Meadow: A Sopranos Fanfic

The Odd Couple

Eric was probably the first one to get to the hospital when he heard the news about Meadow. His wife had watched him leave the shop in a rush and scowled at him unbeknownst to anyone but herself, something she wouldn't dare do in front of him and which she cursed herself for not being able to do. She'd been feeling the small rejections and his gaslighting attempts recently, realizing Eric was very likely having an affair.
It was something she hadn't been expecting from him at this point in their lives after all of these years of relative happiness.
At the hospital, Meadow was feeling a bit of deja vu, as this was her third time in the hospital in less than a week but her first time as a patient and so was beginning to experience strange looks from the staff, as if to say, "So you're that girl."
Her vocal cords had been damaged, although temporarily, there was still the matter of her image which she had to protect - especially now.
This turn of events couldn't have come at a worse time in her opinion, but since when did anything ever go according to plan? her father might have said.

***

On the other side of town the Murder Street boys were busy to say the least. Furio was making a recovery, not just of his body, but of his mind as well. Carmela had gone to see him at the hospital, but Furio quickly realized she was using again, was still living with Weglur even though he told her to move out, and he himself was still moping about like if he were nothing more than an Olive Farmer.
Volante had told him as much and had insinuated that such actions could land him in hot water with Meadow or even with his crew, him included. Volante was never one to mince words and he appreciated the man for it.

At first, Furio had dismissed this; as Meadow was never going to clip him over some senior citizen type lethargy. Then he was shot in the leg for a second time in his life and felt reality come rushing in. Just as he was no longer feeling the fury he once felt, most likely because he had come back and fallen in love with Carmela all over again, but also because he was too busy trying to keep her from hurting herself constantly. Meadow was no longer the person she was either, and once this settled into his mind during his hospital stay, Furio had checked himself out, resolute to reign down hellfire on the people responsible.
Furio, Lucente and Tomas were now on their way to Jersey Shore under the guise of a physical therapy appointment for his leg.
Volante and Ennio were at the Cuban's stash house in New York, stacking up on firepower that would be needed in the days to come.
His cousin, Annalisa, was up north somewhere getting ready to do what she knew how to do best.

***

On the other hand, George Paglieri was in the midst of a serious dilemma. Gone were the days of the wild Wild West where one could simply act on an event like the ones the Sopranos had been creating across New England. Hitting a boss like Paul Castellano back in the 80's was a completely different ordeal than hitting someone the way they had hit Frank Cali earlier in the year. Castellano had needed tact, sure, because it was never a small thing to make a move on a boss and think things would just stay the same; it was always bad for business.
But Castellano had constituted the use of button men dressed as Russian mafia, that's it. Meanwhile Franky Boy on the other hand had been like hitting John F. Kennedy, complete with a fall guy willing to spit QAnon theories at the press and not be discredited immediately for it, and officers willing to look the other way on evidence regardless of FBI involvement.
All necessary evils in order to keep the peace in the most trying of times was still going to be nothing when hitting the 1st American female Boss a little over 8 months after her coming into power. It was going to prove very difficult indeed, almost to the point of it not being worth it.
But it had to be, George knew this, and was pushing forward with his plan regardless of the consequences.
Originally putting Meadow Soprano in as acting boss of the Jersey family seemed like the right choice, or at least Silvio had pitched it that way.
A decade earlier, when Butchy had come to him with a similar plan, worried over Phil Leotardo's increasingly aggressive and erratic behavior, George made peace with Tony in order to keep a good thing going throughout the 5 Burroughs and North Jersey.
When Philly's head got smashed like a kumquat by his rear passenger side tire, accident or no, it had ended any chance for Tony's survival. All bets were off as far as Butch had been concerned even if it was he who had made the crazy fucking suggestion anyway that they wack a boss all for his survival. George wished he'd thought about that brilliant idea when it had come to Tony's daughter as well.