Slowly, Noemi told him what had happened. When Finn had opened the child’s chest, they’d tried to fix the hole in Jack’s heart. Although the surgery had progressed well, Jack had stroked out on the table. Finn fought to get him back, but Jack was too far gone.
A shell-shocked Finn had come to tell them that Jack was gone. Noemi would never forget her sister’s terrible howl of grief. Leonora had collapsed screaming, and Frank and Marian had tried to comfort her.
Noemi had darted from the room, running, running to the operating theater, her mind fixed on saving Jack, doing everything she could… There must be a way, there must be a way…
Ally, tears streaking down her face, had managed to stop her after Noemi burst into the room, seeing her nephew lying so still on the table, being cared for the theater staff. “Noemi… he’s gone, he’s gone…”
“No… no…”
Finn had followed her, knowing what she would do; between he and Lazlo, they managed to drag her away. When she finally returned to the Relative’s Room and her family, Leo had looked up at her with pleading eyes. Then when Noemi slowly shook her head, Leo in her bottomless sorrow, had screamed and slapped her sister hard. Frank locked his arms around his oldest daughter while Lazlo and Marian tended to a shocked Noemi.
Her retelling to Rafa finished, Noemi began shivering. Rafa drew her into his arms, kissing her temple. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
“How can it be? How can he be gone?” Noemi shook her head, not comprehending the horror of the last few hours. “From collapsing on a Tee Ball field to the morgue? I don’t understand.”
Rafa couldn’t think of anything to do to comfort her. Instead, he wrapped her in his arms, and they lay together on the couch for what seemed like hours.
“Leo doesn’t want me near her. She blames me.”
“That’s just the grief talking. You’re the person closest to her. She knows she can rail at you and that you’ll forgive her.”
Noemi buried her face in his neck. “Who did you rail at?”
Rafa was silent for a while and she drew away and studied his face. “Who?”
“No one. I couldn’t. I had Bepi to think of and Tomi’s parents. And it wasn’t the same. We knew. We had time. We prepared. When—”
He broke off and shook his head. “We were prepared.” He had almost said when you had your accident and the heart was destroyed, but that really wasn’t what Noemi needed to hear right now. He could see she was absolutely destroyed by Jack’s death. “Sweetheart, let me call your folks, let them know where you are.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll text them and tell them I’m safe—with a friend.”
“Fine.” But inwardly he sighed—what did it matter now who knew about them? But Noemi clearly wasn’t thinking about anything but her nephew. Rafa persuaded her to go to bed, laying down beside her and holding her. He hadn’t expected her to sleep but finally just before dawn, exhausted, she closed her eyes.
Rafa’s heart pounded with sadness for her and for her family. He grabbed a couple of hours of sleep but then he got up to deal with Bepi.
Zani was already up, and Rafa found him in the kitchen, chatting to an excited Bepi. Rafa kissed his son’s head and nodded to his brother. “Good morning.”
“Morning, bro.” Zani grinned at him. “We didn’t want to wake you—or your guest.”
Rafa sighed. So, Zani had heard what went on last night. Bepi looked at his father questioningly.
“Nommy is here. Now listen, I have something to tell you, and it’s very sad.” He explained about Jack to Bepi who nodded, his expression sad. “It’s our job to make sure Nommy is okay, alright, sport?”
“Okay, Papa.”
Rafa looked at Zani, who was listening to them. “Noemi is a friend, a dear friend. She helped us when Thomasina was sick. Mouse is her dog.”
Zani’s smirk made Rafa want to punch the smile off his face. He’d obviously guessed that Noemi was more than just a ‘dear friend’.
Rafa gritted his teeth and made Bepi some breakfast while Zani made coffee.
“Hello.”
Rafa turned to see Noemi, her eyes wide and blinking, standing in the doorway. “Hey, lovely. Come on in. Noe, this is Zani, my brother.”
Noemi’s face registered surprise, and Zani laughed. “My reputation clearly precedes me. Yes, the prodigal son has returned.” He went to Noemi and took her hand. “My dear, I’m so sorry about your loss.”
“Thank you.” Noemi’s voice was strangled, and she looked between Rafa and Zani, unsure of what to say to the man. Bepi saved her. He hopped from his chair and went to her, hugging her legs. She picked him up, and he threw his tiny arms around her neck. “Nommy, I am sorry about Jack.” He kissed her cheek and squeezed her neck. Noemi’s eyes filled with tears, and she hugged the child tightly.
Rafa looked at Zani and nodded out of the room. Give us some privacy. To his relief, Zani nodded and politely excused himself.
“Bepi, come finish your breakfast while I make some coffee for Nommy.”
Noemi slotted Bepi back onto his chair. Rafa kissed her cheek. “You didn’t have to get up.”
“I think I should go to the hospital whether Leo wants me there or not. There might be an autopsy; there’ll certainly be an investigation. God, I can’t believe I’m even saying this out loud.”
Her shoulders slumped, and she turned her head, burying her face in his sweater so Bepi wouldn’t see her cry. Rafa held her as Bepi gazed at them, his green eyes scared. “Bepi, pal, go find your uncle, buddy.”
Bepi nodded and slid off his chair, disappearing out of the room. Noemi let out a sob and Rafa held her as she cried.
Finally, she drew away. “I’m sorry, you don’t need this.”
“Hey, hey, hey, stop that. We’re a partnership, Noe, we support each other.”
She nodded, wiping her face, and tried to smile. “I have to go.”
“At least let me drive you.”
Noemi shook her head. “No, I have my car. I’m sorry I dumped this on you—I just—I didn’t want to go home.”
He slid his hands onto her face and kissed her. “Why don’t you stay here for a few days? I don’t think you should be alone.”
Noemi hesitated. “Can I think about it?”
“Of course.”
She hugged Mouse. “Do you mind looking after her again? Just for a while?”
“More than happy to, sweetheart.” Rafa frowned. Noemi really did look unwell. “Darling, please, let me drive you to work.”
In the end, she relented, and he drove her into Seattle. At the hospital, he wanted to offer to come in with her, but he could already see she was ready to run and hide. He kissed her goodbye. “Later. Call me and I’ll come pick you up, unless you’re with your family. Just… don’t shut me out.”
“I won’t. You’ve been incredible, Rafa, thank you.”
She got out of the car and Rafa had the strangest feeling that he wouldn’t see her again. No, don’t be paranoid. It’s just the heightened emotion.
The next moment, Noemi disproved his point by dashing back to the car, climbing in and kissing him. “I love you,” she whispered.
And then she was gone.