Ana
Familiar footsteps tumble down the stairs, and I don’t need to open my eyes to know Armani and Colton have arrived. The two huge men make quite the ruckus when they aren’t trying to be stealthy, but the sound is almost comforting at this point.
I like them. I like how effortless it is to be friends with them, and I really like how genuine they are. I was worried when they first started to bond with me that their presence in my life was purely out of pity, but they’ve shown me how untrue that is every day since.
A small smile tugs at my lips, maybe their company will distract me from the ache between my legs and the cramping in my gut.
I’ve been lying down with my legs propped up on the back of the couch, my hair flowing off the edge of the seat while letting the sunrays warm my face through the window. In this position, I’m able to keep the bag of peas between my legs without holding it there, using the back cushions to prop it up.
Having been icing my vagina for an hour now, I thought my soreness would be lessening but I still feel wrecked. Cassio did a number on me, but I can’t be mad at it. Last night was phenomenal, even if he had to leave for work early this morning.
“Is there frozen produce on your lady bits right now?” Colton asks with his amused southern drawl.
“Did you just call my cunt lady bits?” I ask in return.
Armani laughs. “Did you just say cunt?”
My shoulders draw up in a shrug. “I’m English, it was either cunt or fanny.”
I hope they’re smiling, finding this interaction as humorous as I do. My eyes are still closed, but I can feel both of them watching me from only a few feet away.
“And does icing your fanny have anything to do with all the screaming you got up to last night?” Colton teases.
His words make my face flush with heat, and I can’t help the grin that forms on my lips.
“I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re speaking of,” I reply in my finest prim accent, tipping my chin up. I allow my eyes to flutter open once I’ve angled them far enough from the sun and smile. “You look so weird upside down, like you’re standing on the ceiling but your hat isn’t falling off.”
Colton snorts at my comment and folds his arms. “Didn’t you know? It’s sewn into my hair.”
I giggle at his deadpan tone. “Efficient.”
“You’re happy this morning,” Armani comments, tilting his head. “Did Cassio sex your brains out?”
Sighing dreamily, I nod. “And apparently rearranged my internal organs while he was at it. I feel like there’s a knife in my cervix.”
“Ouch,” Colton says with a wince. “Did you take anything for the pain?”
I groan and shake my head. “Not yet, I was hoping it would pass quickly. I don’t think it should hurt this much, honestly. It didn’t last night.”
Immediately their faces both shift into concern and I don’t like it. It makes me uneasy, more so than I already am.
“What?”
“Ana, if it hurts more than you think it should, maybe it is hurting more than it should,” Armani suggests gently. “I’m going to call Doc.”
He reaches for his phone before even waiting for my reply, and I grimace. “No, no, don’t bother him. I’m probably just being a baby about it.”
“Don’t play off pain because you think it will inconvenience someone,” Colton chastises. “If it hurts so much that it feels wrong, it could be something internal.”
“Really,” I insist, seeing Armani begin to type out a message. “I’m fine, see.” I try to hold back my wince as I swing my legs down and stand up from the sofa. I let the bag of peas fall to the ground and attempt to ignore the way my head swims. Getting up so fast was a bad idea, I just went ahead and made myself dizzy. Great.
Blinking twice, I steady myself as much as possible and look up from the rug to my two friends. “Perfectly fine,” I say, attempting a smile.
My stomach is protesting with sharp cramps but Colton and Armani are the ones who look like they’re about to be sick. They’re not meeting my eyes, both of them fixed on my lower half. Suddenly frightened by their intense gaze, I look down and gasp.
Blood.
So. Much. Blood.
It’s dark and soaked through my shorts, starting to roll down my thigh. The bag of peas by my feet has stained the carpet pink, and my head spins, finding a puddle has accumulated on the coach where I’d been lying.
Nausea hits me like a storm, and my body starts to feel cold.
“Oh god,” I whimper as a roll of dizziness takes over.
My vision goes hazy, and my ears ring.
Colton’s loud voice seems muffled and panicked. “Cassio, fuck, get up here. Ana’s bleeding!”
I feel hands surrounding my biceps… and then it all goes black.
Consciousness comes back slowly, aided by the sounds of chaos surrounding me. Familiar voices are yelling and barking orders. Eyes fluttering open, I wince at the bright lights overhead. White surrounds me on every side, and the smell of sterile chemicals fills my nostrils.
What the fuck?
Am I in the hospital?
“Cassio, you need to calm the fuck down,” Armani’s voice floats through the door. “You heard him, she’s fine. Stop throwing shit!”
“I did this to her!” my husband yells back. The hurt and panic in his voice makes my stomach drop.
“You know that isn’t true—”
“You’re awake,” a deep voice says from my side, startling me out of my eavesdropping.
“Doc?” I gape, recognizing the familiar man. “You’re in New York? Wait, we’re still in New York, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we haven’t moved states,” he answers patiently. “I’ve been staying here in case any of the Morettis need me. Dr. Petrov has taken my place with the rest of the family temporarily.”
Dr. Petrov is one of the Morozovs’ trusted doctors. He worked at Empire Academy while Dmitri and Ivan attended. He’s the man who confirmed Jade’s pregnancy.
Suddenly remembering what happened to bring me here, I swallow. “I was bleeding. What happened? Why is Cassio yelling?”
“You lost about two ounces of blood,” Doc begins to explain slowly. “It scared you, and you fainted.”
“I’m okay, aren’t I? You don’t seem very concerned.”
He nods, lips twitching at my assessment. “Yes, you’re perfectly healthy. You experienced some spontaneous Menorrhagia—heavy menstrual bleeding—likely brought on from an increase in hormones after intercourse. I did an ultrasound to rule out any sort of internal bleeding, and a vaginal exam to check for any tearing, both came back negative.”
“Jesus,” I mutter. So, that’s why Cassio is blaming himself. He thinks he put me here because we had sex. “How long was I out?”
“You’ve been in and out of consciousness for a half hour. Your bleeding has mostly stopped, only some light spotting now. I’d given you morphine for the pain before we discovered the cause, the men insisted upon it. It was a bit overkill now that we know, but it will certainly take care of any remaining cramps you may be having.”
The ridiculousness of this situation hits me, and giggles of disbelief start to fall from my lips. Doc gives me a questioning look, tilting his head and arching a brow. It only makes me laugh harder.
“S-sorry, sorry,” I chuckle, trying to calm down. “It’s just—I haven’t had a full period since I got my implant. And now you’re telling me that I essentially had a whole menstrual cycle in a matter of hours, bleeding enough to scare myself into fainting.”
“It’s uncommon, but hormone changes can do very intense things to women’s bodies,” Doc replies. “Especially when coupled with long term use of birth control. Your implant has regulated you to a new normal for your body, and any changes can create a reaction. Not to mention the immense stress you’ve been under after what has happened to you…”
Right, I frown. People say that stress can kill you, after all.
“It’s unlikely that you’ll experience anything like this again, as it’s quite rare. Try not to let it cause you too much concern, you appear to be in good health otherwise.”
Sighing, I try to wrap my head around the concept. I’m almost pissed for the female kind. We don’t have enough to deal with as women already? Now I know that this shit can happen?
“Can you tell Cassio I want to see him?”
“Of course.”
Just before he reaches the door, I remember my manners.
“And thank you,” I blurt quickly. “For helping me.”
Doc pauses, hand latched around the door handle. “It is a privilege to serve the Moretti family.”
As soon as he opens the door, Cassio is standing in front of him.
“Is she awake?” he demands, peering around the man. His eyes find mine and his shoulders drop in relief. Barging past Doc, he storms over to my bedside with wild eyes. “How do you feel? Are you in pain? I’m so fucking sorry, Ana.”
“Cassio,” I interrupt his panic. “I’m fine, I’m not in any pain. The morphine you insisted upon has taken care of that, I assure you.”
In fact, I might be a little buzzed from it. But I can hardly confess that to my overly worried husband without sending him into some kind of tizzy.
“Now, what’s this shit about you being sorry?” I demand, reaching for his hand to pull him closer. He sits on the side of my bed as I tug him down, a guilty look painting his face.
“I did this to you, Ana,” he croaks, looking away in shame. “Why does this keep happening to me? We shouldn’t have sex anymore, I can’t hurt you again. I always end up hurting the women I’m with.”
He’s so scared and sad, it’s obvious in the way his body remains tense and his voice cracks with emotion. I want to be able to be sweet, to mutter sweet words and tell him everything is going to be okay. But I’m pissed.
I don’t know whether it’s the morphine, or the fact that I haven’t been able to eat yet today. Either way, I want to bite his head off instead of comforting him.
“Don’t say that,” I snap, squeezing his hand. “You didn’t do anything to me. It was a freak accident. I loved having sex, and I’m certainly not agreeing to stop now.”
“You don’t understand—”
“You don’t understand,” I growl. “I’m so sorry for what happened to you in the past, Cassio. But I’m not Isobel, and I’m not dying. And you didn’t do that to her either. You can’t blame yourself for acts of God.”
“I got her pregnant, I killed her.”
I can practically feel my heart crack. I can’t let my anger take over now, Cassio needs me. He’s been here through my grief, and I need to do the same. We’ve both been through too much, but we’re stronger with each other. He’s shown me that time and time again.
“Jade said Matteo told her you tried to get pregnant for years,” I tell him patiently. “You didn’t force that on her. She wanted a baby, didn’t she?”
He stubbornly shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter.” My hands lift from the bed, reaching for his face. His cheeks are warm under my palms as I turn his head. “If I blamed myself for Cole’s death, you would tell me the same. You did tell me the same.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“And Isobel’s death wasn’t yours,” I tell him slowly—firmly. “I’m sorry if seeing me bloody triggered something for you, but you have to know that I don’t blame you. And even knowing as little about her as I do, I know she wouldn’t want you to blame yourself either.”
Cassio sighs, leaning forward to brush my lips in a kiss. “This scared the fuck out of me, Ana. I saw you bleeding and thought I fucking died. I was transported straight to Hell in an instant. I need you, you can’t leave me.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I whisper, pressing our lips back together. I smile into our kiss before pulling back. “But you can’t treat me like glass after this, Husband. I’m going to want you again, and soon.”
“Minx,” he accuses, a tentative smile pulling at his lips.
Caressing his face, I ask, “Do you feel better?”
“I’m better,” he confirms, breathing out. “You calmed me down. I didn’t mean to go doomsday and bring up Isobel like that.”
“You said it before, we’re bound to talk about them. I’m not upset.”
It isn’t like Cassio just started waxing poetry about her and how much he loved and missed her. No, he was consumed by guilt from his past coming back to haunt him.
“I am hungry though,” I admit, nudging him playfully. “Think you can pick me up something to eat without throwing anything or hitting anyone? Where are we, anyway? Are we close to food?”
Cassio chuckles. “Yes, we’re close to food. The Kings own the basement floor of the hospital closest to the penthouse. Doc has a few rooms here for us and got you in quickly. I can go grab something. What are you in the mood for?”
“A fried chicken sandwich,” I decide, mouth watering. “With pickles, and I want a chocolate milkshake too.” My stomach growls loudly. “I think the morphine is really kicking in.”
Chuckling, my husband stands from the bed. “I’ll be quick.”
“Send in Armani and Colton?”
“I wouldn’t leave you alone,” Cassio agrees. “We were only in the hallway to try and calm me down.”
Dropping a kiss to the top of my head, he lets himself out and seconds later, two bodies emerge from the hall.
“I hear you’re all better now,” Colton chimes, being the first to speak.
“Much, much better,” I agree. “Stress and hormones gave me my period, and after years of barely having it, there was a lot of blood.”
Grimacing at the memory of the bloody couch, I shake off the thought in favor of waggling my eyebrows at my friends. “But it’s okay, Cassio’s giant dick didn’t injure me, so I can have it again.”
Colton sputters with a surprised laugh. “His giant dick, huh?”
“Huggggee,” I confirm, tilting my head at the tattooed man by his side. I lower my voice and lean closer to whisper, “Do you think that’s hereditary?”
Armani snorts. “Wouldn’t you like to know, you flirt.”
Colton doubles over bellowing with laughter. Between my crass question and Armani’s responding teasing, I’m about to start giggling to join him. But with the shift in his body, I find Dante and Apollo are near the doorway, only a few feet from us.
“Uh-oh,” I mumble, eyes flaring wide. I reach out and smack Armani’s forearm. “Why didn’t you say you weren’t alone? Do you think they heard me talking about Cassio’s… package?”
He cracks an amused smile. “No, no, you’re very discreet, sorellina.”
With the drugs coursing through my system, I can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic or not. I choose to believe him for my own sanity.
Apollo knocks on the open door as if he hasn’t heard a thing, and Dante steps inside as Armani waves him in.
“You guys came back?” I ask nervously. “You didn’t have to do that, you just went home.”
“As if,” Armani chuckles. “They got notified as soon as we called Doc, and hearing that you were bleeding? No way they’d stay home.”
“What’s the point of owning a jet if you don’t use it?” Colton jokes.
“Too bad they missed Cassio’s meltdown, Apollo could have slapped some sense into him.”
“I handled him just fine without violence, thank you,” I gripe, folding my arms. I don’t like the idea of anyone hitting my man, even his brother.
Dante chuckles good-naturedly. “Could I have a moment with my daughter, boys?”
Armani nods, grabbing Colton’s arm and heading for the hall again.
“No fair, Father Dante never wants a moment alone with me.”
“Ana’s prettier than you,” Armani deadpans.
Colton gasps. “You take that back.”
I snort at their antics and watch as the door clicks shut.
“How are you feeling, Ana?” Dante asks, a soft concern in his voice.
Unexpected giggles bubble out of me. “Doc gave me Morphine, I feel very good.”
A tentative smile twitches on his lips. “I’ll bet you do. You gave us all quite the scare, I’m glad it turned out to be a false alarm.”
A big sigh leaves me and I nod slowly. “Meeee too. I’m tired of bad things happening all the time, Dad.”
It doesn’t occur to me what I’ve just said until I see the shift of surprise on his face.
“I-I mean…” I cringe, not knowing what to—
“Don’t correct yourself, Ana,” he cuts in. “I told you, you are a Moretti daughter. My Moretti daughter. Call me Dad, or Father, or whatever it is that feels natural to you.”
Suddenly misty-eyed, my throat bobs. “You don’t have to—be so good to me, I mean. You’ve already given me so much, more than I’ve ever had.”
“It’s not a burden to bring you into this family,” Dante tells me sternly. “I have extensive practice being a father. I assure you, one more daughter won’t break me.”
His words warm my stomach and cause a singular tear to fall. Sniffling back the tender emotions, I offer a watery smile.
“I didn’t honestly expect a whole family to come with my wedding vows,” I admit quietly. “It’s nice… more than I need, really. Cassio would be enough.”
Dante’s tentative smile broadens into a full-on grin. “Now, how couldn’t I make the woman who brought my son back to life one of my own, hmm?”
I’ve never had a dad before, not really.
Bron has only been in my life for a few years, and he never cemented himself as a father figure. But somehow, after less than a year of knowing him, calling Dante ‘Dad’ just feels right.
“Okay, Dad,” I murmur.
His smile of approval feels like a warm hug.
