ð¹Bonus Scene ð¹
âï¸ Dominic âï¸
Ã~Ã~Ã~Ã~Ã~Ã
It was all so blurry but yet everything was clear.
The memory that had worked it's way into my head in my sleeping state was so clear.
I turned my head to look at my father who was laughing at one of the dad jokes he made, but no matter how much he laughed, no matter how much he would force a smile onto his face, he still looked so...tired.
And yet I laughed with him, the bliss of ignorance taking over my mind. My mind that has yet to realise that this is a dream, a memory...
A Nightmare.
The car suddenly stopped as dad complained about something being wrong with the back tire.
He was climbing out of the car but I wanted to stop him, the feeling of anxiety biting at my stomach as it caused my heart to beat faster.
Something didn't feel right and my gut instincts never lied.
It all happened so fast, too fast. The sudden sound of a rifle breaking into the dead of night. The brightness of a car's headlights blinding me for a few seconds as it sped away passed us.
The sound of a body falling to the ground.
I was out the car in lightning speed and was instantly met with dad groaning in pain, on the ground, in his own pool of blood. I tried to keep pressure on all the wounds but there were too many.
He grabbed my hand, the warmth it once held starting to fade away second after second. He smiled at me even when their was a trail of blood escaping his mouth as it ran down his chin that trembled slightly.
"I love you Nicky, with all my heart and soul. Don't give up, even if you're tired, don't give up. You have so much potential and I am so very proud to call you my son. Look after your brothers with everything you have and find your sister for me, ok?" He stated as he gripped my hand harder with whatever amount of strenght he had left.
He closed his eyes but still held a smile on his face as his hand started to go limp in mine. He mumbled something under his breath so softly but I still heard it, loud and clear.
"Sto venendo da te, mio Fiume."
(I'm coming to you, my River.)
River Serrendo, my mother's name.
Just as he finished the last word, his smile dropped from his face as his head rolled to the side. I cried silently as I gently rested my head on his shoulder.
I still held his hand even if the coldness of it burned, hoping that the warmth of my own would bring some of it's heat back.
It didn't, and it never will.
I was suddenly thrown back from my fathers body as I tumbled harshly backwards. When I finally stopped moving, I was on my back with harsh, white LED lightbulbs burning my eyes.
My body stood up on it's own and it sprinted down the sickly creme hallways. It was as if I was in autopilot, having no idea where I was going nor why.
This never happened before, where am I going?
Something felt wrong. It felt like there was something harmed, something that was very valuable to me. What could it be?
At that very moment, a thought crossed my mind. A ridiculous thought, but with the way my body started to run faster, my heart skipped a beat in fear.
Leonessa.
No, please no! Not my fiore, please don't take my Leonessa too!
I made my way through the deserted hallways, my heart felt like it was stuck in my throat which made it beat louder in my ears.
I was running towards a door, the only door at the end of the hallway. It was as if it was being emphasised, as if it screamed at me that she was going to be in there.
I pushed the door open and quickly realised that it was just me and her in the room, except she was in a hospital bed with her hands resting at her sides.
She wasn't awake, she looked far from being awake and yet, she looked so at peace. There were no wires attched to her, no tube to provide her with oxygen she looks like she desperately needs, only a heart monitor.
Just as I realised that there was a heart monitor, an obnoxious sound other than my hearbeat filled the once silent room. A sound that would fill any person with unbelievable dread.
My eyes slowly trailed up to the screen of the monitor in absolute fear.
Flatline.
Something within me breaks and shatters into a million pieces, I didn't know if it's my heart or my hope for her to be ok.
I wanted to run to her, I wanted to hug her with all my strenght, for just one more time but something stopped me. It felt like weights were tied around both my feet, stopping any further movement on my part.
My tongue felt like lead as it couldn't form any words, I could only reach out for her as she slowly started fading away into nothingness.
Ã~Ã~Ã~Ã~Ã~Ã
"No! Please don't leave me too!" I exclaimed rather loudly as I shot up from my bed. My arm was outstretched and I could feel my hand trembling badly.
I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes that I now realised were damp from tears.
I looked around almost frantically to reassure myself that I was awake and currently in my room.
I didn't waste much time before I was standing in front of a specific door. I gently pressed down on the handle and was instantly met with loud snoring. More specifically Juju's snoring.
I made my way closer to the bundle on the bed and had to hold in my laughter at what I saw.
Leonessa was sleeping like a starfish on her back from what I could see under the blankets with a sleepmask that had Marilyn Monroe's eyes printed on it covering her eyes.
I softly poked her cheek as I whispered her name only to make her snort at the disturbance before turning her head to the other side.
I huffed in slight exasperation before trying again but this time I poked her a little harder and said her name louder.
This seemed to wake her up as she swatted at my hand with a hoarse "What the fuck nuggets?".
She sat up and lifted her mask up to her forehead. She looked at me as her eye twitched in annoyance.
"What the freak dude? It's like, 3:30 in the damn morning. Is your time management as bad as your eyesight?" She asked groggily after she took a glance at her clock.
"I'm sorry fiore, I-I just had a nightmare." I say as I fumbled with my fingers behind my back. I wasn't even ashamed that my voice cracked because it didn't matter when it was her.
Her face softened slightly in understanding before she wordlessly moved to the side of her bed to make space for me. She patted the bed in indication for me to climb in and I did just that.
She pulled her mask down once again before turning her back to me.
I stared at the back of her figure as it moved up and down as she breathed, showing me, reassuring me that she was indeed alive.
I could feel my eyelids getting heavy as my eyes started to close in exhaustion, but I still had something to say before I fully fall asleep.
"Thank you for staying Leonessa, I love you with everything I have and I hope you know that." I whispered out gently in a soft voice that I haven't used in a long time.
There was a small sigh before I heard the rustling of blankets. A warm hand suddenly gripped mine followed by a calming wave washing over me as it pushed me closer to sleep.
"I love you too Nicky, now go to sleep. I have to go back to my dinner party with Grant Gustin that you interrupted." She whispered back in a tone filled with humor and slight seriousness.
I could feel a smile cross my lips as I finally fell asleep.
It was the best sleep I've gotten in 12 years.
I'll have to find out who this Grant Gustin is though, for safety precautions.
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