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Chrissy left and suddenly he was all alone. She wasn’t coming back. He knew it in his gut.
The beeping of the monitors went haywire as he struggled to sit up, to try and call her back, to just talk to him.
He couldn’t stop her. Hell, he couldn’t get out of the bed. And, man, was he stoned.
Life fucking sucked.
The nurse came in and tsked as she reset the machine. “Mr. Parks, if you need help you should use the call button.”
Saks settled back into his pillows and fisted his hands at his sides. The nurse was only being nice, and he should thank her, but right now he was too consumed by his anger that Chrissy had left, again.
The morphine machine whirled and pumped again, sending a dose straight to his heart. He should tell the nurse to take the damn thing away. It was just messing with his head. But his hands unclenched as he slipped into a half-sleep. He was aware of what going on but he just didn’t care about responding to it.
Look, Saks, old boy. She doesn’t want you. You should move on.
But it was shitty time to take off when a slug of metal’s carved out your shoulder. Maybe wait till I’m outa the hospital. Or maybe not leave at all.
Better you know now. All this girl does is rabbit when things get tough.
Saks snorted in frustration. Arguing with himself was the most useless exercise ever.
“Hey, buddy, you awake?”
Saks didn’t open his eyes, but nodded. Luke had come in during his mental argument and was now standing beside his bed. “Yeah,” he said through parched lips. “I could use a glass of water.”
“Let me see what the nurse says.”
Luke came back shortly with a cup. “You can have ice chips.”
“Fuck.”
“When the anesthesia wears off, you can have something to eat.”
Saks reached to take the cup Luke offered and weakly dropped his arm. It felt like too much work to lift and hold. “Take it. I’ll get some later.”
“How do you feel?”
“I’m in no pain, and the colors are beautiful.”
“Smart ass.”
“I thought you had a business to run.”
“Rob’s watching the shop. He sends his best. Says the best way to beat a bullet is through.”
“Through what?”
“Like in ‘the best way out is through.’”
“He’s weird.”
“Yeah, but he should know. He’s been regaling me with stories of his DEA service. He was quite the cowboy, back in the day.”
“Gibs was like that, too. A grumpy old cowboy.”
Luke laughed. “He’d hit you on the head for that one.”
“I miss the guy.”
“Me, too.” Luke cleared his throat. “You’re looking tired.”
“Probably from the hit on the head, the bullet, and then the major surgery. Hand me an ice chip?”
Luke did as he asked. “They’ll be moving you to a room soon. One of the guys will stay through the night. We’re taking shifts to make sure no one takes any more shots at you. Still trying to figure out why those goons came after you.”
“No bloody idea.” He sucked on his ice and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to talk or think about Chrissy.
“The police will come to talk to you tomorrow.”
“You mean my cousin?” He sighed and opened his eyes.
“Maybe,” said Luke. “This investigation has become quite the thing. There’s even something about it on the news.”
“Really? I’m a freakin’ media star.” He made an arc with his good hand. “All rainbows and butterflies from over here.”
Luke chuckled. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“My family’s gonna be mortified. Did they come by?”
“Yeah, all of them.” He paused. “But the doctor told them to go home. There was too much of a ruckus between them and the Spawn.”
“And the Spawn won? I’m touched.”
“Hey. You’re our brother. Don’t forget that.”
“How’s Emily?”
“Fine as long as I supply her steadily with peppermint ice cream and saltines. Speaking of, I should probably get going.”
“Tell Emily I say hi. Thanks for coming, Luke.”
“I’ll drop by tomorrow. Get better or I’m docking you for these days.”
“Ha-ha,” said Saks with a weak grin. “Emily does the payroll.”
Luke turned to go. “Later, bro.”
Saks sunk back into his pillows, thankful to not have to talk anymore, or try and think. He closed his eyes and—
“Hey,” said a voice as rough as sandpaper.
Saks knew it well. “Hey.” He didn’t open his eyes, just took a deep breath.
“I’ll be sitting with you for a while.”
“You don’t have to.” He sighed and rolled his head to look at Oakie.
Oakie shrugged. “We’re not leaving you alone. There are some bad dudes after your ass. We take care of our own.”
“Thanks.”
“Damn, Saks. What shit did you get into?”
“Family stuff.” He reached for an ice chip and pulled a half-melted one out and popped it into his mouth.
“Worse kind. But I thought they disowned you.”
“Nah, ignore me mostly, until they need something.”
“Some Mafia types were in prison with me. Quiet guys mostly. Didn’t go around and strut their shit. But don’t cross ‘em. They have long memories and sharp shivs.”
“That would be right,” agreed Saks.
“They aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. I’d never seen anyone truly not care who they hurt until I met those guys. It’s not personal with them. You get up in their shit, they’ll get up in yours. But with the Mafia guys it’s all business, all the time. And personal by taking out your family. Shit, they’d take their own out as well.”
“Yeah,” said Saks, “it’s fucked.”
“So how come you’re different? Coming from that and all?”
That was a very good question. Saks wondered about that many times when he became aware of who his family was and what they did. Maybe it was how his cousins acted, too tough for their age and full of themselves.
He remembered an incident when he was about eight years old. A boy who wasn’t Italian tried to be become friends with Saks’ cousins who hung out with their own little clique. They teased him cruelly, and made him do stupid and dangerous things to prove himself. It was bullying and mean as shit. Saks distanced himself from his cousins starting back then. He couldn’t bear to watch the boy’s daily humiliation.
It wasn’t something to easily explain to man who did time in prison where worse things happened.
“The organized gang gene must have skipped a generation.”
Oakie snorted. “Not sure that’s how it works.”
“I’m not into the bullshit. My mom shielded me from a lot of it. She wanted me to be a priest.”
“Really?” Oakie let out a deep barrel laugh. “You mean we lost the opportunity to call you ‘Priest’?”
“Don’t start.” He yawned and let his eyes drift closed. “Sorry, Oakie. Feeling kinda tired again.”
“Sure, man. I’ll be right here.”
Saks slept though it was interrupted by nurses checking on him, and there was rumbling as the bed moved through the halls. He woke briefly when orderlies transferred him to another bed, but fell asleep again.
Sleep was good. He didn’t hurt when he slept. He didn’t have to think about Chrissy.
“Anthony?”
“He’s okay, Maria. Let him rest.”
“But, Whit, he’s so still. And all those tubes.”
His parents. He didn’t need this right now. “I’m fine,” groaned Saks. “I was sleeping.”
“You rest,” said his father.
“No.” Saks opened his eyes and fumbled for the controls to raise the bed. He managed to move the head so he could sit up.
“Oh, Anthony.” His mother’s eyes were lined red.
Saks winced when he tried to pull his body to a more upright position. He noticed the morphine machine was gone. Oh, well, he didn’t like how the morphine made him feel anyway. “Ma, I’m fine. Really.”
“This is worse than when they brought you home after you got beat up by that gang.”
“Ma, it’s nothing. Really. I’ll be walking around in no time.”
His mother turned to his father. “This is your fault. Our boy nearly got killed over Uncle Vits’ crazy scheme.”
“Maria,” said his father, “we don’t know what happened. Louis has the cops investigating it now.”
“You never should’ve dragged Anthony into this.”
“Ma, stop. Please. There’s no need for this.”
“Anthony,” said his mother sternly. “I want you to go to Florida and work for your cousin, Angelo, okay? Get away from this crazy place and these nutty goombahs!”
“Maria!”
“Ma!”
“I’m sorry,” she said, grabbing Saks’ hand. “I was wrong. You knew what you were doing the whole time. You’re a good son and tried to make everyone happy. Only, you can’t make these people happy. So, leave Connecticut, please, before you die.”
“Ma, I’m not going to die and I’m not going to leave Connecticut. I have a job here, one I like. And my club.”
“Your job,” she said, wringing her hands, “your club. What about your poor mother, eh? I couldn’t take it if I lost my only son.”
Saks was at a loss for words. His mother had no chance to get out of this life. Mafia kept their wives and children ignorant to the realities of their profession. Mafia women lived in their own isolated society. There was money in the bank, food on the table, and a nice car. Their husbands and children were the center of their worlds. Maybe his mom had hoped her children could escape when she couldn’t. She played like she didn’t know...
Until today.
“Mom, I’m a grown man. I make my own decisions.”
His father nodded. “Leave the boy alone.”
Saks shot his father a look. “Hey, Ma. How about you bring me some of your lasagna? That stuff can heal anything.”
“Sure, Anthony. I’ll do it.”
A nurse came in. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to check Mr. Parks’ dressings.”
“We’ll see you later, son,” said his father. He firmly steered his wife out of the room.
After the nurse changed the dressing and checked the wound, his cousin Louis walked in.
Saks wondered if he’d get more rest at home. At least he could lock the door and not answer it.
“Hello, Anthony.”
“Hey, Luigi.”
“Don’t call me that.”
Saks grinned. It was a joke that never got old.
“You look better now than in your apartment.”
“Don’t say that to my mother. She nearly had a nervous breakdown.”
“A bullet does that.”
“I guess so. What did you find out?”
“About those two lugs?” He shook his head. “They didn’t talk. Lawyered up. They aren’t from Connecticut, though. The DMV has nothing about them. I’ve got a request in to the FBI to research their IDs.”
“So that means one thing, doesn’t it?”
“Yup. Someone in Connecticut hired them, or one of the families from out of state sent them in.”
“Great,” said Saks. Here the Spawn were worried about war with the Rojos. Now, because of Saks, they could be going to war with a Mafia family.
Only, nobody knew which one.
