While I Breathe: The Veiðimenn Mob, Book One

Twenty-One

Ambrosia grabbed her son gently by the arms and got down to his level as Phoenix ran into the kitchen. She brushed his hair back from his tanned face, her breath stilling as she realized he'd come into the room in a panic after she had sent him to get Cal. She felt the colour drain from her face, “Where’s your dad, baby?”

His chin trembled as tears gathered in his brown orbs, “I told him I knew who he was and that I was named after him.”

Declan groaned, wincing at the pain in the little boy’s voice. "I bet that didn't go too well."

Ambrosia was shocked for a moment before she let her usual serene calm take over. Holding her son carefully, she emulated the calm she wanted him to feel. “What happened then, Nix?”

Phoenix shook as he cried while filling her in, “He fell. I tried to wake him, but he wouldn't move. Did I do something wrong, Mommy? I didn’t mean to!”

Ambrosia felt a tremor of regret-filled discomfort sweep through her. “No, baby, no! You didn't do anything wrong. Listen, why don't you and your uncle go play for a while? I'll give your dad a check-up and make sure that he’s all right, okay?”

“Okay. Do you think he’s happy about me?” He asked, throwing his arms around his uncle's neck as Declan picked him up.

“He’s happier than you know, Bud,” her brother answered as she followed after them.

Grabbing her personal doctor’s bag from her closet, she let the doctor in her take over as she beat back the memory of the last time she'd seen him on a floor. The image of him covered in blood made her tear up, but she shook it off to the best of her ability. She could cry later when her family wasn’t around to hear it.

Noting the tell-tale signs of severe sleep deprivation, she cursed under her breath as she knelt to take his basic vitals. Dark circles ringed his closed eyes, making it look like someone had punched him in the face. As she forced his eyes open, she checked the pupil response to light before putting it back in her bag. His breathing was shallow, yet his heart was racing, and his skin was cold and clammy.

Her brother squatted down next to her. “How is he?”

“Exhausted,” she whispered. Looked over at him, she asked, "There’s a chance that he’s emotionally overwhelmed on top of obvious signs that he’s lacking proper rest. Can you carry him to my room?"

Declan nodded, "Sure. I'm going to take Nix to the park so you can get this guy taken care of."

"Thanks," she whispered as she watched her brother carry Callum to her room.

Looking down, she spied a phone on the floor where he had fallen. Picking it up, she opened it to the home screen only to find it passcode protected. Thinking about the possibilities, she blew out her cheeks. Trying the nickname Callum gave her as a teen, she was shocked when access was granted. She tried not to get emotional about it as she opened his contacts and found his father's number listed under the name Dad.

“That was a quick supper,” the man on the other end said jokingly when he answered.

Gathering her wits, she spoke calmly, knowing that going into the situation with a hot head wouldn’t help Callum’s case. “Sir, my name is Doctor Ambrosia Reyes. Your son fainted in my hallway.”

There was a long silence. Then, just as she was pulling the phone from her ear, he whispered, “Ambrosia? I don’t believe it.”

“Sir, I need you to stay focused,” Ambrosia rushed out. She didn't have time for reminiscing, not when Callum needed her. She ran a hand over her hair, giving her braid a light tug. Looking through her bag, she rushed through what she could.

The man was eerily silent for a moment. Then, he said, “I see. Well then, what do you need from me, Ambrosia?”

“His medical information, including any allergies he might have developed in the last few years.” She replied as she grabbed her flashlight out of the bag to check his pupil dilation again. She breathed deeply as she delivered the next bit of news. "Callum's going into shock, Hans. I need to know now if he has any allergies so I can give him something for it."

Hans finally answered her questions after a moment of quiet, “No, he has no allergies, no recent surgeries, and he’s not on any medications. He has severe insomnia, and can usually go days at a time without sleeping.”

Well, that explains the eye-baggage, she thought sourly.

Ambrosia took another deep breath to steady her nerves. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out an injector and administered some medicine. Heading to the hall closet, she pulled out some blankets. She folded two, tucking them under his legs and covered him with the third. "Okay, I've just given him a shot of epinephrine to offset the shock. Has he passed out like this before or is this the first time?"

"If he gets over-excited while awake for too long, he will lose consciousness. Just tell me he’s going to be okay," Hans said. His voice held an edge of paternal concern, and her heart broke for the man she didn’t even know. His worry was clear and, for the first time, she was happy he and Callum found each other.

Ambrosia looked Callum over one more time, checking to ensure his blood pressure was all right before nodding in satisfaction. “I'm not one to sugar-coat anything, so you might not be happy about what I have to say. However, as a medical professional, I assure you that I will do my utmost best to help him. That said, I have to ask if you are currently listed as the primary emergency contact on his records.”

“Yes, I am,” he didn't sound very sure of himself when he answered. “What’s wrong with my son, Ambrosia? He told me you were going to have supper, then you call me saying he passed out? By the way, how did you get into his phone?”

She sighed, “I'm going to have to sedate him for a few days until his body regulates from the severe sleep dep he’s suffering. Do I have your permission to do so? As for his phone, I figured if he waited like he said, then the code would obviously be something to do with me. Once I put in the nickname he always called me as teens, it opened.”

“I had no idea," Hans hissed out. He fell quiet for a moment before letting out an aggravated sigh. "Ambrosia, are you aware of what I do for a living?"

She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "Yes, I'm well aware that you head the country's largest Mafia. Mother made sure I had that much drilled into my head.”

She listened as he sighed, “I’m willing to bet you only got half of the truth.”

Ambrosia barked a laugh. “Well, I’m damn sure I didn’t get the whole truth. I would like to know it, but directly from you and no one else.”

“Alright," Hans relented to her. She, at least, seemed to be more agreeable than her mother, but he was never one to take things at face value. He took a deep breath, “I can do that for you if you do something for me. I can be there in two days as I need to take care of something first. Is it possible to keep him asleep until I get there?”

"Are you sure that's what you want me to do with him?" Ambrosia replied.

He could hear the moment of weakness in her voice. The young woman still cared for his son, and that alone spared her life. "That's exactly what I want you to do. Keep him asleep until the day I arrive. I’m trusting you with the life of my only child."

She wanted to be sure that he wasn't going to kill her as soon as he got here. She needed to know that her son wasn't going to be in any danger having Hans and his people near him. It was her brother’s well-being that worried her the most, however. After all, the features he shared with their father alone could get him killed, and she didn’t want to lose her twin in the crossfire.

Ambrosia breathed deeply for a moment. Thinking about everything that happened in the last few hours, she said, "Hans, I'm putting the lives of my immediate family on the line accepting this. Please, don't make me regret it."

"I will be there the day after tomorrow," Hans promised her. "In the meantime, can you call David Marks and fill him in on the situation? He was supposed to be with Callum, not leaving my only child alone."

She nibbled her bottom lip as her temper flared. “All right, Hans, I'll call David. Cal may need a new right-hand if my brother's not here to stop me from killing him, though.”

******

Ross paled at his Don's words. He knew that the other man would walk through the fires of hell and back for his son to keep him safe, and now an innocent child had been thrust into the mix. Worried for the young man, Ross fell into his role as the right hand to the Kingpin. “When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Hans reported.

“Should I assemble a team, Sir?” Ross asked.

Hans rose from his chair and grabbed his jacket, “No. This needs to be covert. Therefore, only you and I are going. Spend some time with the family once everything is settled, too. That’s an order.”

“Yes, Sir,” Ross replied as he held the elevator for his boss.