Chapter 28

Luca’s POV

“So, what happened?”, Mara asked, when we were far enough away from my mother. “There was a shoot out. We still don’t know who was behind it”, I answered, my brain scrambled. “Their injuries, Luca”, Mara whispered. I looked over at her, noticing how close I was to losing it. “Carlo was shot in the leg, and the bullet is still in it. We don’t know about Marco, just that he lost a lot of blood”, Sergio answered for me. “Do we have blood?”, she asked. “Yes, we have some stocked for all of our blood types”, I answered. “I assume you know his blood type”, she said, as she opened the infirmary door.

“Yes”, Sergio and I answered in unison, as we laid Marco down on the table. Cal and Rex sat Carlo down on the sofa in the room, making him hiss. “That’s what I need first then. A bag of his blood and a needle for it”, Mara instructed. “I’ll get it”, Sergio said, going to the stock fridge.

Mara ripped Marco’s shirt open, revealing the tattered skin beneath it. Mara gasped and took a step back. I stared at his stomach in panic mode. “What can I do to help?”, I asked. My question seemed to snap Mara back to. “I need sutures and needles to stitch him up”, she said, going to the sink to wash her hands.

She slipped on gloves and grabbed the bottle of rubbing alcohol. When she poured it over his wound, he woke up with a scream. Mara covered his mouth, “Shh, you are safe”, she cooed. Marco’s scream quietened as he locked eyes with her. “Mara?”, he asked, when she removed her hand.

“Yes, your brothers found you and brought you home. But, your mother is asleep in the other room. She has been worried sick about you all night. Do you really want to wake her up and her see you like this?”, Mara asked. “No”, Marco answered softly. “Then try to stay quiet”, she told him. “But, hey, it’s great to see you awake and responsive. That’s a good sign”, Mara smiled, relieving some of my fear.

Sergio handed Mara the blood and needle. She hung the bag up and expertly inserted the needle into his arm. I watched on, curiously. Where did she learn to do this? “Okay, buddy. You aren’t going to like me for it, but I need to put pressure on your stomach to make sure they didn’t harvest any of your organs”, Mara explained regretfully.

She carefully applied pressure to Marco’s abdomen, making him yelp and grab Mara by the throat. I reacted instantly, grabbing his wrist tight enough that he released her. I held both of his arms down, and Sergio held his legs, as Mara pushed some more.”Ah, fucking hell”, Marco gritted out. “I’m sorry. It doesn’t feel like your organs are missing though”, she said brightly. “Fuck if I care”, Marco growled.

“Marco”, I snapped. “It’s okay. He’s in pain. Do we have anything for it?”, Mara asked. “First of all, it’s definitely not okay”, I growled out. “Yes, we do. Morhpine”, Sergio answered. “Good. Give him half of the recommended dosage”, Mara told Sergio. “Half?”, Marco exclaimed. “Shh! Yes, half, you big baby. According to your brothers, you have lost a lot of blood”, Mara said. I smiled at her snappy attitude.

“I don’t get it”, Carlo said, from the sofa. Mara was threading the needle, preparing to stitch Marco up. “Why can’t he have a full dose, if he has lost blood?”, Carlo asked. Mara glanced at him, before looking back at her tools. “Because his blood is too thin, right now. A full dose could kill him. A half dose will numb the pain, but allow consciousness”, she answered, glancing back over at him to make sure he understood.

Sergio injected the morphine into the IV, making Marco relax. “Thank you”, I whispered, as I watched my beautiful, intelligent wife stitch my brother back together. She peeked up at me with an arched eyebrow. “For what?”, she inquired. “Well, for one, staying with my mother. I know she was worried. And two, this, saving his life”, I answered.

“We aren’t out of troubled waters, yet”, Mara whispered, looking up at me momentarily. I nodded in understanding. It took Mara almost twenty minutes to stitch Marco shut. Mara took a shaky breath. “Luca”, she uttered, catching my attention. Carved on my brother’s stomach were the initials, F.V., Frank Vaughn.

I placed my hand on the back of Marabella’s neck, making her turn around. I know where this just sent her, that’s why I crushed her into a bear hug. “That son of a bitch”, Sergio hissed, through gritted teeth. “Oh, that’s so not fucking cool”, Marco said groggily, as he looked down and noticed the damage.

“What?”, Carlo said, trying to stand up, only to be stopped by Rex and Cal. “The fucker had them carve his initials into me”, Marco said. Mara gripped me tighter. “Who?”, Carlo asked. “Franky”, Sergio said flatly. “What the fuck?”, Carlo exclaimed.

Mara pulled out of my hold. She pulled the gloves off her hands, so that she could get new ones. “He needs plenty of orange juice, a nice hearty meal, and rest”, she instructed, as she put on new gloves. She grabbed the scissors and a pair of hemostats. “Your turn”, she told Carlo.