Post by silent.lullaby on Apr 8, 2010 14:15:53 GMT -5
//We Run This Town//Chapter 018// Theories
They sewed up the skin on the back of my head, washed it carefully to keep from ripping up the stitches, still it stung. Maximo stayed with me, while our parents watched carefully over Sergio. Blaire, Lucia and Gemma all came into see me. Gemma was stone faced, she looked angry and wouldn’t look at me directly. Lucia cried the second she walked in the room and Blaire tried her best to lighten things up with humour.
I giggled and ate a piece of chocolate Blaire had snuck in for me. Maximo was sleeping in the chair next to my bed so my friends tried to keep quiet.
“Have you heard anything about Sergio’s condition?” Gemma asked after a while, and Blaire and I stopped giggling about a funny joke.
Shaking my head, I responded, “no, Mother and Father are keeping it pretty hushed. I don’t think they want to worry us.”
“Don’t they realize that’s exactly what they are doing!” Gemma argued looking angry. “They won’t let anyone of us see him, Preston has been the only one to even see either Uncle Antonio or Aunt Contessa.” Gemma rubbed her hands together quickly. “Dad insisted we didn’t walk, take a taxi, or a bus, all the public transit methods of visiting you guys was out. We ended up getting Adam to drive us. Usually Dad’s all about being independent, using my bus pass and today he was absolutely dead against it.”
“I don’t want to say it, but I think I know what you’re getting at,” Blaire whispers softly looking over at Maximo ensuring he was still asleep before turning back to the rest of us.
“I’m thinking it was a hit, a warning to Uncle Antonio.”
“Who would hire a hit man that couldn’t kill a teenager?” I ask getting choked up.
“Maybe they just wanted to show that we were accessible.” Gemma suggests grimly.
“I don’t like this one bit,” Lucia whispers nervously, and looks to be on the verge of tears once more. She looks down to hide it but I can see the tear fall down her face, unhidden from me, though her long dark chocolate locks hide it from Gemma and Blaire.
“Maybe it was a kid from our school, it’s not like we have a shortage of people that hate us,” Blaire suggested, seeming to like that idea better than a professional hit man.
“They were all there when Max told me the news,” I argued.
“All of them?” Gemma asked, “I didn’t see Brian Wetherill.”
Thinking back I had to agree. “Me either.”
“Maybe I should pay him a visit,” Gemma suggests snapping her knuckles.
“Or you won’t.” We all look over to the door to see Adam towering in the doorway stirring a cup of hospital coffee. “I’m positive that this will be handled.”
“Are you backing off because of the police?” Gemma asks glaring.
“Gem!” Blaire defends her brother, “enough.”
“It will be taken care of,” Adam insists, “but not by any of you. Now, I’m to have you all home soon, so see you Lili, glad you’re feeling better.”
“Bye,” I wave and give each of my girls a hug in turn, Gemma waits by my bedside till the other girls are by Adam at the doorway before bending down to me. “If they don’t take care of this... when you’re better, we will.” Gemma took two steps backwards and gave me a nod before turning on her heels and heading back to the door.
“Our cousin is one crazy bitch,” Maximo mutters not lifting his head.
I cross my arms and lay back down on the plush pillows. “How long have you been awake for.”
“Long enough to hear your theories.” Maximo replies reaching up and touching his neck and groaning as he lifts his head up, “apparently sleeping like that is a bad idea.”
“No shit,” I respond quietly. “Do you think we’re right though?”
Maximo shrugs. “I doubt it’s kids from school. Sergio’s a pretty popular guy, hasn’t done anything out right offensive to any one.” Maximo shrugs, “but Brian Wetherill really hates us.” Maximo slouches lower into the chair resting his head against the back. “But an enforcer trying to send Father a message, that seems pretty likely. And in such a public place, just shows Father that who ever did this, can get us anywhere.”
“Wow, that is so encouraging.”
“Didn’t say it would be, but you wanted to know if your theories were right, and yes, I was thinking the same thing. They really worked Serge over. They stabbed him, left him fighting for his life. It sent a message.”
“I hope Father sends them one back.”
“Oh I’m sure he will.”
There was a tap at the doorway and a nurse came in, “just got to check your bandages.”
“I’m going to get some coffee,” Maximo tells me before leaving me with the nurse.
She removes the bandages on my hands, knees and feet before wiping disinfectant on them and a cream to help the healing process. “How are you feeling today?” She asks as she cuts new strips of gauze.
“Better,” I reply though I still had a pounding head ache and had nightmares whenever I slept.
“Excellent, you’re scrapes and bruises are healing up nicely,” she tells me wrapping my scrapes back up in gauze and taping it into place before undoing the gauze around my head, “wow, this is really looking a lot better,” she tells me before cleaning the wound out again, she leaves it unwrapped. “You’re ready to head home now.”
She tells me she’ll get my father to sign my release forms and then Preston would take Maximo and I home. It took longer than I expected but in that time, another nurse brought me in garments my mother had packed and brought for me. She helped me get dressed into a pair of sweat pants, a plain t-shirt and a warm zip-up hoodie. She helped me to the lower floor and Preston and Maximo helped me to the car. It was a quiet ride, Preston asked me a few questions about my condition, and I answered as briefly as possible.
“Charlie will be there when I drop you two off,” Preston informs us as we pull down our street.
“Is that really necessary?” Maximo asks coyly, he was fishing for information.
“Apparently your father feels that in light of recent events that it is better to be safe than sorry, so yes, Charlie, or someone else will be watching over you two until Antonio returns.”
“We aren’t children,” I whisper. “None of you need to hide behind the ‘better safe than sorry’ speech. We aren’t stupid you know.”
“Never said you were.”
“It was implied. We know what our parents do, why is it kept so hush-hush when there is a threat? Do they really think we haven’t figured that out.”
“This is a conversation for another time Lilianna,” Preston responds calmly, “and points to be brought up with another person.” I knew he was referring to my father, and Preston was right, he was just following orders. I would need to speak to my father about this. Did he really think we were blind and dumb?
Preston helped me to the door, Maximo got the door for us. “How are you doing Lilianna?” Charlie asked looking concerned.
“I’m fine, thank you Mr. Walker.”
He nodded, and Maximo offered to help me to my room which I accepted. I could hear Preston and Charlie whispering as we headed up the stairs. Maximo opened the door for me and helped me into my bed pulling my large blanket over my body. “You need anything?”
I shook my head, “thanks Max.”
He nodded and left my room. The quiet ate at me, but exhaustion eventually lulled me to sleep.