Chapter 205

Chapter 205
AUTHOR'S POV

The medical van pulled up to the estate and Angelo stood at the window watching. Eighteen months. His mother had been gone for eighteen months and now she was finally coming home.

Don Luca appeared beside him. "The doctors said she's completed the addiction treatment. She's been clean for over a year."

"That's good."

"But there are complications we need to discuss."

Angelo's chest tightened but he kept his face blank. "What complications?"

"Let's get her settled first. Then we'll talk."

The van doors opened and medical staff helped Allegra out. Angelo's breath caught. She was thinner, her hair streaked with gray, her movements slow and uncertain. But she was here. She was home.

He ran outside and she looked up at the sound of his footsteps. Her face lit up.

"Angelo! My baby!"

He threw his arms around her and she hugged him back. She smelled different, like hospital soap and medication, but underneath was still his mother.

"I missed you so much, Mama."

"I missed you too, sweetheart."

The medical staff guided her toward the guest house that had been converted with hospital equipment and round-the-clock nurses. Angelo walked beside her, holding her hand.

"You've gotten so big. How old are you now?"

"Thirteen."

"Thirteen." She touched his face. "My little boy is growing up."

They got her settled and Angelo sat beside her bed. The nurses moved around quietly, checking equipment, organizing medications.

"How do you feel, Mama?"

"Tired. But happy to be home." She looked around. "This is home, right?"

"Yes. You're on the estate. In the guest house."

"Guest house." She repeated it slowly. "Why am I in the guest house?"

"Because you need medical care. The nurses are here to help you."

"Oh." She looked confused. "I don't remember being sick."

One of the nurses gave Angelo a sympathetic look. He ignored it.

"You're doing much better now. That's what matters."

Allegra smiled and closed her eyes. Within minutes she was asleep. Angelo sat there watching her breathe, counting each rise and fall of her chest.

Don Luca touched his shoulder. "Come. We need to talk."

In the study, Don Luca and Kiera sat Angelo down. Their faces were serious.

"Your mother completed the addiction treatment successfully. But during treatment, the doctors noticed other symptoms. Memory problems. Confusion."

Angelo's hands gripped the armrests. "What kind of memory problems?"

"She forgets conversations. Gets lost in familiar places. Sometimes doesn't remember people she's known for years." Kiera's voice was gentle. "They brought in specialists. She has early-onset dementia."

The word hit Angelo in the chest.

"Can they fix it?"

"No." Don Luca's voice was firm. "They can slow it with medication. But there's no cure. She'll continue to decline."

Angelo's jaw clenched. "How fast?"

"They don't know. The trauma, the addiction, the grief, all of it accelerated the disease."

"So she's going to forget everything. Forget me."

Kiera reached for his hand but he pulled away. "Sometimes she'll remember. Sometimes she won't. It will get worse over time."

Angelo stood. "May I be excused?"

"Angelo, we should talk about this…"

"There's nothing to talk about. She's sick. She's going to get worse. I understand." His voice was flat. "May I be excused, sir?"

Don Luca nodded. Angelo left without another word.

That evening, Angelo returned to the guest house. His mother was awake, sitting up in bed. She smiled when she saw him.

"There you are. I was wondering where you went."

"I was just in the main house. How are you feeling?"

"Better now that you're here." She patted the bed. "Come sit with me."

Angelo sat and she took his hand. They talked about school. She asked about his classes. He told her about training. She listened and nodded and smiled.

Then she looked at him with confusion.

"I'm sorry, what's your name again?"

Angelo's chest constricted. "Angelo. I'm your son."

"My son?" She studied his face. "No, my son is just a baby. He's two years old. You're too big."

"I grew up, Mama. I'm thirteen now."

"That can't be right." She looked around with growing agitation. "Where's my baby? Where's Angelo? Someone took him."

A nurse approached quickly. "Allegra, your son is right here. This is Angelo."

"No! My baby is little. He has dark hair and chubby cheeks." Her voice rose. "Where is my son? What did you do with him?"

The nurse gently guided Allegra to lie back down. "Let's rest now. Everything is fine."

"It's not fine. Someone took my baby."

Angelo stood frozen, watching his mother search the room with panicked eyes, looking for a two-year-old who didn't exist anymore.

He backed toward the door and left before she could see his face.

Outside, he sat on a stone bench in the garden. His hands were shaking. His breathing came too fast. He pressed his palms against his thighs and forced air into his lungs.

She didn't know him. His own mother looked at him and saw a stranger.

Footsteps approached and Emilio sat beside him. Neither spoke for a long time.

"She didn't recognize me." Angelo's voice came out hollow.

"The nurse told me."

"She thought I took her baby. She was scared of me."

"It's the disease talking. Not her."

"I know that." Angelo's hands fisted. "But it doesn't make it hurt less."

Emilio put his arm around Angelo's shoulders. The boy didn't pull away but he didn't lean in either. Just sat there rigid.

"I wait eighteen months. I do everything right. And she comes home and doesn't even know who I am."

"Some days she will. Some days she won't."

"And when there are no more good days? When she forgets me completely?"

Emilio had no answer.

Angelo stood. "I'm going to bed."

"Angelo…"

"Thank you for being here." He walked away before Emilio could say anything else.

The next morning, Angelo returned to the guest house. His mother was eating breakfast. She looked up when he entered and her face brightened.

"Erasmus! You're here!"

Angelo stopped. "Mama, it's Angelo. Your son."

She laughed. "Don't be silly. You're my husband. Erasmus." She reached for him. "Come give me a kiss."

Angelo's throat closed. He looked at the nurse who mouthed an apology.

"I'll come back later." He turned and left.

Over the next weeks, Angelo visited every day after school. Some days she knew him. Those were good days. They'd talk and she'd ask about his life and smile at his stories.

Other days she thought he was Erasmus. Or a stranger. Or someone who'd stolen her baby.

On the worst days, she didn't speak at all. Just stared out the window with empty eyes.

Angelo sat with her regardless. Held her hand. Read to her. Told her about his day even when she didn't respond.

Emilio visited too, bringing flowers, sitting quietly beside Allegra's bed. She rarely recognized him.

One afternoon, Emilio sat alone with her while Angelo was at school. Allegra was having a lucid moment.

"You're very good to Angelo."

"He's a good kid."

"He needs someone. Since Erasmus died, he's been so alone." Her eyes filled with tears. "I try to be there for him but I keep forgetting things. Sometimes I don't even know who he is."

"You're doing your best."

"My best isn't good enough." She looked at him. "Will you take care of him? When I'm gone?"

"You're not going anywhere."

"Yes, I am. I can feel it. Every day I lose a little more of myself." She gripped his hand. "Promise me you'll take care of my boy."

"I promise."

She smiled and closed her eyes. "Thank you."

When she opened them again five minutes later, she didn't know who he was.

Emilio sat in his truck afterward and stared at nothing. His chest ached. He'd loved Allegra for years, loved her quietly and hopelessly, knowing she'd only ever love Erasmus.

And now he was watching her disappear piece by piece.

He pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes and let himself break where no one could see.