Chapter 14 - Lunch Date Worries.

'People who don't see you every day have a hard time understanding how on some days, good days, you can run three miles but can barely walk across the parking lot on other days' ~ Jennifer Starzec Daniella's P.O.V. Why is it that when we say I'm fine or I'm ok, the people around us never seem to believe what we're saying?. For the past thirty minutes or so, I've been trying my hardest to convince my godparents Preston and Evelyn, that I'm perfectly fine and that there's nothing for them to worry about with me but they refuse to believe a single word that I'm saying. I mean, I understand why they don't believe me considering the emotional rollercoaster that I've been on the past couple of months and also the fact that Rosa said that I look like a Zombie with the flu which is reason enough for them to doubt my words but still, I really wish that they would believe what I'm telling them because I feel fine even if I don't look it. Maybe if they did, then I wouldn't have to play twenty freaking questions with them which feels like I'm answering a never-ending medical questionnaire. "Are you sure you're ok, bebita? because you don't look it, have you been looking after yourself, mi amor?" (Baby girl) (My love) "Your papa is right, Daniella, have you been taking your vitamins? are you eating healthily? are you eating enough? are you getting enough electrolytes? are you sleeping properly and at least getting your eight hours a night? because you know a good night's sleep is vital for the human body to function, right? oh and you're not working too hard, are you? because overexertion is never good for..." "Relax mama, I'm fine" I said with a slight chuckle as I gently gripped my godmother's hand. "If you're fine, princesa, then please explain to your mama and me why you look so pale? you look like death warmed over, Daniella which isn't a good look on a woman as beautiful as you are" "Thanks papa, you really know how to charm a girl" I said and we all chuckled. "I try my best, mi cariño" (My darling) He said with that cheeky smile of his that I love so much. "Now, tell your mama and me what's going on with you, Dani?" "Nothing's going on with me, papa" I said as I let out a sigh. "I'm just trying to get my life back to normal, that's all, which isn't an easy thing to do, as you both know" "Yeah and your efforts aren't being helped by my i***t big brother" Rosa muttered angrily whilst rolling her eyes. "What do you mean, Rosie?" "Yeah, what's that hijo de puta done now, huh?" (Son of a b***h) My godfather growled at me. "Papa, please" I said barely above a whisper as I closed my eyes in frustration. I love my godparents more than anything but sometimes their overprotectiveness and devotion to me, especially when it comes to men can be very overpowering and kind of annoying sometimes. I remember when I first started dating Dante and my mom and dad wanted to have the talk with him about how a man should treat a woman but unfortunately, it wasn't just them who wanted to have this talk, my godparents also wanted to join in as well and I swear it was like watching a scene out of a mafia movie, that's how scary and intense it was. Honestly, this should've been my first clue that Dante's more of a dangerous badass than I gave him credit for because the man barely flinched at being interrogated by the four most important people in my life, especially my dad and my papa who went all Don Corleone on him. I guess that's why my parents chose Preston and Evelyn to be my godparents over anyone else in their lives because they knew that my mama and papa would love and care for me the same way that they did and that they'd look after me and be just as overprotective of me as they were as well. "I'm sorry, bebé, I know that you love that boy but he hurt you" (Baby girl) My papa said sounding angry. "Dante hurt and damn near broke the most important person in our lives and as you know, sweet girl, your mama and I don't like it when anyone messes with our hija, especially not the man who Mario and I had entrusted you with and treated like our own hijo" (Daughter) (Son) He says and I let out a sigh as my godmother gently grips my hand. "What's going on, cariño? Dante hasn't been harassing you, has he? because if he has, then you know your papa can..." (Sweetheart) "He can do nothing, mama...papa can do nothing to help me" "What do you mean, hija?" My papa asked sounding confused and angry. "You know exactly what I mean, papa" I said as I let out a breath. I then briefly looked over at Rosa before looking back at my godparents who were looking at me in confusion. "You know better than anyone what it's like chasing men like Dante DeLuca, papa...I mean, weren't you the one who said that chasing people like Dante is like chasing ghosts?" "Yes, I did say that but only because bikers and motorcycle clubs aren't my speciality, Daniella, organisations such as the mafia and the cartel are more my area of expertise" He says and I rolled my eyes whilst smiling. "Oh, I know but that doesn't mean that you don't know anything about them" "And what makes you think that, my hija?" My papa asks with a smile as he narrows his eyes at me. "Because you and your FBI buddies are worse than all of the gossip queens at church when it comes to your cases, papa, all you guys need is a couple cases of beer or bottles of tequila and some bags of chips and you're quickly swapping stories with each other" "She's got you there, papi" My mama said with a smirk and a chuckle as she took a sip of her water. "Dios mío" (My god) My papa gasped. "Mario may be gone but his smartass mouth lives on in our little princess, Evie" He said as both he and my mama smiled proudly at me. "Well, he had to pass on something to the girl, Preston" "Exactly" I said with a cheeky smile. "But a smart mouth wasn't the only thing my daddy left me with, papa" "Is that so, amore?" "Mmm-hmm" I said with a nod of my head. "And what else did my best friend leave you with, princesa?" He asked me sounding intrigued. "Well, he left me with a lot of valuable life lessons, one of those being not fighting in a fight that you know you can't win" "Erm, excuse me, Miss Daniella Lopez, who the hell said I can't win in a fight?" He asks sounding sassy and annoyed as I smirked at him. "Your bad hip and dodgy knee told me, viejo" (Old man) "Hey, less of the old man, princesa" "Exactly, it's my job to insult your papa, amore, not yours, Dani" My mama said as she winked at her shocked husband. "I can't believe this...my girls are tag teaming against me, what is this world coming to?" "They get that from you and your hermanos, uncle" (Brothers) Rosa says and we laugh as my papa groans and shakes his head. "And I'll have you know, sweet girl, that this dodgy hip and bad knee comes with one hell of a mouth and a mean right hook, just ask your uncle Ronnie" "If I remember correctly, papa, you hurt uncle Ronnie's pride and ego more than you hurt him physically" I said with a chuckle. "I still hurt him, amore" He muttered against his glass right as the food arrived. At first, I was excited to finally receive our food because I was starving and I was looking forward to having some sushi which I've been craving a lot lately but then the smell suddenly hit me and I immediately felt nauseous and dizzy. What the hell?. What is wrong with me lately?. First, I was repulsed by the smell of bourbon on Dante's breath and now the smell of sushi is twisting my stomach. "Oh god" I groaned as I covered my mouth. "Is everything ok, mija?" (My daughter) "I don't know, I feel...I feel really queasy" I said whilst trying to fight back the bile in my throat. "I think I need to go to the bathroom" "Ok, do you want me to come with you, bebita?" My mama asked me and I shook my head as I lazily waved my hand at her. "No, it's ok, I'll be...I'll be fine" I said as I attempted to stand up but my vision became even blurrier causing me to stumble and fall to the ground. "Oh my god, Dani" "MIJA!!" Rosa and my godparents shouted as they crowded around me. I tried my hardest to keep my eyes open but it was kind of hard to do so when they felt like they were being weighed down by big, giant boulders. In the end, I gave in trying to stay awake and I succumbed to the darkness as the loud and very panicked voices around me turned into a quiet mumble. Rosa Maria's P.O.V. I knew it, I f*****g knew it. I've known for a while now that something was seriously wrong with Daniella. Even before she told me about her weird symptoms, I knew that something wasn't right with her but my heart always told me that she was just grieving and that this was the reason why she was feeling so off because her whole world had been blown apart in such a short space of time but then her symptoms started to escalate. She started to feel squeamish with certain foods and drink, she's become unusually sensitive to random smells, she's been feeling exhausted a lot lately and has been sleeping for long hours in the day time which is totally out of the norm for Dani because she's never been a fan of sleeping during the day. There's also the fact that she's been having really bad mood swings as well which I once again put down to her losing her parents but lately, I'm not so sure. I've tried my hardest to get her to go and see her doctor and find out what's wrong with her but Dani always refuses to go because of some inane fear she's got about them because in her mind or more so in her experience, I should say, she's never received any good news from going to see a doctor. I was gonna leave it alone but then I walked into Daniella's bathroom and the feeling in my head, my heart and my gut grew stronger when I saw her sickly pale face even under her make-up and I smelled the lingering scent of puke in the air. There's also the fact that I had walked in on her brushing her teeth after she'd done her make-up which she never does because she doesn't see the point in it and now she's fainted after feeling dizzy and nauseous. Wait. Fainting, dizzy spells, nausea, mood swings, an aversion to certain food, drinks and smells. Oh god. "Rosie...Rosie baby, are you ok?" Auntie Evie asks me as I look up at her in confusion. "We need to get Dani to the hospital" I said barely above a whisper. "She's right, Evie" Uncle Preston said as he picked Daniella up bridal style. Auntie Evelyn then paid for our bill and grabbed hold of my hand before briskly leading us out of the restaurant. When we got into the car, I sat in the passenger seat next to my uncle who quickly sped off while my auntie prayed to god in the backseat to save Daniella which may seem dramatic to some but for us it's not, especially considering how intense and stressful the past couple of months have been for her. "Don't worry, auntie, everything's gonna be ok, Dani will be ok" "I know, bebita, I know she'll be alright, I'm just...I'm just worried about her, that's all" Auntie said sounding like she was on the brink of tears. "You know, my gut has been telling me for a while now that something was right with her but Dani always brushes off our concerns and tells me she's fine" "Yeah, I know the feeling" I said with a chuckle whilst trying to call my brother who wasn't answering me. A part of me wanted to wait until Daniella was awake to see if she wanted us to call him but if my suspicions are right, then he deserves to know what's going on with her. I must've called Dante around twenty times before I eventually gave up and sent him a text. 'Call me ASAP, asshole, I need to talk to you about Daniella, it's important' That should do it.