The Legacy (58 page)

Phillip
squeezes
Mali's
hand,
sensing
her
thoughts.
Blinking against threatening tears, his own thoughts travel to
the hospital where his mother lies. He loves her so much, and
the thought of possibly losing her is more than he can take. His
thinks of his father and what he must be going through. Phillip
has never seen two people more in love than his parents, and
he knows this is tearing his father up inside. He’d cried and
prayed through the night for them both, futilely wishing the
accident never happened.

Still, even wading through the sadness and worry, he
doesn't hold Mali at fault. He'd spent the entire night trying to
convince her she isn't to blame. Sometimes things just happen.
And witnessing her suffering breaks his heart. He cares for her
more than he can say and wishes he could help her somehow.
All he can do is be there for her and let her know he cares.

As
Adagio
walks
through
the
veranda
doors,
Phillip
jumps up and runs into his open arms. Pulling back, he
anxiously looks at him. “How is Mama?”

Cupping his son's cheek, Adagio swallows hard. “She
hasn't awakened yet.” His voice is strained, but he draws forth a
smile. “But I think she will soon.”

“Do you really think so, Papa?”
“That is what I keep praying for.” He caresses Phillip's
hair. “We have to have faith that she will be well.” He says this
for himself as much as his son. He must force himself to think
positively, otherwise, he will go out of his mind. Watching
Cisely sleep through the night had taken a toll on him, but his
prayers for her have never ceased because he can’t bear the
thought of losing her.
“Uncle Adagio,” Mali says, slowly approaching him, “I’m
so sorry.”
Smiling sadly, Adagio pulls her close, embracing them
both. “There is nothing to be sorry about, Mali. You are not
responsible. It just happened.”
“That’s what Phillip keeps saying,” she confesses, wiping
her face. “But I can’t believe that.”
“You should listen to Phillip. He is the smart one in the
family.” Giving his son a slow smile, Adagio's eyes mist over.
“He takes after his mother.”
“I love you, Papa,” Phillip says tearfully.
“I love you, too, son. I love you as well,” Adagio says,
returning his gaze to Mali.
Mali buries her face in his shirt and cries.
Keeping his arms around them, Adagio draws as much
comfort as he gives. “Are you two going to be all right?”
“Yes, Papa,” Phillip answers, drawing strength from his
father.
“I need to go shower and get back to your mother.” He
kisses Mali’s forehead and places a firm hand on his son’s
shoulder. “Anna is going to stay and take care of things, and
Sadie will be by later. I need you to take care of Mali, all right?”
“Yes, Papa.”

Phillip's father takes his face in his hands and kisses his
cheek before turning to go back into the house. Watching his
retreating form, Phillip believes there isn’t a braver man in the
world.

Slowly awakening, I struggle to adjust my eyes to the
dimly lit surroundings, but the throbbing pain accompanying
the attempt makes it difficult to focus. The pain that reenters
my body is a stark contrast to the sweet peace I'd felt only
moments ago, and the memory of the experience fills my heart
with warmth. Turning my head slightly, my eyes meet Adagio’s
sleeping form leaning against the bed. He looks so exhausted
and I can't begin to imagine what he has been through.

Oh,
my
love.
Tears
blur
my
vision
as
I gaze
at
his
handsome face, and I want so badly to hold him. Ignoring the
pain, I lift my uninjured hand and softly caress his hair, not able
to resist touching him.

Feeling a gentle touch, Adagio awakens. When he raises
his head and finds Cisely staring at him, tears immediately spill
down his cheeks and emotion wells in his throat, rendering him
unable to speak. Even if he could, there are no words–no way
to describe what he feels looking into her beautiful eyes–eyes
he hadn’t known if he would ever gaze into again in this life.

Cisely wipes his tears, caressing his face. “I told you I
would never leave you.” Her voice is slightly hoarse.
Moving to the head of the bed, he presses his face into
the pillow next to hers, unable to suppress the sobs that come.
“Oh, angel, I thought I was going to lose you.” He rests his
cheek against hers, relishing her warmth. “Thank you, God,” he
whispers. He finally draws back and kisses her hand. “How are
you feeling,
amore
?”
Cisely weakly pulls his hand, bringing him closer. “My
head hurts and I’m achy, but I’m so happy to see you, none of
that matters.”
“Oh, angel,” he says, kissing her hand again. “I was so
afraid. I don't know what I would do if I lost you.”

Loosening a finger, I catch one of his tears. “Never, my
love.” I close my eyes against the pain, knowing I need to
request something for it, but right now I need him more.
“Would you kiss me?”

Smiling through a steady stream of tears, Adagio softly
touches his lips to mine. I long to be closer, and I sense him
fighting the urge to hold me. His warm breath against my skin
only makes my yearning increase. An emotional moan escapes
me as his mouth molds to mine. His kiss is powerful and leaves
me completely breathless. After a long moment, his mouth
moves to my cheek.

“I love you,” he whispers against my skin.
“And I love you.”
He
draws
back
slightly
and we
silently
gaze
at
one

another. I take in every feature of his face–his handsome brow,
his tousled hair, his full lips, and his beautiful, emotion-filled
emerald eyes. I just
need
to look at him, to be lost in his beauty,
his perfect masculinity.

Closing my eyes, I groan softly, losing the fight against
the increasing pain. “Adagio, could you go and ask someone to
bring me something for the pain?”

“I will go right away.” Adagio is only gone a moment and
the nurse arrives right after he returns. She injects the pain
medicine into my IV and within minutes, I begin to feel relief. I
thank her before she leaves and she tells us the doctor is on his
way. Adagio again takes my hand, moving as close to me as
possible.

His smiling eyes are tinged with sadness. “She will be all
right,” he assures me. “Don't worry. Just concentrate on getting
well.”

She blames herself for the accident.”
“She needs to understand it wasn’t her fault.”
“I know,
amore
. I tried to assure her of that, but she has

grown used to being hard on herself. I don't understand it.”
“I know, but I do,” I say with a yawn. “I need to tell you
about the conversation we had. Mali blames herself for things
she has no control over.” Yawning again, I gaze at him sleepily
as the medication kicks in. “I also need to tell you something
else. Some . . .” I pause, fighting the drowsiness.
“Don't try to tell me now, baby. It can wait.” He caresses
my face. “You need your rest. After all, we still have a trip to
Tuscany to plan.”
I smile sleepily. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back up and ready in
no . . . time.”
“I know, angel,” he says, kissing my brow.
“Are the children okay?”
“They are fine. Anna is with them. Don't worry.”
“Okay.”

When Cisely's breathing becomes deep, Adagio assumes
she has fallen asleep, but he is surprised when she opens her
eyes slightly and squeezes his hand.

Lifting her hand to his face, he kisses her palm, holding it
against his mouth. “I will stay with you forever, baby,” he
whispers. “I'm not going anywhere.”

Phillip lay on his back with his hands clasp behind his
head, trying futilely to fall asleep. His mind is completely
focused on the room down the hall. Thoughts of Mali consume
him and he can’t stop worrying about her. Not able to lie there
any longer, he finally gets up. Pushing a hand back through his
hair, he quietly makes his way down to the kitchen for a glass
of milk, surprised to see the kitchen light on. He is even more
surprised to find Mali sitting at the table with a glass of water.
There is a distant look in her eyes as she stares at a painting on
the wall.

“How are you?” he asks, sitting down beside her, placing
his hand over hers.
“Okay, I guess,” she answers, looking down at their
hands.
Phillip lifts her chin with his finger, looking into her eyes.
He knows she
isn’t
okay, but he doesn’t know what to say to
help. Her sadness affects him in ways he can’t explain and his
heart aches for her. He has never felt so much pain for another
person before.
As he continues to stare into her eyes, deep emotion fills
him. Words that have hovered in the back of his young mind
fight their way to the surface, bringing with them feelings so
pure, yet so intense, his heart threatens to thump through his
chest.
By the way Mali is staring at him, he can tell she feels the
change. He hears her take a deep breath and watches her press
a hand to her chest. Swallowing hard, he tightens his fingers
around hers. “Mali . . . I need to tell you something, something
important.”
When she says nothing, he takes a deep breath, exhaling
slowly. His voice is soft. “I love you, Mali. I love you very
much.” He watches her eyes widen and plunges ahead. “You
are more special than you could ever know. And one day . . .
when I am older, I will come for you, Mali, and make you my
wife.”