CHAPTER 32: HIS EYES, HER CALM

Luciano shook her gently. "No, don’t close your eyes. Keep them open, okay?" he spoke softly, as he stroked her face.

The car headlight came on, and that was his cue that it was time to go.

"Stay with me, Bella," he said, as he lifted her into his arms, and carried her to the car.

The back door was open, which enabled him to slide her in easily. Then he hopped into the backseat with her.

Valentina swayed, finding it difficult to keep her body in balance. But Luciano reflexively caught her, and straightened her back to rest on his body.

He covered her with his fur coat he had left in the car, providing some warmth to her shivering body.

"Did you call the doctor?" He questioned Dante.

"Sìcarpo. He’s on his way to Neravalle."

"Good. Go far beyond the speed limit."

That was all Dante needed, to step on the pedal.

Valentina slowly began to lose consciousness again.

No matter how much she tried to hold on to it, it continued to elude her grasp.

"Stay with me," she felt Luciano’s warm breath in her ears.

They were a nice caress. A distraction from the cold.

It was so cold. Her bones froze. And it felt like she was drowning again.

"You’ll be fine. You are fine," Luciano continued to speak to her in hopes that if she kept hearing his voice, she would remain conscious.

Valentina listened.

She listened to his heartbeat from his chest her head was resting on.

It was rapid, and then steady. Rapid again, and then steady.

Unlike hers that were so faint, she barely felt alive.

She listened to his voice too. Although as deep as thunder, it didn’t give her the same feeling the thunder had.

It gave her comfort. Moments of bliss that she clung to.

Valentina listened to him, and slowly, her grip on life grew firmer.

The moment the car drove into Neravalle, a stretcher was waiting.

Luciano carried Valentina out of the car, and placed her on it.

"Vitto, tell me the doctor is here?" He said in haste, as he rolled the stretcher inside.

"Sì, he is." He followed after him.

No one else was in the vicinity. Vittorio had made sure to dismiss them all.

He didn’t want them to see Luciano in the state he already knew he would be in.

Shirtless, drenched in water, and a desperation in his eyes.

Despite the denial, he could tell Luciano was smitten with the girl.

Luciano rolled Valentina into a room spacious enough for fresh air to circulate, and with the help of Vittorio, transported her to a bed.

She began to breathe heavily as soon as she was placed on the bed.

"She’s hyperventilating. Where is the fucking doctor?!" He roared.

Doctor Hernandez stormed into the room, with Elio and Marcello behind him.

On seeing Luciano, they both froze at the door.

"Luce," Elio called.

Luciano spared him just one glance. And in that glance, he saw pure fury.

They knew immediately.

They knew at that moment that if they didn’t leave, they were dead.

Elio looked at the bed, ensuring Valentina was really there, before walking out of the room.

Marcello followed suit.

"Hello, I’m doctor Hernandez, and I need you to trust me, okay signora?" He spoke softly to Valentina who was breathing hard.

Her gaze shifted to the doctor. She nodded, because she couldn’t speak. Her heaving breath would not let her say a word out.

Doctor Hernandez leaned in, so he was eye level with her. "You can hear me clearly right?"

She nodded again.

"Blink if you can hear me."

Luciano hissed from the spot he stood..

He didn’t understand the point of all of these questions when the girl was clearly struggling.

Valentina blinked.

"Good, now I need you to just listen to my voice. You don’t need medicine yet. You need to breathe."

"I–I can’t," she struggled to say. "I–I do-n’t know how–to," her eyes watered as she stared at the trusting eyes of the doctor.

"That’s normal. You’ve experienced something traumatic, Signora. It’s a normal body response," he looked over his shoulder at Luciano. "Can I touch her?"

He wouldn’t ask if it was any other man. He would just do everything as a doctor to help the patient in need of his help.

But he was in the presence of a superior. Practically, a god. He had to take permission to touch any woman in his home.

Especially because the woman could possibly be his. And no one wanted to be in a position where they had a problem with Luce Nera over his woman.

"Do everything possible." He gave a curt nod.

"Thanks," Doctor Hernandez turned back to Valentina, and then rested a hand on her wrist. "I’ll make you remember. All you need to do is repeat after me. Follow my movements. Like this." He breathed in through his nose in demonstration, and then breathed out through his mouth.

Valentina tried, but her breath came out shaken.

"That’s fine. You’re doing good. But look around. You’re safe. The trauma is gone. Focus on something, and then try again."

Valentina looked around. When her gaze landed on Vittorio, she quickly shifted it.

He wasn’t a sight capable of calming her down.

It continued to move again, until it arrived on Luciano.

Shirtless, leaning on a wall with his hands folded across his chest as he watched her closely with those piercing grey eyes of his.

That was the image she needed. So she looked at him.

"I’m guessing you’ve found one. Do you see how the distraction of looking around has helped you breathe normally?"

The second the doctor brought her attention to it, her breath caught in her chest.

"No, focus on the distraction, and breathe," doctor Hernandez said.

She nodded, and holding Luciano’s intense gaze with her moistened eyes, she took one breath after another.

Slowly, until her breath evened out, and her heart stopped to race.

"See signora? You’re strong. You did it all on your own," he said, pulling out a syringe and vial from his bag. "It is your choice if you want to sleep. Should I go ahead, signora?"

Her eyes remained glued to Luciano, as one tear rolled down her eyes.

Luciano’s heart squeezed. He wanted to hold her, and whisper to her she would never have a reason to be claimed by the sea again.

But he had already overstepped every boundary there was. And as tempting as it was, it wasn’t right to continue to do so.

"Yes please," she said to the doctor.

"Good choice, signora."

Doctor Hernandez searched and found a vein. Gently, he administered the injection.

Valentina’s lids drooped immediately, but she never shifted her eyes away from Luciano.

The doctor rose to his feet. "She’ll sleep soon. When she wakes up, she’ll be stable."

Luciano didn’t look at him. He couldn’t take his gaze off Valentina who even now was drifting into sleep, but still kept her eyes on him.

Vittorio stepped up, and took the initiative, as he escorted the doctor out of the room.

"Thank you," she muttered, and then her eyes closed.