Tentative Engagements

Chapter 2: “Not on my watch.”

Gabriel

“Abrianna is awake now. She is doing well, besides a little pain. I gave her some painkillers and antibiotics through her IV.” I was eating breakfast with my family when Abrianna’s nurse interrupted us with the update.

“Did she ask any questions?” I ask while ignoring how Christian blatantly ogles the nurse.

“She asked where she was, and I told her. She didn’t ask anything else.”

“Nothing?”

“Correct. I asked if she knew who the Russos were, and she said yes.”

“Ok, thank you. You can take your break now.”

“Damn! When did nurses change their loose scrubs to spandex scrubs?” Christian blurted out the moment the nurse stepped away.

“I don’t think it’s very professional. Please behave, Christian. Mindy needs to focus on Abrianna.”

“Who the hell is Mindy?” My hornball brother asks.

“The nurse, Christian! Oh Jesus, when are you going to settle down? Maybe if you had a wife to come to every night, you wouldn’t be so, so…” Our mother stops to think of a polite word to describe Christian.

“Mama, I already get to come on the daily. I don’t need a wife.”

“That’s enough, Christian. No need to give your mom a heart attack.” Our mom kisses dad on his cheek for the rescue. “Gabriel, you need to talk to Abrianna. No one knows anything about her. You need to see what kind of woman she is. I do not want another embarrassment.”

“Of course, but something is off.” I feel like I have a led ball in my gut since the nurse left. “I mean, if you just woke up and found yourself in a stranger’s home, wouldn’t you ask questions?”

“ Maybe our little Snow White already knows about the engagement. She is either ok with it, or she is a flight risk. Oh s**t!” I jump out of my seat and race to Abrianna’s room. Something is off. I know it.

I burst into the guest room, and my eyes goes straight to the queen bed. The bed is empty. My heart rate increases but settles down when I register the noise coming from the shower. Good, she didn’t escape. I breathe out a sigh of relief.

I come around the bed and stop. Why the f**k is there blood on the bed? I follow the trail of blood in the restroom. I don’t bother knocking on the door and open it. There is no hot shower steam to greet me. That’s odd? I take two steps and find the shower running. The world stops when I notice an unconscious Abby on the shower floor. Oh, no, no, no! I almost break the glass door with the force I use to open it. I walk and bend down to check for a pulse. What the hell? I yank a hand towel away from Abrianna’s mouth. I can find a pulse on her delicate but very cold neck.

“Oh s**t!” I hear Christain say.

“She is alive. Move get out of the way.” I push past him as I carry Abrianna's petite body in my arms. I lay her down on the bed and check her body for any damage.

“Oh, Dios Mio! Gabe, is she alive?”

“Yeah, she is. Ma get me some dry clothes and call the nurse. Christian, hand me a towel. Dad, have our men check security. She had a towel stuffed in her mouth.”

“What the f**k?” Christian hands me a towel. I ignore their conversation because I am too busy drying her cold body. I reached for her left arm, and I noticed fresh blood on the sheets. Her wound, it’s bleeding.

“Christian, get over here. Hold her up. Her wound is bleeding. I need to remove her wet clothes.” Sure enough, the moment I sit her up, I see the red blood seeping through her top. I maneuver the wet top over each arm and finally free her from it.

“Ohh.”

“What, Christian?”

“Ah nothing, tell you later? Should we lay her on her stomach, you know, to stitch her up.” Christian avoids my eyes, but I don’t fail to notice his reddened cheeks.

“Yes, please lay her down. I will check her inner stitches. If those are ok, I will glue her skin close.” The nurse that just walked in, instructs us. Christian lays her back down. We rolled her over onto her stomach. The nurse gets to work on Abrianna's injury.

“Oh no. She has a few torn stitches. It’s only two, though.”

“Do it now. Hurry up.” I instructed the nurse and walked over to my brother and father.

“Anything?”

“Nothing yet. I have our man searching right now. I have someone checking the security cameras.” My attention is torn when I hear a whimper coming from Abrianna. I am by her side in a flash. I move her wet hair away from her face, and she whimpers again.

“Why is she hurting?”

“She might not be completely out. But I am almost done restitching her.” Abrianna gives another little whimper. Her little whimpers bother me. I hold Abrianna’s tiny hand and feel instant relief when I feel a squeeze on my much larger hand in return.

“Nurse, make sure you numb the area around her wound. One more painful whimper coming from little Snow White, you will feel 100 fold.” I grit out.

Ten minutes later, the nurse finishes patching Abrianna up and reconnects her IV again. The nervous nurse is done and leaves the room like it was on fire.

I stare down at my sleeping fiance. Her lips have turned back to those red pouty lips that I couldn’t help but admire. I have work to do, but I can’t drag myself away from her until I know she is safe.

“Dad, anything yet?”

“Nothing. Everything checks out.”

“Christian, make sure the nurse doesn’t leave this house.”

“Ah man, you think the nurse did it? s**t, I wanted my yearly physical out of the way.”

“I don’t know. All I know is that someone stuffed a towel in Abrianna's mouth and left her to die in the shower. If the nurse didn’t do it, someone else did.”

“I did. It was me.” I turn and face Abrianna. She tried to kill herself! A consuming rage engulfs me at her words.