"Mel," someone calls from behind her. She turns and sees it's Leo.
"Thomas is dead! He's dead, Leo," Melina says, sobbing and showing him her hands filled with Thomas' blood.
"I know, Mel, but do you know something else?" Leo asks calmly.
She responds by shaking her head.
"Until a doctor fucking calls the time of death, Sotto capo is alive. Do you hear me?" She nods her head, agreeing with him. Thomas could still be alive and just unconscious from blood loss.
"He isn't dead until a doctor says so," she whispers, looking at his chest. She stares at it, waiting to see it move, but it doesn't. The little glimpse of hope of him being alive dies. She snaps out of staring at his chest when Leo bends down to her on the floor.
"Can you apply pressure to his wounds while we carry him to the car?" he asks, taking off his shirt and extending it to her.
"Yes, I can." Melina takes his shirt and presses it against Thomas' chest. His shirt quickly becomes soaked with Thomas' blood. Melina bites her lip as she stares at it. Could Thomas still be alive after all this blood loss?
"Good. Jacob, she's ready," Leo says, and another male appears beside them. He grabs Thomas' leg while Leo grabs his hands.
"On three," Leo says.
"One."
"Two."
"Three." They lift him off the ground and start walking out of the building. Melina's hands remain unmoving on Thomas' chest as they walk outside and into the waiting car. Leo had to have planned everything while she cried her eyes out to a dying Thomas.
The car quickly pulls off on the road once they set Thomas properly in the back seat. Melina doesn't move her hands the entire ride to the hospital, even though they ache from being in one spot. She couldn't afford to. The guilt of Thomas being dead without knowing she forgave him was already weighing down on her heart. She can't afford to be the reason he dies because she rests her hands a little. She will not forgive herself if she loses the love of her life as a result.
They are heading to the hospital since it's closer than the house right now. Once they get to the hospital, they have to forcefully remove Melina's hands so they can wheel Thomas into surgery. She doesn't want to let go and wishes to be there while they try to save his life, but she understands why she can't.
Melina stares at the OR door, biting her lip and praying for the doctors to come out soon and give her only good news when somebody calls her name.
"Kat," Melina says, recognizing her voice, turning around to face her. Her face is red, and her cheeks are stained with tears.
"Melina," Kat says, wrapping her arms around her.
"Thomas was shot, Kat, and there was a lot of blood. A lot." Melina sobs in her arms, looking at her hand and clothes soiled with Thomas' blood.
"I know, dear, I know," Kat sniffles.
"He doesn't know I forgave him, Kat. If he doesn't make it, he'll die thinking I didn't forgive him, and I did. I did." Melina's heart aches as she remembers Thomas' last words. Imagining Thomas not coming out of surgery alive is really heart-wrenching for her. She will never recover if he doesn't.
"Don't worry, he will live; my son will live." Kat tries to calm Melina down by patting her back. She's really breathing heavily.
"He has to, Kat; he can't die. He can't die without knowing I forgave him and love him. He has to wake up and hear me say that; he needs to." Melina tries to control her breathing. She's starting to hyperventilate.
"He will. Thomas will get through this; I believe so." Kat wraps her arms around her and asks Melina to take calming breaths so she won't pass out. Melina does, and her breathing slowly returns to normal. She lets Kat walk her to a chair and sits down. She doesn't take her eyes off the OR door, staring at it for the next couple of hours and silently praying for Thomas' life.
***
A few hours have gone by since Thomas was shot. The whole family is in the hospital. Melina fears every second the doctors will just come out and confirm Thomas is dead. Hopefully, that won't happen. She snaps out of her reverie when someone calls her.
"Melina," someone says, barging into the room. Melina turns her head to the door, and her eyes widen in shock.
"Franky!" Melina jolts out of her seat and runs to her sister.
"Hello, Mel," Franky says, smiling.
"Oh, my God! Franky, it's really you." Melina pulls her in for a hug.
"Yes, it's me. I'm so sorry for what happened to Thomas," Franky says, pulling from their embrace.
"I don't know what I will do, Franky, if he dies. I didn't even tell him I forgave him before he closed his eyes." Fresh tears begin to sting the back of her eyes.
"Don't worry; he will be fine." Franky gives her hands a warm squeeze and an encouraging smile.
"I'm praying for that. How did you escape?"
"Leo rescued me. I was held in one of Kimberly's apartments in the city. That's why I wasn't where you were kept."
"Kimberly?" Melina asks, shocked, but it only lasts for a second. She realizes she shouldn't be surprised Kimberly helped Rafael hide her sister. Thomas probably didn't tell her his plans to switch places with Franky because if he did, Melina doesn't think she'd have helped Rafael.
"Yes, she helped Rafael hide me hoping you'd trade places with me."
"Wow, and how did Leo learn about the place?"
"Leo says after they left to rescue you, Thomas still had Kimberly interrogated to find out how deeply she betrayed him. She confessed."
"Oh," Melina recalls Leo receiving a call after they arrived at the hospital and leaving soon after. He must have received the call then about Franky's whereabouts.
"Leo said Rafael and James weren't there when he found you."
"Really?" Franky nods her head. "I wasn't paying attention, but I doubt James will survive. I shot him close to the heart."
"Yeah, me too. How are you doing, sis? Shooting someone must be terrifying," Franky asks, concerned about how she is coping.
"I still can't believe I shot him, but I don't regret it."
"That's good because James deserves so much worse."
"Yes, he does."
"Uhm... do you think Rafael would come looking for me?" Franky says out of nowhere.
"Why would he?"
"It's just that. . ." Franky trails off, withholding what she wishes to say. Melina looks at her sister, waiting for her to explain why Rafael would come looking for her especially. "Nothing, I'm probably overthinking," Franky says, dismissing the subject.
"Okay." Melina doesn't buy it but doesn't push her sister to talk. Her main concern is Thomas right now. She will pester her sister later to explain things to her.
Melina walks back to her seat beside Kat but doesn't sit as a doctor appears and asks for Thomas' family. Melina rushes to where the female doctor stands.
"Mr. Costanzo was brought in an awful condition and lost a lot of blood, but. . ." Melina holds her breath, waiting for the doctor to continue. "We were able to save him as the bullet merely missed his heart," the doctor says.
Melina releases the breath she's been holding. "Thank God!" Tears of joy form in her eyes. She couldn't be happier Thomas was alive.
"Can we see him?" Kat asks.
"Yes, right this way," the doctor says, leading the way.
Once they arrive at his room, everyone goes in to see Thomas. More tears of joy fill her eyes as she hears the heart monitor in the room.
Beep, Beep, Beep.
Melina walks toward him and stands beside his bed. She brushes his hair out of his face and counts his scars that will heal with time. She moves her eyes down and sees the bandage around his chest area. Her heart clenches, remembering the bullet was meant for her. She moves her hand over to his chest. She feels his heartbeat and hers unclenches. She needed that, even though a heart monitor is in the room telling her he is alive.
"When will he wake up, doctor?" Kat asks.
"He should wake up any time soon," the doctor replies.
"Alright."
"Mel," Kat calls her.
"Since we know Thomas is fine now, why don't you go home, shower, and change."
Melina looks at her body and realizes she has Thomas' blood all over her. She totally forgot, but she doesn't want to leave his side.
"I'll drive you home and back. You will be back at his side in no time," Kat says, noticing her hesitation. Melina takes another look at herself. His blood has even dried under her fingernails. She needs to shower.
"I would apprentice that, thank you."
"It's fine, dear. Let's go," Kat leads her out the door.
Melina follows Kat to her car, and they head home.
Getting to the house, Melina takes the steps two at a time to her room. She quickly takes off her bloody clothes and hops into the shower. She takes the quickest shower she's ever taken and dresses up in record time. Melina doesn't even bother to use makeup to cover the scars on her chest before asking Kat to drive her back to the hospital.
Melina walks back into Thomas' room, pulls a chair by his bed and sits. Kat kisses her goodbye and promises to be back tomorrow morning, or once Thomas wakes up. She would have slept in the hospital to wait till Thomas woke, but there was only one couch available to sleep on, and Melina will be using it tonight.
"Hello, my love," Melina says softly, taking his hand in hers. Warmth spreads into her palms as she holds his hand. She remembers his hand lifelessly dropping to her lap some hours ago. God! I can't imagine what I would have done if I had never felt warmth from his hands again. She lifts his hand and places it against her cheeks to feel the heat from it more, but she unexpectedly drops it when she hears a deep hoarse voice in the room.
"Hi, principessa," Thomas says, opening his eyes.
"Thomas!" Melina exclaims, her heart racing at the sight of his beautiful, piercing blue eyes. Her eyes well up with tears of joy.
"Why are you crying, amore?" Thomas wipes away her tears.
"I'm just so happy to see you awake." Melina snuffles.
"You know I hate it when you cry."
"Yes, I know; I'll stop crying." Melina wipes her cheeks clean and tries to keep her tears under bay.
"That's more like it." Thomas smiles at her.
"I forgive you for everything, Thomas." Melina rushes to say. She doesn't want him to be on this planet for another minute without knowing. Fresh tears sting the back of her eyes as she watches his eyes light up. She can't believe he would have died without knowing. That would just have been horrible.
"Really?" he asks, searching her eyes to see if she's lying.
"Yes, I have forgiven you." Melina stares deeply into his eyes. She wants him to see her heart through them and know she has truly forgiven him.
"Come here," Thomas says, smiling. Melina stands up from her chair and joins Thomas on the bed. She lies on his right side, not where he was shot.
"Thank you for forgiving me. I love you." He seals his lips with Melina's.
"I love you too," Melina mutters against his lips, smiling