Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 649 -

*Caterina*

My voice was the only sound in the room besides the humming and occasional beeping of machinery.

I was reading an article from one of Mom's favorite magazines out loud. I wasn't paying attention to what the article was about at all. I personally found it boring, but the doctors told me that talking to her could help. Apparently, it was good for coma patients.

Mom hadn't woken up since she was shot. The doctor told me that even though she had lost a lot of blood, the wound to her abdomen was actually pretty minor. He said that at some point during the shootout, she'd hit her head. That was what had really hurt her.

Her brain function was normal, and he was confident that she would wake up. He just couldn't say when.

It has been two months already. I was struggling not to lose hope.

Alessandro and his men were tirelessly hunting for Antonio and Junior. Somehow, they had managed to escape in the chaos of the fight. No one would admit it, but I was sure that it was because of me.

The driver of the car Mom and I were in had rushed us to the hospital. He had relayed what had happened at some point.

Alessandro had rushed to the hospital. I was sure that if he had stayed to deal with Antonio himself, things would have been different.

I tried not to dwell on it. They would replace him. I was confident in that.

School had started already, but I wasn't going. I hadn't dropped out for the semester yet, but I knew I might have to. This was far more important than school. I could go back when things had been resolved. Right now, it wasn't safe. Elio has been staying close to me, which has helped a lot with my feeling of security. If I were on campus without him, I was sure I would be a disaster.

When he wasn't in the hospital with me, he was looking for the bastards responsible for this. I smiled a little at the thought. I really needed to thank him again for everything. I was here every day, and he always stopped by at least for a little while.

Right now, he was picking up lunch for us. I didn't want to leave Mom's bedside if I didn't have to. I couldn't shake the feeling that if I wasn't with her, something terrible was going to happen.

I knew that it was paranoid, but Elio didn't try to talk sense into me. He just made sure that I ate and took me home after visiting hours.

I turned the page of the magazine and continued reading. The article was about something technical, and I was having trouble pronouncing some of the words. I wasn't sure why Mom had even subscribed to this thing.

I sighed and closed the magazine.

"Sorry Mom, this is just really dull," I said. "Maybe after I eat, I'll be able to focus on it."

"You never can focus when you're hungry."

My head snapped toward the groggy, slightly slurred voice.

My mom's eyes were open and fixed on me, and she was smiling gently.

I stared at her, unable to react for several seconds. When I did speak, my voice was thick with emotion and there were tears stinging my eyes.

"You're awake?"

"Shouldn't I be?" she asked in confusion.

I shook my head vehemently. "You should be," I said. "I've been waiting for you to wake up."

I wanted to scream in joy and throw my arms around her. I didn't think it would be a good idea to get her worked up right then, though. There was no telling what state she was really in.

She remembered me. That was a good sign. But she had been unconscious for so long. I didn't want to cause any stress that might hurt her.

I reached over to her bed and hit the call button. Mom was watching me with confusion clear on her face. I wasn't sure that she really understood what was going on. "Why am I in the hospital?" she asked.

"I'll explain later," I said.

I smiled. She seemed to be fine, but I didn't want to get my hopes up.

"Yes?" a female voice said over the crackling intercom system.

"She's awake," I said as calmly as I could. "Please, tell the doctor right away."

My throat felt tight, and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to hold back my reaction for much longer. I could hear hurried footsteps and voices outside.

I took Mom's hand and squeezed it gently. "Don't worry," I assured her. "You're safe. The doctors are just going to check on you now that you're awake, okay?" She frowned at me. "That's fine," she said. "Why are you acting so strange?"

I shook my head helplessly. "I'm not," I lied.

The door burst open, and several people hurried inside. I stood up and took a few steps back to make room for the doctors and nurses.

The tears were streaming down my face now. The relief that I felt made me almost lightheaded. She had woken up. She got shot, and she was still alive.

A sob shook my chest, and I brought my hand up to cover my mouth. I didn't want her to hear me crying.

"Cat," Elio's voice called softly.

I turned to see him setting a bag of takeout on a nearby table. He held his arms out to me, and I rushed into his embrace.

I felt so weak, but he held me easily.

"Sir?" one of the nurses said gently. "Could we ask you to step into the hallway for a moment please?"

Elio didn't argue. He led me outside.

I was grateful for the relative privacy, so I didn't protest. I leaned heavily against Elio and let the tears fall freely. He stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head until I was able to calm myself. I wasn't sure how long it had been, but by the time I was able to stop crying, I felt exhausted.

All the lost sleep and fear that had plagued me the last two months had finally caught up to me.

"Are you alright?" Elio asked softly.

"Yeah," I said.

I smiled. He had been so supportive all this time. I didn't know how I would have made it through this without him.

"I'm sure that this is a lot to take in," he said.

I nodded. "I'm so relieved," I sighed. "I don't want to think about what life would be like without Mom."

"Neither do I," he said. "But we don't need to worry about that for a long time. She'll have the best healthcare available. I promise you that."

I nodded. Alessandro had promised the same thing. The family was going to take care of Mom. We could just focus on her health.

We were lucky to have people to support us.

I was pulled from my thoughts by the sound of the door opening. Elio and I both turned to see the doctor approaching us. Elio took my hand, and I held onto him as anxiety washed over me. "How is she?" I asked nervously.

He smiled. "She's better than I expected, honestly. She's pretty shocked to know she's been out for so long, but physically, she's doing well."

I felt my shoulders sag as the good news hit me. She really was alright.

"Now, don't get too excited. We still have a long road ahead of us. Being stationary for so long takes a toll on the body. There will likely be a psychological impact as well."

I nodded my understanding. She'd been kidnapped and shot, so of course she was going to be messed up about it all.

"But she'll make a full recovery?" I asked.

"I don't see any indication at this point that she won't be able to," he answered.

"Can we see her?" Elio asked.

The doctor nodded and motioned towards the door. "Of course. She's asking for you."

Elio didn't hesitate to open the door for me. I rushed inside and went straight to Mom. She was sitting up and sipping a cup of ice water. She had a wide-eyed, shocked expression on her face. "Cat," she said when she saw me approaching. "I can't believe all of this-"

"I know," I said as I sat on the edge of the bed. "But it's going to be alright."

She nodded slowly. Her eyes turned to Elio. "The person responsible"

"It'll be taken care of," he said seriously. "You have my word."

She nodded. "I trust you."

"Mom, how are you feeling?" I asked.

She crinkled her nose. "Disgusting," she said. "I need a shower and some clean clothes."

I laughed and put my hand over my mouth. I hadn't expected a response like that. She narrowed her eyes at me in warning, but I couldn't stop laughing.

I was just so relieved that she was herself. I had been mentally preparing myself to deal with memory loss or extreme fear, but she was just Mom. I was so, so happy.

Elio put his hand on my shoulder and smiled at her.

"We'll bring you some clothes from home," he offered. "I'm sure you'll feel better in something other than a hospital gown."

"Absolutely," she said with a curt nod. "When can I get out of here?"

"It's going to be a little while," one of the nurses answered. "We just need to be sure you're ready to be independent. You've been through a lot."

Mom scoffed. "I've been through worse," she said dismissively.

That made Elio laugh. It was true, although the nurses certainly wouldn't believe it.

"You're a strong woman," Elio said. "I'm sure you'll be home in no time."

He squeezed my shoulder gently. I reached up and put my hand over his, thinking that he couldn't possibly know how much it meant to me that he was by my side right now.

He and Mom were smiling and laughing, and the mood in the room was so light and hopeful. It was a stark contrast to the fear and uncertainty of the last few weeks.

The doctor was right. We weren't in the clear yet. There were a lot of complications that could still arise. Whatever happened, though, I was confident that Elio would stand with me through it all.

I thought of Antonio and a cold feeling came over me. He was still out there. He was still dangerous. He had taken so much from me, and I knew that we hadn't heard the last from me. I leaned against Elio's side, and he held my shoulder a little tighter.

I wanted revenge for what happened to my dad and now to my mom. I knew that Elio felt the same way. With him by my side, I knew that we were going to see this thing through to the end. Antonio hadn't seen the last of us.