The Moretti Heiress

Chapter Eighty Two

Four goddamn days later—after enough IV fluids to drown a grown man, a thousand tests, and nurses hovering like she was made of spun sugar—Serena was finally discharged.

The moment she stepped out of the hospital room in her oversized hoodie, loose joggers, and those ridiculous hospital grip socks still clinging to her feet, she threw her arms in the air like a victorious gladiator.

"Finally! Freedom! Fucking fresh air! No wires, no beep-beep machines, no creepy-ass nurse who keeps checking my catheter when it's not even there anymore—"

Smack.

A light but swift slap landed on the back of her head.

"Ow!" she snapped, whipping around to glare at Dante, who looked zero percent sorry and one hundred percent like he'd been waiting four days to do that.

"You goddamn idiot," Dante muttered, voice low but loaded with that big-brother bite. "What fucking freedom? You're still on like twelve meds, you need help standing for more than ten minutes, and you passed out yesterday. Remember?"

Serena scowled. "That was because of the drugs, not because I'm weak, you walking espresso shot."

"You looked like a dying iPhone battery. Don't make me duct-tape you to the bed again."

"That was one time."

"And it worked."

"Oh my god," Adrian groaned from ahead, striding toward the SUV with a stack of paperwork. "Can you both shut the fuck up? We haven't even made it to the elevator and you're already bickering like toddlers on meth."

Serena stuck her tongue out at him. Adrian didn't even turn.

Behind her, Nico was balancing a stupidly massive "WELCOME HOME, MENACE" banner in one hand and a battle-scarred stuffed panda in the other. Kayden was on snack duty and resembled a very stressed delivery boy—tote bags on each arm, juice boxes under one elbow, her meds and vitamins in a Ziploc bag clenched between his teeth.

"I feel so light!" Serena beamed, twirling in place with a dramatic flair.

And immediately stumbled sideways into Dante.

He caught her like he knew it was coming.

"See?" he snapped. "That. That is why you're on supervised breathing privileges."

"Fuck off, I just twirled a little."

"Twirl again and I swear to God I'm strapping you into a wheelchair," Luca said, striding past her like the Grim Reaper in sneakers. "And don't test me. I brought it."

Serena blinked. "You brought a wheelchair?"

Nico grinned wickedly. "It's hot pink."

"Fuck off."

"I decorated it with skull stickers and named it 'The Vengeance Chariot.'"

"...Okay, that's actually kind of badass," she admitted as they exited the building.

The hospital doors slid open and the outside world greeted her like a long-lost friend. The breeze was cool, the sun wasn't too harsh, and the air didn't reek of antiseptic and despair.

She nearly cried from joy.

Once she was settled inside the SUV—sandwiched between Nico and Kayden, despite Dante's grumbling about balance and safety—Serena leaned back, exhaling like she'd just been freed from prison.

And then suddenly—like her brain had finally caught up—her eyes widened.

"Wait. Theo," she said quickly, panic rising like a wave. "Where is he? Is he okay? Why hasn't he visited me? Did something happen? Did—did he—"

Kayden immediately reached for her hand and gripped it tight. "Hey. Breathe, baby. He's okay."

Adrian twisted around from shotgun. "He's alive. Discharged two days ago. Broken ribs and a mild concussion, but he's healing."

"Why wasn't he allowed to visit me?" she asked, voice small now.

"Because he was a goddamn emotional disaster," Nico muttered. "Dad said he was too high on painkillers and wouldn't stop crying."

"He begged to see you," Dante added. "Like full-blown ugly crying. Dad had to sedate him at one point."

Serena blinked. "...I fucking knew Theo had soft boy energy."

"You two are the same brand of feral chaos," Adrian muttered. "You're like the Spider-Man meme."

"Shut up," she said, smiling now despite herself. "I wanna see him. Today."

"Absolutely not," Luca said from the driver's seat. "You're going home, you're resting. You collapse one more time and I'm calling a priest."

"Don't test me, Baldilocks."

"I have hair, gremlin."

"Yeah, like three strands clinging to life."

"You're one punch away from being carried into the house."

Kayden snorted. "Honestly, I missed this."

"Missed what?" Serena asked, eyeing him.

"You. This. Us."

She looked at him then—really looked—and softened. "I missed you too, dumbass."

He leaned in and kissed her temple, letting his lips linger there like a promise. She grumbled under her breath but didn't pull away.

When they pulled into the Moretti estate driveway, Diego and Noah were already waiting at the door like two overly caffeinated guard dogs. Alessandro stood behind them, arms folded, face unreadable.

As soon as Serena stepped out of the SUV—grumbling about needing a better car playlist—Noah swept her into a crushing hug that lifted her off the ground.

"You look like a raccoon in a hoodie," he sniffled.

"Thanks, you look like a gym rat with emotional issues."

Diego took her next, but his hug was gentler, longer. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "It's good to have you home, querida."

When Alessandro finally stepped forward, he didn't say a word. He just pulled her in and held her to his chest. One hand cradled the back of her head like he still couldn't quite believe she was alive.

She didn't speak either. Just stood there, eyes closed, breathing him in.

Back inside the house, chaos would resume—rules, curfews, maybe even a GPS ankle tracker courtesy of Dante. But she didn't care.

She was alive. Theo was alive. And her people were safe.

That was more than enough.

Kind of.

Not really.

But she was ready for whatever came next.

A/N:

Serena: "Fresh air, bitches!"
Dante: [proceeds to slap her back into supervised breathing]
Theo crying, Luca buying wheelchairs, Nico making banners—MENACE IS BACK AND THE FAMILY IS TRAUMATIZED.
Drop your theories for the Theo x Serena reunion. Will it be emotional? Chaotic? Both? (Spoiler: It's both)