Chapter 4 - The Hospital Standoff
The private VIP wing on the eighth floor of St. Jude’s Hospital was locked down like a military compound. Four armed Castellano guards stationed at the elevator bank checked every nurse's badge twice before allowing anyone near Room 804.
Dominic walked down the sterile hallway, holding Mia’s hand. The little girl’s sneakers squeaked softly against the linoleum floors.
When he pushed open the door to Room 804, Sofia was sitting up in bed, an IV drip attached to her arm and a heart monitor hummed rhythmically beside her. She looked exhausted, dark circles bruised under her eyes, but the deadly grey hue had disappeared from her cheeks, replaced by a faint, healthy flush.
"Mama!" Mia squeaked, dropping Dominic's hand and sprinting across the room.
"Mia! Oh, my baby!" Sofia cried out, reaching over the bed rails to pull her daughter into a desperate, weeping embrace. She kissed Mia’s face, her curls, her small hands, rocking her back and forth as if making sure she was truly real. "Thank God... thank God..."
Dominic stood near the window, his arms folded across his chest, watching the reunion in silence. The sheer intensity of a mother’s love hit him with unexpected force, reminding him once again of his own mother’s quiet sacrifices decades ago.
After several minutes, Sofia looked up over Mia’s shoulder, her eyes fixing onto Dominic. Panic and embarrassment flashed across her pale face.
"Mr. Castellano," she stammered, trying to sit up straighter and smooth her disheveled hair. "I... I don't know how to thank you. Dr. Thorne told me you brought the medical van... that you brought Mia here... I am so sorry for the trouble—"
"Stop apologizing, Sofia," Dominic said, stepping closer to the bed. His voice was firm, yet entirely devoid of the coldness he usually reserved for his staff. "You almost died in my house because my head of household was a traitor. The only person who should be apologizing is me."
Sofia looked down at her lap, her fingers gripping the hospital bedsheet. "Did you... did you find the ledger?"
"I did," Dominic confirmed. "You were very brave to keep those records, Sofia. If you hadn't written those notes, Whitfield would have continued stealing, and I would have remained blind to Moretti’s infiltration."
Sofia’s eyes widened in fear. "Moretti? Oh God... I didn't know it was the Moretti family. I just knew the math didn't add up. Whitfield threatened to harm Mia if I ever told anyone... that's why I hid the book under my bed."
"He won't threaten anyone ever again," Dominic assured her, his eyes cold and dark. "Whitfield is in my custody. And the Moretti family is about to learn what happens when they touch my household."
Sofia looked at Dominic, her expression a mix of awe and terror. She had worked in the Castellano mansion for three years, knowing Dominic only as a distant, terrifying figure who walked through rooms like a ghost, spoken of in hushed, frightened tones by the staff. But seeing him now—standing guard over her bed, holding her daughter’s tiny coat—she saw a man entirely different from the rumors.
"Mr. Castellano," Sofia said softly, tears glistening in her eyes. "Why are you doing all of this for us? We're just the housekeeping staff."
Dominic looked down at Mia, who was happily playing with the buttons on the hospital bed controller.
"Because your daughter climbed onto a stool and tried to scrub my shirt to save your job," Dominic said, a rare, soft smile playing on his lips. "And because no one in my house gets left behind ever again."
Before Sofia could answer, the heavy glass door of the floor swung open.
Marco stepped into the room, his expression grave, his hand resting conspicuously inside his suit jacket. He leaned in close to Dominic’s ear.
"Boss," Marco whispered in a low raspy tone. "We have a problem at the lower estate gate. Valentin Moretti’s eldest son, Angelo, just pulled up in three armored SUVs. He’s demanding to see Whitfield for the monthly transfer. When the gate guards refused, his men drew weapons."
Dominic’s expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed into deadly slits.
"Keep two men inside this room with Sofia and Mia," Dominic ordered quietly. "Lock down the floor. No one comes up these stairs alive unless it's me."
"Dominic?" Sofia asked, noticing the shift in atmosphere. "Is something wrong?"
Dominic turned back to her, offering a calm, reassuring nod. "Nothing I can't handle, Sofia. Rest. I'll be back soon."
He bent down, patting Mia on the head. "Be good for your mama, Mia."
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"I will, Knight Dominic," she giggled innocently.
Dominic straightened his spine, buttoned his tailored suit jacket, and walked out into the corridor. The gentle protector vanished in an instant, replaced once again by the undisputed Godfather of the Hudson.
