Chapter 7
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Hearing a knock at his door, he answered and then a maid poked her head through the doorway. "Mr. Grimaldi your parents are having breakfast out on the balcony." Luciano who had already been up just nodded and went back to styling his hair, and when he had finished he traveled to the balcony. Seeing his mother sitting at the table he once again sat back into the chair across from her. A maid rushed forward and sat a plate of food in front of him.
"Thank you." Picking up his fork he began to eat.
They ate in silence. Shouts from the deck and the lapping of the sea were the only things heard.
His father who had previously been silent as he watched the horizon spoke, "Luciano, what were you thinking. You can't just leave when you are entertaining others. You most defiantly cannot do that when you're the head of Grimaldi Shipping and Steel."
His father had slid into speaking Italian, but Luciano refused to do what his father wanted so he spoke in English when he answered his father. "But what if I have no desire to become the head of Grimaldi."
Damian scoffed, "and what do you think you'd do if you didn't run Grimaldi?" laughing he offered, "work in a factory or some other odd job? Ridicules."
Standing up quickly Luciano threw his napkin on the table and stalked out of the room. Getting his jacket out of his room he hurried out of the cabin. Throwing himself against the railing he breathed in the air. He felt like throwing up, what had he done? He had told his father what he promised himself he would never tell him.
"What have I done?"
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Reid emerge from below deck. The man looked around suspiciously and then hurried around the deck cunningly. Curious, Luciano fallowed him, keeping a safe distance as not to alert the older man of his presents.
He slipped down stairs Luciano had never been down before. The farther they went down the more appalling the accommodations became. Turning a corner Reid disappeared. Stopping Luciano peeked around the corner and he came face to face with Reid's blue eyes.
"So are you following me now?"
Luciano's mouth opened and closed willing something to come to him, and the only thing that came come to him was "Um no." Cursing his stupidity he blushed. Seeing Reid raise an eyebrow his blush deepened. "I was just curious, I didn't see you at all yesterday and- you know what I'll go." Turning around he started to walk away but was stopped by a voice.
"You can stay you know, do what you want." Luciano looked over his shoulder and found Reid already walking down the hallway. Nodding his head Luciano sprinted to catch up to the man. They walked in silence down the white hallway, passing men and women as they went; they received questioning glances from some of them as they passed.
Soon music could be heard down the hallway, "are we going to a party?" Shaking his head Reid passed the entrance where the party was taking place. Glancing in, he found a wondrous sight. Rose was in the room with another man who was not her fiancé.
"If you're coming, hurry up." Reid looked back and then entered a room. Luciano gave one last look back into the party and then joined Reid in the room.
Entering he found a young red haired woman lying on a bed, her brow was moist with sweat and she was breathing heavily. Her eyes were squeezed tightly closed and they shifter quickly behind the closed lids. Reid raised his finger to his lips and then went over and laid a hand on the woman's brow.
"Miss O' Mali can you hear me?"
The woman on the bed opened her eyes into a squint and stared at Reid in confusion.
"Who- who are you." Her voice held a heavy Irish accent.
"Miss O' Mali its Doctor Oliver. How are you feeling?"
Her eyes blinked and then recognition flooded them, she attempted to sit up but Reid pushed her back down to the bed.
"Please don't sit up, just lie back on the bed. Have you been dizzy, or has it been hard to breath?"
Shaking her head she looked at Luciano who was still standing in the doorway. Turning back to Reid she gave an inquisitive stare.
Reid glance at Luciano and answered her silent question. "Anya O' Mali, Luciano Grimaldi; Luciano Grimaldi, Anya O' Mali."
Luciano nodded and gave a friendly smile, Anya attempted to smile back but burst into coughs. Reid grabbed a small hanker chip from his shirt pocket and handed it to her.
"Doctor Oliver where is my son, where's Aidan?"
As if hearing his name a small brown haired boy rushed into the room and stood by the bed.
"Mama." His voice was just as heavily accented as his mothers.
The small boy gripped her hand and his eyes started watering.
"Aidan," she was interrupted by Reid who crouched down and spoke to the little boy.
"Aidan I'm going to need you to stand back while I take care of your mother."
The small boy just gripped his mother's hand tighter.
Seeing the boy's reluctance Luciano slowly walked forward and crouched on the other side of the boy. Smiling her raised a hand and waited for the other boy to take it. The boy stared at the appendage and shook his head. Luciano chuckled and lowered his hand, "alright then how about we start with names, my name is Luciano Grimaldi. And you are?"
Swallowing the boy answered in a whisper, "I'm Aidan."
"It's Nice to meet you Aidan." Seeing a small bear on the floor he picked it up and offered it to the boy. "Is this your bear?" Getting a nod from the boy he continued "I had a bear when I was younger, I called him Orso, and I would take him everywhere. This one time he and I followed a path in the forest and we found a hidden lake." Looking over the boys shoulder he found Reid staring at him. Looking back at the boy he suggested, "how about we go over there and you can tell me some things about your bear."
The small boy smiled and glanced over to his mother, she nodded in conformation. Gripping Luciano's hand he pulled him over to the small chair sitting by the far wall of the closet like room. He pulled himself into it and pointed to another chair, nodding Luciano pulled it near the other. Shrugging off his jacket he settled himself into the rickety piece of wooden furniture, and smiled at the little boy, "so what's your bear's name Aidan?"
Smiling wide he answered, "Its Patrick after Saint Patrick who led the snakes out of the river."
Luciano chuckled and shook his head, "that is quiet a name."
"What does your bear's name mean?"
"Well I have to say I had a horrible imagination as a child, my bear's name was simply the word bear in Italian."
The boy stuck out his lip and pouted, "You called your bear, bear?"
Raising his hands in defense Luciano appeased, "Well in all honesty" leaning forward to whisper in the boy's ear he continued, "he never seemed to mind." This made the boy giggle madly.
Leaning back Luciano looked over at Reid and found him staring at them. Their eyes met and Luciano was taken aback. Looking into Reid's eyes he had to swallow the lump forming in his throat. Reid's eyes held a small glowing, and if Luciano had to guess what it was he would have to say it was a spark of affection. But it was impossible; Reid Oliver would never feel anything for him other than pity. If he had learned one thing about Doctor Oliver it was that he disliked people who get what they want whenever they want, and Luciano Grimaldi fell into the category of spoiled, at least on the outside. Reid had been the first person to see around the perfect world his father had created, he found the sad man hidden deep within the web of deceit. Well it didn't matter if he found the hidden Luciano, all he could feel for him was pity, and Luciano didn't want that. He wanted to become friends with Doctor Oliver.
Friends?
Reid grinned and nodded turning his attention to his patient.
Turning back to the boy he smiled, "Alright what story would you like me to tell?"
"I wanna hear the one about the forest and the lake!"
Nodding Luciano began his story, he told of a small boy who was constantly being pushed to study, but always made time for his little bear. He told how his parents asked him to fallow the paths and tell them where they led. He told of the creatures he found: snakes, foxes, deer, and other little furry creatures.
The little boy sat transfixed by the story. His eyes trained on Luciano's figure throughout the story.
Luciano told of how finding the lake was one of the greatest times of his life. Feeling a hand land on his shoulder he looked up to find Reid standing over him, "I gave her some more sleeping pills. She's still a little sick but luckily her fever broke and she will be out of the bed by the end of the week."
Aidan hearing the news went to stand by his mother side.
"Aidan why don't you go and play with some of the other kids let your mother sleep." Kissing his mother on the cheek the small boy ran out of the room.