“Isaid get the fuck out!” Santos was still yelling at the nurse while hanging on to his IV pole like it was a crutch. Tony was advancing on the poor woman, apparently not even bothering to find out why Santos was having a hissy. But the way Santos' clothes hung on him caught my attention, and it was enough to distract me from the room’s other occupants. He’d lost weight.
I hadn’t noticed it earlier, but his cheekbones were definitely a bit sharper now that I looked for it. It wasn’t a ton, but I was fairly certain the t-shirt he had on was supposed to be fitted, not loose. Guilt flared at my earlier inattention as I studied him while trying to avoid him thinking I was staring at his scars. My focus had been zeroed in on what he had underneath the bandage and if the other guys were okay, and not much else.
“What the fuck is going on in here?” came from behind me, directly followed up with, “Eden? When did you get back, and more importantly, why are you here?” Isn’t that the question of the day? The voice the question came from happened to be attached to my missing Carlotti, and I twisted to find Vanni, who was irritated as fuck, all the way from his pinched brows to his scowling lips. I didn’t miss the weight loss this time; Vanni was straight-up gaunt, with dark circles under his eyes. I didn’t see any visible injuries, but I would be finding out as soon as Santos’ issue with his nurse was resolved.
“Hey, Vanni. Yes, I’m back, and also...you look like shit, but you could still give me a hug or try to act like you’re happy to see me. Ya know, the person that came all this way to say you didn’t off me and bury me in the backyard or some shit like that?” His lack of reaction bugged me. He just continued to stare until I felt awkward as fuck and edged away from him. “Right, so you’re not happy to see me. Got it.” Feeling that burn of embarrassment and hurt, I pretended not to care, tuning into what Tony and Santos were arguing about. The nurse stood off to the side, looking exactly like I felt, and a bit of sympathy went out to her. I knew exactly how hard it was to deal with this bunch.
“A few days until Doc clears you, Santos. You can’t put up with help until then? It’s what’s keeping your stubborn ass out of the hospital, and you know it. Otherwise, you would have been left there.” Tony’s low tone wasn’t enough to keep his words private in the quiet room, but I doubted he cared too much or he’d have already kicked everyone out.
“He’s clearing me tomorrow, so it’s a non-issue,” Santos snarled back, posturing like he didn’t have a care in the world. Except the sweat beading up on his forehead, dampening his hairline, gave away just how much it was costing him to put up the front.
Begin as you plan to continue. As Tony continued to argue that he was maybe getting cleared tomorrow, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Shooting a glance at Marco, who was leaning against the wall like it was his job to hold it up, to see if he was going to try to stop me, I approached the duo.
“Tony, take care of the nurse. Get any instructions I’ll need to know and put her somewhere out of the way but near enough that she can come in an emergency. Santos, get your ass back in that bed before you fall on it.” I wasn’t certain they’d follow along, and I was going to look like a complete fool if they didn’t, but after a long, indecipherable look from Tony, he nodded and moved to escort the woman out.
“She’ll be in the next room over if you need her,” he said to me before narrowing his eyes on Santos. “Give Eden shit, and I’ll take you back to the hospital myself.”
With that warning, he left, the nurse in tow, and I took charge of Santos. Or tried to. His legs had apparently had enough of his shit too and were threatening to give out. Trying not to hurt him, I quickly moved to get under his arm on his bad side. Thankfully, he didn’t let up with his white-knuckled grip on the pole, so I didn’t have too much of his weight to handle. Done with his wall-holding duty, Marco was next to me in an instant, getting behind Santos. He helped me get him the couple steps to the bed, the two of us lowering him without jarring his injuries. I nearly ended up underneath him, and all sorts of thoughts and feelings hit me. I hadn’t been in a bed with Santos in so long that I wasn’t quite sure what to do except bolt. But that wasn’t quite an option after boldly proclaiming that I’d step in as nursemaid. I didn’t regret the offer, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t soon enough if this was my reaction. My plans hadn’t made it much past getting back and refusing to let them ship me off again, and now I was sort of regretting my lack of preparation.
Marco seemed to pick up on my discomfort as he helped Santos get situated with a wink in my direction, but then of course he opened his fat mouth. “Now that we’re alone, did you know Edie has something she wants to share?”
“Marco,” I hissed, mortified that he’d even think about it, “that’s not appropriate. And I will smother you in your sleep if you don’t shut your trap, right now!” With a grin, the asshole mimed zipping his lips, but from the devilry dancing in his eyes, I knew it wouldn't keep him quiet for long. I turned to straighten the blanket, using the maneuver as cover to regain my composure, and noticed Vanni was gone. His absence was enough to sober me up, making me wonder what the fuck his problem was, not that I felt I had any right to go ask him after the reception he’d given me.
“Fine, take all the fun out of it, you shrew,” Marco teased, but when I looked up at him, he had his attention on the empty doorway as well, and the jovial tone didn’t match the worry in his stare.
Needing some semblance of order, I focused on the one thing that actually required my attention—Santos’ care. “Is there anything you need right now?” I asked the man in question. His head shake and crossed arms didn’t bode well for us getting along, and I had an inkling that I’d be turning the nursing duties back over to the actual professional very soon. With that in mind, I figured I’d be better off finding out what had him kicking her out in the first place.
"What did she do that was so awful, anyway? Try to hold your dick while you took a piss?" I was being a smartass, but when he remained silent, I had to raise my brows in surprise. "Really? Huh, I could have gotten paid a lot more if I'd known my skill as a professional dick holder was a legitimate job description."
Santos coughed like he'd choked on his spit before grimacing in pain and glaring at me while Marco tried to impersonate a hyena. That familiar burn of embarrassment crept up once again as they both regained their composure. One day I won't pop off with remarks that show exactly how far in the gutter I lived. Unfortunately, that wasn't today.
With a sigh, I propped my hands on my hips and glared at Marco. "Keep it up, asshole, and these hands won't go near your pecker again."
That sobered him up, but it pissed Santos off.
"Excuse me? What'd you do, go straight upstairs to fuck?" He seemed to regret his outburst as soon as he said it, but he wasn't the only one pissed off now.
"Santos, don't talk to her like that. You're being a jealous ass. As usual," Marco tacked on, making me wonder if this had been a thing while I was gone.
I couldn't find my footing since I got back to town, and none of this indicated that would happen anytime soon. I'd thought when I left, that things would be different when I returned, but now I was sort of regretting not taking off again after going to the police station.
Mad and a little bit sad, I stuck up for myself. "It doesn't matter what I do with my own time or body, Santos. We're not together, remember? I don't know why I bothered to try. I'll let the nurse know she still needs to put up with your contrary self until Doc gives you the all clear."
I turned on my heel, intent on finding Tony to deliver the news then chasing down my damn clothes and where I'd be staying. My wet underwear were starting to chafe, and I wanted them off.
"Eden, wait. I didn't mean it like that! You just took me by surprise. You barely left here, and…" He mashed his lips into a firm line as I turned my head over my shoulder to give him my attention, but he didn't finish whatever he had planned to say. Instead, he flicked his gaze to Marco and glared some more. I so wasn't putting up with his crap or his fake apologies.
Of course, I couldn't even make it out of the room before Tony came back with Vanni in tow. One look from me to the men behind me, and Tony's sigh could be heard all the way upstairs. "What now? How could you have pissed her off in the few minutes I've been gone, Santos? Her presence is what allowed Doc to let you recuperate at home, and you're damn well aware of it!" Apparently, I wasn't the only one fed up with his bullshit.
"If he actually needs help, let me know. Princess over there took offense to the nurse trying to touch him in his no-no square while doing her job." My eyes nearly rolled hard enough to sprain something, but the lack of response and the frozen Carlottis in front of me clued me in that I'd hit on a major faux pas. "What?" I asked, swiveling my head to look back at Santos and Marco, but their attention wasn't on me. They were staring past me at Tony and Vanni.
"I'm going to go check the, uh, something. I'll be back later." And with that stuttered declaration, Vanni disappeared from the doorway.
In my confusion, the only thing I could imagine was that they were screwing someone else. It was a harsh blow, one I'd expected before, well, everything that had happened, but not now.
"I didn't mean to intrude," I started, wanting nothing more than to escape with whatever dignity I had left. And find someone to fix the fucking tattoo asap. "I would have stayed gone had I known…" Lifting my hand to gesture to all of them, I made myself walk toward Tony, hoping he'd move out of the way without making this a thing. I knew damn well I could have gone to any police station and declared myself fine. I hadn't had to risk coming back here, but I'd wanted to, and Vinnie had asked, no, nearly demanded my presence. Something he hadn’t discussed with them beforehand. Either Vinnie didn't know, or he didn't want me to know. I wasn’t supposed to be here; that was the consensus.
Except that didn’t explain Marco's actions or Tony's remark upstairs. I'd thought he meant 'ours' as in all four, or maybe he'd literally meant the two of them. But Tony hadn't tried to touch me either, only Marco had, and I had to consider that the “ours” could be more in the Family sense rather than the personal relationship sense that I’d stupidly assumed. What the fuck is going on?