Part 1

1972 Words
Viviana's eyes fluttered open, a bright light shining above her, voices whispering in the back of the room. She tried to speak but she couldn't, conscious of something blocking the way. "Mrs. Peroni, can you hear me?" She heard a voice say. "I want you to blink twice if you can." Viviana blinked twice, hoping they would remove whatever was covering her mouth. "There, look." She heard another voice from the back of the room say. "Mrs. Peroni, My name is Dr. Caudill. I'm a surgeon here at the Hospital. Do you remember what happened? Please blink twice if you do." She heard him say. Viviana thought for a moment, suddenly remembered getting shot. Quickly, she blinked twice. "Good. We are going to remove the tube now, I need you to be still." he said as he instructed the nurse. Viviana was still, feeling a pang like she was going to vomit as they removed it. "Okay. Mrs. Peroni, can you speak?" The doctor said. Viviana opened her mouth but all she could do was cough. "Is she okay?" She heard a voice in the back of the room say, suddenly turning towards it. "Matteo." She said in a hoarse whisper. Matteo smiled and rushed forward, taking her hand and putting another on her forehead. "Hey. Vivi, I'm right here." he said, kissing her forehead. "Well, It's amazing. She's looking good. We'll see how she progresses from today to tomorrow, and then we can talk about releasing her." The doctor said. Viviana watched them, feeling her eyes begin to close. How funny that she slept so long and could barely keep awake. "Is it normal for her to just fall asleep like that?" Matteo asked the doctor. They were outside of Viviana's room. "Yes, her body is busy healing, she will be very exhausted. It's a good sign- it means he body is doing what it should. She'll need to take it easy. If everything looks good, maybe another week to ten days tops." he said. "Okay. Thank you. I really appreciate it." Matteo said to the doctor who shook his hand and walked away. "She's okay." He said to himself, sitting in a chair outside her room. It had been the hardest month of his life. Matteo looked down the hall, the sound of heels clicking demanding his attention. It was Debbie. He and Debbie had hardly spoken since the day she yelled at him in the emergency room. They practically had it down to an art- he would leave at this time for about half an hour to grab a bite to eat, and she would stay with Viviana. They never crossed paths or words. Debbie stopped as she saw Matteo sitting outside in the hall, for a moment, her heart stopped, fearing the worst. "Is she okay?" She asked, picking up the pace and reaching him. Matteo smiled. "Yes. She woke up." He said. "Oh my god, really?" Debbie asked, moving towards the door but Matteo stopped her. "She's sleeping. The Doctor said it's important to let her rest." Matteo said as Debbie looked at him questioningly. "look." he said, pointing to the bed through the opened blinds. Debbie looked. "the tube's gone." She said with a smile. "Yes, she spoke. She said my name." He said happily. They both watched as she slept for a few minutes. "I was so scared." Debbie admitted at length. "I'm sorry. About what I said that day. I was upset." Matteo nodded. "that's okay. You were right." Debbie turned to look at him. "Maybe I was but she loves you. She made up her mind to stay with you and we can't stop her." Debbie said. Matteo was still. "I can." He said after a while. "What?" Debbie asked. "What would Viviana be doing right now, if she had never met me? If she hadn't been a mafia daughter." He said, turning to look at Debbie. Debbie shrugged. "Knowing her, she would have gone to grad school, then maybe picked up teaching. she loves children. We might be roommates. She always wanted to get a nice apartment in the city. Viviana is a true admirer of modern world." Debbie said, looking towards her friend. "She is. I imagine it's been hard for her to live in a traditional world like mine." He said, turning and beginning to walk away. "Where are you going?" Debbie asked but Matteo did not turn back. ---- "How are you feeling?" Matteo said, kissing Viviana lightly on the lips as she woke. She smiled. "I'm okay, except the itching but for the most part, okay." She said referring to the scar. Matteo smiled and sat next to her. She'd only seen him a handful of times, noticing each time he seemed a bit more sad. "Viviana, I have to talk to you." He said, taking her hand. Viviana arched her brow. It was a timeless and ridiculous gesture that he loved. "About? Is something wrong?" She said, gripping his hand. "It's about your father." He said. Viviana looked down. "He's dead." Was all she said. "Yes. He is. I was going to wait a bit but while you were in a coma, your sisters took care of the funeral arrangements. We had to make decisions without you." Matteo said. Viviana nodded. "I understand. Those things can't wait." She said. "We gave him a proper funeral and buried him in the city cemetery. I'm afraid most of the circuit had heard about what happened by now." He said. "I'm sorry." Viviana said, suddenly very still. "I'm sorry my father..." her voice trailed off but Matteo shook his head. "Don't apologize for him, he was not your responsibility. He made his own choices. So don't you feel guilty for him." Matteo said, kissing her hand. "Well I can for me. I know I already said it but I was extremely foolish. I blamed you for things out of your control, i demanded explanations and never gave you the chance to give them. I'm afraid I was a terrible wife." She said, her eyes becoming teary. Matteo smiled and stood, leaning over her with a very gentle kiss. "Vivi- cara mia- you have been my dream. The perfect woman. There have been many misunderstandings, and I have been wrong too." Matteo said. "Now we can just put it all behind us. And move forward." Viviana said. Matteo nodded. "I promise Vivi, I will make sure your future is a happy one. One where you are fully protected and taken care of, no more intrigues, no secrets." he said. Viviana smiled. "I trust you. I promise, I'll believe in you no matter what." She said warmly. "I should go now. Get some rest." He said, kissing her forehead one last time and moving towards the door. "I love you." She said as he reached the door. Matteo was still and then turned to look at her. She was pale, thin, her lips dry. She'd been close to death and still she was the most beautiful person he knew. "I love you, Vivi." He said, turning off the light and walking out of the room. ----- Viviana opened her eyes, noticing that she was in a very different room from before. she'd felt as they had moved her in the night, but she was so drugged she really couldn't say or do anything. The room looked nice, comfortable and still private. "Alfonsino?" She asked, looking forward as she saw Alfonsino standing with his hat in his hands. "Ms. Viviana, how are you feeling?" He said, not looking at her directly. "I'm okay. A bit hazy. Where is Matteo?" Viviana asked, leaning back against the pillows. He was probably getting something to eat. "He is not here." Alfonsino said. "Is he coming back soon?" She asked. "No." Alfonsino said, making Viviana open her eyes and sit up. "Is something wrong?" She asked, noting he was very serious. "I'm afraid I have to give you some news." he said, reaching into his coat pocket. "did something happen to Matteo?" Viviana said, feeling frightened. "No. He is fine." Alfonsino said. Viviana sighed from relief. "Then, what is it?" Viviana asked, taking the papers that Alfonsino handed her. She looked at him questioningly, opening the papers and taking a look. "What is this?" She asked, noting it was a bank statement and an address. "Viviana Aliotta" He said, making Viviana turn to him. No one had used her maiden name in a long time. "I am here to inform you that you have been cast out and officially removed from La Famiglia." The words were like a bucket of cold water. "What?" She said but Alfonsino continued. "On that paper is a statement with your new bank account information, for your settlement, and an address where your belongings have been sent. " He said. "Wait." Viviana said, trying to stop him. "In order to keep the full amount of the settlement you must remain at that address for the first year, after which you may move as you like, however; you may not move anywhere within 50 city blocks of the circuit boundaries." He said. "Wait." She repeated, trying to stop him. "During this first year, you will have escorts on you permanently, after that they will check on you periodically over the course of five years. You are forbidden from associating with any other families, including ours. All communication with la famiglia, including your sisters is forbidden and punishable." he said softly. "Stop, Alfonsino, just stop it." She said, reaching for him but he yanked his hand away. "You will hear from la famiglia, in a few months time, regarding your divorce. When the papers do arrive, you will have exactly one month to respond or we will come looking for you. Do you have any questions?" Alfonsino asked. Viviana stared at him wide eyes. Just yesterday Matteo had been with her, he'd told her he loved her. He'd promised her she would be taken care of. She looked down at the paper. "I need you to confirm you understand." Alfonsino said but Viviana just stared at the paper. The address was for an apartment building in Manhattan- near Greenwich Village. "I need to call Matteo." she said frantically looking for her phone. "Your phone is gone." He said, handing her a box from a side table with a new phone in it. "Your old number has been deleted, and your new number has been blocked. You will not be able to call anyone." Viviana picked up the phone and turned it on. "You can try, Ms. Aliotta, but you will not be able to reach him." Alfonsino said as Viviana dialed Matteo's number. The line never rang. "The subscriber you have called is out of..." she heard the recording and tired dialing several more times. "Ms. Aliotta." Alfonsino said, making her turn her head angrily. "Mrs. Peroni. My name is Viviana Peroni." She said. Alfonsino shook his head, pointing to her hospital bracelet. She noticed she was in a hospital in New Jersey before reading V. Aliotta. "No. It's not anymore." He said. Viviana was quiet, the tears beginning to form. "I have to go. You will hardly notice the escorts during the next year, they will do their best to stay out of the way. I am sorry, Ms. Viviana, that is has come to this. I really do wish it could have been different." He said, leaving her speechless and in tears as he walked out of the room. Viviana sat staring at the phone and papers. She dialed Matteo a few more times, the same message playing over and over again. "Matteo." she whispered, bringing her hands to her face. "MATTEO." she screamed out as she broke into a full sob.
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