Eve Black

Chapter 29

It's been a couple of hours, no sign of his doctor. I have already asked the front desk five times when Matteo will be out and if they have any updates. Every time the answer is they don't know anything.

I pace back and forth waiting and waiting. Every time the door opens I look up to see if it's his doctor. I sit down too tired to keep pacing. That's when his doctor walked in with a face I tried not to read, afraid that if I did I would know the news is bad.

"How is he?" Enzo asks before I can.

"He's alive," I release a breath I didn't know I was holding, "But he is in a coma."

"What? Do you know how long?" I ask afraid.

"No, I don't know. I'm sorry. He's in room 205" That's all the doctor says. Literally, that's it. What the fuck!

I storm into the room and stop short when I see Matteo. He has wires and tubes attached all over him. He looks skinnier even though it hasn't even been that long. I walk over and sit in a chair next to his bed.

I hold his hand and whisper to him, "Hey Matteo, I don't know if you can hear me but I just want you to know I love you and I need you here with me okay? I need you to wake up as soon as possible. You are supposed to help me fight off the nightmares and run a mafia remember? So you need to wake up. Please." I beg as if we could respond to me. I stare at his eyes waiting for them to open, waiting for me to see the sparkle of his green eyes. I swear I see his eye twitch but he doesn't move. I feel the tears sting my eyes. I can't cry though, Matteo wouldn't want me to cry.

***

It's been a week, I visit Matteo when I can but that's not often. I am usually at meetings or at business trades making sure everything goes as planned. A lot of the men were not happy when I made my announcement at the Mafia Market so I have to oversee almost everything that goes on to make sure they don't go against my orders.

A lot of men were also surprised to not see Matteo. It's crazy the number of men that hit on me when Matteo wasn't there. You know the scenes in movies when person A tries to drug person B and then person B switches the glasses so that person A ends up drugged? Yeah, I have done that multiple times. Men never learn.

It's hard without Matteo. I never sleep. Enzo does his best to help me with the Russian Mafia but for the most part, he's just running the Italian Mafia. I try my best to be independent but there are some things I just don't know what to do about. One person that has helped me a lot is Micheal, the guy from the meeting. I don't fully trust him, to be honest, he's kinda sketchy but we have gotten along pretty well. I would consider him a friend if we were in a different situation.

***

It's been three weeks. Matteo has shown no signs of waking up anytime soon. The doctors are saying that we should start to consider when we will unplug him. In a couple of days? weeks? months? I am putting off as long as I can. I don't want to be the person who decides his fate.

I made Michael my second in command for now. He has been super helpful in getting men to accept me as their leader and helping me run things. I have barely slept at all, maybe a 1-2 hour nap every other day? I can barely stay awake and I feel like shit.

***

It's been a little over a month. The hospital called me and told me I have to go sign papers for when they will unplug Matteo today. I am wearing Matteo's sweatpants, shirt, sweatshirt, and cologne. I even shower using his shampoo. Anything that reminds me of him.

I think he would be proud of how well I am doing at running the mafia. I have kept everything under control and haven't made a mistake yet.

I walk into the hospital and act as confident as I can. I ask the front desk where they want me to go to sign the papers, they told me to go to his room. I nod my head and walk to the room. I want to turn around and sprint out of the building but my pride won't let me.

I open the door to his room. The tears well up but I refuse to cry. I have to stay strong for Matteo. The papers are on the table. I walk over grab the papers and then sit next to Matteo.

"Alright, I'm giving you another month. They suggest that's the longest I should go. I want to give you forever but they won't let me. You have to wake up okay? The sooner the better." I sigh knowing he can't hear me. Only now that I am alone with Matteo do I let myself cry.

"I love you, Matteo. I need you to wake up for me. Thirty-one days. That's all you have." I hold his hand and just sit there for a while not wanting to leave him. "Goodbye," I say when I finally force myself to leave him.

***

20 days until Matteo will be gone forever. I have successfully become the second most feared mafia boss. Matteo is of course the most feared. The only mafia boss that has tried to get in my way was the American Mafia. They failed miserably. No one else has tried to cross me, most try to become an ally. Rumors keep going around about Matteo and I.

"The most powerful couple?"

"Did they break up?"

"Matteo has been missing."

"They could take over the world."

These are the whispers that follow me wherever I go. All of them contain something about Matteo. It angers me that no one thinks I am anything without him, but at the same time, I am only where I am because of him.