretcher and apply an oxygen mask to her face, a third nurse placed her hand onto Vincenzo’s arm as she spoke to him with a smile.

“We’ll help her, don’t worry.” the nurse reassured them.

One nurse worked to check Natalia’s eyes one by one, “Her pupils are pinpoint.”

Vincenzo stood over his wife, watching as her eyes finally closed and remained closed.

“Her pulse is dangerously low. We need to move.” one of the nurses reported.

“Come on, move!”

Vincenzo panicked.

“Baby, open your eyes!” he called out after her in concern as they began to quickly roll her away towards the emergency room doors.

“Natalia! Open your eyes!”

Maxwell had to hold Vincenzo back as the nurses guided the stretcher, jogging along beside it.

The Don watched on with tears in his eyes as she disappeared from their sight and the doors closed behind them.

Now it was out of his hands…

He would have to wait… and pray.

Another nurse approached the two men, “Excuse me, would one of you be able to help give us some details for the patient?”

“I’ll do it. Go sit down, Vince. I’ll be right back.” Maxwell suggested, patting Vincenzo’s back before then following along after the nurse to help check Natalia into the hospital.

Vincenzo felt his heart ‘thudding’ loudly within his head and chest as his head raced with possible scenarios; all of them bad.

He couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t think.

Was that the last time he would ever see his wife alive?

Would she die?

Feeling as if his legs might give way, the Don made his way over towards the nearest chairs and sat himself down on one as his head began to spin.

Everything came crashing down all at once.

The Rossi’s disappearing.

Issues at home.

The fight with Natalia.

And now, this…

He closed his eyes tightly shut and lowered his head down into his inked hands, fighting to try and slow his breathing down.

He could feel a massive panic attack coming on.

He’d only ever had one before in his life – when his father had died.

That day had changed his entire life.

Would this be the same?

Noticing Vincenzo’s state, Maxwell came running over, knowing exactly what was happening to him at that precise moment, and also knowing what he needed.

A voice to coach him through it.

He crouched down in front of his Don and friend, placing his hand on Vincenzo’s broad back and could instantly feel just how worked up Vincenzo was.

“Vince, listen to me, deep breaths, remember?” Maxwell began to coach.

“Deep breaths… come on, deep breaths in… and out…”

Listening to Maxwell’s somewhat echoed voice, Vincenzo focused on his breathing as he had been instructed.

Breathing slow, deep breaths in through his nostrils, then out through his mouth, he slowly began to calm himself back down as his head spinning started to slow.

“That’s it… good, in… and out…” Maxwell continued, rubbing his hand over Vincenzo’s back.

“You’re doing good.”

As his panic attack finally came to an end, the emotions began pouring out and Vincenzo’s eyes quickly filled with tears as he fought against them, closing his eyes and sniffing.

“She’s going to be alright.” Maxwell reassured his friend.

“We got her here in time. She’s going to be alright.”

Vincenzo’s breaths were coming in shaky now as he struggled to hold his tears at bay.

Swallowing nervously, he nodded his head.

Now with Vincenzo back to normal, Maxwell stood back up and made his way back over towards the nurse to finish with the passing of information.

Vincenzo sat upright, exhaling deeply as he slumped over in his seat.

“Is he going to be alright?” the nurse at the front counter asked Maxwell.

“Him? Yeah, he’ll be fine.” Maxwell replied.

“He sometimes suffers from extreme panic attacks.”

“Oh, I see.” the nurse spoke, nodding.

“Do you know how long this might take?” Maxwell enquired.

“I’m not sure.” the nurse admitted.

“It depends on what they have to do for her. It could take up to several hours before we know anything.”

Maxwell nodded, “Ok, thanks.”

He then turned and made his way back over towards where Vincenzo was sitting, sitting down on the chair right beside him.

Maxwell turned to glance at his Don who was sitting staring forward blanky in a daze.

His expression was void.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Maxwell asked.

It took a moment, and then Vincenzo spoke in monotone.

“This is my fault.” the Don declared.

Maxwell frowned at the absurd idea, “How is any of this your fault?”

“If we hadn’t fought, this never would have happened.” Vincenzo explained.

“I was just so jealous. I didn’t want her around those assholes.”

“Hey, you had a good fucking reason for that.” Maxwell spoke in a serious tone.

“Those assholes were trouble from the very beginning. We just didn’t see it until it was too late.”

“And look who paid the price for it.” Vincenzo spoke solemnly.

Maxwell sighed.

He turned to his side, looking directly at Vincenzo now.

“Vince, none of this is your fault. Do you hear me? So, you had a fight. Couples fight, it’s totally normal. Those men played us, and they…” Maxwell paused, scrunching up his face in anger and sadness.

“…they did that to her. They’re the ones at fault, Vince. Not you. So don’t you dare blame yourself. You got it?”

Vincenzo remained silent, though he took on what Maxwell had said.

Normally he wouldn’t allow anyone to speak to him in such a way, but Maxwell was being supportive; he was being a friend.

A moment of silence was shared between them before Vincenzo finally spoke.

“Thanks, man.” the Don declared.

Maxwell smiled, patting Vincenzo on the back, “What else do you keep me around for?”

Vincenzo found himself smiling.

He had to admit; he loved his friend’s sense of humour.