Written By: Armina Qi Saxton

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Chapter 6: Aftermath

It had been one week since the tower had collapsed and most of the dust had cleared from the areas where it had landed. Only then did the citizens of Gaia could see how much damage there had been caused by one single event. Somehow, the debris had snaked it's way around Isle de Gambino all the way to Durem, hitting mostly the streets and places that few people were when it fell. There was still a lot of damage done by metal that had gone off course, mostly in Durem, but it wasn't so much as the average Gaian thought there would be.

The death toll, surprisingly, hadn't reached over five hundred, which some compared to last Halloween's events. Many Gaians had though that more lives had been lost, with how far the tower had reached and the amount of rubble there was left over, but they were proven wrong again. These lives that had been lost, were those that could not get out of the way in time even though they saw the monstrous creation falling down, or had no idea that the tower has about to fall down on top of them until it was too late.

Only a few survived the direct path of the tower's crushing force, mostly those that came from Durem. The very top of the tower had come down right upon where the Von Helson mansion once stood, now there was another mansion upon what used to be. All were surprised to see it to be that of the mansion that had been on top of the tower, whereas the tower held another surprise as well. The old Gambino mansion, the same one that had been demolished by the missile on Halloween, was now standing where it once had been. No one knew that it had been there until the dust had finally cleared from the island and it was more then just a surprise to them. Many wanted to know if Johnny was inside that same mansion, recovering from his injuries or even buried somewhere inside of it, but no one was allowed to even go inside there. Not with so many guards standing watch over it, to make sure no one went inside or even came out.

The fate of Marie and Anna Von Helson remained a mystery for a few days more, until the body of Anna was found underneath the rubble that had once been her mansion. Her body was as lifeless as the mess that she had been under, almost every bone in her body broken and no signs of being able to revive her. It was a horrible sight to see her in, so bad that those that found her had to place her in several sheets just to keep her body from being seen by the public. Her death reached all ears, even those that did not support the sisters. It was a sad day indeed, no matter who supported who or did not support either side.

Marie, on the other hand, had been found only hours after the tower had collapsed and was thought, at first, to share the same fate as her sister would. Her body had not been as crushed as bad as Anna's, most of which was fixed in surgery as soon as she had been stable enough to do so. Both legs had been crushed to the point that it was thought she would never walk away, one arm broken in ten different spots, and her jaw cracked and broken in five. It was surprising that she received little internal bleeding from how much rubble she had been under and the force of the tower's fall and that she was able to survive it at all.

No one knew that she had survived until Anna's body had been discovered, even then it was a rumor that went around the whole of Gaia that the other sister had cheated death. Many thought that it was near-impossible for anyone to survive a tower crash then have a mansion crush the same one that they had been living in. The doctors that were caring for Marie confirmed that she was, in fact, alive, but still in critical care and no where near ready for anyone to visit her. They had given the Von Helson supporters the opportunity to leave things, like messages or flowers, for her in the lobby of the hospital for staff to send them up to her room, but that was as close as anyone would get to her before she got any better.

While Marie Von Helson remained in a coma since she had been found, another life had been spared by the direct fall of the tower. Gino Gambino, unconscious for the first several days of being found himself on the shores of Barton Coast, had awoken to beeping machines, oxygen feeding forcibly down his throat by a tube, and white walls of the hospital that held nothing of comfort for him. He had wanted to sit up, to know where he was, to be able to talk without the tube in his throat, but had been placed back down by a familiar face. Ruby had pushed him back down on his back, telling him that he had to stay still, and that he couldn't move until the doctors were sure there was no injuries that would harm him more then they already had. Other then a broken leg, a collapsed lung that had already been repaired, and countless bruising, he was fine and fit.

There were too many questions that he needed to know then, too many things that weren't right, too many horrible memories that he wished would just go away. With him being in the hospital, with the memories of his past still visible, he needed someone there that could help him cope with everything that had happened. He couldn't ask Ruby about them, even with the oxygen tube now removed after a week of it being down his throat, since she wouldn't know more then he did. Not even the ones that came to see him, from Logan to Moria to Ian, could explain anything to him. There was no comfort in their words, no solace in the fact that they, too, looked as though someone had been ripped from their lives, just like he had.

Now, with almost all restraints lifted off of him except for one IV that went into his hand, he was able to get up and walk around as best as he could with a broken leg and a machine that put medicine directly into his blood stream. It had taken him ten minutes to get from his bed over to the window that overlooked the fields just outside the city. He couldn't stand for very long at the moment, a chair allowing him to gaze out into the outside world beyond his hospital room and a chance to be alone.

There was so much that he wanted to do, wanted to see now that he remembered everything, yet could bring himself to even think of trying to do that. He had lost his father, no matter how much anger there was for him leaving him once again or for the things that he remembered. There was more sadness in him then anger, something that he could never imagine achieving for anyone else. His father had been the only one that he knew, yet could never get close to without seeing the pain in his eyes. The same pain that his son now felt at the loss of someone that he wished was with him now.

"Gino?" A voice asked from the doorway of his room. Gino didn't move from the chair, his eyes continually staring out of the window with no intention of seeing who was slowly walking towards him. He had seen too many people come and go that they had all become blurred, coming together like one big puddle of mud after a rainstorm. Yet, somehow, he knew who it was that now stood by his side, a hand placed upon his shoulder as he stared blankly out into the wilderness that was beyond the civilization of Gaia.

"Hello, Edmund," Gino said blandly, blinking his eyes once but not moving them from the window. "How is Marie doing?"

"Ah, so you heard about her," Edmund said, taking his hand off the boy's shoulder. He wasn't surprised, with everyone in the hospital talking about how they had two of the most powerful people in their own hospital.

"Of course I did," He answered quietly, his eyes moving to his hands that laid in his lap. "I've known for a few days now, since the doctors started to talk about her without realizing that I was awake from a nap. That's all I heard."

"In that case, she is doing fine, last time I checked with one of her doctors," Edmund said with a smile and a quick nod. "She is doing much better then when she was found over a week ago."

"That's good," Gino said softly, his left eye twitching slightly. It wasn't because he was irritated or even angry, but because he was trying to keep his emotions in place so he wouldn't break down in front of anyone. Not even the doctors saw a tear come out of him since he had arrived.

"How are you doing?" Edmund asked, kneeling down beside the chair. "I know you get that question a lot, but I need to ask it just so I know for myself. Not anyone else."

"How do you think I'm doing?" Gino glared at him with all the strength he could put into a glare without a blurry mist of tears forming at his eyes. "I lost my father right after I remembered him, I'm in the hospital for broken bones and things I couldn't even begin to understand, and half of Gaia is in a state of panic because of my father. How would you be?"

Edmund had to be honest with himself: he hadn't expected to hear any anger in Gino's voice or see it flash in his eyes. He knew where the anger steamed from and didn't blame him for feeling like he had been abandoned again. He had seen too many times where Gino had been left behind because Johnny had other things to do, other things that didn't involve his son being there. Those times, he had never once cried out for the injustice of not having a father that was always around, instead going about his life without even knowing once why it was happening to him. If only he had his memories during the last few months, then he could have fully appreciated the things Johnny did for him more then he does now, Edmund thought.

"Your father didn't cause the tower to fall, Gino. Whoever built the tower and the one that shot him, did," He explained. It wasn't actual truth, as whatever emotions Johnny had felt during the building of the tower, had feed right into it. To ease the boy's mind, all fault from his father would have to be washed away. "It wasn't built right to begin with. It should have been done better then it had been."

"It should have never been built," Gino muttered bitterly, turning his head fully to Edmund. There now was a desperation on it, almost to a point where it looked like his eyes were pleading with him. That scared Edmund, scared him to the point where he felt his stomach drop, as though he knew what he was going to ask. "Where is he? Where is my father?"

That was a question he had dreaded answering, more so to the son that had lost his father then to the rest of Gaia. There were no words that he could form which could give the truth to him, to a person that gave him the desperate look of longing. If he couldn't answer to the citizen's of Gaia, then how could he answer to Gino? Edmund couldn't, not when there was no information to go on or anything else besides rumors.

His eyes moved away, down to the floor where he attempted to look as though he was studying something rather then not being able to answer. In reality, he was trying not to look Gino in the eye, trying not to show that he couldn't answer as truthfully as he wanted to. The look on his face, the look that wanted to know everything, was something Edmund couldn't stand. Not when it tugged at his chest and made him feel like he was useless; it made him feel worse then he already did.

"I don't know where your father is, Gino," Edmund answered after the silence had become too much for him not to answer. "I wish I knew, but I don't."

He had expected Gino to ask him again, demanding that he tell him the truth. There was truth in his words, more then if he had lied to him right at that moment. Edmund couldn't, not with the look that was on face or the fact that he didn't know himself, like the rest of Gaia. Johnny Gambino still remained the only person in the tragedy that hadn't been found yet, one that many people in Gaia wanted to be found alive if possible. Had this been after Halloween, but before Christmas and the Anniversary Ball, then the reaction of all the citizens would have been different.

"But, you're his friend! You've know him longer then....then...." Gino burst out, before it became too much for him to continue. Edmund looked up at him just as he dissolved into tears, everything that he had been holding in finally breaking free. The anger that had been on his face, the determination to know answers that he had to be told, was gone, replaced by tears and a pain that went beyond a physical sense. Gino looked torn between keeping himself composed and letting out all the pain that had wanted to break free, something his father had done when there were eyes watching him but as soon as he was alone, he had broken down.

Edmund pulled Gino close to him and wrapped his arms around him in a attempt to comfort him. There wasn't much that he could do, but it was a small thing that he could to. Keep the boy close to him and to let him know that there was someone that could offer a shoulder for him to cry on, even if that shoulder felt the same pain that he did. He let his own tears fall down his cheeks, feeling Gino's body move with every sob that he took in. That was all he needed, was to let everything out, to know that it was okay to cry and to show that he, too, was as human as the next Gaian.

"If I knew, Gino, you would be the first to know. I promise you that," Edmund whispered softly before pushing Gino away. He kept his hands on the boy's shoulders, looking him squarely in the tear-stained face that looked so worn and tired. "Your father had his faults, neither one of us can deny that, but he loved you. More then you know he did. You were the only thing that kept him sane all these years."

Gino looked away from Edmund as he wiped the tears from his face. "Then what made him snap, if he was as sane as you say he was?"

"When he couldn't find you after Halloween, when you came back without memories at Christmas, that devastated him completely. Something inside of him started to degrade, to a point that it started to make him move into a less sound mind." He sighed and shook his head. "He thought that the only way to regain your memories, was to get his riches back. In a way, it worked, but not like he wanted to. The instant rise back into power, doubled with your lost memories, was what made him go over the edge."

"Why didn't he show that he cared before I lost my memories?" Gino asked shakily. It took him a moment to steady his voice again, a deep breath calming any nerves that would break him down into tears once more. "Why couldn't he be the father I needed?"

"Your mother, Gino. You never knew her, and I know your father never talked about her," He said, smiling weakly. That was a touchy subject, Gino's mother. It had always been since she had died and Johnny hardly ever spoke about her, even to Edmund. "He saw too much of her in you as you grew, so he pushed you away because of it. All the while, he watched from a distance, still haunted by your mother's death but still caring of you."

"What was my mother like?" Gino asked, looking into Edmund's eyes. Both stared at each other for several moments, neither speaking as Edmund's face dropped. He paled slightly, his eyes turning away yet again to a question that needed an answer. This time, however, there were answers to be given, but they were answers that he, Edmund, could not give.

"I can't answer that. Only your father could. I'm sorry," Edmund said, standing up. He gave Gino's shoulder a squeeze, muttering a soft goodbye before heading for the door. There were no cries for him to come back, as he stopped at the door and looked over at him, a longing to go back and tell everything that he knew about Gino's parents to him. It was hard enough to know that he would never be with either one again, yet it was even harder to watch the same child of fallen parents to live through a tragedy that had taken one away.

Gino turned back to the window as he listened to Edmund's footsteps disappear out the door and down the hallway, seemingly content on being alone once again. He was glad for the conversation he had with Edmund, knowing only he had the answers he could trust and a calmness to him that Gino could rely on. Still, he missed his father and missed him terribly, no matter how much more pain the man had placed on him before he had lost his memories.

It was something, at least, to know that he had cared, even in death.

****

There were few places between the island and Barton that few Gaians could successfully hide in, or hadn't even explored to it's fullest. There were places where no one had bothered to look into, for there was nothing of interest to be found there. It was out of the way and out of reach by those that did not wish to look for trouble or had little adventure in them. These same, barely visited spots held more secrets then anyone knew. And one secret was about to found yet again.

The day was drawing to a close, as several Gaian's finished their last catches on Bass'ken Lake's waterfront and headed home for the night. They would take their prizes home with them, more then likely freeze the guppies for later meals or trade them for better fish. It was surprisingly quiet at the lake at this hour of the day, when there had always been many at the piers or at the edge of the water, doing their early evening fishing. Or had gone for a quick swim in the center, where they would cool off after wandering around the shops all day.

As they said their finally farewells to other fishers, they couldn't help but feel as though something was out of place. There was a light chill in the wind, a coldness that came from the direction of the island and went low. It was springtime and, yet, this night still felt as though there was still a chill of winter in the air. There were few clouds in the sky, very little gusts of strong wind that came from the north, but still was felt by those that were looking towards the port to catch any glimpses of what was coming from that direction. There was nothing and they dismissed it as a chilly spring night, going about their business as though nothing was strange.

Logan stared out of one of the fishing shop's windows that overlooked the lake, arms crossed over his chest and face set squarely ahead. He kept his line-of-sight on the middle of the lake, watching for something to stir at the surface. Only a few rainbow trout had jumped out of the water at noon that day, surprising the many that had been gathered there earlier in the day. He found no amusement in the surprised tales of fish flying and doing tricks in the air, not like he used to. Not like before, when there had been little to worry about.

It was true that he had been slightly affected to a degree with the recent events that had happened on the island and in the city, even if he didn't show it. He had always been good at giving the wrong impressions about what he thought of the rest of Gaia and what went on, but not to those that were always in his shop. They knew more about him then what Logan gave them credit for, perhaps they knew more then he thought they did. Yet, despite his solitude at the lake, he found that life slowly chipping away and a more complete life outside of it then he had in years.

He had even surprised himself when he had gone to Durem to check on Gino, because he was more worried about the boy then he let on. It had been at Agatha's request, really, to get him to the city with her again. The rare times that he had gone to the city, were when he needed to go there, not because he had nothing else better to do with his time. Any spare time away from the lake, was spent with Agatha, which gave him a smile more then it did to just sit by the lake. It was good, he told himself, to know that he could enjoy being in another's company like that again.

He couldn't admit he wasn't thrilled to see the boy looking healthier since the tower had fallen and he had been found along the Barton Coast, when he had gone to see him earlier in the week. At least, in a physical sense. Although few words had been exchanged between the two, partly because Gino couldn't even talk at the moment without looking like he was about to break down, Logan knew there was a deeper injury to Gino that no medical advancement could cure. He knew that look in his eyes, the eyes that looked out but still couldn't see. He also knew that himself, from more then a few past experiences.

Logan turned from the window as the last fisher wandered onto the path to Barton and headed home for the evening. It was still too early to close down the store, despite the urge to lock the door and head home himself, but it was still late enough to start the routine of cleaning. He uncrossed his arms from his chest, walking to the counter, eyes moving across the shelves of bait in a quick count of supplies that would need to be restocked in the morning. His routine of cleaning and straightening the store, however, was not able to get underway, as the door to the shop swung wide open and three bodies rushed in, in a clump that staggered in like a drunk party.

He turned to where the three Gaians had stopped inside, ready to tell them off for barging in like they had done. Instead, he just stared at him, mouth opened and gaze fixed solely on their pale faces and wide eyes. All three were breathing hard, looking as though they had run from the city all the way to the lake and as though they had seen something that was not of this world. If they had thought that the store closed earlier then it did, then they had no reason to hurry or to have come in a clamor like they had. If that wasn't the case, then he was about to find out.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked, looking from one Gaian to the next. He couldn't read their expressions, just that they were scared of something that had spooked them quite well.

"We....found...him," One panted as he gulped in deep breaths. "...by.....the port.....came out....of...nowhere..."

"Found who exactly?" He asked, perplexed as to who the Gaian was talking about.

"Gambino! We've found him!" The other two Gaian's snapped at the same time, their breath back quicker then their friend's was. That's when Logan felt as though his legs were about to give out on him, as he grasped the counter to keep him up. He didn't know why those words affected him like that, just that it felt as though something had punched him in the stomach. Bu the way the three were acting, all scared like, they looked more like they had found something far worse then a another body. He couldn't be sure it was the truth, until he saw proof for himself.

"Where is his body?" Logan managed to spit out. "Still there?"

"Of course it is. He wanted to leave, but we wouldn't let him. Another one of our friends is with him, just to keep him there," The first Gaian said impatiently, having finally caught his breath. "We're serious. You're the closest to the port without having to go by boat to the island, so we thought to get your help first."

Whether or not Logan truly believed them was a different matter, as he looked from one face to the other then the next. It would be safe, for the moment at least, to leave the store, locked of course, and see if it was true or not. If it wasn't, then it wouldn't be the first time he had been made a fool. If it was true, then there would be a lot of explaining to do.

And not just from the one that was supposed to be dead.

****

Sleep wasn't something that had come easy to the land of Gaia, not even to those that had no direct connection with the tower's collapse or anyone that had been injured or killed in the tower's direct line of sight. There was a general uneasiness that went across the land, as though something else had fallen upon the land and was affecting everyone once again.

Gino felt that same uneasiness as he laid on his right side, unable to find comfort in sleep. He had managed to get a few hours of sleep since the last visitor of the day had come in, but found that sleep to be lacking in the dreams that he had always been able to loose himself in. Perhaps it was because he would only be in the hospital for a few days more, returning to one of the two mansions that was left to him, or that he would be returning to an empty home. There was no one there, other then the maids and cooks that served under his father, to greet him and console him when he needed that comfort the most.

He dreaded having to face the public, when there was already an outcry for blood to begin with. It had come from the rabid supporters of the Von Helsons, who wanted any remaining blood of Johnny's to be spilt on the same hallow ground in which their beloved Anna Von Helson had perished. Those that still supported the remaining sister, those that did not share the same cold-blooded thoughts, had little bad things to say to the boy, despite who his father had been. Although there was still some bad blood between the two sides, they seemed to be coping together with the same tragedy that had hit them all.

Gino did not want to listen to either side bicker about who started what, or any of the soft stepping everyone seemed to be doing around him. No one gave him straight answers, or the answers that he wanted so much. He now had enough of trying to get things out of people, going into a state where he did not want to ask question nor answer the questions that he did not wish to answer. He had enough of everyone trying to look to him as though he was a saint and could put everything back together again. He didn't know what the public expected him to do, but he was not going to be their public servant. Not now, when there was too much grief and too many unanswered questions. When the time came to take his father's place, he would do so with the obligation that he would not be in the spot light for long.

Just as he closed his eyes to attempt sleep once again, two pairs of footsteps walked quickly into the room, two low voices muttering things to each other. One was a female, the other male, that much he could determine by their soft whispering at first. He couldn't understand what either one was saying until the man started to raise his voice and the words 'unbelievable' and 'how could it have happened' were the only ones that really stuck in his mind at the moment. The woman, who had attempted to keep her voice as low as possible, was trying to silence the man and was most likely trying to see if the boy was still awake. He assumed that these two were a doctor and a nurse, and were talking about him or someone else.

"Should we wake him? I mean, after all, it is his...." What he thought was the doctor stammer out louder then he had before, before becoming silent like the nurse had successfully silenced him. Gino opened his eyes slightly, to see who was in the room with him without alerting either person that he was actually awake. He saw, standing at the edge of his bed, two people, one dressed in a doctor's coat and the other in a nurse's uniform. They both were looking nervous and scared, without even knowing that the boy was awake.

"No, let him sleep. He'll be told in the morning," The nurse said in a nervous whisper. He hadn't heard what the two had been saying at first, as he slowly sat up, attempting to look as though he had just been awoken from a deep sleep. It would give them the impression that the nurse and doctor had awoken him by their voices alone.

"Tell me what in the morning?" Gino asked, rubbing his eyes some. The light in the room was still dim, but bright enough that it did hurt his eyes to see. Both doctor and nurse jumped, turning from their positions that had faced each other, and stared directly at him. There was a certain surprise on their faces that indicated they had not expected him to be awake at this hour. There were several nervous glances to each other, drawn-out pauses in which made him wonder what they had been talking about before. It took them several minutes to look down upon him again, but with more of an uneasiness then before.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep," The nurse said in a calm and quiet voice that reminded Gino of one of his former nanny's. There was a flash of anger that went across his face, something that shone on their faces.

"What is it that you don't want me to know?" Gino asked, this time with a hint of impatience in his voice. He was tired of people stepping lightly around him for the last week; even Edmund had seemed to have done it and he had given Gino the most straight forward answers in the last few days.

"It's that...." The nurse began before the doctor interrupted her.

"The nurse thinks that you need to sleep, but I believe this should not wait until morning," He said, the nervousness gone from his voice and a stern look coming upon his face. This doctor, Gino had before, when he had first woken up. It wasn't really a face that he could connect with, but someone that he knew would try to weasel around rules just for him. "I'll get you a spare wheelchair so that we can take you."

Without another word, the doctor left the room in a quiet hurry, giving the nurse a fleeting look as he left. The nurse ignored it as best as she could, a nervous smile on her lips as she glanced down at him. Gino didn't look at her right away, his eyes moving from the doorway onto her face for a single moment. He had been woken up in the middle of the night before, for things that he wished nurses wouldn't even bother with until morning or when he wasn't trying to sleep. He wondered why they were in her room at such an hour and what they were talking about, as the nurse came around to one side of his bed and took his hand into hers.

"Gino, if you are too tired to do this tonight, we can always go in the morning," The nurse said affectionately. "Sometimes, doctors think that things have to be done as soon as possible, without other considerations."

"What is it? What is going on?" He asked, staring intently at her. This was one of the moments where he just wanted someone to come out and say what they meant to say and not go around, trying to cover up their tracks. He had that happen to him all week, now at his breaking point with anyone that tried to ignore his questions. "What does this have to do with me?

"You will be taken to see someone," The nurse said, taking in a deep breath. "I don't want you to be alarmed about what you are going to see, so be prepared for it."

"Are you taking me to see Marie? If so, I..." Gino started, just as the doctor returned to the room. He pushed a maroon, tattered-looking wheelchair to the side where the IV machine was plugged into the wall, the nurse standing up quickly. Neither one bothered to look at each, like they knew what they were doing and as though they did not want him to know what was really going on.

The doctor looked down at Gino, the nurse standing where she was as the doctor motioned for him to get into the wheelchair without assistance. Gino looked at the doctor with a raised eyebrow, not expecting at all the reaction on his face when he did not get up instantly. In the last week, so many people had offered to do things for him that Gino had almost expected the same hospitality to continue on with the doctor and nurse. He sighed, pushing himself out of the bed on the leg that was not in a cast, and slowly sat down onto the wheelchair. There were lines that hooked up to the IV machine that he had to get around, as he settled down into the uncomfortable thing.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked, as the doctor unplugged the IV monitor from the wall and the nurse walking behind him. Neither one answered as quick as he had hoped they would, the wheelchair backing up a few paces before it was turned around and lead towards the doorway of his room.

"The ICU of the hospital," The doctor said sharply as he pushed the IV monitor alongside the wheelchair, looking down at him for a brief moment. "You'll see when we get there. It will only take but about five minutes to get there, since you are on the same floor."

Gino closed his eyes for a moment, snorting as he was lead down the hallway and into a turn. Although he was glad that he was able to get out of his room for a few minutes, he wished he was back in the room already, sleeping even a disturbed and uneasy sleep. If this was to see someone that he did not know, the he knew the nurse was more then right. It could wait until morning when he felt more like visiting people, but since he was already awake, he felt like he might as well see who he was visiting. He did not know much of Marie, just from what little he had seen of the sisters during the Anniversary Ball and what those that visited him, told of her.

It didn't take them long to reach the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, where some of the most critical Gaians were. Many of the beds that were occupied, housed mainly those that had been hit directly with the tower. There were no other rooms available for them, so they had to spend their days with others that had been injured, some not as bad as the others. The nurse and doctor stopped just short of the ICU's nurse's station, the doctor looking down at Gino with a paralyzing look on his face.

"I think it is best that you first stay seated in the wheelchair, until the shock wears off," He said calmly. "After that, you can get up if you want to. There aren't any life-threatening injuries, surprisingly, so there is no real need to be cautious."

If there was any indication on who this stranger was that he was about to see, then neither the doctor nor the nurse implied at who it was as he was pushed into the ICU even further. The nurses behind the counter look up, then move their eyes back down to their work as he passed them, his puzzlement outgrowing his anger. There was something that nagged at him, something that told him he wasn't about to visit someone that he had never met before. His heart began to pound into his chest as the doctors pushed him into a small room that had it's curtains drawn and a little light in it.

The nurse and doctor stop moving, as they set Gino close enough to the bed for him to look at who was laying there, both looking at each other before they calmly walked out for the time being. Gino looked over his shoulder at them, seeing that they were staying close enough in case he needed to call them back inside, before he turned to the person that laid upon the bed. It took him several minutes to recognize who is laying there, and a gladness that he is sitting down, as any color that was on his face drained, his eyes going wide, and his body starting to tremble.

"Fa...father?" Gino stammered, seeing the form of Johnny K. Gambino laying there, propped up by the bed and pillows, and a blanket up to his waist. His eyes were closed, his body motionless, and looking as serene like he was not even breathing. There were monitors beeping vitals signs back out, a IV stuck in his arm, and other things that Gino did not know of.

Regardless of what was being poked inside of him, Gino jumped up quickly from the wheelchair and threw his arms over his father's chest, crying at the sight of this man laying there. It was as though a ton of bricks had suddenly lifted from his shoulders and he could finally know that he was back with his father, regardless of how much time he had left with him or if he even knew that his son was there. He didn't even feel a hand brush against his back or the eyes of the man open and look down at the boy that was sobbing upon his bare chest.

"Gino..." Johnny whispered, attempting his best to squeeze his arm around the boy's shoulder's. Gino's head snapped up just as quickly as he had jumped out of the wheelchair, a smile coming upon his lips as he looked at his father. There was a small smile on Johnny's lips, a look on his face that conveyed what no words could.

"You....you're alive...." Gino sobbed, giving his father's chest a squeeze. It was something he had missed out on when he first remembered his own father and was not going to let it pass him by again.

"Of course I'm alive," He coughed, as Gino pulled himself away from his father and sat back into the wheelchair slowly and quietly. "We Gambino's don't die easily."

"But....the shot. I saw it...." Gino said, sobs breaking his words apart. Johnny smiled gently at the boy, a few of his own tears rolling down his cheeks.

"The bullet only grazed my side, not where I had thought it had. It was just a shock that, well...." His voice trailed off, both knowing the events that had taken place a week before.

"But, I saw you fall. How could you survive it?" Gino protested, his voice becoming more composed as he wiped the tears from his face. Johnny laughed at the question, before he winced in pain and rubbed the spot where the bullet had hit him.

"Yes, that. That's where most of my injuries are from and the reason why I'm in the intensive care. You'd think that it would have killed me," He said with a sign, moving his uninjured arm towards his body. "I can't explain it, Gino. Maybe the gods and goddesses just didn't see fit with my death just yet."

Gino stared at his father for what seemed like forever, the shock of seeing him laying there, hooked up to monitors and as though there was nothing really wrong with him, finally wearing off. There was nothing on his body to indicate that there was anything seriously wrong or life-threatening with his body, nothing that warranted him to be in intensive care. Other then what he could see, which was a broken arm, both of his legs broken, the bullet wound that he could see patched up, bruises all over his body, and a bandage around his head with dried blood on it, there was nothing else that looked like it would be a long-term injury. Even though he knew that, being in the ICU was just a precaution, he could feel a certain degree of anger starting to rise inside of him.

"You do know that the tower collapsed, don't you?" Gino asked quietly. His father had to know it was gone, with all the rubble that was laying between the city and the island. Even with him being presumed dead for a week, it wasn't hard to miss.

"Yes, I know. I know it fell, but I don't know how far," Johnny said after a minute of silence.

"It fell all the way to Durem. There is still a lot of rubble on the island, along the coast line, and in the city." His voice was shaky, less composed then it had been a few moments before. "A lot of peopled died because of the tower, including Anna Von Helson. Her sister, Marie, is still alive, but barely."

If the news of the tower falling all the way to the city hadn't erased the once happy expression on his face, the news that one Von Helson sister was dead, did. Johnny looked away from Gino, turning his head away as he stared at the wall. The feud between the two families was a rift that had been beyond imagination and one that neither one seemed determined to back down from. Yet, in all the years that he cursed them, never once had he honestly wanted either dead. Not like this, not while it hurt other people in the process. There was something in his eyes that Gino doesn't see, something that he wouldn't ever know of.

"Say something," Gino said after a few moments of silence. "Say something that I know you honestly didn't mean for this to happen."

"Gino, I didn't," He said, turning his head back to his son. "I didn't think it would fall, or that I would get shot, or for any of this to happen. There is nothing that I can say that would make it better."

"I want to know the truth. I want to know why the tower was built." He leaned forwards, the determination that he had in his eyes earlier back in them. "Was it because of the sisters? Was it because that you felt threatened when they came back? Or was it truly because you wanted to get my memories back?"

"I...I..." Johnny stumbled on the words that he wanted to say, but nothing came out of his mouth. He is shocked to hear the doubt in his son's voice as he tried to put the words he wanted to say, into his son's mind. "If you want to know the truth, then there is really not much truth to it. It was because of the sisters, mostly."

"Mostly?" Gino raised an eyebrow at his father, wanting him to continue.

"I had originally thought that getting donations would help you get your memories back, but it didn't work like that. I hadn't expected that much donations in such a short amount of time that it took. The power...it felt go to feel it again." There was a brief pause, as Johnny breathed hard to get air back into his lungs so he could continue. "That's when everything went downhill. It was too much for me to handle, you without your memories, the sisters throwing me out of Durem, the gold pouring in like it was---I just snapped. Everything just came together."

"I want to know about my mother," Gino said in a firm voice, changing the subject quickly so that his father would become confused and start talking about something that he had refused to talk about before. "I want to know everything about her. I want to know why you haven't talked about her with me."

If he thought his father was in a state that he could become confused easily, he was more then wrong. Johnny's mouth opened and closed several times, no words coming from his lips. It was as though he couldn't speak the words that he wanted to or that he was refusing to tell Gino anything about his mother. Johnny looked like he had been shot again, this time by his own son. He knew this was not the time to be talking about his son's mother, not when there was other things that needed to be sorted out. He wanted to tell Gino everything, but not now.

"I should have told you about her when you were much younger, but I couldn't. I had blamed you for her death, because she died several days after you were born---it had been too much for her to handle. I didn't want anything to do with you for the first several weeks, but your cries were so pitiful and so sad," Johnny said in a small voice. "They were calling to your mother, just like my own were. I...I...truly held you for the first time, a month after you were born. It was then I knew you'd be just like your mother, in almost every way."

Their eyes came together, as though they were seeing each other for the first time in their lives. Gino saw everything come together in his father's face, everything that he had never noticed before until now. His father hadn't cared about him, not until Christmas he hadn't. He remembered the looks on his father's face then, when he looked down upon his son with flaming eyes. But those eyes were still caring about you, the voice of reason inside of him said. He still cared, whether it took sixteen years for it to finally show or if it took sixteen days.

Gino found himself torn between wanting to jump up, throw his arms around his father's neck, and cry on his shoulder or asked to be taken back to his room without even doing anything else. His father was not saying anything, his eyes looking down at his hands and face totally blank. He had never really been the father Gino had needed in his life to this moment and probably wouldn't be for the remainder of it. He had been happy not knowing anything about this man, even though he had seen how torn he had been when he found his son without memories of him. That was keeping Gino there, knowing that, for a few months at least, he had been the perfect father towards him. Maybe that was enough for him at the moment.

"I'm tired. I want to go back to my room, please," Gino said suddenly, glancing quickly over his shoulder. He didn't know if the nurse and doctor that had brought him to his father had listened to the entire conversation, and he found that he did not care if they had nor not. The nurse turned the wheelchair around and started to push him out of his father's room, the doctor pulling the IV machine behind him.

"Goodnight," Johnny said softly but loud enough for his son to hear. Gino ignored it as best as he could, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He said nothing, instead listening to the echo of his voice wander in his mind. That gave him some comfort to know that he could hear Johnny's voice once more before he went to bed, no matter how troubling his dreams would be.

At least his father was still alive and that was all that mattered.