The Twelve Zenati Pt. 04

Authors note: Hello everyone. Welcome to the new Twelve Tables series and the new family I have for you all to meet. I hope you come to know and like them as much as the families from the past series. Thank you once again to David and Kate for being my second set of eyes. Enjoy! ~ellie.

12 Zenati Ch. 3

"Good morning. I have good, strong coffee. May I come up?" Gideon asked into the house phone, having had the concierge call Vivienne's room for him.

"It had better be good coffee," she grumbled and hung up. Vivienne knew that refusing to talk to him wasn't an option if that was what he wanted. She had spent a restless night thinking about not only their argument last night but also their meeting and the enjoyable dinner they shared, before she had ruined it. Not that it was entirely her fault, but she had told him what she wanted and intended to do, instead of asking to get what she wanted by being contrite and reasoning with Gideon about encouraging Genesis to let her take the lead on Serena's case. She had handled the man all wrong, and just like any family man, he had used his power and authority to put her back in her place. It galled her to have to put up with being told how to treat a patient by someone who wasn't even a doctor, but she knew better than to fight the Table of any Family, even her own. Leighton had reminded her of that last night, in no uncertain terms.

Gideon grimaced and nodded at the concierge who handed him a key for the elevators. He felt his stomach lurch as he travelled up in the elevator and went to her door. He knocked on the door and waited nervously. If she was his curse breaker, he wasn't sure that he could redeem himself after last night and the call to Leighton. It wasn't like she was in any danger or hurt, so he doubted she was his curse breaker, despite what Dominic had said. Still, his belly ache had only grown worse this morning. His mind continued to argue with itself over the possibility that this strong, bossy, know-it-all woman could possibly be the one meant for him. She was gorgeous, he couldn't deny that, but she certainly wasn't the maternal homemaker-type wife he always thought he would have.

"Come in," Vivienne said opening the door and walking away from him, leaving him no choice but to follow her inside the suite.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked in his usual cheerful voice, despite his growing nausea and unease.

"Great," she replied in a voice that said she was anything but great. "The coffee?" She turned to look at Gideon with the question.

"Latte made with skinny milk," he said and handed her a cup, hoping she would be impressed that he had bothered to find out how she liked her coffee.

"Thanks," she said as she took the cup from him. "Why are you here Gideon? I think you made yourself perfectly clear last night."

"You're leaving?" he asked, surprised by the sight of her luggage in the living area of the suite.

"I don't see the point of arguing with Leighton about staying after your call to him and the late night texts you sent me yesterday, do you?" she asked.

"My text told you that Gen would like to talk to you this morning. He thinks that the prognosis might be flawed, based on some of the things the Pixie told him yesterday after you left. I thought you would be happy to see that she was looking so much better than she had been when you last saw her," Gideon said, genuinely confused now. "You heard me tell Leighton that I thought we could work out the issues. Why would you think we want you to leave?"

"You scolded me like a naughty child and sent me home to bed!" she said, unable to keep the anger and hurt from her voice. "Then you called my brother to scold me like a naughty child when I refused to be treated that way!"

"I was trying to protect your reputation, by stopping you from going to the hospital after having a few glasses of wine with dinner!" he argued back. "You were being ridiculous, and nothing was going on at the hospital that couldn't have waited until this morning. It wasn't worth you marching in there and damaging your reputation by forcing yourself between Genesis and his Pixie. He never would have let you do that, regardless of what I said."

"It doesn't matter now; I'm going home," she countered and waved her hand at her luggage. "You're lucky you came by so early, or I would have already been gone."

"I thought you wanted to help the Pixie. I don't understand how you can go from bargaining with me to make Gen listen to you to just giving up and running away," Gideon said in frustration. He felt physically ill now as his stomach twisted even more.

"You said yourself, I'm not needed. Once Olivia is able to be moved, Genesis will move her to a private hospital, and the specialists, myself included, won't be needed." She shrugged as if she didn't care even though it was perfectly obvious that she did. "You, Gideon, made it quite clear that I was just convenient, rather than required, when Genesis asked me to consult on the case."

"What happened to the woman who was so determined to be part of the Pixie's recovery team last night?" Gideon asked, perplexed about the complete change in Vivienne's desire to work with them.

"The one you scolded like a child, then got Leighton to take a turn?" Vivienne challenged. "I bet you couldn't wait to send me that photo, showing me how much progress Genesis had made without my help, and tell me that he thought my prognosis was flawed," she snapped, the hurt obvious in her voice now. "You made your point. I am not needed, and there are far more experienced trauma specialists available if you need them. I'm sure Peter Donati would only be too happy to help." She looked at him with tears in her eyes despite the challenge in her words and voice. "I am going home where I am respected and my skills and knowledge are valued!"

Gideon stood frozen, his pulse throbbing in his ears, as he took in her face and the teary eyes. She dashed away an errant tear, and he felt a giant fist wrap around his heart and squeeze. "Fuck! It was true," he thought to himself, and lifted a hand to his chest, pressing on it to try and ease what he knew wasn't a heart attack, but sure felt like one.

"Gideon?" Vivienne sounded unsure of herself as she watched him. "Gideon, what's wrong?" She moved toward him, seeing him go suddenly still and the blood drain from his face.

"Don't go," he hissed through clenched teeth. "I don't want you to go."

"Gideon? Talk to me, what's happening? Are you in pain?" she asked again, seeing his hand clutched to his chest.

"I was trying to protect your reputation, not harm it." He ground out the words, trying to taking a breath through the pain in his chest. "Gen doesn't know we argued last night, only Leighton. Meet with Genesis before deciding whether to stay or go, please," Gideon asked, almost begging her to reconsider leaving immediately as she had planned. "What about the Vitali?"

"Gideon, stop arguing with me and sit down. You look dreadful." Vivienne took his arm and led him to a couch, then sat beside him, taking his wrist in her hand to check his pulse, finding it strong but rapid.

"Stay, have breakfast with me, and then speak to Gen." He continued to push her. The pain in his chest eased slightly with her proximity and obvious concern for him. "Please," he added as an afterthought. "I just wanted to make sure that you didn't do anything you would regret last night, that's all. Please, trust me. I never wanted you to leave."

"It's okay, I believe you," she lied, with a soothing voice, as she tried to get him to calm down, but wondering if she should call an ambulance.

"So, you will stay and see Gen?" Gideon asked, wondering how he could convince her to stay longer.

"I don't see the point, Gideon. He has obviously found a way to reach her and it's working. The picture you sent shows that," Vivienne said with a sigh.

"You said yourself that he wouldn't have made the initial breakthrough without you. Talk to him about what he found out about Olivia. Things may regress today. Remy died last night, and she watched them turn off the machines. Her sister is also due here today to identify her for her family. There is still so much the Pixie has to deal with, Genesis has to deal with. I don't think you leaving now is in anyone's best interests. Start today as a new day. No one knows about last night except your brother, who thinks I am an idiot at the best of times, and me," Gideon said and finally drew a deep enough breath to feel comfortable again. The pain in his chest began to ease as Vivienne continued to hold his wrist absently while she listened to his arguments. "Stay, Gen and his Pixie need you. Stay because I want you here," he admitted. "You are beautiful and challenging, and I want to get to know you better. Stay, Vivienne, for me, as well as Gen and the Pixie."

"What?" she blinked at him. She had no illusions that she was a great beauty. Her devotion to her work and research usually kept most would-be suitors, keen for her family connections, at bay. She couldn't remember the last time she had a date with a nice normal guy, let alone a guy who looked and acted like Gideon Zenati. She began to worry that he had lost his mind during whatever episode he seemed to be having.

"You, Vivienne Papillo, are beautiful and fascinating, and I would like the opportunity to get to know you better," he grinned at her, finding that admitting his interest in her further eased the pain in his chest.

"Stop saying that!" she said in a sudden burst of anger. "I know who and what I am and beautiful is not one of those things. I am too tall, my hips and ass too wide, my breasts too small and my nose too long. I'm the smart, nerdy girl who had nothing better to do in high school and University than study. No one was lining up to date me. I know who I am and you can't flatter me with lies to get me to stay. So just stop!"

Gideon was taken aback by the vehemence in her words. The woman had a severe complex if that was how she thought. He came to his feet and pulled her up beside him, turning to look into her eyes as he began to speak.

"You're not tall compared to me," he said softly and drew her closer by putting his hands on her hips. "Your hips feel pretty perfect against mine, and I like your ass," he grinned as he said it but wasn't game enough to smooth his hands over it with the hostile look she was giving him. "Your nose isn't too long," he continued as he leaned forward and kissed the tip before angling his head and brushing his lips over hers. "You are fascinating and challenging and probably far more intelligent than I am, but you are also beautiful and drive me crazy trying to decide if I should argue with you or kiss you into submission." Still holding her to him by her hips as she gaped at him, open-mouthed and unmoving, he bent his head to kiss her again lightly. "I don't lie or flatter needlessly, Vivienne. Come to breakfast with me and then we can go talk to Gen. I'm sure that you can get a later plane if you are determined to go, despite what I have said. I'll even fly you home myself if it comes to that," he offered.

"You can fly?" she asked, surprised by this and dealing with the one part of all that he said that she could manage to focus on and dare to ask about.

"I'm a man of many talents," he grinned as he replied. "Let me prove that to you."

"I don't know if I can take a back seat to Genesis. He's a reporter, not a doctor. How am I supposed to take his decisions about her treatment seriously?" Vivienne sighed. "If I stayed, I would probably just keep pissing him off instead of helping, like I want to," she admitted. "Paolo Vitali has brought one of his own people in to work with the Vitali leaders. They don't want me dealing with their family business any more, either." She stepped out of his hold, putting distance between them, as she admitted that she believed that she wasn't wanted here by anyone any more.

"That's the Vitalis' loss. You can trust me. We want you here and need your expertise," Gideon said and took her hand. "I'll mediate for you if you need it. Gen's a good guy though, and you can trust that he only has the Pixie's best interests at heart. He wants her to get better as quickly as possible, but he won't push her too hard either. He is the best man for the job, and isn't Gen a much better option to locking her up in an asylum or sending her to be imprisoned by the Battaglia for traditional psychological treatments?"

"Genesis has a long hard road in front of him. It won't be easy to help her, such is the personality change Remington forced on her," Vivienne said thoughtfully, feeling safer now that she was back on professional ground. She was an expert on women who experienced trauma in relationships. It was true that she had rarely dealt with the extremes in the field, such as Olivia's case, but she wanted to, and she wanted to badly which had been why she had spoken to Gideon the way she had last night.

"Even more reason for you to stay. You can't tell me that there is anything more pressing or interesting for you back at home. The research and experience you could gain, even by being a firsthand observer, has got to be gold to a doctor in your speciality." Gideon continued to try and convince her to stay. "I'll call Leighton and tell him we worked out our difference of opinion, if that helps."

"You're right. Nothing at home would be as interesting. The truth is that my uncles and cousins allow me to consult on the extreme traumas, but only consult, not carry out the treatments. Most of my expertise comes from less-extreme cases, as well as research and observations. I would really like to be involved if Genesis would let me, but I'm not sure that he will."

"I promise that, at the very least, he will let you observe, but I think he would like your advice, particularly as a sounding board for some of his ideas and assumptions. You just need to remember that he is in charge. If you can do that then it will all be plain sailing. If you need to criticise or question anything he does, don't do it in front of the Pixie. That was your only mistake yesterday. Last night was about me explaining that issue, not as well as I would have liked, but then I'm not the smart one here" Gideon said in a conciliatory tone.

"Something tells me that's not true," she said and managed a small smile. "Okay. Breakfast and a meeting with Genesis. If it doesn't work out, I can fly home this afternoon," she agreed. Knowing that this man found her attractive and wanted to get to know her better made the decision easier. She was flattered and a little amazed by that fact. She just hoped that she wasn't falling for a line he was using just to get her to agree to stay and see Genesis.

Gideon felt the pain twist inside him as she spoke of leaving again, but at least he had this morning to convince her to stay. Not just for Genesis and the Pixie, but for himself now.

*****

Genesis watched as Serena slept, grateful to have gotten a few hours himself in the reclining chair that Dominic had organised for him in the room with her. He had showered and relieved his own ache of arousal before Gideon left the hospital last night. He didn't want to leave Serena unattended at any time, and he wanted the circle of people around her to be tight. Only those he knew he could trust would be allowed near her now without his supervision. She would know Gideon and Noah well and, possibly Dominic, who seemed to have a vested interest in her since getting a reading on her past. Beyond that, perhaps Vivienne and the sweetly-efficient nurse who was now going to be a permanent fixture during Serena's waking hours. He had sent the nurse, Naomi, home to sleep with the request that she returned in the morning and an offer to hire her as a private nurse and caretaker once they left the hospital.

As he had guessed, she was already contracted to the family, and his uncle had pulled strings to get her employed temporarily at the hospital to help Genesis. She had been more than happy for Genesis to speak to his uncle about maintaining her services. He looked again at the plan he had sketched out in the small hours of the morning. There were several things that he needed to put in place and several family members that he needed to speak to, but it was doable. He was at an impasse, however, as to how much he could achieve until he met Serena's sister and discovered whether he would have to fight the Gambaro family for the right to care for Serena rather than let them take her home to be with her own family.

Noah had arrived early to discuss his plan of action and had left again to get breakfast and a few other items that Genesis would need for the day. He checked his watch once again and then began to gently rouse Serena. When they left the hospital he would make her give up the name Serena and the last vestiges of Remington's hold over her. He hoped that seeing her sister today would help her accept her real identity again.

"Come on, sweet girl. It's time to start the day," he said, gently stroking her cheek. Her sea green eyes fluttered open, giving him a dazed and confused look for a moment as awareness of the past few days came to her.

"Good morning, Genesis," she said with a dry voice and a sad smile.

"Good morning," he said softly and offered her a sip of water to ease her throat. "How do you feel this morning?"

"I don't know yet," she shook her head as she replied. "Fuzzy, achy, my throat is a little sore," she replied honestly, thinking about it as she spoke.

"That will pass," he said lightly. "You slept very deeply. I am glad. Did you dream at all?"

"No," she frowned as if trying to remember. "I don't think I did."

"Good." He smiled and stroked her hair from her face. "Do you need to use the bathroom?" he asked.

"Yes, please, Genesis," she nodded, and looked at the cannula in her arm, realising that it wasn't connected to the drip.

"You did so well yesterday, and you slept so soundly that I had them disconnect it this morning. If you need pain relief, you can take a tablet instead of having it reconnected. If you manage with the lesser pain relief today, the doctors will remove the cannula from your arm," he explained. "As long as you continue to eat and drink what I provide," he added cautiously. "As long as you help me to look after you by doing as I ask, you will recover quickly. You are young and healthy and, once you show us that you can do as we ask, then we can leave the hospital and put this whole painful incident behind us."

"I would like that," she said quietly. Serena looked at the man who would love and protect her now that Remy was dead. She had to trust him and love him in return. There were no other alternatives for her. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up and placed her cheek against his chest as he held her close, carrying her to the bathroom. He had a loud, strong heart, and his touch was surprisingly gentle for a man of his stature. Learning to love this man would not be difficult, and she believed she already had some feelings for him.

Genesis went through the same bathroom ritual of the day before. Undressing Serena and exploring her body as he bathed her before easing her ache. All the while his own grew within him. He dressed her in a fresh chemise of a deep bronze colour to highlight her pale skin and the bronze highlights in her hair, then helped her to brush and style her hair over her shoulder again. Never would he have believed that he would find so much pleasure in looking after a woman in this way, seeing to her every need and having her dependent solely on him, but he did. He would like her to be more independent and be able to think for herself in her self-care needs, but he had to admit that he liked the absolute control she gave him over her life. It was a powerful and heady feeling, and he had to constantly remind himself that this wasn't healthy for either of them. He needed her to cede control to him because she wanted to, not because she had no other choice.