reticent

74

• ??? •

I lean my head back to swallow the shot of water, then gag. After six years, taking this medicine doesn't get any easier.

I sit back on my bed, clenching my watering eyes shut. I lean on the wall, crossing my legs before bringing them up to my chest. I wrap my arms around them, leaning my forehead on my knees.

I'm so tired.

I hear shouts, and I sit up, my head snapping toward my door. I climb off the bed and open the door, peeking outside.

There's a young boy being pulled away from the door that separates us in here from the rest of the world. His brown hair is dishevelled, and there's an urgent look on his face as he spins around to look at the man who was trying to drag him back.

I frown before retreating back into my bedroom.

• LORENZO •

"Mr Romano, could you come with me for a minute?" The nurse asks, popping her head into the room.

I sigh and let go of a sleeping Amalia's hand, setting it on the duvet carefully. I stand up from where I'm seated beside her, then follow the nurse out of the room, leaving Amalia with her brothers.

"What's going on?" I ask when she doesn't say anything. She just leads me down the hallway, toward the entrance.

"Two boys tried to see Amalia today." She explains, opening the door with her keycard. She pushes it open, then continues to walk over to a small room beside the front desk. She opens the door, and my eyebrows raise in surprise when I see the two boys she was talking about.

Archer and Oliver.

     Oliver looks at me first. He pastes on a smile. "Hi, Mr. Romano."

     Archer follows his gaze, and when he sees me he seems to relax a little bit. The nurse says she'll give us a few minutes before closing the door. I walk over to the seats across from them, sitting down in one.

     "What a coincidence that we're all here." Oliver begins. "We just came to.."

     "See my daughter?" I finish for them.

     "Yeah." He replies.

My gaze slides over to Archer, who doesn't look at me.

"Is she okay?" Oliver asks.

I look at him again. "She will be, hopefully." I respond. "She just needs time." When I talk next, it's to Archer. "Does your mother know you're here?"

     "Yeah."

     "Did she drive you here?"

     "I got a train." He says.

     "I'll get one of our drivers to take you back." I tell him.

He snaps his head up, finally meeting my eyes. "I need to see Amalia."

"She's sleeping."

"I can wait until she wakes up, I don't mind."