Images of the charred remains of 5th Street. Then images of Felix and Bianca laughing and hugging—getting in his car together—and now the latest of the two of them arriving at LAX hand in hand rushing past the paparazzi to his car.

He switched the channel again and froze. The most painful image he’d seen all night was on the screen. Jack’s smiling face with his birth date and today’s date across the bottom of the image. They’d just released the name and photo of the person who’d died in the fire and the agonizing reality really hit home. Jarring memories of his own father’s death assaulted him and his body shook violently.

Dropping the remote he brought his hands to his face and let the massive buildup of sorrow out, crying like he hadn’t cried since he was a kid—since his father’s death.

~*~

Even knowing her last conversation with Gio had ended the way it had and Toni warning her that the stories were damning, nothing could’ve prepared Bianca for the cold reception she received at the hospital. Nor did it prepare her for what Noah informed her almost as soon as she arrived.

All eyes were on them as they rushed into the waiting room. Noah quickly met them near the entrance.

After hugging Felix tightly and explaining what he knew about the gas leak, he turned to Bianca. Felix walked away to talk to Abel. Noah’s eyes were red and swollen from all the crying he’d obviously been doing. They also held a mixture of determination and sympathy.

“Gio’s okay,” he said immediately, giving her what she needed to hear to keep herself from breaking down, too

On her way there, she’d held it together for Felix’s sake. He was so inconsolable. “When can I see him?”

“You can’t.”

That panicked her. “Why? You said he’s okay. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“No.” He nodded. “He has a concussion but the docs say he’s gonna be all right. He just…” He took a deep breath and glanced away.

“He just what?” Bianca’s heart couldn’t take anymore. “What is it?”

“It’s not a good time right now. C’mere.” He placed a gentle hand on her arm and walked her further away from where everyone else was crowded in the small waiting room and lowered his voice. “He’s real upset about Jack. We all are. He just suffered a concussion and well that may cause him to be even more upset than the norm. He’s hardly spoken since he came to and we told him about Jack.” He turned around and glanced at where Felix stood with Abel. “This is isn’t the time or place for this. Gio is gonna need time. It’s none of my business what’s going on with you two, but whatever it is, I’m asking, as a favor to me and the rest of everyone who’s grieving, respect Gio’s wishes for now.”

“His wishes? What wishes?”

“He doesn’t want to see you right now.” Noah said firmly. “The last thing we need right now is any emotional outbursts or arguments. He’s real broken up right now about everything. This next week is gonna be real rough for everyone. Maybe you should just hold off until after all the services to try and talk to him.”

He doesn’t want to see you right now.

The words stung like nothing Bianca had ever felt in her life. He actually believed it. All the bullshit they were saying on television. The stupid pictures. She didn’t care how damning they were. She could not believe he’d bought into it. Believed them without so much as giving her a chance to explain.

Barely able to see through the tears, Bianca’s breathing began to accelerate. She glanced back taking in the desolate crowd. Even Roni kept dabbing tears away. It took everything she had to hold it together because Noah was absolutely right. This was not the time or place for it.

“Can you tell me which direction the restrooms are?”

Clearly relieved that she didn’t push, he walked her out into the hallway and pointed. Bianca rushed away without another word. She barely made it into the restroom; glad that it was a single restroom because she burst out crying as soon as she closed the door behind her.

Waves of painfully anguished sobs came again and again. Everything she was forced to hold in when her grandmother and mother begged her to calm down. The entire trip down when she refused to add to Felix’s grief by letting out her own incredible fear that Gio could be seriously injured. Then the slap in the face that Gio didn’t want to see her. It all came out now as she curled up in the corner of the cold little room and cried until she thought she couldn’t cry anymore.

CHAPTER 25

Glad that Noah hadn’t walked in ten minutes earlier and seen him break down like he had, Gio looked up at him. Noah had news for him and from the looks of it, like when he’d walked in there hours ago to tell him about Jack not making it, this wasn’t good.

“Abel said Hector’s fine. He is, right?”

“Hector’s fine,” Noah nodded. “Just a broken arm and lots of bruises and scrapes.”

“Then what is it?”

“Felix and Bianca were here.” Gio turned away with a gulp, glad now that it was past tense, meaning they were gone or he might be tempted to tell Noah to forget his earlier request. Even with everything he’d heard on the stupid TV his heart yearned to see her now. “You told her I didn’t wanna see her?”

“I did.”

Gio glanced back when Noah didn’t say more. “What did she say?”