Olive
All I could feel was the searing hot pain coursing through my torso. It felt like tiny rods that had been held over a flame for hours.
I opened my eyes and immediately closed them- the bright white of the room was blinding.
After a few blinks and a lot of tears, I was able to fully open my eyes and gather my surroundings.
My chest had about a million different cords, not one the same color, attached. My finger had some weird tan box on it.
"You're in the hospital." A deep voice said and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I looked around trying to find the source and finally my eyes landed on the detective.
"Detective Vasquez," My voice was raspy, how long have I been here?
"Miss Semone." Detective Vasquez nodded and leaned back in his chair.
The room was almost silent after that. The loud beeping and sound of an IV kept it from being silent.
"Do you remember what happened?" He asked after several minutes.
I did. I remembered exactly what happened.
I was betrayed. But in this line of business, you can't take this things to heart. People do what they have to do to survive.
And If I want to survive, I must do exactly that.
When I find that god damn rat, he is going to die buckwheats.
He won't be hung from the crane. He will be returned home, where he belongs.
"Omertà." I looked Detective Vasquez in the eyes. He looked tired. Had he been here this whole time?
"Omertà?" He repeated back to me.
"Code of Silence." I adjusted myself on the rather uncomfortable bed. My torso throbbed with an unexplainable amount of pain.
"If you withhold information from the police, You can be charged with perjury." Vasquez stood and reached behind me, pulling the pillow up and adjusting it.
The bed was suddenly ten times more comfortable.
"If I tell you a single thing, I'll end up swimming with the fishes." I thought about Clarence. I don't blame him for what he did. He was given no choice.
But, now I've been given no choice. If this was a flesh wound, I'd have let it go. No hard feelings.
Well, maybe a finger or two. Then we'd be square.
But this was more then a flesh wound. I had to have surgery. I've been in the hospital for days. I couldn't let something like this slide.
So, Clarence would soon be meeting his end. I felt bad for the man. He was young.
He has a child on the way and is a newlywed. But all of that is irrelevant now.
"Do you think whoever did this will return to attempt to finish the job?" Detective Vasquez sat forward, his eyes trained on mine.
He really did have shit colored eyes.
"He won't. I'll be surprised if you guys don't find his body by tomorrow." I yawned and pulled the scratchy blanket up more. The movement caused more pain then I had ever felt.
"Why do ya say that?" He was just full of questions, huh?
"He failed. That won't go over well with their don." Did he not understand the mafia?
"Okay. Will you be safe returning home?" I watched him check his watch.
"Hot date?" I asked with a wink.
"Sure, you can call it that." Vasquez's face remained next to emotionless.
He was boring.
"I'll be fine." I lied.
Once they find out I'm still alive, they'll send another to finish the job.
"Doc said one more night to monitor you. You can return home tomorrow." Vasquez stood from his chair and stuffed his hands in this pocket.
I didn't realize before, but he was a mess. His shirt was wrinkled and the tie was beyond loose.
His usually styled hair was hanging over his forehead and lose strands were standing up straight.
"How long have you been here?" I asked, already sure if the answer.
"Since you got here." And with that he left the room. I'm glad he left. His deodorant must have worn off - that is if he put any on.
As soon as he left, the room felt colder. My anxiety began to spike and the heart monitor reflected that.
Fuck staying here another night.