Page 53 of Never Say Never

Shelly balled her fists at her sides and took one look around the room. Other families were watching along with the nurses at the station. She settled down in a chair, crossing her legs.

Be mad.

Navy tugged on my shirt, dragging my attention back to them. I pulled out my phone and started up a movie app while we waited. I wasn’t the best with kids, but at least I could offer a distraction. When it worked, I sighed with relief.

Three movies later and York came out of surgery. However, with it being so late, the girls went home to bed with Shelly. I stayed behind, watching over York and hoping he'd open his eyes soon. The doctor said nothing major was hit and the bullet had come out in one piece which was lucky for us. I'd take it, but nothing would settle the mayhem inside of me until I heard York speak.

Pacing was how I passed the time, my gaze never wavering from York in his hospital bed. He commanded a room. Everything about him was larger than life, but right now, in the white cramped hospital room, he looked small. His brown skin was paler than usual, making me even more uncomfortable. I thought about walking over to him and slapping him awake. Anything to get him moving again.

I’m going to kill Tony.

"Get up already," I begged. I knew I was going to be in trouble but I didn't care. I wanted him up and moving. "You keep lying around and I might take advantage of you. I'm not opposed to a little sleepy time fun."

When there was no reaction, I sighed and went back to pacing. The doctor and nurses came in and checked on him. No one had any updates for me, just that York's vitals looked good and he was going to wake up soon. The sun had come up and set just as quickly with no change. What the fuck was soon? Two hours? Thirty seconds? Ten days? No one could tell me, but I could tell I was stressing them all out.

An hour passed and then another. Lack of sleep was catching up to me, but I knew the moment I closed my eyes, he'd wake up and I'd miss everything. I stopped at the wall and twisted around on my heels to start the cycle all over again.

"Paul?" York broke off into a fit of coughing, and I was at his side in seconds.

I grabbed a cup of water and offered it to him with trembling fingers. "Slowly."

York swallowed down mouthful after mouthful of water before he slowed.

"Enough?"

He nodded, his eyes fluttering shut for a second. "What happ—" York opened his eyes and stared at me with suspicion and distrust shimmering in their depths. "Paul?—"

"It wasn't what you think it is." Panic settled in the middle of my chest, making it hard to breathe. I couldn't have York finding out who I was. What I was. Not now. I wasn't ready to walk away from him. It was purely selfish; it had nothing to do with my family or the longevity of the Vitale name. My desire and obsession with York had grown out of control. It was pretty bad before, but I could have walked away at any moment. However, the second we started building genuine connections, things changed for me.

"What was it then? Tell me what you think I saw." York glared at me as if he already had his mind made up.

My mind worked overtime. I should have spent all the time he'd been in surgery coming up with something. Instead, I'd spent it reassuring the girls and hoping I was fucking right, that he would be okay.

"I have my own connections."

His brows dipped. "You never brought that up in meetings."

"I didn't have anything yet. I've been trying to get them to trust me."

"By learning Italian?"

Shit, how much had he heard? A sour taste coated my tongue as I continued to lie to my boss. This had never been a problem before. "I've known Italian for years. Took it in high school. Even spent a summer vacation in Italy." I shrugged, playing it off. "It's helped me secure a few informants."

York opened his mouth but shut it as the door opened. Two very excited ten-year-olds rushed In. Their hair was done in two braids, each of them sporting a blue and white school uniform.

"Daddy!" they squealed in unison. The twins wasted no time in hopping onto the bed. "Are you okay?" Navy asked.

Nyra’s eyes watered. “Does your arm hurt?"

"We were so scared."

“Shelly still made us go to school but we wanted to be here."

Their information and questions were all flying at once. I didn't envy York, but I did envy the girls. I wanted to hop into the small hospital bed and lay on top of him too. I wanted to feel his pulse and breathing against my skin. Then and only then would I truly be able to breathe.

"Hello, girls. I'm fine, and you need a good education. I'm sorry I worried you two."

Navy jumped off the bed and ran up to me for a hug. I didn't hesitate for a second, giving her exactly what she wanted. Nyra was right behind her. York watched us with a strange look on his face. It didn't erase the tension that lingered in the room.