Gangsters
Part twenty two
The
family was full of questions when they returned. Linzi waved them all aside and
climbed wearily to her room. The photo album from her wedding lay on the bed.
She'd been showing it to Pia earlier that day. Sitting on the floor she turned
to her favourite photo, memories washing over her as she looked at it. Billy and
her had been dancing when he'd suddenly picked her up and swung her round. Dizzy
from that and the champagne she'd drunk Linzi had clung onto him, looking up at
him and actually laughing as he smiled down at her. From the photo it actually
looked as if they were deeply in love. She laid her head the bed, her eyes
burning with unshed tears. There was so much she hadn't told him she thought
holding her stomach protectively. The door opened slowly and Scott entered.
Linzi sprang to her feet worried by the look on his face.
"It's
not Billy," he reassured her, "Its Dionico. Craig tried to save him. I
need you to tell Sissy. I...I can't." Linzi went downstairs trying to think
of a way to break the news gently to her friend. Tears were rolling down her
face when she entered. Sissy ran over to her.
"Linzi
what is it? Is it Billy?" she questioned anxiously. Linzi shook her head.
"No
Sissy. It's Dionico...I'm sorry...I'm so terribly sorry." She said shakily.
"No."
Whispered Sissy colour draining from her face. She looked at Scott.
"NO!!"
She wailed collapsing to her knees her face buried in her hands. Linzi knelt
besides her hugging her tightly crying as hard as Sissy was. 'Please God don't
let this be me,' she prayed, 'please let him live.'
The
following week was a sombre one. Linzi spent every spare minute at the hospital
with Billy and missed him terribly at night, Sissy mourned Dionico deeply, Scott
worried about Kelley who was two weeks overdue and Gianni muttered about the
amount of money he was spending on weddings recently. Craig stayed away from
Sissy trying to work what he was going to do next. He bumped into her in town
about three days after Dionico's death.
"Hi."
He said.
"Hello."
She returned smiling wanly.
"How
are you doing?" He asked.
"Not
to well actually." She admitted. Craig gestured to a nearby cafe.
"Would
you like a coffee?" He asked. She nodded and followed him in. They sat in
silence for a while. Craig stared at his coffee.
"I
tried to save him, you know." He said finally.
"Why?"
asked Sissy. Craig stirred his coffee again. After a long minute of silence he
raised his head and looked at her.
"I
care about you a lot," he said finally, "Even as I tried to save him I
wondered why I was doing it. I kept thinking that if I walked away then I
wouldn't have any rivals for you."
"So
why did you save him then?" asked Sissy blinking back her tears.
"I
know how much he meant to you. I didn't..." his voice shook, "I didn't
want you to go through the hurt of losing him." Sissy stood up quickly.
"Please
take me home Craig." She requested fighting back tears. She was calmer by
the time they reached her house.
"Sissy,"
said Craig urgently, "Any time you need to talk I'll listen or if you need
a shoulder to cry on, mine are all yours."
"Craig..."
she started.
"I
don't want to rush you," he interrupted, "I just want you to know that
I'm here for you. As a friend."
"I
just wanted to say thank you." She said smiling at him with a smile more
like her usual one. Craig kissed her quickly on the cheek and started to walk
off.
"Craig,"
she called after him. He turned round, "Will you be at the funeral
tomorrow?" Craig nodded.