In Your Arms.

Chapter one.

A month ago, Santoro.

Gunshots. Blood. Bright lights. Blaring sounds of sirens. Her soft pleas. Her tears. Darkness.

Present day.

Leon’s pov:

My head hurts so bad as I squint my eyes trying to open them, trying to reach out for anything around me, my eye catches a wire connected to my wrist, I close my eyes again and try harder to open them so I can focus clearly on my surroundings and that is where i land on the steady beeping of a heart monitor by my bedside. A woman rushes to me. Her amber eyes are teary as she reaches out to touch me. Her beauty is so unlikely, devastating in its sense, dark hair falls long at her shoulders in curls, the sun rays from my window reflect on her olive skin that looks so tempting to touch, to feel. Her lips are moving, except i hear nothing except a ringing in my ears. That realization brings me back. What am I doing here? What is she saying? She’s crying now. I close my eyes to try and wrack my brain and then it all comes back, that night, that menace, my brother Eduardo, the betrayal, the attack. I feel my jaw tense and immediately try to sit up, but a sharp pain goes right through my chest where I realize I was bandaged, I let out a cry of agony and fall back on to the bed. A man that I now recognize as our family’s long trusted doctor stands above me checking my vitals and whatever else doctors do. That woman though, who is she? I search the room for her and I find her sitting at a distance, at the window sill. I hope I didn’t scare her off. “It’s nice to see you awake young man” Marcel's voice brings me back as he steadies his glasses. I roll my eyes at his statement and flinch immediately, who needs this much bandage? “I just want to know when I get back to work, there is so much to do and that brat has been on the loose for way too long” “the attack surely did a number on you Leon, you’ve been in a coma for 32 days you should consider resting for a while, also your scan results are back and everything seems okay except for a few broken bones and signs of retrograde amnesia.” “I pay you to use words I understand Marcel” I snarl, “From your reaction, I assume that you remember events of that night, but it also means, you won’t remember certain things too, almost like your memory is selective.” “Alright. How much time do I need before I get back on my feet?” “Six months at most your wounds need to heal son, but I wouldn’t worry much, your wife never left your side as you were unconscious and being surrounded by loved ones will naturally speed up your recovery, just try to be patient with it?” My mind is racing intensely now and not only because of the nonsensical timeline of my recovery but also because he mentioned my wife? I turn my head only to lock my eyes with the strange beautiful woman staring back from the window sill, when did I ever marry?

Alessia’s Pov:

I fight the tears threatening to spill from my eyes as his confused gaze meets mine. My husband, my love, doesn’t remember me, he recognizes their family doctor but not his wife. Dr. Marcel let me know it would be a possibility after that horrifying night but no woman deeply in love with her husband wants to accept that kind of report. It was just him and I, always for the last eight years. I wipe my face with my palms, feign a smile and start to walk towards them as Marcel finalizes on a few details with Leon and thereafter talks me through his medication that I am to follow up on. I close the door after Marcel, a silence so awkward swallows us both, meeting his eyes I understand that he has tons of questions that I am not willing to answer, not yet, not when my heart is pounding this fast. Without hesitation, I settled by his side to help him up, clean and change his bandages. He clears his throat, I flinch. “Excuse me, I apologize, I don’t intend to burden you, but Marcel mentioned my wife never left my side, and I can’t help but hope that he is mistaken right?-I mean if she was, do you know where she is?....” He is still going on “oh cara mia” I think and smile to myself, “still with the questions and constant rumbling?-it’s quite comforting to know you still haven’t changed” “Miss!” his voice thundered throughout the room, then I realized that he still is talking to me, “Of course, I have been talking to myself” he retorts. I am done helping him with everything now and attempt to leave but he yanks me back by my arm aggressively and I feel the stitch at my stomach threaten to open, “I heard every word Marcel said I don’t know who she is but I will surely help you find her” I panickingly state in one breath, fighting his grip I hurriedly pick the supplies and leave the room. I checked myself and surely as I suspected I was bleeding, luckily Marcel walked me through how to help myself when I recovered. From the twin pregnancy I lost saving Leon’s life, our sons that he didn’t get to know of. I was going to tell him that night, I planned everything-I had the ultrasound scan results of four months in my hand-I cover my mouth choking back a cry and cover my ears to silence the voices in my head. Breakdowns have been an often occurrence since then, gathering myself I call the hospital to make an appointment. I am trembling so much and know that I won’t be able to do this myself but even more, I thought I would be strong enough to face him like this but I need to get out of here.