Sequel: Rag Doll Gaudio's Story ›
Beggin' DeVito's Story
-Five-
Frankie was sleeping peacefully in his moses basket at the end of the sofa, Tommy stared at his son adoringly almost willing him awake, he hated the silence gave him too much time alone to think, he wished he could remember his wedding day as vividly as the cold night air biting through his clothes, he glanced up at the picture framed on the mantle piece, the top of her wedding dress just barely visible one of her hands on the side of his face her lips pressed against the other, her black hair perfectly curled still with a few petals of coffetti dotted through out, he was smiling from ear to ear a fondness and love in his eyes that he never thought he would know. He loved that photo but the day was a blur, he begged his mind to go back and remember the tiniest detail even if it was just the perfume she wore, he would be happy, instead when he was alone he was plagued with the memories of the night his world collapsed at his feet.
-
"Renee?" he nudged her gently her skin clammy against his palm "Babydoll? please?" her eyes fluttered half open she scanned her surroundings her eyes rolling slightly,
"Tommy?" her voice was laboured as she pushed herself up winded and aching "What happened?"
Tommy crumbled almost chanting
"I'm so sorry this is all my fault"
she lifted her nightdress in order to see what was causing the warmth across her ribs, a dark sticky mess rolled in large drops across her skin she gasped as the weight of reality hit her like a freight train, she had been shot, she ran her fingers across the open wound and winced, Tommy clapped his hands over his mouth his eyes wide with shock,
"Oh god"
he whispered his voice laced with obvious anguish, her adrenaline fueled defience gave way to the pain she slumped back to the floor her head swimming and her eyes growing heavy, she noticed the intricate carvings on the wooden banister forcing herself to focus on them to keep herself awake, she could hear Tommy in the background pleading with the 911 operator to send help and quickly, he sounded so distant as if he wasnt even in the same house as her, within minutes Tommy left her side to flag the approaching ambulance, EMTs rushed in to the small hallway that now felt somewhat claustrophobic, she was aware of Tommy holding her hand too tightly as an exit wound was discovered on her back, she groaned loudly as they applied pressure to the wound, Tommy's voice was the only thing she heard as movement buzzed around her,
"It's all going to be okay, you've got this, I promise"
They ran fluid in to a vein to raise her rapidly sinking blood pressure, for the first time she was feeling the full extent of the pain that ripped through her torso like an angry fire, she cried out in agony, no longer on the verge of unconsciousness voices where becoming clearer and making more sense,
"punctured lung.....we need to get her to the hospital"
They quickly loaded her now limp body in to ae the EMT staff doing their level best to ignore her aggressive demands for pain relief snipping her clothes off to assess the damage and asking her seemingly pointless questions
"whos your next of kin?"
"Tommy, Can I have some drugs now?"
she was angry but relieved that she wasn't too far gone to recall simple information, Tommy held her hand she could feel him trembling, she could hear his breath hitching small shallow breaths like his chest had constricted he didn't say more than two words occasionally whispering,
"You're going to be okay"
Within minutes they had arrived at the hospital a colossal sterile maze of almost certain misery in Tommy's opinion nothing good had ever come out of a hospital visit.
she was writhing in pain on the small stretcher leaving crimson smears on the white sheet, a tall sandy haired doctor walked in to the small cubicle, Tommy quickly rose to his feet,
"Save her!, she needs help! whats going to happen?"
"the surgeon wants to see her its a simple surgery to see the extent of the damage and to remove any possible shrapnel"
The last thing she remembered clearly was being wheeled in to the operating room before anaesthesia within moments everything went hazy followed by a crushing darkness.
-
Renee tapped her foot in time with the rapid beat of the live act on stage, she leant on the bar lazily wondering what her husband and child were doing at home, she often caught herself missing them especially on the longer night shifts, it gave her great pleasure to help settle baby Frankie and put him to bed for the night before kicking her shoes off and curling up on the sofa herself with a glass of wine and a long lazy cuddle from Tommy, she smiled to herself and checked her watch once more, time to clock out she turned on the spot and made her way to the back room, gathering her belongings and wrapping her coat around her she left taking in a refreshing breath of the cold Vegas air.
-
"Renee?" he nudged her gently her skin clammy against his palm "Babydoll? please?" her eyes fluttered half open she scanned her surroundings her eyes rolling slightly,
"Tommy?" her voice was laboured as she pushed herself up winded and aching "What happened?"
Tommy crumbled almost chanting
"I'm so sorry this is all my fault"
she lifted her nightdress in order to see what was causing the warmth across her ribs, a dark sticky mess rolled in large drops across her skin she gasped as the weight of reality hit her like a freight train, she had been shot, she ran her fingers across the open wound and winced, Tommy clapped his hands over his mouth his eyes wide with shock,
"Oh god"
he whispered his voice laced with obvious anguish, her adrenaline fueled defience gave way to the pain she slumped back to the floor her head swimming and her eyes growing heavy, she noticed the intricate carvings on the wooden banister forcing herself to focus on them to keep herself awake, she could hear Tommy in the background pleading with the 911 operator to send help and quickly, he sounded so distant as if he wasnt even in the same house as her, within minutes Tommy left her side to flag the approaching ambulance, EMTs rushed in to the small hallway that now felt somewhat claustrophobic, she was aware of Tommy holding her hand too tightly as an exit wound was discovered on her back, she groaned loudly as they applied pressure to the wound, Tommy's voice was the only thing she heard as movement buzzed around her,
"It's all going to be okay, you've got this, I promise"
They ran fluid in to a vein to raise her rapidly sinking blood pressure, for the first time she was feeling the full extent of the pain that ripped through her torso like an angry fire, she cried out in agony, no longer on the verge of unconsciousness voices where becoming clearer and making more sense,
"punctured lung.....we need to get her to the hospital"
They quickly loaded her now limp body in to ae the EMT staff doing their level best to ignore her aggressive demands for pain relief snipping her clothes off to assess the damage and asking her seemingly pointless questions
"whos your next of kin?"
"Tommy, Can I have some drugs now?"
she was angry but relieved that she wasn't too far gone to recall simple information, Tommy held her hand she could feel him trembling, she could hear his breath hitching small shallow breaths like his chest had constricted he didn't say more than two words occasionally whispering,
"You're going to be okay"
Within minutes they had arrived at the hospital a colossal sterile maze of almost certain misery in Tommy's opinion nothing good had ever come out of a hospital visit.
she was writhing in pain on the small stretcher leaving crimson smears on the white sheet, a tall sandy haired doctor walked in to the small cubicle, Tommy quickly rose to his feet,
"Save her!, she needs help! whats going to happen?"
"the surgeon wants to see her its a simple surgery to see the extent of the damage and to remove any possible shrapnel"
The last thing she remembered clearly was being wheeled in to the operating room before anaesthesia within moments everything went hazy followed by a crushing darkness.
-
Renee tapped her foot in time with the rapid beat of the live act on stage, she leant on the bar lazily wondering what her husband and child were doing at home, she often caught herself missing them especially on the longer night shifts, it gave her great pleasure to help settle baby Frankie and put him to bed for the night before kicking her shoes off and curling up on the sofa herself with a glass of wine and a long lazy cuddle from Tommy, she smiled to herself and checked her watch once more, time to clock out she turned on the spot and made her way to the back room, gathering her belongings and wrapping her coat around her she left taking in a refreshing breath of the cold Vegas air.