The Rock Star and The Mafia

Chapter 26

Lorenzo had finally talked Cheri into taking a shower and freshening herself up. He was right though. She didn't want Alessio waking up to find her looking like sixty miles of bad road. She wanted him to be proud of how she looked.

It was the quickest shower she'd ever taken. Letting her hair dry naturally, she pulled on a white lace thong and a white eyelet summer dress with spaghetti straps.

Keeping her makeup natural, she put on nude lip gloss a little blush and mascara. Throwing on her beaded white sandals, she headed back to Alessio.

"That was quick" Lorenzo acknowledged when she walked into the room. She wasn't sure how she had missed the blood on his shirt but she asked him if he was okay. "Just a flesh wound" he replied. "Didn't even need stitches" he said.

"He's still out?" she asked, twirling her ring around her finger. "Doc just came and checked on him while you were in the shower. He's doing good, Cheri. Doc just wants to make sure he doesn't run a fever or that anything gets infected." His words comforted her.

He looked at her sympathetically making note of the dark circles under her eyes.  "Did you not sleep any last night?" he asked.  She shook her head no.  "It's hard sleeping in our bed without him" she said quietly.

Squeezing her shoulder he said "Hopefully after tonight you won't have to."  She couldn't help but return the smile he was giving her; she gotten really close with some of the guys, Tommaso first and foremost and then Lorenzo.  She just felt safe around them.

Cheri was absentmindedly thumbing through a guitar magazine when she noticed Alessio was starting to stir around.  Laying the magazine down, she stood over him, so when he opened his eyes, he would see her.

Blinking a couple of times to clear his eyes, Alessio could finally see what was going on around him.  Gently moving the hair from his face, Cheri smiled at him and said "Hey baby."

He tried to speak but his throat was dry and hurt like hell.  "Don't try to say anything" Cheri told him.  "Let's get some water into you first."  She'd gone to the little plastic pitcher, poured the cold water into a cup with a straw.

"Here you go" she said holding the straw to his lips.  He sipped the cold liquid gratefully, feeling like his throat had been sated.  "Better?" she asked as he swallowed.  He nodded.

"How long?" he croaked out.  Cheri bent down and kissed his cheek.  "A day and a half" she answered.  Straightening back up, she said she'd be right back but before she could walk away, Alessio grabbed her hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked.  God!  He was worried about her?  She would have laughed if he hadn't been serious.  "Baby, I'm just fine...now" she replied.  "I'm going to let Dr. Moranzo know you're awake.  He wants to check you out before he releases you."  Her smile was what he lived for.

"Alessio, I have given strict instructions to Cheri regarding your care.  Please, listen to her and please do not give her a hard time" he added jokingly.  Alessio smirked.  Cheri didn't realize how much she'd missed that until she hadn't seen it in a while.

Cheri had left instructions with Federico to ready their room.  Thank God this place had elevators.  There was no way Alessio could walk three flights of stairs in his condition.

A make-shift office was set up with his laptop along with anything and everything he'd been working on.  She also had him lay out some sweats and a tank shirt.  She would make sure he had a bath before getting into clean clothes.

Even though she had been assured the sheets on their bed were clean, she had the house staff put clean sheets on anyway.  She shuddered at the thought of who'd done what in this bed.