THE MAFIA’S CAPTIVE ANGEL

Sin’s pov

I hadn’t left Mani’s side. I couldn’t when she was lying here, barely breathing. Her private room had a small bathroom. The nurses and Luca were the ones bringing me food, but otherwise, I kept my ass in the chair, only getting up for bathroom breaks.

The first twenty-four hours came and went, but she didn’t wake up. The doctor didn’t seem overly concerned, which I didn’t like. I wasn’t a doctor, but people shouldn’t just stay asleep. They should fucking wake up.

Reaching for her hand, I pressed a kiss to her knuckles. At least she felt warm to me. “Mani, love. Open your eyes for me, baby.”

She didn’t flutter.

No sign.

No movement.

“She’ll wake up when she’s ready,” Luca said from behind me, and I turned slightly to look at him.

“Were are you able to find out what happened?”

Luca sighed, taking a step forward. “It is just like we suspected; Lorenzo has nothing to do with it.”

“Then who?”  I asked. My voice was deep and void of any emotion.

“That is the thing, Sin.” He was silent for a brief moment before speaking. “I found the guy who had ordered the hit, and apparently he is a nobody who wishes to make a name for himself in the mafia world. He probably thinks taking you out would mean gaining the fear and respect he needs”.

My blood was boiling, and I wanted nothing more than to put a hole in that bastard. “Where is he?”

“He must have gotten a whiff as to what happened and realized the mistake he made.” Luca said.  “When we got to his hideout, he was already gone, but we did manage to get some of his men, and the rest were killed.”

“Put a tab on his back; I want every fucking person looking for him,” I growled.

“I will get right into it.” Luca says.  “What about his men?”

I was about to reply, to order him to kill them all, when I felt Mani’s hand twitch within my grasp. “Mani?”  I stared at her eyes and then looked down at her hand.

“What is it?” Luca asked.

“She squeezed my hand. Mani, love,” I said, and her hand squeezed mine again.

“I’ll go get the doctor,” Luca said, running out of the room, and I stood up, placing a hand by her head, staring down into her eyes.

Her eyes fluttered for a bit before she finally pulled them open. “Nikolai…” Mani says weakly.

“I’m glad you are awake.”

She nodded and then groaned. “Do I want to know what happened?”

“You were shot, amore,” I said. “We were having dinner, and the restaurant was attacked.”

“I remember.”

“Are you in pain?”

“A bit. It doesn’t hurt that much though.” She sighed.

The hospital door opened, and I had no choice but to step back and allow the doctor to get to work and check over her.

I was happy that she was alive, and now I had to focus on keeping her safe. ♤♤♤♤

Mani’s pov.

“I’m beginning to hate this hospital,” I groaned.

I had been trying to leave for over a week. The doctor had requested to keep me for observation. The bullet didn’t cause any lasting damage, and he believes I will make a full recovery. Thankfully, everything was fine.

There was no doubt that I still feel pain, and I have a scar now on my chest that is bound up, and the dressing is changed daily, but even the nurse was impressed with my speedy recovery.

“Everyone hates hospitals, though I doubt you should be complaining since you wish to be a doctor,” Sin said, bringing in the wheelchair.

Everyone had been surprised that I followed the orders and rested. What they didn’t realize was that I knew the key to getting out of this place was to rest. The more rest I took, the faster I healed and could go home.

Sin moved to my side and helped me into my wheelchair. He hadn’t left my side since I woke up. According to Zoey, he was by my side while I was asleep. I didn’t know what to say to that, but the full extent of his care for me made me feel happy.

I sat down on the wheelchair, and Sin stepped behind me, grabbing the handlebars and pushing me out of the room. I didn’t see the need to use a wheelchair, but of course Sin was adamant and kept saying how he didn’t want me stressing myself and opening up my stitches.

“Can’t we just go back home? I promise to get some much-needed rest. Really”

“You need to be here until you are all better and cleared by the doctor to go home.”

“I believe I was cleared by the doctor two days ago, but you are just being too stubborn to let me go.” I pout.

“Well, I need to be certain you are okay, Mani.” He says with a sigh. “And until I am certain you are good to go home, you have to stay a few more days.”

I folded my arms and leaned back in the wheelchair as we made our way toward the elevator. Sin reached over and pressed for the ground floor, which would take us toward the private hospital gardens.

“Were… are you able to get the men that attacked us?”

“If their being dead means getting them, sure, except for their leader”. His voice was filled with venom when he said the last part.

“Oh.”

“You don’t have to worry about anything now. I plan on getting him and making him pay, that, I promise you.” I nodded, knowing he was going to keep his word.

“So don’t worry about it and take care of your health. That’s more important than anything else.”

” Sure.”

The elevator doors slid open, and he pushed me out into the main area. Like all the other times before, it was so busy. I looked left and right, and there were so many people. This was one of the many reasons I hated coming here. I took a quick glance around the room and saw so many people in different states of distress. It was heart-breaking. People were worried, panicked, annoyed, and in pain.

Sin didn’t linger, and the moment we were out in the fresh air, I felt better. I spotted Luca, Mateo and Diego ahead of us.

They gave us a wave, and Sin pushed me toward the table, where a coffee and a plate of food waited for me.

I noticed there was no other food. “Aren’t you guys eating as well?” I asked.

“Ugh, I’ve had enough of hospital food.” Sin said, wrinkling his nose.

I rolled my eyes. I was hungry. I took a sip of my coffee and then shoved a giant fry in my mouth. The food wasn’t great, but it was food. I missed Zoey’s food.

“How are you feeling?” Luca asked.

“Like I’m ready to leave the hospital, since I’m all better.”

“You’re not leaving yet.”

“I have seen people leave with far more wounds than I have, so why can’t I?” I asked.

I wanted to stamp my foot and slam my hand against the table, but I feared it would harm my chances of getting out sooner.

The doctor had stopped coming to my room. There was only a nurse assessing my injuries now. I didn’t see what the big deal was. It was time for me to go home.

“We’ve talked about this, amore. Till I’m certain you are okay, you aren’t leaving this place.” Sin said.

I puffed out a breath, knowing talking to him was fruitless. Instead of concentrating on my coffee, I slowly ate the food on my plate, taking my time and trying to think of some way of getting out of the hospital.