Chapter 4 - The Awakening in the Dark
That evening, Dr. Hale arrived for his nightly visit. He checked Massimo’s blood pressure, shined a light in his eyes, and gave his usual sympathetic sigh. “No change in the lower extremities, Mr. Rinaldi. I’m sorry.” Dr. Hale then poured a glass of water and handed Massimo two large yellow capsules. “Your supplements, sir. To keep your immune system strong.” Massimo took the pills and the glass. He placed the capsules in his mouth, took a large gulp of water, and swallowed. Dr. Hale smiled, packed his bag, and left the room. As soon as the heavy oak door clicked shut, Massimo reached into his mouth. He hadn't swallowed them. He had tucked them deep into the pocket of his cheek. He spat the yellow capsules into a tissue, crushing them with his thumb. Inside the yellow powder, he found exactly what the maid's note had warned him about: a tiny, white pill hidden inside the capsule.
Massimo threw the tissue into the fireplace, watching the flames consume the poison. That night, for the first time in six months, Massimo did not take the drug. By 3:00 AM, a strange sensation woke him from a restless sleep. It started as a horrible, burning itch. Then, it evolved into thousands of invisible needles pricking the soles of his feet. Pain. Agonizing, breathtaking, beautiful pain. His nerves were screaming, waking up from a half-year chemically induced coma. Tears pricked Massimo's eyes as he stared at the ceiling in the dark. He wasn't paralyzed. The bullet had missed his spinal cord. He had been locked in a chemical prison by the men he trusted most. Why? The pieces fell into place with brutal clarity. If Dean had killed Massimo during the ambush, the rest of the Rinaldi capos would have fought Dean for the throne. But by "saving" Massimo, Dean became a hero. And by keeping Massimo alive but incapacitated, Dean was able to slowly take over the empire legally, with Massimo's own blessing.
The next morning, Carla brought in his breakfast tray. The guards stood outside the door. As she set the tray down, Massimo reached out and gripped her wrist with startling strength. Carla gasped softly but didn't pull away. "You saved my life," Massimo whispered, his voice dangerously low. "I... I just found a pill," she stammered, looking at the door. "Nina found it. I had it checked." "Who else knows?" "No one. Just me and the pharmacist, and he doesn't know who it's for." Massimo released her wrist and looked at her—really looked at her—for the first time. Beneath the drab maid's uniform was a woman of incredible courage. She had risked everything to warn him. "I need your help, Carla," he whispered. "I need you to replace my nightly pills with actual vitamins. And I need you to help me at night. When the house is asleep." Carla swallowed hard, her brown eyes meeting his cold gray ones. "If they catch us, they'll kill me. And they'll hurt Nina." "If you help me," Massimo vowed, his voice vibrating with absolute certainty, "I swear on my father's grave, no one will ever touch a hair on your daughter's head. You will be under my protection forever." Carla nodded slowly. "Okay. What do we do?"
