“I hope your boyfriend makes it.” The female officer says before walking alongside her partner in the direction of where I assume the cafeteria is. I wait for them to disappear through the doors before looking back at my dad. He leans forward and presses his lips to my forehead.
“I love you Nikki. I don’t deserve to ask anything of you but I’m selfish enough to ask that you don’t doubt my love for you. I have made very bad decisions and maybe I was stupid enough to think that they never would affect you or your sister, but I swear to you I never wanted to hurt either of you. I only wanted to give you two girls the best possible life I was capable of. I swear on Val’s grave may he rest in peace that I never wanted to hurt Michael either my intentions were pure when it came to him.” He lifted his hands from his pockets and cradled my face in his palms. “I’m sorry for every bad thing that ever touched you.” He whispered pausing as if to memorize every feature of my face before smiling at me sadly. “I love you my little girl.”
His thumbs brushed away the tears that fell from my eyes before dropping his hands and looking over my shoulder towards Aunt Gina.
“Stay with her. Don’t let her wait alone.”
“You’re just going to give your statement right?” She asked skeptically.
“Yes.” He said with a slight nod. He gave me one final look before starting to walk away from me.
“Dad!” I said, watching as he stopped mid stride, looking back over his shoulder at me. “I love you too.” I said, choking with emotion.
The corners of his lips curved as he smiled at me, placing his hand over his heart and winked at me. I watched him walk away from me and couldn’t help but feel as if this too was a pivotal moment in my life one that I’d never forget. The moment my father told me, he loved me before walking away from me. Aunt Gina’s arms wrapped around me and I turned in her embrace, wishing my mother were here with me.
“Are you the family of Michael Valente?” I heard someone ask, forcing me to pull away from Aunt Gina and turn to face the doctor that was removing his mask.
“Yes.” I said hoarsely grabbing onto my Aunt’s hand for support, fearing what he was about to tell me.
He took a deep breath as his eyes found mine. “It was touch and go for a moment, but he’s stable. The bullet ruptured his spleen so we had to perform a splenectomy. He was brought in just in time if we had waited any longer to do the surgery he would’ve died.” He paused for a moment. “I’m pretty sure we were able to get all the fragments of the bullet too.”
“He’s going to be okay?” I asked disbelievingly.
“He has quite the recovery ahead of him and it’s very important for him to be monitored with any abdominal injury such as a gunshot we worry about infection. Lucky for him the bullet didn’t puncture his stomach or his intestines.” He looked at me for a moment. “They’re moving him to recovery, but it will be a little while before you can see him so why don’t you let me call one of the residents to check you out.”
I opened my mouth to object, but he held his hand up so he could continue without interruption.
“If I had just gone through what he did the first person I’d want to see is my wife, but it would absolutely destroy me if she looked like you do.”
“Okay.” I said reluctantly. “But then you’ll let me see him?” I asked tiredly.
“You have my word.” The doctor said. I sighed, telling myself that I just needed to hold out a little longer before I saw Mikey.
My Mikey.
I glanced up at the tiled ceiling and silently thanked the man upstairs for answering my prayers and restoring my faith.
Chapter Twenty Eight
I opened my eyes, trying to make out what that beeping noise was and where it was coming from. I felt woozy like I was drunk and my body weighed me down. I knew even if I attempted to lift my head that I wouldn’t be able. I was suffering the world’s worst hangover at least that’s what I thought until I realized I had a tube up my nose.
It all started to come back to me slowly the shootout at Temptations going on the run with Nikki realizing I love her only for her to be taken from me. Everything just hit me like a Mack truck taking me back to chasing the sounds of her cries praying to God that I could save her. She was tied to that chair crying and there was a man with a gun aiming it straight at her. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, shielding her body with mine as the bullet hit me. I hear her shrill cries as she calls out for me. Did I save her? Did he get her after he shot me?
I start to lift myself up desperate to see her to know whether she survived or not. I don’t make it very far and my head falls back against the pillow. I’m confined by the tubes and wires that are connecting me to the machines, even if my body had the strength to get up I would be trapped here never knowing if it was all for nothing never knowing if I failed Nikki.