The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

JAXON

“Jaxon,”

“Jaxon,”

“Jax-”

“I can hear you!” I snapped.

I stopped pacing and spared Aunt Caroline a glance. Her eyes were soft with assurance but it didn’t do anything to quell my restlessness. It only left me more perturbed than I was.

“Jaxon, have your seat for goodness sake,” she implored me. My stone-cold gaze seemed to have given me away that I wasn’t about to listen to her, so she took a step forward, grabbing my arm.

My eyes stung with unshed tears, thickening the lump that settled in my throat. It was hard trying to keep my tears at bay, and at some point, I gave up on trying. I allowed it to stream down my face effortlessly.

“She’s” I breathed shakily. “She’s in there because of me!” The quiver in my voice overpowered its octave.

“My wife is fighting for her life and it’s all because of me!” I yelled at her, snatching my hands away from her grip.

“Do you think yelling and pacing down the halls of the hospital would change the situation?” Maria’s harsh tone had me whisking my head in her direction. I levelled a glowering look at the dark-haired woman rocking her daughter gently in her arms.

“What did you say?” My voice was flat-out cold. My eyes were locked with hers in a death stare. If she was affected, she didn’t give anything away. She only peered at me with her green teary orbs.

“Why are you acting like you are the only one that cares about her?” She asked, her voice carrying a mixture of pain and hurt.

“We do too! And that’s why we are here! So, why don’t you stop acting like an asshole, blaming yourself and sit the fuck down!” Maria yelled at me, not caring about my hardened gaze.

I stared at her, my chest heaving up and down. I didn’t even know what to say to her. My thoughts were jumbled and it was hard for me to even come up with a word, so I peeled my eyes off her, walking farther away from Aunt Caroline, raking my fingers through my hair.

For a moment, I thought about how empty she felt when I nearly lost my life during that shootout. If this was how she felt, then I needed someone to take this pain away.

It hurts so much that I could barely breathe.

“We have been here for over twelve hours and that fucking doctor keeps telling me to keep my calm!” I bellowed, attracting attention to myself.

“Jaxon!” My aunt chided me sternly.

“I swear to God, if he steps out of that ward and tells me to calm down one more time, I am going to wreck a fucking desk in his face!” I growled.

Andrew sauntered into the lobby, looking nearly as dishevelled as I was. His dull eyes were narrowed at us and his strides increased. He walked over to where his wife sat, grabbing hold of her hand.

“Has the doctor said anything?” His question was directed at no one in particular. His eyes wandered amid us trio as he waited for answers.

“What do you think?” I scoffed, sparing him a glance.

Maria threw me a stink eye and turned to her husband. “Duncan is fine but we haven’t heard anything about Ashley’s health.” She answered him softly.

Fuck, what was I thinking about dragging her into my mess? Why did I leave home in the first place?

“Fuck!” I cursed, the resonance of my voice travelling across the length of the room.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Andrew’s tender voice came up behind me and he was grabbing me by the shoulder in no time, shaking my body vigorously. My breath trembled so badly, fresh tears filled up my eyes.

“Jaxon, look at me.” He told me and my eyes swatted at him, holding his gaze. He was just as worried as I was.

“She’s going to make it through this, I promise you.” He assured me.

“I should never have brought her into all these things. I am supposed to be in there, not her!” My voice came out harsher than I intended. He didn’t take it to heart. His eyes conveyed his sheer understanding.

“I can’t lose her, Andrew. I would fall apart without her. I am going to crumble. She’s the only thing keeping me together.” My voice was reduced to whispers, bare of any ounce of confidence.

“And you won’t lose her,” his words were seeping with conviction.

“She’s going to come back to you. Come here,” he exhaled, drawing me in for an embrace. I didn’t think about anything else. It was exactly what I needed because I was bawling my eyes out in his arms like a little child.

Andrew didn’t let me go. He held on to me so tightly and allowed me to be vulnerable in his arms.

“Where is my daughter? Where is she?!” My head shot up from Andrew’s shoulder, snapping towards the entrance.

Peach’s mom had her eyes travelling around the room until it landed on us. She wasn’t alone. She was in the company of her husband, Dawn, Ivana and another guy who didn’t look familiar to me in any way, but all I could notice was his protective hold around a disoriented Dawn.

Aunt Caroline got off her seat, plodding over to where her mom was and then she pulled her in for a hug. The older woman broke down into tears, holding on to my aunt. The sight ripped me to shreds. I couldn’t keep my eyes on them for long.

“Jaxon, how is she?” Ivana’s swollen eyes were locked on mine. Her messy blonde hair was tucked in a bun but nearly all the strands were sticking out in different directions.

“Say something!” Dawn snapped.

“Baby, calm down.” The guy holding her pulled her back. If it weren’t for his strong grip. The vicious-looking woman would have sunk her claws into my eyes.

“This is all his fault!” She yelled at me.

“Dawn!” Ivana cautioned her with a deep frown and she huffed, wiping the tears that ran down her cheeks.

“Don’t yell at me!” Her voice was meant to be harsh but it came out as a quiver.

“Baby-” The guy in her company tried to speak but she shunned him.

“Stay out of it, Matteo.”

“If you don’t want me to yell at you, then stop acting like a fucking child and stop pointing accusing fingers at anyone,” Ivana’s voice seemed to have regained its calmness but it still held an edge to it.

“Now is not the time to be accounting blames. We are here for our friend and if you cannot respect him as the man she loves, you sure as hell respect the fact that he is her husband!” Her voice rose a notch, carrying an assertiveness that had everyone sealing their mouths shut.

All Vincent did was wrap his arm around her waist, massaging her side softly, in an attempt to keep her anger in check.

The blonde had her fixed on a fuming Dawn, who in turn glared at me and stepped out of her man’s arms, marching over to one of the seats and plopping on it.

Then, Ivana turned to me. Her eyes softened immediately.

“Has the doctor said anything?” She asked me, her eyes shimmering with tears.

“We haven’t heard anything,” I answered her, suddenly too weak to raise my voice. Mr. Miller walked past me without a word, going over to join his wife.

I exhaled.

“Hey, man.” Vincent patted my shoulder while the other guy threw me a curt mod which I acknowledged stiffly.

“Mr. Gray?” The deadly speed at which I whipped my neck over my shoulder nearly snapped the bones surrounding it into pieces.

The Doctor’s step was laced with urgency but mine was more inhumane speed. We were all rushing towards him in a nanosecond, invading his personal space.

“How is she? Where’s my wife? Is she okay?” I threw questions at him, grabbing him by the shoulder. A look of relief washed over his face and that immediately had immense relief surging through me.

“She’s fine now.” Those three words filled the room with sighs of comfort.

“She’s stable now, and thankfully, the baby is fine too. She’s still unconscious though.” The Doctor’s words knocked out every ounce of breath I had left in me, shoving me backwards like an invisible force.

I was puzzled, watching him with bewilderment. He looked equally surprised.

“What baby?”

“Mrs. Gray is about six weeks gone.” He dropped the bombshell, eliciting a gasp from everyone.

My legs gave me away and I dropped on the nearest seat with a thud. I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. My thoughts ran haywire, matching the pace of my erratic breathing.

“Wh–at–I—she is pregnant?” I rushed out my words in stammers.

Peach was carrying my child. Our baby. Did she know she was pregnant? Did she put herself in harm’s way knowing there was a life growing inside of her?

“Can–fuck!” I groaned, raking my fingers through my hair. I sucked in a deep breath, looking up to meet everyone’s worried gaze.

“Fuck, I didn’t know. I didn’t know she was pregnant. We–have—oh, my God!” I was a stuttering, quivering mess.

“Jaxon, Jaxon, look at me.” Ivana was crouching in front of me in no time. Her soft voice compelled me to yield to her request. Her eyes glistened with happy tears. She couldn’t hide it. She took my hands in hers, squeezing them softly.

“Everything is going to be fine. Right now, you should go and see her.” She whispered to me and I nodded my head, trying to keep my eyes fixated on her blurred frame.

“Now, go.” She urged me and I turned to the doctor.

“Can I see her?”

“Yes, please come with me.”

“Ivana” Dawn tried to disagree.

“Dawn, please! Let the man see his wife. We can go see her later. Just stop being so difficult!” She snapped.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Ivana’s right.” Peach’s Dad spoke up for the first time since he stepped into the hospital. They all shared a glance and nodded afterwards.

“Go,” her mom mumbled to me and I rose to my feet, wiping my tears.

And then, I allowed the doctor to lead me to the private ward she was in.