Everybody converged at the hospital.  Robert left a campaign event and hurried through the double doors, asking where he could find his sister-in-law as he entered.  Tony and Sharon showed up, with little Bonita, hurrying through the lobby too.  And Donald and Ashley hurried in with terror in their eyes.  Makayla was as much a part of their family as Brent was, and they loved her kindness and generosity.  How could anybody harm a sweet woman like her?

But nobody was as devastated as Brent.  He sat in the waiting room leaned forward, as if he was literally sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting for word of Makayla’s condition.  Junior sat beside him, leaned against him, with that terror still in his eyes too.  This was no place for a kid.  Everybody in that room knew it.  But when Tony and Sharon asked to take Junior in the children’s waiting room down the hall, where they were going to take Bonita, Brent wouldn’t let them take him away.  He’d already seen the horror.  He was there when Makayla was shot.  He was saved by Makayla’s actions.  Brent felt he needed to know for himself that she was going to be alright.  Or not, he thought sadly.

But Charles wasn’t about to let Bonita “experience” it.  He nodded to Tony, and Tony and Sharon took Bonita into the children’s room.

“Any word?” Ashley asked, as soon as she and Donald walked in.

“No word,” Jenay said.  “Nothing yet.”

“Poor Makayla!” Donald said.  “Who could do something like this to her?  She never hurt anybody!”

“Unfortunately,” Charles said, “that’s not the criteria.  Bad people don’t go around harming bad people only.  They harm whomever gets in their way.”

“But people were saying she was targeted,” Donald said.  “People are saying the guy who did it was her ex-lover or something like that.”

Brent frowned.  “Don’t you dare believe that shit,” he said.  “People who do all of that talking are the ones who don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about.”

Everybody looked at Brent.  Including Robert, who was standing in a corner on the phone.  Brent was not a man who used bad language easily.  Certainly not as easily as their father, for instance.  Except when he was pissed.  And what happened to Makayla today had him angry, hurt, and royally pissed.

“She’s going to be alright, Brent,” Ashley said.  All she saw was his pain.

“She’d better be,” Brent responded.

“If all of these rumors are wrong,” Donald asked, “does anybody know who did it then?”

And everybody looked at Charles.  Including Jenay, who had not yet been told.

“They know,” Charles said.

“Well who was it?” Jenay asked.

But she could see the hesitation in his eyes.

And then the door opened, and Carly Sinatra, along with her boyfriend and boss, Trevor Reese, walked in.  Trevor was carrying Amelia Sinatra and his brother Hammer Reese’s baby boy Hannibal.  And just like that, Jenay’s question was forgotten and everybody hurried to the out-of-town couple.

“Ash and Donnie are from right here in Jericho,” Robert said with a smile, abruptly ending his call.  “You guys had to come from Boston.  But you still got here just behind them.”

“We were out and about, Tony, dang,” Ashley said as she was the first to get to the baby.

“Aunt Amelia and Hammer Reese still on vacation?” Robert asked as he approached them, too.

“They are,” Trevor said.

“I would have thought they’d be back by now.”

“They were supposed to be.  But they decided to extend their stay an additional week.”

Robert smiled.  “I’m sure you weren’t pleased to hear that.”

“Actually we were,” Trevor said.  “It’s good experience.”

But while everybody, except Brent and Junior, hurried to dote on the little one Trevor had in his arms, Charles hurried to his daughter Carly.  And Carly, who hadn’t seen her adopted father in quite some time herself, hurried to him, too.

“Hey, baby!” Charles said, and pulled her into his arms.  He closed his eyes as he held her.  He didn’t know why, but she pricked at his heart unlike any of his other children did.  He always felt as if she needed him more.

“When I heard the news I couldn’t believe it,” she said as he held her.  “Poor Makayla!”

“She’s a strong woman,” Charles said.  “That’s what she has going in her favor.  She’ll pull through.”

Carly held him tighter.  “I pray so,” she said, and held him tighter.

But then she thought about her brother, and what he had to be going through.  She left Big Daddy’s arms, and went to her big brother and nephew.

Brent rose and hugged her too.  And Junior hugged them both.  Although Brent said he was okay, Carly knew he wasn’t.  He had those Sinatra eyes.  And those eyes told the story.

After everybody had sufficiently greeted the new arrivals, Trevor sat beside Brent and conversed with him, while Donald and Ashley hovered around Jenay, who had commandeered Hannibal and had him in her arms.  Robert was back on the phone with his press office, and Carly sat beside her father.

“How are you holding up?” Charles asked her.

“I’m doing good.”

“How are you and Trevor holding up?” he asked.

There was a hesitancy that Charles caught.  But then she spoke.  “We’re okay,” she said.

“So, when do you guys plan to set your wedding date?” he asked.

“If there is a wedding, you mean?” she responded.

Charles looked at her. “If there is a wedding,” he said.  “Yes.”

“I don’t know,” she said.

Charles knew when to leave a sore subject alone.  And Carly knew when to move on, too. “What about you, Daddy?” she asked.  “Are you okay?”

Charles nodded his head, but Carly could see the strain in his big, green Sinatra eyes.

 

After several more hours of waiting and small-talking and answering phone calls, Charles received a call from his nephew and reputed mob boss, Sal Gabrini.

“Tommy called and told me the news,” Sal said.  Charles and Tommy Gabrini, Sal’s older brother, were close and spoke often.  Tommy was the second person Charles notify.  Mick was the first, but Charles had to leave him a voice mail.

“How’s Makayla?” Sal asked.

“Still in surgery,” Charles responded.  “But we’re hopeful.”

“Damn right,” Sal said.  “And Tommy said they caught the bastard.”

“Yeah, he’s no longer with us.  Brent and I saw to that.”

“Good.  That’s how you have to handle that shit.”

“Where are you?” Charles asked.

“I’m in Vegas.  But if you need me, I can hop on my plane and be there.”

“No, we’re okay, Sal, thanks.  Tommy made the same offer.  But we’ve got it under control right now.”

“If that changes you call us.  What is Uncle Mick saying about it?”

“I haven’t heard back from Mick yet.  I left a message on his Voice Mail.  And Robert’s trying to reach him for me, too.”

“That is one hard man to get in touch with,” Sal said.  “I don’t think I’ve ever called him and he answered right away.  He always has to call me back.”

Charles smiled.  “You aren’t the only one.”

“How’s Jenay and the children?  And what about Brent and his little man?”

“Jenay and the children are good.  Junior’s still shaken, but he’ll be okay.  And Brent is . . . Brent.”

“I hear ya, Unc.  Brent’s a lot like me in that emotional category.  He only has two emotions he’ll show: anger and none of your business.”

Charles laughed.  “Yeah, that’s Brent alright,” he said.  “How’s Reno and his family?”

“They’re good.  Reno’s in Monaco at the moment.  There’s some issues with his hotel there.  But he’s good.  I was going to give him a call when I hung up from you.”

“Don’t disturb him.  Let him handle his business.  Like I said, we’ve got it under control here.  We’re okay.”

“I can respect that,” Sal said.  And then insisted Charles phone, however, if he needed them, and the two men ended the call.

But as soon as the call ended, Robert was reaching out and giving his cell phone to his father.

“Who is it?” Charles asked.

“It’s Uncle Mick,” Robert said.

There was a sudden stillness in the room.  They knew it was major, or bad, or both, if Mick Sinatra was on the phone.

Charles stood up, took Robert’s phone, and headed out into the hall.