I nodded. “Sure.”
We ventured in and were greeted by a different nurse this time. One I recognized, but didn’t know her name again. When we got to Dean’s bedside, he was just how I left him. Broken. Bruised. I just hoped that if his body healed, his mind quickly would, too.
Humphrey motioned for me to sit down. “To be honest, I’ve wanted to speak with you for quite some time now.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Really?”
He propped himself on the windowsill. Looking at him, he seemed every bit the gangster he most probably was. Despite his age, you could tell he looked after himself. He was obviously young at heart…even with the pointy moustache.
He looked out of the window for a moment, but I saw a glimpse of his face. He looked conflicted, even pained. I just hoped he was coping, despite knowing his nephew may not make it.
Eventually, he sighed and looked at me. “I want to apologize to you.”
My eyes widened. “Apologize? What for?”
He started fidgeting with his fingers. “For everything that happened, Miss O’Shea.”
I blinked rapidly, feeling my heart rate pick up a notch. “I don’t think there is anything to apologize for, and I also think you can stop calling me Miss O’Shea now. My name is Tyler.”
Humphrey sighed and closed his eyes. “I know. That’s what pains me. For years, the name Tyler was a source of unnecessary hatred within our household. The name is a memory of something unforgivable that happened. I don’t know how you can stand the name Scozzari.”
For a moment, I stared, unable to say a word. “I love him.” The words slipped out as if they were my only argument against what Humphrey was saying. I knew Dean was sorry and I could tell his uncle was just as cut up about it.
Humphrey sighed and nodded, looking out the window again. “I know. I know that just as much as I know Dean loves you. He was always in love with you, even when he believed you had betrayed him.”
I regarded him for a while as an unsettling feeling entered the pit of my stomach. “Then why does that make you seem so unhappy? As his uncle, doesn’t Dean’s happiness mean something to you?”
His head turned to me suddenly. “Of course it does. I just think he went too far with you. I warned him and the stubborn fool never listened to me.”
I relaxed a little and smiled. “Maybe he’ll listen to you more in the future then, ha?”
Humphrey smiled back. “I’m not sure whether I’m in the best position to give advice. It was just, at the time, I was on the outside looking in. I could see him getting deeper and deeper, and the deeper he went, the more I knew I was losing him. You see, Dean is so clear-headed and intelligent when there is no one to care about. He quickly advanced through the high levels simply because he was so good at what he did. He was far better than his parents, and I think I put that down to the fact he had no one to care about. No one to make him seem weak. The minute he started playing with fire and involving you was the moment everything changed for him. He didn’t make the right choices. It didn’t end up with the result he was after. I tried telling him, but would he listen?” Humphrey put his hands in the air in frustration.
He looked at Dean for a moment, then back at me. “You’ve really forgiven him for everything he’s done?”
I looked over at Dean and back at Humphrey. “Yes…yes, I have.”
Humphrey sighed and leaned over towards me. He took my hand in his and stroked it. “Do you think you could honor an aging man the same courtesy?”
He smiled and I laughed. “It goes without saying, Humphrey.”
He patted my hand. “Good. You’re a better woman than Dean gives you credit for, and one who will always be protected to the ends of the earth by the Scozzari men. I can promise you that.” He looked over at Dean again. “Maybe I can steal you away from Dean before he wakes up. I may be a little older than you, but I can still move it and shake it like the best of them.” Humphrey winked at me and looked back at Dean.
I laughed. If talking to me like this made Dean wake up, I was all for it.
A week later, they allowed Dean out of the ICU. He remained unconscious, but he was looking better each passing day. His vitals were getting stronger and his face was not so swollen and angry-looking. The rest of us could now breathe a huge sigh of relief.
I was finally able to take Jeremy to see his father. Even though Dean looked a lot better, the stress of what Jeremy went through, coupled with how Dean looked may push him over the edge. I was so nervous, I was fidgeting and shaking the whole morning. I was trying to get breakfast ready, but my hands were shaking so much, Tara had to take over.