I let go of Sienna.
“Papa,” she screamed, and began to run towards him.
Her mother immediately rushed to her side and appeared to be trying to explain what was going on.
Her grandmother came out. She looked old and lost.
After her father was lifted and placed in the ambulance, Sienna ran towards her grandmother and hugged her. Supporting her, she turned towards me. “Angelo!” she called.
But I already knew what needed to be done. I lifted my hand to acknowledge her and ran towards the car. I drove it towards the house and helped her grandmother into the vehicle. Then we were off and keeping pace behind the ambulance.
Chapter 42
Sienna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJOTlE1K90k
-Girls like you-
My father had suffered a pulmonary edema.
The attack on his lungs had nearly cut off his air supply. One moment, he had been speaking to my grandmother in his study and in the next, he had collapsed to the floor, wheezing and struggling to breathe.
My mother had been beside herself with panic, but luckily they were able to stabilize him in the hospital and things were soon brought under control.
My grandmother had left the room to have a bowl of soup that Gemma brought for her, so it was just my mother and I by my father’s side.
He was connected to a frightening network of tubes and machines, but the doctor had assured us he was no longer on the verge of death and they were working to return him back to normal.
I still felt so shaken that I could hardly speak. The sight of my all-powerful father lying so weak and helpless on the bed too difficult to take in. He had always seemed so formidable, so untouchable that the possibility of him ever being reduced to this state had seemed a reality far too distant to have to worry about. Maybe when he was eighty. Not now.
But here he was right before my eyes, with my mother holding tightly to his hand her head resting lightly against it. Her mouth was moving soundlessly and I knew she was praying. The scene seemed so intimate and private, it made me feel like an intruder.
I rose to my feet and quietly left the room. Outside, I felt dizzy. My whole world had just tilted to one side. All my plans of running away were in tatters. I could never go anywhere now. I had a responsibility. Now when my father was weak and vulnerable to his enemies, I had to stand by him. I leaned against the wall and waited for the strength to return to my limbs. Slowly, I felt the power that had run in the blood of my ancestors begin to seep into mine. I was strong. I could overcome this setback. My plan was no longer to run away, but to stay and fight for me and my family.
When I straightened from the wall, I spotted a vending machine at the end of the quiet hallway.
It was only when I arrived in front of it did I realize I didn’t have a single dime on me to purchase a can of Coke. I almost laughed. Such an apt description of my life … Access to all the money in the world but unable to buy the one thing I wanted. Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to see who it was. No one else moved so softly. The hairs on my hands were standing.
“Which one do you want?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. “A Coke.”
His large hands curled around my arms. Then he turned me towards the sitting area. “Go take a seat over there. I’ll bring it to you.”
It felt good to have his strong, sure hands on my body. It made me feel like I would not be fighting this fight on my own. I nodded and went to perch at the end of a blue chair. I watched him walk over, his movements lithe and graceful. He handed over the opened can of coke and I lifted the can to my lips. He took a seat beside me.
I consumed half of it before stopping. The flow of the cold, fizzy liquid through my system was just the wake-up I needed. I held the can in my hand and stared straight ahead just saying, “Thank you.”
He took his cap off and glanced at me. “For what?”
I turned to look at him and lifted the coke towards him. “For this, for calming me down, for saving my life, for being there, for protecting me, for … everything.”
He didn’t say anything and I turned away from his beautiful face.
Many seconds passed before he spoke again. “Your father will be fine.”
I nodded, willing myself to believe those words with every fiber of my being. “He has to be. Otherwise, we’re all screwed. Now I realize what everyone’s been trying to tell me.”