Chapter 14 When I meet the parents

"Ben." Mia's voice hauls me from sleep. We got up early this morning to catch the plane so that we can be in time for Mia's mother's surgery. I tied up some loose ends last night so I decided to catch up on some sleep on the plane. "I think we are practically there, we need to get our story straight."

"Our story?" My voice was hoarse from sleep. I open and close my eyes a few times to get them used to the light.

"Yes." She nods nervously or excitedly. I wasn't convinced. "How did my mother get a heart? How did I know it before they did? Who are you?" Her last sentence almost faded. "Maybe you should stay at a hotel. My father will have many questions if I bring home someone."

"Mia, calm down. We talked about this. I am not leaving you alone." I sit up straight. I couldn't take the chance of her being alone and somebody trying to hurt her. There is no way that the families don't already know who she is. I can't take the chance. "Everything will be fine."

"Are you sure? Because my father will have questions and might not be so loving towards you and you can't just shoot him."

"I know." I nod. "Not authorized to kill Mia's family." I remind myself mocking her.

"I didn't mean it like that." Her face softens and she places her hand over mine. "I am just not used to lying to my parents." She explains herself. I knew she didn't mean it. She is scared and nervous. I could understand that, but there was something else, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"What is really bothering you?" I question her keeping my hand still beneath her, scared that she would remove it and the touch would be gone.

"It is nothing." She removes her hand anyway. Fuck.

"Tell me." I cock my head to the side keeping my voice low.

"It is stupid. Don't worry about it." She shakes her head like the thought would just go away. "I just... I was wondering." She inhales deeply. "Giulia was."

"You want to know what I said to her?" I couldn't stop the smile covering my face. She was jealous. Why else would it bother her? "I told her that I already had a girlfriend and that she was very unpredictable and crazy." I chuckled.

"Ooh..." She breathes covering her eyes and letting her head hang low trying to hide the glint of red covering her cheeks. This was the first time I have seen her blush and god was she beautiful.

"I am not that crazy." She shakes her head in disbelief.

"And I am not that mean." I inform her. She needed to know that.

"I know." She raises her head and turns her body towards me. "If I let myself believe that you are not scary or mean I am afraid of what I would feel like. I don't want to like you. I don't want to want to kiss you right now." The words barely left her beautiful, red and soft lips when my lips mashed against hers. The cold taste of mint brushed against my lips, I placed my hand on the small of her back pulling her closer as I cup her face with my other hand. I lick against her bottom lip before pushing my tongue against her teeth forcing her to let me in before I deepen the kiss. Her breath was cold in my mouth as her breathing rapidly changed. I had to push myself away from her with all my force otherwise I wouldn't be able to let go of her.

"You..." I pant my lungs gulping for air. "I need you to be mine."

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" She smiles pleasingly as she narrows her eyes and once she realizes that I wasn't going to answer her she places both her hands around my collar as she pulls herself forward to sit on my lap. "You don't have girlfriends, remember?" She teases me as she brushes her lips against mine. "Let's see where this goes."

"Daddy!" Mia cries out the moment her father steps out of the small brick house. He was quite a big guy the men that threatened him must really have been tough. He is about 6 feet 2 inches and wide as a brick. His head was almost bold possibly from all the stress he endured during life. "This is Ben." She introduces me once she was done hugging him and I catch up with our bags, which I promptly place on the ground to extend my hand.

"So you must be the reason my daughter hasn't come by to see her mother?" He takes my hand in his shaking it with his hard grip which I return. "Michael Smith" He speaks his name as he let go of my hand and pats me on the shoulder with his hand. "Come on in son."

The living room and open plan kitchen were about the size of my bedroom. There were two brown couches that each stood in the left shaping a triangle against the walls with a small television set pointed towards it with a small coffee table which stood on a dark red carpet separated the couches and the television. There was not much room to move around, but it looked cozy.

The kitchen stood in the background where only a white old fridge matching a two-plate stove. The cupboards were the same white and nothing stood upon them except a lousy small old coffee machine. The thought of Mia growing up like this broke my heart. I knew what it felt like being poor, but this was heartbreaking to think that this would still be her life if she didn't stumble on to me that night. "You can bring those suitcases over here." Michael points towards the hallway on my right size which was decorated with pictures of Mia her father and her mother. No frames, just printed photos stick to the walls. "You young people these days share rooms from the day you start dating." He shakes his head as he opens the first door in the hallway.

"Thank you." I dismiss his commenting of thinking that Mia and I are sleeping in the same bed as I enter the lightly pink painted room. The double bed stood in the middle in-between two small light brown side tables. There were all kinds of stuffed animals decorating the bed on top of a red duvet. It looked like Valentine's day.

"Oh, god." Mia gasp behind me making me turn around as I place the suitcase on the ground.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered as she near me.

"Your father showed me here." I put my hands up in the air in the way one would surrender. "He thinks I am your boyfriend." I inform her.

"This is crazy." She pushes both her hands into her hair. Her fingers massaging her scalp. "Okay, I did this for you one time. Now I need you to do this for me." She clasps her hands together in a way of begging.

"You didn't need to ask, Mia-mor." I cup her cheek in my hand my thumb brushing over her cheek. I would do anything for her.

"Thank you." She breaths before standing on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on my lips. It was only a small and quick kiss, but it meant something, I just wasn't quite sure exactly what. She left the room before I could say anything. So I quickly called Sofia to get an update on the hearts which was on its way and they will have to start prepping soon. Everything was going well thus far.

I assumed that Mia took the time to give her father the news while I was in the room because both of them were sitting on the same couch wrapping their arms around each other. "We need to go now." I interrupt their moment. "I just talked to Doctor Sofia and she said that they will soon start prepping your mother."

"Yes, let's go." Mia jumps up and brushes away some lost tears on her face. "I am just going to wash my face. You should go get the car ready."

"I really appreciate everything you are doing for my daughter, but I need to know that your intentions are clear," Michael speaks as soon as Mia left the room. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, but she has never before brought home a boyfriend or talked about a man like she talks about you. I haven't always been able to look out for her, but I tried and I am only trying to protect her now." He really loves his daughter. I respect that.

"I give you my word, sir. Mia will always be protected by me. I will never hurt her or let anyone else hurt her. Your daughter means the world to me and I am only trying to help where possible. I am not sure what she told you, but I can promise you, that I want nothing from her." I comfort him. This was true, even if she didn't want me and I would let her go eventually. I will never want anything from her that she wasn't willing to give me.

"Daddy..." Mia shrug as she enters the room. "I told you not to give him a speech." She smiles, mouthing me a 'sorry'.

Michael wanted to drive us to the hospital with his green 1979 Chevrolet Chevair which was falling apart and definitely a threat to our lives, but luckily Mia persuaded her father to let me drive us with the rental BMW X7. She came up with some lame excuse about paying for the gas anyway so why not use it. It didn't take her very long until I was seated behind the wheel with her father next to me and her at the back.

As soon as we reach the hospital Mia's face dropped. This was not the way she wanted to see her mother, but this was where we were. "Everything will be ok." I try to comfort her. " After today your mother will get better and you will be done with hospitals." I walk beside her and her father in front of us. She wraps her arm around my waist as we enter. "I will wait here." I pause in the waiting area.

"No, you should be in there with me." She stops when my body stopped moving. "You should meet the person you are doing this for. It is thanks to you that she is given a second chance." She places her hand on the side of my face. "I need you." A tear born in her eye rolls down her cheek. "Please?" She begs as the tear dies on her lips. She has never before asked or begged me for something like she was doing now. "Ben, please?" She repeats herself again and I take her hand in mine and lead her into the room.

The room was a little small to me especially after there were four beds filling it, but I would have recognized Mia's mother anywhere. She was the mirror image of Mia, except for her dark brown eyes and age taking a toll on her. She was also deteriorated. Mia's eyes welled up the minute she saw her and dragged me towards her not letting go of my hand. "Mom." She gasps as she softly leans over the small frame on the bed hugging her mother.

"I am fine." She soothes her daughter. "Who is your friend?" She questions when her eyes fall on my from over Mia's shoulder, who quickly introduce me as Ben and I learn her name to be Giorgia. "It is nice to meet you... Ben." She pauses before my name crosses her dry and chapped lips. She looked at me with confusion and I could bet that she was wondering about the name that didn't suit me.

"Benvenuto." I explain her unanswered question.

"Oh." She smiles as all the puzzle pieces fit. "An Italian man." Her eyes move to Mia. "He is handsome."

"Mom." Mia's cheeks heat up. "Stop it. I have good news." She changes the subject as Michael narrow his eyes at me, but I didn't care. "Ben found you a heart." She blurted telling her mother how I was the one who found the heart and was paying for it to get here and so on. I wasn't one that was used to have my business or anything I did being discussed and I didn't like it, but I couldn't exactly tell Mia that in front of her parents.

"She is exaggerating." I intervene and Mia stops talking. "I only made a few calls to see if there was anything I could do, but the doctors found the heart and the hospital is flying it in." I lie.

"You shouldn't be spending so much time worrying about me, Mia. You should go out and have fun. Spend your time with this beautiful man." Tears of guilt roll down Giorgia's face. She didn't want Mia to feel so responsible for her. "Ti prendi cura di lei." She orders me to take care of Mia in Italian.

"Sempre. La amo." I comfort her. I will always take care of her because I love her. I couldn't admit it till now. Not to myself or anyone else, but when I saw her with her broken family. I knew why she was driving me so crazy. She loves her family and that drives her. She drives me. I love her.

"Okay, you two. We American's don't speak Italian." Michael interrupts taking his wife's hand in his as doctor Sofia enters the room introducing herself and give Michael some papers to sign that gives Sofia the right to operate. She will from now on be Giorgia's doctor.

"We need to take our patient to the theatre now." Sofia informs us as the staff starts to circle Giorgia's bed. "Go get something to eat in the cafeteria. This will take a few hours, but I will send someone to keep you updated. I promise you that I am the best at what I do and I will take care of her." She smiles turning around to face me. "Ben." She nods giving me a stern look. I knew just as much as she did that this was going to be a very difficult surgery and she most probably feared for her own life more than for Giorgia's. I probably won't kill her if she killed Mia's mother, but I also don't know how I would react if I saw Mia hurting like that.

"I will go fetch us some coffee." I offer as we enter the bleak hallway that was also the waiting room. Uncomfortable looking chairs were pushed up against the walls on the sides and the only peek of color was the magazines scattered across a small table in between the chairs in the middle.

"I will come with you." Mia states turning her head to her father. "Daddy?"

"You two youngsters go. I will wait here." He urges making Mia second guess her choice, but ultimately decides to come with me.

"I know that look." She glares as we walk side by side through the white painted hallway. "You have something up your sleeve. Where are you really going to?"

"I am getting us coffee." I play innocent.

"Yes, but what are you planning to do before getting us coffee?"

"She knew me well. "I am getting your mother a private room." She will need rest and space after surgery. Getting her a room is something that I could do.

"Don't." She steps in front of me placing both her hands on my chest. "You have done so much already. I could never repay you for any of this. Please don't make me feel any more guilty than I already do." Her eyes beg me. She looked tired and stressed.

"Mia." I breathe as I tuck a lost curl behind her ear. "Why do you keep saying things like this? I told you so many times not to do this. I want to do all these things for you. I will do anything for you." I brush my thumb over her trembling lip. "But this I am doing for your mother."

"What did she say to you?" She questions keeping her eyes locked on mine.

"You do not understand any Italian at all, do you?" I question her. It seemed weird to me. I couldn't understand why her mother never thought her.

"No." She states like it was obvious. "I just assumed that she was from America. I mean I have ears. I could hear that she had a differents accent, but I just thought that that was the way she spoke." I wasn't sure if she was asking or telling me. "She was always just my mother with beautiful hair and a dark tan."

"So being Italian is the problem with me?" I narrow my eyes removing her hands from me.

"God, no. What are you talking about? I don't care about any of that. I have a problem with who you are. Who I thought you were. I like you okay. I like you so much that it hurts because I fear that you won't like me. That you will grow bored of me and that if I don't live up to your standards you will throw me away and then I would be stuck with a broken heart and whole bunch of debt."

"If you can't accept me for who I am and what I do then I guess I should leave, but first I will finish what I started." I brush past her ignoring her calling after me.