Lorenzo Garcia

"To be beside you, just once more. I swear that would be enough" - D. J

• Baby •

We had fallen into a comfortable silence on our way back
But then again I didn't have much to say, my mind was rushing with thoughts and doubts
Whilst Vincent drove quietly, smiling more than I had ever seen the man smile.

It was when we got back to the house that there was something to say
As men crowded the front of the house
With guns, all muttering to each other
People looked panicked?

"What the..." Vincent came to a stop, and I quickly got out, hurrying inside
"Ma? Knox?" I questioned
I found Lia in the living room. Crying
"Lia? What's the matter?" I asked
"Baby" Rocco spoke up, coming inside from the patio

"What's going on?" I asked worriedly
"Your dad he..." he trailed off, looking down the hallway
I rushed down to his room.

"Where have you been?" Knox asked outside the door
I ignored him, entering my parents' room
Where my mother sat by my dad's side

"Is he..."
I couldn't bare to say the words
"Baby, that you?" Dad asked, and my heart slowly calmed
My stomach continued to knot however as I neared the bed

"Dad?" I questioned. Ma sat back, her eyes red and her cheeks flushed
"Hello flower, where you been? You've had everyone panicking" he chuckled, coughing
I sat down, taking his hand in mine
"Me? What... what's going on with you? Why is everyone crying?" I asked

He couldn't be...
He...
"I'm near the end Baby" he strained
"No" I cried
"No you're not you... the doctor said you had months" I said

"Baby" mother said, giving me a sad look
"You... you can't" I cried, looking back at him
He squeezed my hand
"Don't cry. We knew it was coming. Least we all get a goodbye eh? Better than a bullet" he tried to assure me

"Dad-"
"I need to talk to you alright? Before it happens" he said, slowly sitting himself up more
"Lorenzo" ma said hesitantly
He held a hand out to her.

"Get me a drink will you love?" He asked
She looked between us, before she slowly got up, and left
"What?" I asked
"When I go-"
"Dad-"

"When I go..." he spoke over me
"You're going to need to keep it together, I know you can, you always do" he said, coughing afterwards
"Your sister will fall to bits. And you know your brother. He'll hit self destruct. You'll have to help him, now he'll be taking over" he explained

"Dad" I snapped
"If you're dying, can you at least let me be fucking sad? Why is it always fucking business?" I said, it was frustrating
The whole thing was...

"Baby" he said, earning my gaze again
"Business is the constant. It's what keeps us all going. So listen to me alright? Because they'll need you, and you'll need them, you all need to stick together. And your mother... well she'll pretend she's fine and she won't be" he said

"I know" I said sadly
Mum then came back in. Setting the water down and looking at us both
"Everything alright?" She asked shortly
"Yeah" I said
"I'll... I'll go get Lia. And Knox" I said.

"No, Lia doesn't need to be here-"
"She'll hate us all if she isn't" ma interrupted dad
She then nodded to me, so I stood up.

• Vincent •

"Fucking hell" I said, looking into the living room
"I know. Knox is falling apart. Lia won't stop crying" Rocco said, taking a drag across from me
We had taken ourselves outside
We thought it best to stay out of their way

Give them some space

• Baby •

11.39

As the dimly lit room got darker
As my father left us
As Lia sobbed into my shoulder as Knox silently left the room. And then the house

As my mother slowly stood. And kissed my father's forehead

"I'll... I'll call the..." she faltered, closing her eyes momentarily before she left the room
"It's okay Lia, ssh, it's alright" I said, rubbing her back.

• Vincent •

"Vincent" Rocco said, nodding behind me
I looked through the glass to the house, where Knox left, slamming the front door
Fuck.

Rocco dropped his head into his hands, sighing
"It's not right" he said quietly
"It never is" I mumbled
"Fuck. We'll have to ring home" he said slowly
"Yeah" I said, looking back in.

Natalia stood by the phone, just... staring at the phone book
I stood up, going in to her
"Natalia" I said
She looked at me. With blank eyes.

Empty eyes.

"I'll do it" I said, gently grabbing her arm
"Sit down, I'll... I'll do it" I said, she did so, staring at the floor as tears slowly fell down her cheeks
Rocco came in as I rang the doctor
Sitting beside Natalia

"Hello" I said as they answered

• Baby •

My head was vacant
It had been empty for hours
As I sat by Lia's bed side
Stroking her hair so she could fall asleep
And she had done... I didn't know how long ago

But I couldn't move
I didn't want to
The longer I sat here worrying about her, the longer I didn't have to leave the room and... go into my own head.

"Baby" Rocco said quietly from the doorway
"We're making tea" he said hesitantly
"Just... just leave me Rocco" I said

• Vincent •

"Where is she?" I asked
Natalia had sat and slowly drank tea
Before she burst into tears on the sofa when the doctor arrived to remove Lorenzo
Crying to me and Rocco, before she had eventually fell asleep, exhausted
Lia was in bed.

Knox was no where to be seen
Baby had sat in Lia's room for hours

"I think she went outside" Rocco said, putting a blanket over Natalia
I made my way outside, through the garden, past the fountain

Where I found Baby sat... on a swing
An old swing I'd seen them play on when we were young
"Baby" I said, she had her back to me
Her body slumped into one of the chains
"Baby" I said again, standing in front of her

She looked drained
Eyes bloodshot. Skin pale. Hair slowly blowing in the nights breeze
It was late
Too late.

"Baby, you need some sleep" I said.
She didn't move
"Valentina" I said, kneeling down in front of her, trying to catch her eyes

I grasped the back of her legs, rubbing my thumbs back and forth as she slowly looked at me
"You need to sleep, hm?" I said
"He was asleep" she said quietly
"When he..."

"Baby" I let out, as she began to silently cry once more
"He was a good man" I said
"He... he was my dad" she said, tears coming faster
"He was... he wasn't a good man. He wasn't... a fucking leader. He was my dad, that's all people will care about. His title, his status. He was my fucking dad Vincent" she cried.

"I know. We all know. He... he'll always be your dad" I said
She broke. Sobbing into herself before she slumped down into my arms
And we sat. In the grass as she cried into the night
As I held her.

As we mourned the loss of one of the greatest men I ever knew.

•

"Where have you been?" Rocco asked as I brought her back in
I hushed him, taking her into her room and putting her to bed
Before I joined him in the kitchen

"She was out by the swing" I said
"Ah" he nodded
"He uh... he pushed her out there, a lot. Whenever we were out playing and he had a moment, she always asked him to push her. Cause he was 'stronger' than us" he chuckled.

"Well she... she was so tired she fell asleep I guess" I said
"Can I sleep in your room? I don't want to crowd her and I can't take the sofa" I said
"Sure" he nodded.

•

When morning came around. I had barely slept
I was too worried
About Baby. About Natalia and Lia
Knox even swam around my head as he hadn't been back still.

By half five, I was stood in the kitchen unable to take lying on the floor worrying any longer

Before one of the guards came in
"Sir" he said
I held my hand up, Natalia was still sleeping. And she needed it.

I followed him outside
"We've got word from the chief of police in town" he said
"Right?"
"Knox was arrested three hours ago. He's waiting for someone to pick him up" he said

"Fuck sake" I sighed

•

"What did he do?" I asked, waiting at the desk with the police chief
"He started a fight downtown, before he put a bottle through a man's throat. Trashed the bar and threaten to shoot everyone unless they left" he informed me

Fuck.
"Now Lorenzo and me have a very... discreet relationship. But I have agreed to look the other way over small hiccups. This. This isn't small. He was deranged" he went on, looking at me from the side
"Who are you anyway? Lorenzo normally sends a different man to pick him up" he asked.

"Lorenzo... Lorenzo died. Last night" I said
Watching his face fall
"What?" He asked
"Yeah. That's why this hiccup is rather big" I said, as Knox came from the cells, handcuffed and... exhausted

He looked like he hadn't slept in days
His clothes were covered in blood.
"Take the cuffs off him" I said. He did so.
"You" Knox scoffed
"Me" I said, walking out the station

He followed me.
"You came to get me out?" He asked
"Yeah, now get in" I said, opening the car door for him.

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