Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
I stuck close to Luca's side as he, Violet, and I were escorted by a nurse to the third floor of the hospital. I was glad to see that it was clean and bright, but there was no denying the state of the few patients we saw. Some were completely silent, almost dead in the eyes, while others were talking to themselves with words and phrases that made sense only to them. I wanted to demand that Luca tell me exactly what had happened to his son to make him end up in a place like this, but the reality was that I already knew. There were lots of different kinds of survivors who managed to get away from the men who'd owned them. I’d just assumed that wherever Gio was, he was like me, just trying to get by every day. Or he was like Aleks and had learned to adapt and was in the process of trying to become who he'd been before he’d been taken. But clearly, he hadn't been so fortunate. My heart broke for Luca, and despite not knowing exactly the state Gio was in, it still broke for him too.
I cuddled a very quiet Violet to my chest as we followed the nurse to a waiting room. There was a man waiting for Luca. He extended his hand and the two men stepped to the far side of the room to talk. I sat down in one of the chairs to give them their privacy. Luca had agreed to let me come with him, but that didn't mean he wanted me listening in on his conversations. I assumed the man was one of Gio's doctors, but I couldn't hear anything that they were talking about. Whatever the doctor was saying, it had Luca remaining silent.
Stan had accompanied us into the hospital and had taken up position near the entryway. When Luca told him to stay with us, the man nodded. Luca's eyes met mine, but he didn't say anything. I gave him a nod of encouragement since there was literally nothing else I could do. I had no clue what he was about to face. I wished I could face it with him, but I knew he wouldn't let me.
Luca followed the man from the room, leaving me and Violet alone with Stan. Not long after Luca left, I could smell the telltale signs that Violet needed a diaper change. "I have to take her to the bathroom," I said to Stan. He nodded and then motioned to the entryway. Violet continued to play on the tablet even as I carried her. We followed Stan to the bathroom, and he made sure it was empty before letting me go in. I was glad the men's room had a changing table. I made quick use of it, taking Violet's tablet away and replacing it with the keychain to keep her attention while I changed her.
As we followed Stan back to the waiting room, I heard yelling coming from a small room a little farther up the hall. Stan automatically stopped us and urged us closer to the wall so he could stand between us and any potential danger. There were more raised voices from within the room and a moment later, the door flew open. I could hear banging and clicking sounds, but it was difficult to see anything around Stan. By the time I'd moved a little to get a better view, I saw a young man sitting in a wheelchair trying to get the thing through the doorway of the room where the yelling had been happening. He was wearing the same gown that the other patients in the hospital had, but I didn't see an orderly or anyone else pushing the chair. The kid was trying to get out of the room on his own.
"No! I want to go back to my room. Stay away from me!" the kid screamed. He finally managed to clear the doorframe with the bulky chair.
"Gio!" I heard Luca call from within the room and my whole body stiffened.
My eyes flew back to the doorway. Luca was standing there with the doctor and I could see that the smaller man was holding on to Luca's arm, probably so he couldn't chase after his son. A young woman squeezed between the two men and hurried after Gio, but when she tried to push him in the wheelchair, he jerked away as best he could and said, "I've got it."
Gio was nothing like what I’d pictured. He had bright blond hair and was small framed. I guessed him to be around fifteen or sixteen at the most. His skin was pale and sallow and he was frighteningly skinny. His eyes were focused on the ground in front of him, so he didn't appear to notice me or Stan or anyone else for that matter. I glanced back at the room where Luca had been, but the door was shut, so I assumed the doctor had taken him back inside to talk to him. I couldn't even begin to process why Gio would have no interest in being around his father. From everything Aleks had said to me, Luca had been searching for Gio for years. The boy undoubtedly had emotional and physical scars that would take a lifetime to heal, and even that might not be enough time, but why wouldn't he be happy to see his father?