SOMEONE TRIED
1264 Words
The break-in happened at 3:17 AM.
I was in Trauma 1. Gunshot to the abdomen. 19 years old.
"Pressure here. I need 2 units. Now."
My hands were inside him.
The lights flickered.
Once.
Then the backup generators kicked in.
Nina ran in. "Dr. Carter. There’s men at the ER entrance. They’re not supposed to be here."
"What?"
"Security said they tried to badge in. Fake credentials."
My phone buzzed on the counter.
Unknown:
_Tell your husband I was close._
The kid on the table coded.
"Clear!"
We brought him back.
I didn’t leave the room for 40 minutes.
When I did, the ER was locked down.
Police. Matteo’s men. Yellow tape.
And Matteo.
He was in the same sweatpants from last night.
Eyes red. Jaw tight.
He hadn’t slept.
"Aria."
"What happened?"
"Someone tried to get to you." He said it flat. Like reporting the weather.
"Did they—"
"No. My guards stopped them at the door. They ran."
Dr. Reyes was pacing. "Mr. Romano, we can’t have—"
"You can," Matteo cut him off. "Because I own this place. And if it happens again, I double security."
He turned to me.
"Go home."
"I have 4 hours left on shift."
"Go. Home."
It wasn’t a request.
In the car, neither of us spoke.
At a red light he finally said, "You didn’t tell me about the text."
"How did you—"
"I see everything, remember? Rule 6."
We got home.
He went to his office.
I went to bed.
Alone.
At 6 AM I heard footsteps.
Then nothing.
---
#### *Day 8. The Hospital. Lockdown.*
St. Mary’s looked like a fortress.
Guards at every entrance.
Metal detectors.
Nurses whispering.
"Is this because of her?"
"Who is she married to?"
"He’s mafia."
I ignored them.
Worked 12 hours.
Didn’t see Matteo once.
At 8 PM my badge didn’t work.
New policy.
I had to be escorted out by two men in suits.
Matteo was waiting in the car.
"Where were you?"
"Board meeting."
"At 8 PM?"
"Yes."
He looked exhausted.
Dark circles. White shirt wrinkled.
"Did you eat?"
"Not hungry."
"You need to sleep."
"I will. When you’re safe."
The car ride was quiet.
At home his mother was waiting.
"Matteo. The FBI called."
"Tell them I’m busy."
"They said someone tried to access hospital records. Room 4."
Matteo went still.
Then he looked at me.
"Go to bed, Aria."
I did.
But I didn’t sleep.
---
#### *Day 9. No Sleep.*
Matteo didn’t come to bed.
I found him at 4 AM in his office.
Three empty coffee cups. Laptop open. Security footage.
Room 4. 2:13 AM. Last month.
The footage was grainy.
Door opens.
Two people.
Matteo.
And someone else. Face covered.
Matteo froze the frame when he saw me.
"Go back to bed."
"Who was that?"
"I don’t know."
"Liar."
"Aria—"
"You said you were done lying."
He rubbed his face. Hands shaking.
"I don’t know who it was. It was dark. They paid me to be there."
"Paid you to do what?"
"To not ask questions."
The room went cold.
"You were there when someone died."
"I didn’t kill them."
"But you were there."
He stood. Came around the desk.
"I’m trying to protect you."
"By lying?"
"By keeping you out of this."
My phone buzzed.
Unknown:
_He’s finally telling the truth. Partially. Ask him who paid him._
I showed him.
Matteo’s face went blank.
The dangerous blank.
"Get your things. You’re not going to work tomorrow."
"No."
"Aria—"
"I’m not hiding. If they want me, let them come."
He stared at me. Long.
"Fine. But I’m not sleeping until I know who did this."
---
#### *Day 10. The Fight.*
I went to work anyway.
With 4 guards.
At lunch, Camila showed up in the cafeteria.
"Hey wife."
"What do you want?"
"Just checking on you. Heard there was a break-in."
"News travels fast."
"Matteo told me."
My stomach dropped.
"He did?"
"Yeah. He’s worried about you." She smiled. "It’s cute. He never worried about me like that."
She left.
At 3 PM Matteo appeared in the ER.
Again.
But this time he looked worse.
48 hours no sleep.
"What are you doing here?"
"Checking."
"You look like hell."
"Thank you."
A code came in.
I ran.
When I came out, he was sitting on the floor in the hallway.
Head in his hands.
"Matteo?"
He looked up. "I’m fine."
"You’re not."
"I will be. When this is over."
I sat next to him.
Didn’t touch him.
Just sat.
"I’m sorry," he said quietly.
"For what?"
"For dragging you into this. For the contract. For Room 4."
Silence.
"Go home," I said. "Sleep. I’ll be fine."
"I can’t."
"Why?"
"Because if I close my eyes, I see you in that text. Hurt."
We sat there until security came.
---
#### *Day 11. The Answer.*
At 2 AM he knocked on my door.
Guest room.
He looked different. Shaved. Clean shirt.
Like he’d finally slept 2 hours.
"I found something," he said.
"What?"
"The text number. Burner. Bought 3 weeks ago. Cash."
"And?"
"And Room 4. The other person. I have a name."
He hesitated.
"Who?"
"Victor DeLuca."
"Who is that?"
"Rival family. They’ve been trying to take St. Mary’s for years."
He sat on the edge of my bed.
"I was there because he paid me. 2 million. To look the other way while they moved a body through the hospital."
"A body?"
"Not a patient. One of theirs. Gunshot."
I felt sick.
"Why tell me now?"
"Because they’re using you to get to me. And I’m done lying to you."
He looked at me. Really looked.
"I’m sorry, Aria."
For the first time, he sounded human.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown:
_Too late. He told you. Now we take her._
Matteo saw it.
He stood instantly.
"Get up. Now."
Sirens outside.
Not ambulance.
Police.
"They’re here," Matteo said. "Victor’s men. They followed the text."
He grabbed my hand.
First time he’d touched me since the wedding.
His hand was cold.
We ran.
---
#### *The Escape.*
Back door. Service elevator.
Guards firing.
Matteo with a gun I didn’t know he had.
"Stay behind me."
"Matteo—"
"Aria. Stay. Behind. Me."
We made it to the car.
Tires screeching.
In the car he was breathing hard.
Blood on his sleeve.
Not his.
"You’re okay," he said. Not a question.
"I’m okay."
"Good."
He drove for 20 minutes. No destination.
Just driving.
Finally he pulled over.
Turned to me.
"You could’ve died."
"But I didn’t."
"Because of me."
"Because of you."
Silence.
Then he did something I didn’t expect.
He reached out. Brushed hair from my face.
Didn’t say anything.
Just... touched me.
Then pulled back.
"Home."
---
#### *Day 12. 4 AM. Our Room.*
We didn’t go to separate rooms.
We went to "our" room.
The big bed. The canyon.
But this time he didn’t lay on the far side.
He laid in the middle.
Leaving space, but not a canyon.
"Are you okay?" he asked in the dark.
"Yes."
"Did I scare you?"
"Yes."
"Good."
I almost laughed.
"Why?"
"Because it means you feel something."
I turned on my side. Faced away.
"Goodnight, Mr. Romano."
"Goodnight, Mrs. Carter."
But he didn’t move to the other side.
He stayed.
And for the first time since the wedding,
I felt safe.
Even though Rule 1 was broken.
Even though Room 4 was a lie.
Even though someone was trying to kill me.
He was sleeping.
And it was not because of me
- Writer
