Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Forty Two:
"Colomba in Lutto e Maria Piangente"
As he and the others were on their way to Dr. Merar's office, Jarrod revealed the rest of his plan. While hopeful that Judge Hagerty will reopen and try the cases of Emilio's murder and Santo's lynching, he also warned Paulie and Carmine that there was the possibility that the cases may not see the light of day. Like Paulie, Carmine finally admitted that while that as much as he didn't like hearing that, at least Jarrod cared enough to make the effort which after a back & forth, led to the "Barkley handshake" between the two. They eventually arrived to Dr. Merar's office and went inside to see a sobbing and traumatized Audra being comforted by Carmine Jr and Simonetta. Jarrod and Carmine walked over to the trio and asked what happened that led to Audra being bruised & traumatized, Cara & Mariah missing, and Father Margolis being shot to which the Barkley daughter told the very harrowing story of how Sunday school started off just well with Father Margolis observing only to get distracted by a knock on the door then after being away for far too long, Audra would go see what was going on only to discover Margolis shot, the church desecrated, and masked men roaming the grounds. The leader of the masked men confronted Audra and the two had a back and forth, the leader hitting Audra and throwing her multiple times. This led to Cara, Mariah, and a little boy named Caleb coming to her aid after she was thrown into the church pews for ripping a small hole in the leader's mask. The little Mangano girls were grabbed by two more masked men while Caleb ran for it as instructed by the girls. As the masked men shoved Cara and Mariah out the door, Audra begged the cowards to take her instead, but was viciously attacked. Upon finishing the story and hearing Simonetta say that Vincent would hate her for losing their little girls, Audra insisted that she would talk to her husband and tell him to hate her (Audra) instead before turning to Carmine and begging him not to blame Nick to which the Mangano patriarch said that neither Audra nor Simonetta are to blame before adding something that sounded like he was saying he wouldn't blame the second Barkley son either. Speaking of which, back at Barkley Ranch, after a back and forth in Italian between the couple, Nick slowly made his way outside and at first, saw nothing until he discovered an unconscious Heath who had blood in his hair. The noise would be heard again, this time louder and closer which led to Nick instructing Stefania via whispering to get Heath in the house & tell Silas to get Dr. Merar. As of now, Stefania took Heath in the house and Nick made his way to the barn where the noise seemed to be coming from & upon seeing a dark figure, pounced on them. The questions that remain are as follows: Will Jarrod inform Sheriff Madden and help him get a posse together to search for and find the masked men?, Will Audra manage to forgive herself?, Will Heath be alright?, Did Carmine actually say what Jarrod thinks he said in regards to not blaming Nick like he usually would?, Where are Cara and Mariah?, Who are these masked men?, What happened to Esther?, and most importantly, who did Nick pounce on? Stay tuned and find out!
Author's Note: I do NOT own The Big Valley or its characters. I ONLY own this fic and the characters of: Stefania Mangano, Carmine Mangano Sr, Carmine's friends, Paulie Mangano, Italia Mangano, Emilio Mangano, Serafina Mangano, Santo Mangano, Francesca Mangano, Cara & Mariah Mangano, Chet and the men Heath rounded up, Jess and Mavis Chaney, the Animal Team, Leonard Barkley, Seth & his gang, Violet Pascucci, Julissa Kurilenko, Daphne Gubenheimer, Simonetta Mangano, Father Margolis, Caleb (the little boy in the church), the Masked Men, and the Mangano family. Oh and as I previously stated in previous chapters, I'm modeling the relationship between Jarrod and Violet after the one of James Bond/007 and Miss Moneypenny & Marshal Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell which by the way, those characters, the James Bond franchise, and Gunsmoke rightfully belong to their owners. Enjoy and happy reading! :D
Warning: A character will be brutally hurt and face amputation & three more characters will be revealed to have endured hell + there will be a reference to the Virgin Mary in this chapter. If it makes you uncomfortable or if you're a non-believer in regards to the Virgin Mary and God, I understand completely and urge you to bypass this chapter.
(Flashback to part 41)
"What's this?" Carmine looked at Jarrod's hand then back at Jarrod.
"The Barkley Handshake or in Italian, La stretta di mano di Barkley." Jarrod smiled.
"Ohhh. You know the Italian language, too?" Paulie was impressed.
"Yes indeed. I learned from Italians I have met in the past and my secretary Violet teaches me some words and sentences at times." Jarrod nodded before turning his attention to Carmine, "Now, Carmine, when I make a deal or promise or as so much as give my head, I officiate it with the handshake."
"Well, that I can accept as I have had to do the same in the past." Carmine shook Jarrod's hand.
"Just as long as you don't get a kiss on the lips." Paulie smirked.
"Huh?" Jarrod raised an eyebrow.
"In our culture, it means something else besides being affectionate or romantic." Carmine added.
"Oh? Well, what does it mean?" Jarrod was a bit curious.
Paulie started to say something only to bump into a wall.
"Hai camminato a lungo? (Been walking long?)" Carmine sarcastically asked his brother before shaking his head.
"I bumped into this silly wall here." Paulie rubbed his forehead.
"Hey! We're at Dr. Merar's." Eugene looked up and saw the sign.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go." Jarrod said before walking up to the door and knocking on it.
The door opened and out came Dr. Merar.
"Hello, Jarrod." Dr. Merar greeted.
"Hello, Dr. Merar. I heard Audra is here. Is she still here?" Jarrod asked.
"Yes. However, the poor girl has had quite a horrifying experience and bruises to prove it. She's in there with two others plus Father Margolis." Dr. Merar had a solemn look on his face.
"I heard about Father Margolis. Will he be alright?" Jarrod asked.
"He'll pull through. However, it's Audra who has the case of self guilt. She wouldn't go home and neither would the other two, but seeing that you, Eugene, and these other gentlemen are here, they might budge." Dr. Merar told him before doing a double take, "Wait a minute! Eugene is home? When did he return?"
"Weeks ago. In fact, on what would've been my father's birthday. However, may we all go in and see Audra and everyone else?" Jarrod replied.
"Sure, but two at a time." Dr. Merar nodded.
"Alright." Jarrod said before turning to the others, "Okay. Dr. Merar says we can see them, but only two at a time. Now, I am going in. Which one of-"
"Let's go inside." Carmine walked up to the door and turned to Dr. Merar, "The two others, are they a young man and a young ladies?"
"That's right, mister...I'm sorry. I didn't get your name." Dr. Merar said.
"Mangano. Carmine Mangano." Carmine introduced himself.
"Mr. Mangano. Nice to meet you. Hey, your name sounds familiar. In fact, are you related to a young lady named Stefania?" Dr. Merar recognized the Mangano name.
"Yes. I am her father. Now, may I-may we go in?" Carmine asked.
"Of course." Dr. Merar moved aside.
Jarrod and Carmine went inside and ran right over to where Audra, Carmine Jr, and Simonetta were sitting. By the looks of it, Audra was sobbing and Simonetta was holding her close, trying her best to console her, Carmine Jr standing to Audra's right with his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it.
"Audra?" Jarrod spoke up.
Audra slowly lifted her head and looked up at Jarrod.
"Oh...my...stars!" Jarrod's eyes got big when he saw Audra's bruised and bloodied face plus her tattered shirt.
"Oh, Jarrod!" Audra slowly broke away from Simonetta's hug, walked up to Jarrod, and immediately threw her arms around him, sobbing some more into his shoulder, "Pappy!"
"It's okay, honey. It's okay. I'm here now." Jarrod went into full "Pappy mode", hugging his sister tightly before turning his attention to Simonetta and Carmine Jr, "Are you two okay?"
"We're...We're here. Shocked, horrified, angry, sad, but here. Let's just say that." Carmine Jr sighed, Simonetta nodding in agreement.
"It's all my fault!" Audra sobbed.
"Signora Audra, it's not your fault. You had no-" Carmine Jr was cut off.
"It should've been me!" Audra replied.
"It shouldn't have been anybody, Audra. You know that, I know that, we all know that." Jarrod rubbed her back, "Now, I must ask, what happened?"
"It all...It all happened...so fast!" Audra sniffed, "I mean here we were going about the usual routine of Sunday school. Father Margolis came by to observe and everything seemed fine. Then, there was a knock at the door. I started to make my way to the door, but Father Margolis insisted he would get it and I should carry on with today's lesson which I did."
"Then, what happened after that?" Jarrod asked.
"I continued on with the lesson, figuring Father Margolis was either talking with somebody, doing a confessional, or anything of the sort. A few minutes passed and he didn't return. I didn't think anything of it, but after a while, I started to grow concerned. So much so that I planned on ending Sunday school earlier than usual. To keep things on a positive note, I told the children that we would go outside to the playground and look at nature. Just as the children were getting lined up, I heard a gunshot. That's when I-I knew something was truly wrong, because a church is supposed to be a sacred safe place. You know, provide sanctuary and in a sanctuary safe sacred place, one is supposed to feel...well, safe. Hearing the gunshot, I knew all of that went out the door and the safe sacred place was no longer safe. I instructed the children to stay put while I went to see what was the matter." Audra took a few deep breaths and had fresh tears streaming down her face, "Much to my horror, not only did I see that the stained glass window and all of the other windows were broken, rocks were everywhere, the baptismal father had built was knocked over, bibles were desecrated, the organ covered in smashed tomatoes, vials of holy water broken, and the cross mother had donated hung upside down, but I saw Father Margolis on the ground with blood around him and his hand on his stomach. I knew he had been...he had been...he had been...shot!"
Jarrod, disgusted by such horrible actions and at a loss for words, shook his head.
"Such blasphemy!" Simonetta spoke up, "And that puts it lightly."
"Ungodly and sacrilegious more like it!" Carmine Jr also spoke up.
"What else happened, Audra?" Carmine asked.
"Well, I-Mr. Mangano!" Audra gasped when she looked up and locked eyes with the Mangano patriarch, "Mr. Mangano, I am so sorry! I am so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen to your grandchildren! I didn't honest! I-I-"
"Take it easy, young lady. Take it easy and-" Carmine was cut off.
"No, no! It's all my fault! Blame me! If anybody is to blame, it is me!" Audra said in between sobs.
"Audra-" Carmine was cut off, again.
"Mr. Mangano, I know how much you disapprove of Nick and Stefania's slow growing relationship & how much you hate Nick, but please, please, do not blame him for this! Please!" Audra pleaded.
"Audra, what all happened after you discovered Father Margolis shot and part of the church ransacked? What happened to Cara and Mariah? Did you see who did all of it?" Jarrod spoke up.
"After I saw Father Margolis shot & bleeding out and part of the church completely desecrated, I went to go get something to put pressure on the wound, but that came to a halt when I felt a hand pulling my hair and heard a voice say: "I don't think so.". I asked who was behind me and for an answer, I got tossed against the wall very hard. As I looked up, I saw a masked man standing over me, laughing maniacally & holding me at gunpoint while other masked men were walking up and down both the hallway & the church grounds." Audra sniffed, again and cringed as her mind slipped back into that moment.
*Flashback to that horrifying moment*
Part of the church had been completely ransacked, Father Margolis had been shot, and now, Audra was at the mercy not to mention at the end of a gun barrel of a masked man who was standing over her and laughing maniacally while other masked men were seen walking up and down the hallway & basically, the church grounds. It was obvious they were there for something or someone, but who? What? Why?
"Why are you here?" Audra asked.
The masked man responded by backhanding her very hard in the face. So hard that her nose started to bleed.
"Mmmmm!" Audra groaned.
"You'll speak when you're spoken to, girl!" the masked man barked.
"What gives the right to just come in, ransack the church, and shoot Father Margolis?!" Audra wiped the blood away and got a look of defiance in her eyes.
The masked man punched her in the face before picking her up via pulling her by the hair and throwing her into a nearby statue of the Virgin Mary. Seeing it was about to fall and break, Audra acted quick and caught it just in time, preventing it from going into a million pieces the same way Nick caught the plant after getting into a pushing match with a servant the night he visited the home of Michelle De Lacaise during that ghastly forest fire.
"Miss Audra?" a child was heard calling out.
"Oh, there are children here?" the masked man asked.
"Yes, there are children here and you will leave them be." Audra stood up and put the statue of the Virgin Mary back in its spot.
The masked man backhanded her in the face, yet again.
"Miss Audra?" the same child was heard, only this time much closer.
"Signora Audra?" another child was heard.
"Caleb, Mariah, go back! Go back!" Audra instructed.
"Mariah, what's happening? Does Signora Audra need help?" a third child came onto the scene.
"Cara, Caleb, and Mariah, please go to the playground." Audra urgently told them.
"Three kids. Just perfect for the boss!" the masked man chortled before going to a door and peaking out, "Oh, boys!"
"No, don't!" Audra tried to run to the door only to be stopped.
"You're not going anywhere!" the masked man grabbed her by her shirt, tearing it.
"You let me go!" Audra fought against the guy.
"Ooh! I love a feisty gal!" the masked man taunted as ripped another part of her shirt.
"I won't let you harm those children or further desecrate this church!" Audra slapped him with both of her hands.
"Go ahead, girlie! Hit me harder! I just love me a woman who gets all aggressive!" the masked man picked her up off her feet.
"Let me go! Let me go! I won't (slap!) let you (slap, slap, slap!) harm those children (slap, slap, slap, slap!) and further desecrate this (slap!) church!" Audra continued to fight against the masked man before grabbing his mask.
"Hey, let go of my mask! Let go!" the masked man raised his voice.
"Never!" Audra grabbed onto the mask tighter than before and a tearing sound could be heard.
"If you rip this mask, you'll regret the day you came into this world!" the masked man was getting angrier.
"I don't care! You're not going to hurt...those...children or further...desecrate...the church!" Audra managed to rip a small hole in the mask. Hooray or Uh Oh!
"I feel somewhat of a draft in this mask! Why you little puke! You foolish little puke!" the masked man, now infuriated, violently threw Audra into a few church pews, causing her to land face first.
"Miss Audra!" Caleb along with Cara and Mariah rushed over to her aid.
Just then, two more masked men grabbed Cara and Mariah.
"Signora Audra! Help!" Cara and Mariah were heard screaming.
"No! Let them go!" Audra looked up to see Cara and Mariah struggling against the grip of the other two masked men.
"Leave them alone!" Caleb yelled before grabbing a candle and throwing it at one of the masked men.
"Hey! Somebody get this boy!" shouted one of the masked men.
"Run, Caleb, run!" Mariah said.
"But, I can't leave-" Caleb was cut off.
"Just go!" Mariah told him.
Caleb gave Mariah and Cara one final look before running for the hills.
"Somebody get after that little Colt while we take these two little Heifers back to the boss." said the masked man who was holding a wriggling Cara, "Oh now, don't fight, little one. We're your friends!"
Cara ignored him and continued to fight against the man. Mariah did the same with her captor.
"Hey, these youngsters are bucking like a couple of Broncos that just can't be broken!" the third masked man said.
"Not mine! Mine is squirming like a Fish!" said the second masked man.
"Well, take them out to the wagon and tie them good!" the first masked man told them.
The other masked men nodded and started to shove Cara and Mariah out a door.
"No, don't!" Audra started to stand up and run towards the door only to be stopped, yet again.
"Now, where are you in a hurry to?" the first masked man grabbed her by her hair.
"Don't take the girls, please! They're just little girls!" Audra raised her voice.
"They're just little girls!" the first masked man mocked her before twisting her arms behind her back, "They're also good labor!"
"And the boss needs good labor." the third masked man added.
"No! No! No!" Audra struggled against the first masked man harder than before.
Cara and Mariah continued their fight against the men who were trying to shove them out the door, but the men were quickly overpowering the little girls.
"Let them go! For heaven's sake, let them go!" Audra pleaded.
"Sorry." the second masked man said before leaving with Cara.
"Let us, signore! Please! Our mama and papa will be coming soon and we want to go home!" Mariah pleaded.
"You and that other little one will never see your family again!" the third masked man barked before making his way out the door with Mariah in his arms.
"No! No! No! Take me instead! Please...take me...instead! Take me! Take me!" Audra yelled.
"Shut up, blondie!" the first masked man growled before he started an extremely vicious attack on Audra that consisted of merciless beating and kicks to match.
*Back to the present day*
"The attack just went on and on and on. I felt as though it wouldn't stop. Finally, it did stop, because everything went black and the next thing I remember is finding the church completely destroyed inside, Simonetta looking for her daughters, Carmine Jr tending to Father Margolis, and Francesca tending to me." Audra shuddered as more fresh tears poured down her face, "I'm such a failure!"
"Audra, nobody's a failure. Nobody expected such a violent near massacre to happen nor could anyone prevent it." Jarrod tried to sooth his sister, "Unfortunately, it is a way of life for vile awful people. People who are a disgrace to the human race."
"Audra, neither you nor the padre could overpower those cowards even if you tried and you did your darndest to try, but sadly, evil won." Simonetta added before wiping away tears, "And took my little girls! Vincent is gonna blame me for this!"
"Simonetta, I'll go with you and reason with Vincent. I'll tell him to put all the fault on me. In fact, right now, let's go!" Audra insisted.
"Whoa, whoa, easy, young lady. I wouldn't be doing too much moving around after the beating you took and the only people who are to blame are those masked cowards. That being said, I'll inform Sheriff Madden and have him form a posse. These masked cowards could be anywhere." Jarrod told her.
"But, But-" Audra was cut off.
"Audra, Simonetta, Vincent will not put blame on either of you and neither will the rest of my family or me, myself, and I. In fact, I won't blame Nick as I usually would." Carmine spoke up.
"Carmine, did I hear you correctly?" Jarrod was surprised.
*Meanwhile, at Barkley Ranch*
"Nick, non ti lascerò fare tutto questo da solo. Usciamo insieme! (Nick, I won't let you do this alone. We're going outside together!)" Stefania grabbed Nick's arm.
"No, Stefania. Devi stare indietro. (No, Stefania. You need to stay back.)" Nick put his hand on the doorknob.
"Nick, se ti fai male o vieni ucciso, non me lo perdonerò mai! (Nick, if you get hurt or killed, I'll never forgive myself!)" Stefania tightened her grip on Nick's arm.
Nick ignored her, opened the door, and slowly made his way out.
"Nick..." Stefania whispered.
"Shhhh." Nick shushed her before getting a little more outside, looking around, and gasping.
"What is it?" Stefania reverted back to English and whispered the question.
"It's Heath." Nick also reverted back to English and whispered back before going over to his unconscious brother and kneeling down beside him, "Heath!"
No answer.
"He-Oh, Heath!" Nick got a worried look when he spotted blood in Heath's hair which indicated that he had been struck in the back of the head.
Before anything else could happen, the noise was heard once again, this time louder and closer. This drew Nick's attention to the barn.
"Nick?" Stefania whispered, again.
"Get Heath inside then close the door." Nick whispered back as he stood up and drew his gun.
Stefania came outside, picked Heath up by his waist, and pulled him away from where he was laying.
"Tell Silas to get Dr. Merar once you get him inside." Nick whispered once more.
"Okay, but what about you?" Stefania whispered for a third time as she managed to get Heath into the house.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm tough." Nick whispered back before making his way to the barn.
The noise became louder inside the barn and just as soon as Stefania shut the door, Nick limped into the barn. Upon looking around with what light he had coming from the outside, Nick spotted a dark figure right in the far corner.
"Aha! There you are!" Nick ran over to the figure and pounced on them.
(Now)
The dark figure let out a shriek, indicating they were surprised by Nick's actions. It wouldn't be too long until Nick and this figure were rolling on the ground and fighting each other. With the fight growing intense, the horses started whinnying and moving around, clearly confused and not wanting to be a part of what was going on. From nearby, the cow mooed very loudly and chickens were heard clucking.
*Inside*
"Signora Barkley! Signor Silas! Signora Barkley!" Stefania called out as she managed to get Heath seated in a chair that was within her reach.
"Stefania, what's the matter?" Victoria asked as she and Silas came out from wherever Nick told them to stay.
"It's Heath! He's been hurt!" Stefania said.
"Oh, Heath! What's happened?" Victoria grabbed a hold of Heath's arm, preventing him from falling out of the chair before looking around, "Where's Nick?"
"I think he's tangling with the intruder. I'm going to go back out there and help him." Stefania told her before looking up at Silas, "Signor Silas, go get Dr. Merar. Tell him it is urgent."
"On it, Miss Mangano, Mrs. Barkley." Silas nodded to the women before leaving.
"Stefania, help me get him to his room, would you please?" Victoria put Heath's arm around her.
"Sur-" Stefania paused and gasped when after grabbing Heath's other arm, she spotted what appeared to be a gunshot wound in his leg.
"What is it?" Victoria asked.
"I think he has a gunshot wound in his leg. Let me tie it off real quick." Stefania said before grabbing at her petticoat and beginning to rip it.
"Oh, Stefania, you don't-" Victoria was cut off.
"No, Signora Barkley, I must. Judging from the wound, while it may appear benign, if we are not careful, he may loose this leg or bleed out. We gotta prevent either thing from happening." Stefania ripped a piece of her petticoat off and tied it around Heath's leg to stop the bleeding, "There we go. Now, let's get him upstairs."
*A few minutes later*
Victoria was pacing the floor when Dr. Merar came down the stairs. By the look on his face, one could tell he was positive about Heath's recovery and he seemed to be very impressed by something.
"Dr. Merar, how is Heath?" Victoria walked up to the doctor.
"He'll pull through. Luckily, he wasn't seriously hurt or worse. That being said, he best stay off his leg for a while." Dr. Merar put his stethoscope into his bag, "However, I'm curious as to why Stefania is staying up there by his side. Isn't she Nick's special lady? I do not want to mke any insinuations, but if my memory serves me right, the last time Nick had a special lady, didn't she take a fancy to Heath?"
"Oh, yes. She did, but I know that Stefania Mangano is not Hester Converse. She's just staying up there out of respect since Heath is Nick's brother and to be sure he is alright before going back to what she was doing." Victoria affirmed, "That being said, I am thankful to God to hear he'll be alright."
"So am I. You know, he's in much better shape compared to Audra and Father Margolis." Dr. Merar replied.
"I heard there was trouble at the church. What's happened to Audra and Father Margolis?" Victoria got a look of concern in her eyes.
"Poor Audra has been through hell, pardon the expression and Father Margolis was shot. You'd have to hear it from her to fully understand it all." Dr. Merar sported a sympathetic look.
"I understand." Victoria nodded, "I'll get over to your office and-"
"I think Eugene is bringing her home." Dr. Merar walked to the main foyer, "My advice, Victoria, is to let her have some alone time and when the time is right, she'll tell you the harrowing story."
Victoria swallowed hard and nodded in response.
"Oh, before I forget, I'm glad to hear that in regards to Stefania. If things go right between them, she just may be the one for Nick." Dr. Merar half smiled.
"I have a very good feeling about her. Out of all of Nick's choices, I believe she is the right one. She impresses me more and more." Victoria smiled.
"Glad to know I am not the only one impressed by her. You should've seen her up there. Why she was a wiz at the gunshot wound. It was almost like she knew how bad it really was just by eyeballing it. Heck, I was tempted to let her take it out, but that would mean she was practicing without a license and that is a no no." Dr. Merar was still impressed by Stefania's know-how on the gunshot wound.
"I thought I was the only one impressed by her knowledge of the gunshot wound and how severe it was just by taking a glance at it. I mean I was both stunned and impressed. Still am." Victoria said.
"I think Nick got a real winner this time. I really do. She's not a married woman cheating on her not-so-perfect husband, she's not an anarchist/hardened criminal, she's not the daughter of an aristocrat who used said daughter to get what said aristocrat wanted, she isn't a gold digger, she isn't part of a criminal ring that her family is involved in, and she isn't a party girl who wants to be the center of attention with many men eating out of the palm of her hand ." Dr. Merar nodded.
"She's definitely different and a breath of fresh air from the likes of Hester Converse, Layle Johnson, Miranda, Tasha Halick, Belle Bleeck, Sabrina, Melanie Deland, and Michelle De Lacaise to name a few. Belle, Sabrina, and Miranda were criminals, Hester was a party girl, Layle was a married woman whose husband was a bounty hunter, Tasha was the gold digger, Melanie was greedy to the core, and Michelle was the daughter of Marquis De Lacaise. The Marquis was a French aristocrat who acted holier than thou and that puts it nicely. Hester, Layle, Miranda, Melanie, and Tasha are the only ones I personally met and I could tell right away that they were not the right ones from Nick. As for Belle, Sabrina, Michelle, and possibly many more prior to Stefania, well, Nick spoke from experience and by the tone in his voice, none of those women were right either. I believe in my heart that Stefania is the right one for him and I hope and pray things go right between them. For her sake and his sake." Victoria told him.
"I hope so, too." Dr. Merar said before opening the door, "Well, I hate to cut this short, because while we can talk about Nick's love life and a lot of other things until the cows come home, I must be getting back to my office before patients start lining up and getting impatient."
"I understand, Dr. Merar. Well, thank you for coming out here and taking care of Heath & for informing me about Audra. I will take your advice and talk to her when she's ready after giving her space." Victoria replied.
"Anytime, Victoria. Anytime." Dr. Merar said before leaving only to stop himself, "Oh and one more thing."
"Yes?" Victoria asked.
"Do you know of Jarrod's new secretary Miss Pascucci?" Dr. Merar asked.
"Yes, I do. Why?" Victoria asked.
"I don't want to sound like a gossip, but I think she and Jarrod might be an item of sorts or might have feelings towards each other. However, you didn't hear it from me." Dr. Merar whispered.
"You're not the only one, because I am having that little suspicion myself. The way Jarrod talks about her, it almost sounds like he might be interested in her in a more than professional way. I have asked him, but he denies it by saying he has ethics and it would be unethical for a boss & employee to like each other that way before pointing out that Stockton is an old fashioned town if you will and people won't take kindly to romance between a boss and employee." Victoria replied.
"Boy, is he living under a rock or is he living under a rock?" Dr. Merar stifled a laugh.
"What do you mean?" Victoria asked.
"Victoria, I don't think Jarrod is caught up with the way things are, because he still believes Stockton is old fashioned. It is in some ways, but in a lot of ways, it really isn't. Sure, you have those who carry the bible and preach eternal damnation, hellfire, and brimstone and you have those who are prim and proper plus very classy and known as puritans to name a couple, but you have those who are very loose so to speak. You also have the crowd of those who are bosses and employees who date each other irregardless of rules and ethics. In other words, while those rules and ethics are in existence, romance between a boss and employee still happens. I think Jarrod should realize that by now." Dr. Merar replied.
"I'm pretty sure he does and while I would hate to see him spend the rest of his life lonely and would love to see him happy with somebody whether it is Violet or someone else, considering that he witnessed the horror of Beth's murder and that the rules & ethics do not condone anything romantic between Violet and him, I completely understand and respect his position." Victoria said.
"Yeah, I see your point. Well, we shall see what happens. Anyways, I best get while going is good." Dr. Merar waved before walking out the door.
"Later, Dr. Merar." Victoria waved as the doctor shut the door behind himself.
*Up in Heath's room*
A few minutes had passed and Heath was finally regaining consciousness. The moment she heard him groan, Stefania looked up from a book she was reading and smiled.
"Mmph! M-Mother?" Heath called out, his voice a little groggy.
"No, Heath. It's Stefania. Your mama was downstairs with Dr. Merar." Stefania walked over to him.
"St-Stefania, what are you doing up here? If Nick sees this-" Heath was cut off.
"Nick isn't going to see anything. Speaking of which, I gotta get downstairs and go see who he found in the barn. In fact, I was going to, but I stayed up here to make sure you were alright and out of respect for the fact that you are Nick's brother." Stefania told him.
"The fence! Boy howdy, I gotta finish mending it then-" Heath started to get up, but was stopped.
"Oh no you don't. You are staying in bed and not moving a muscle. In fact, you are to stay off your leg for a good while." Stefania gently laid him back down on the bed and waved her finger like a typical mom.
"Why?" Heath asked.
"You were shot and by how deep that bullet was, you could've lost your leg." Stefania put a sheet over him and tucked him in, "Don't you remember being shot and hit in the head?"
"Stefania, with this headache, it's hard to even think of trying to remember what happened before everything went black." Heath winced as he felt a shooting pain in his head.
"I understand. Well, I'm going to go inform your mama that you are awake then go help Nick. In the meantime, you stay put. You hear?" Stefania instructed as she made her way to the door.
"Yes, ma'am." Heath gave a thumbs up.
"Thank you, Heath. Now, to get Nick to say that." Stefania chuckled.
"That'll be a challenge." Heath half smiled.
"I accept that challenge." Stefania smiled as she closed the door.
*Downstairs*
"Signora Barkley." Stefania called out as she came down the stairs.
"Yes, Stefania?" Victoria asked.
"Heath is awake. Groggy, but awake thanks be to God." Stefania told her.
"Amen to that and thank you for staying up there with him to make sure he would be alright." Victoria took Stefania's hands into hers.
"Anytime, Signora Barkley. However, I didn't really do that much." Stefania replied.
"Oh yes, you did, Stefania. You stayed by his side, you knew how severe his gunshot wound was, you tied it off, and you brought him inside. I would say that was doing a lot." Victoria politely corrected her.
"Eh, I-I suppose. I do try." Stefania shrugged.
"That's all any of us can do." Victoria reassured her or tried to.
"That's true. Well, Heath's awake and talking & now, I must go see who Nick found in the barn. I don't want to leave him alone for too long." Stefania nodded before heading outside.
'I wish she realized that she did more than she was willing to give herself credit for, which wasn't much. She's a lovely young lady. Well, that whole credit and confidence plus pride is something to be delved into at a later time. Now, to go see Heath.' Victoria thought as she made her way up to Heath's room.
*Outside*
Right as Stefania came outside, Nick and the dark figure came rolling out of the barn, still duking it out. By the looks of it, the dark figure trapped Nick by the waist with their legs and was in the process of ripping chunks of his hair out by the roots. Seeing this, Stefania ran over and tried to pry the dark figure's hands off of Nick's hair.
"Let go of him! Let go! Let...go!" Stefania had a tight grip on the figure's hand and gasped after getting a glove off of one of the hands.
"What is it?" Nick asked.
"I think I know who the culprit is, Nick." Stefania pulled the person's black veil off and made an annoyed noise.
"Who is it?" Nick looked back at Stefania.
"Just my sister Allegra!" Stefania was not too happy about this.
"Allegra?" Nick asked.
"Allegra, let him go!" Stefania ordered.
"Nick? Nick Barkley?" Allegra looked up at Nick.
"Yes, it's Nick. What were-" Nick was cut off.
"Nick, move aside." Stefania told him.
"I can't, because she's...trapped me...with...her legs." Nick gulped while saying that.
"Allegra, let him go or I'll break both of your kneecaps!" Stefania warned.
Allegra, knowing her sister wasn't bluffing, loosened her legs.
Nick moved back a few feet and started to breathe heavily, even putting his hand over his chest.
"Nick, are you alright? Allegra, what did you do to him?!" Stefania went over to Nick and put her hands on his shoulders.
"Oh, I'm fine, Stefania except that she had a snake-like hold on me, because it felt like her legs or thighs were squeezing the hell out of my lungs and ribs. Pardon the expression." Nick managed to compose himself.
"Are you sure you're alright, Nick? I can take to Dr. Merar and have you checked out." Stefania held him close, albeit gently.
"Stefania, I'm fine. Look at me, I'm fine. I just needed to catch my breath. I've never been squeezed like that before in my life, but I have had cracked ribs and survived." Nick tried to reassure her.
"My poor Nick." Stefania put his head on her shoulder.
"Poor Nick? What about me? He pounced on me!" Allegra interjected.
"Good!" Stefania told her.
"Good? Good?" Allegra asked.
"You heard me! You had it coming for making all of that noise out here and rattling nerves! In fact, what was the idea behind that plus dressing in all black and squeezing Nick?" Stefania was not happy with her sister and demanded a good explanation.
"I was trying...to hide!" Allegra told her.
"You were trying to hide? What a good time to play hide and seek!" Stefania shook her head.
"Why did you choose here to hide and who were you hiding from?" Nick asked.
"I was just desperate to get away from him!" Allegra looked down.
"Him? Who's him?" Stefania asked.
"A masked man. I was just trying to get away from him. Well, me and this Cherokee or Navajo girl. I have no clue where she went, but this masked man chased both of us." Allegra replied.
"Why was a masked man chasing you and the other girl?" Nick was curious.
"Stefania, remember that noise we heard outside?" Allegra looked up at her sister.
"Yes. Why?" Stefania nodded.
"Well, there was a knock at our door and mama answered it. All of a sudden, I heard her scream. Panicked, I ran in to see what was wrong and she told me to run for it." Allegra had tears spring to her eyes as the scene started to play out in her mind, "She...told me...to run for...it!"
"Oh my God!" Stefania's eyes got big for a moment and she put her hands over her mouth.
"Stefania, let's go check on your mother right now and get her to Dr. Merar!" Nick quickly stood up, helped both Stefania and Allegra up, and walked towards the house.
"I haven't finished my-" Allegra was cut off.
"You can tell us on the way over!" Stefania told her.
"No, no, she better stay here with mother, Heath, and Silas. It's safer." Nick said before stopping in his tracks, "By the way, how is Heath?"
"He's awake and talking with your mama right now. He must take it easy with that head wound and his leg recovering after being on the brink of amputation." Stefania replied.
"He was worse off than we thought. Did he say who did it?" Nick shook his head.
"No. His head hurt too much for him to try and recollect what happened." Stefania sighed.
"I can see why. Well, once he gets a little stronger, he'll be able to recollect it all." Nick nodded, "The main thing is he's alright."
"I stayed with him until he woke up. I didn't feel right leaving him alone." Stefania told him before looking down, "Please, don't be mad at me for that."
"Mad? Stefania, I would never be mad about that. I learned from my experience with Hester to never jump to conclusions like I did that time." Nick hugged her and put her head on his chest, "In fact, that's the nicest thing anybody could do. None of my other girlfriends would've done that. Well, Hester, but only because she wanted to be the hero and the center of attention. Not for any other reason."
"You sure you're not mad?" Stefania asked.
"I'm positive. Why? Did Pasquale get mad at you for that?" Nick asked.
"No, not Pasquale. It was another man I was dating. Carlo Bianchi." Stefania replied.
"You never told me about Carlo." Nick said.
"I tried to forget about him, Nick. He was awful!" Stefania cringed.
Nick opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when a cooing sound was heard.
"What was that?" Stefania lifted her head.
"I don't know. It sounded like an Owl, but it's daylight." Nick had a quizzical look on his face.
"Look! Up...there!" Allegra pointed up at the roof.
"Colomba del Lutto." Stefania said after looking up at the roof.
"A Mourning Dove. I keep thinking they are Owls due to their calls sounding somewhat the same." Nick looked up and smiled when he saw the bird perched on the roof.
The Mourning Dove cooed at the trio.
"I wonder why it is here." Allegra scratched her head.
"Doves are usually a positive sign or in some cases, the spirit of a loved one reaching out to you. I could be off on that second part." Nick continued to look up at the bird.
The Mourning Dove flew down from the roof and landed next to Stefania's foot.
"I think the Mourning Dove is trying to tell us something, but what?" Stefania tilted her head to the side for a moment.
"Well, whatever it is, we can find out later. Right now, let's get to your mother." Nick said before walking into the house, Stefania and Allegra joining him.
*Inside*
The trio of Mangano, Barkley, and Mangano came in and were about to make their way to the front door when the Mourning Dove came flying in and perched itself on the fireplace mantle, cooing yet again. Before they could react, the front door opened and in came Eugene and Audra.
"We're home now, sis. You're safe." Eugene was heard saying.
"Eugene, where were y-Audra!" Nick walked over to his sister and baby brother and a look of horror when he saw Audra's bruises, "Audra, what hap-"
Eugene gave Nick a look and shook his head, as if to say: "Not now, Nick. She's been through a lot.".
Nick, understanding completely, nodded in response.
Audra remained silent and made her way up to her room.
"I wonder what happened to her and who did it." Nick said after hearing the door to Audra's room close.
"Maybe one of the masked men had something to do with it." Allegra suggested.
"They did. She went through pure hell. That's all I'll say." Eugene's voice had a solemn tone to it.
"First Stefania, now, Audra, and Mrs. Mangano. Not to mention Allegra and either a Navajo or Cherokee girl, Cara & Mariah, and many more. Who's next?" Nick folded his arms.
"Mrs. Mangano, Allegra, and an Indian girl? What happened to them?" Eugene asked.
"Mrs. Mangano went through pure hell & Allegra and the Cherokee or Navajo girl were chased by a masked man. Allegra hid out in our barn. The whereabouts to the Cherokee or Navajo girl are not known as of now." Nick told him, "Stefania and I are going to check on Mrs. Mangano. Allegra will stay here for safety reasons."
"Good call." Eugene nodded.
"Oh and Heath, too." Nick added.
"Heath? What happened to him?" Eugene asked.
"Heath was hit in the head and shot in leg, but thankfully, he is alright. He's awake if you want to go see him." Nick replied before going to the main foyer hand-in-hand with Stefania.
"Amen to that, but if I may ask one more stupid question, why is there a bird in the house?" Eugene was taken aback when he saw the Mourning Dove.
"That's a mystery within itself, but seeing as how Doves are usually a positive sign, who knows?" Nick said before leaving with Stefania.
Eugene nodded and shrugged in response.
Then, there was a knock at the door.
"Coming." Eugene said before going to the door and answering it.
"Hello. Is Nick around?" a voice said.
*A few minutes later*
Nick and Stefania arrived to the Mangano household and went up to the porch. Stefania barely put her hand on the door when it opened by itself, clearly indicating that it was left unlocked. Alarmed, the couple slowly made their way inside.
"Mama?" Stefania called out.
"Mrs. Mangano?" Nick called out.
A faint crying sound was heard coming from the kitchen.
Nick and Stefania exchanged glances before nodding and heading to the kitchen.
*Inside the kitchen*
The second the couple entered the kitchen, their mouths went agape when they discovered Andrea on the floor crying and pieces of her hair strewn everywhere, indicating that somebody cut her hair by force.
"Mama!" Stefania knelt down beside her mother and held her close.
"Mrs. Mangano!" Nick also knelt down beside Andrea and put his hand on her shoulder.
Andrea continued to cry, never noticing that the couple was there at her side.
Nick looked around only to stop when he spotted something and let out a slight gasp.
"What is it?" Stefania asked before looking up and getting wide eyed, "Maria che Piange!"
"Crying Mary. Your statue of the Virgin Mary looks like she's crying." Nick pointed at the statue.
"Colomba in Lutto e Maria Piangente? (Mourning Dove and Crying Mary?)" Stefania whispered the question.
"Apparently, so." Nick nodded.
Before anybody could say a word, Carmine came into the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Andrea's hair all over the place and Nick with a crying Andrea.
"Stefania, why do I suddenly have an uneasy feeling?" Nick could almost feel Carmine's presence.
"I don-Papa!" Stefania looked up and gasped when she saw her father.
Carmine stood there and looked at them, not saying a word.
"Carmine, I know what you're thinking. Now, are you going to believe what you see or what any of us have to say?" Nick held his hand up.
To Be Continued...
Stefania: Papa, do not jump to conclusions?
Eugene: You look familiar. Who are you?
Victoria: Eugene, who's at the door?
Paulie: What's happening now? I have a weird suspicion that-
Jarrod: Paulie, wait until the next chapter.
Nick: R&R, people. R&R.