Promises

Playlist for this Chapter: Hesitate by Jonas Brothers, Didn't I by OneRepublic.

* * *

"Nico..." I hear her sniffle and get up from my seat immediately, alerting the doctors while she mumbles in her sleep as nurses rush in.

"Mrs. King, open your eyes." The doctor tries to wake her up but she shakes her head as I push them out of the way and hold her by the shoulders, hugging her to my chest.

"Dove, it's me, Jake, please wake up." I say softly, her cries softening before she opens her eyes slowly while I wipe her tears.

"It's me, Jake." I say when she nods slowly while a nurse offers her a glass of water.

I help her sit up and help her drink the water before she places a hand on her stomach and looks at me worried.

"The baby's fine." I say and hear her sigh of relief before she sits up again.

"And Nico? H-he was shot, Jake. Is he okay? T-tell me he's fine." She says, her eyes glossy and I nod.

"He's okay, he'll be okay." I say as tears fall down her face.

"What happened?" She asks looking at my injured leg when I sigh.

"Nico got shot, lost a lot of blood but doctors say he'll be fine. He's in a coma right now, healing." I explained and saw her tense body relax.

"Are you feeling better?" I ask her and see her nod before the doctor asks her some questions and checks her vitals.

"You're doing much better, but we need you to stay a few more hours before letting you go home." He said and we both nodded before he left.

"Can I see him?" She asks looking up at me and I nod, making sure to ask the doctor if it's alright.

"You know, I could just carry you." I say pushing her wheelchair towards Ace's room when she looks back up at me and grins.

"And have Nico kill my best buddy? Nah. I like you alive, thank you very much." She says and I chuckle at her.

"How long was I out?"

"A day and a half." I replied, noticing her frown when she nodded.

"And is everyone else okay? I noticed your injured leg. What happened?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah, some asshole stabbed my leg. A bullet grazed Matteo's shoulder, but he's okay now, I guess, and Stuart broke his hand fighting with some guy." I say and hear her gasp.

"My god, are they better now? What about Addy? Is she at home?" She asked and I smiled when she referred to Ace's place as 'home'.

"They're alright. Addy's pregnant." I say when she gasps quite audibly.

"Really?!" She exclaims excited when I chuckle and nod.

"Where were you then all this time I was out?" She asked when I looked at her curious expression.

"I uh... I went to visit my old house. Where I grew up. And my parents' grave." I said and saw her sad smile as a nurse opens Ace's room's door and helps us in because this leg sure hurts like a bitch.

I look back up at Dove after fixing my bandage, noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks as she strokes Ace's knuckles and kisses the back of his hand.

"He's going to be okay, right?" She asks me with teary eyes when I smile reassuringly.

"He won't die easily, he's too stubborn to leave you in someone else's arms. And I'd personally drag him back from hell if he did." I say nonchalantly when she smiles through the tears.

"Thank you, Jake." She says after a while when I look back at her from Ace.

"For what?"

"Everything. Protecting Nico, me." She smiles at me when I smile back.

"Of course. Family comes first, right?" I ask and she nods.

"And besides, I promised someone I'd keep his family safe." I say smiling faintly at Ace.

"Familia ante omnia." I say when she looks back at me.

"What does it mean?" She asks confused when I smile a bit.

"Family over all."

* * *

- D O V E - K I N G -

"Now you're just being stubborn, Nico." I huff, wiping my tears away furiously as I hold his warm hand, staring at his closed eyes as if they'd magically open if I believed hard enough.

"It's been nearly two weeks, and I mean... I think you're just pretending to be asleep now so you don't have to work and poor Jake has to do everything alone." I say.

"I miss you. A lot. And uh... Jake took me to the doctor a few days ago. They confirmed my pregnancy, so I guess this is all very real, huh?" I say sighing, putting a hand on my flat stomach and smiling a bit.

"We're going to be parents. Can you believe it? Because I certainly can't." I say truthfully, kissing his knuckles as I lay my head on the our bed.

We had him moved back to our house since Jake said Nico hates hospitals, and it had been nearly two weeks now since he's been unconscious.

"Do you want a girl, or a boy? I want both. But I guess a girl first." I ramble to him, hoping he'd hear me when the room door opens and Addy steps in.

"Hey. How are you holding up?" She asks when I shrug, looking back at Nico and brushing the hair away from his forehead.

"I'm okay, just worried. Is he supposed to be out for this long?" I ask worriedly when she chuckles and shakes her head.

"He'll wake up when he heals, Dove. The doctor said so. Now come on, you didn't even eat breakfast." She says when I groan.

"But I'm not hungry!" I whine which makes someone laugh. We both look behind to see Stuart who comes up to us and kisses her cheek affectionately.

"How are you not hungry? Addy here ate her breakfast, and then mine, and was still hungry." He said when Addy smacked him and he winced, muttering an apology.

"Shut up Stuart, I'm eating for two now." She crossed her arms over he chest and looked at me.

"I'll tell someone to bring some fruits up, you should eat something." She urged and I sighed, nodding anyway.

"Alright, thanks." I said before both of them left and Jake came in right after them.

"Hey there." He said smiling at me and I returned it as he sat on the chair next to me, looking at Nico when I chewed on my lips nervously.

"You told me you went to your parents' grave last week. And your childhood house. You must have a lot of memories there." I said softly when he looked at me and nodded after a moment.

"I did. I spent a lot of time in that house. Gio was born there." He said and I nodded, ignoring the burning feeling in my throat at his half-brother's name.

"And Nico?" I asked when he smiled, looking at said man.

"He practically lived there. His mamma and mine were best friends. So we used to see them a lot." He said smiling sadly.

"Tell me one good memory you have of that place with your family." I said after a while when he smiled.

"When I visited that house last week, I remembered the last time we all were together like that. Like an actual family. Ace's and mine. It was as if I was back there on that day." He said while I listened to him attentively.

"My mama greeted me when I went home after playing out for many hours because I was pissed at Ace and Gio for excluding me out of the game they were playing. Mamma had made my favourite that day because she knew I was upset." He said and we both chuckled.

"And when I went to get both boys down for lunch, they called me over as if nothing had happened and only ended up fighting each other when they lost the game." He chuckled and I laughed softly with him as his glossy eyes looked over at me.

"I remember, Vivienne, Ace's mother, and Amelia, his sister, were out in the backyard when Gio's Ace's father had joined us. Ace said something about not being a baby to his mother-"

"Which he totally is, by the way." I added when Jake chuckled, shaking his head.

"But at the end, she won. She always did. Even with her husband, who was the Don at the time." He said while I listened with rapt attention, hanging on to every word he spoke.

"And that was it. It was the last lunch we all had together, laughing, enjoying, so blissfully unware." He whispered when I held his hand and squeezed it once before letting go.

"Ace's father made me promise to keep his son safe. As if he knew what would happen to us in the future. His mother died a few days after that day." He said as I swallowed the lump in my throat and wiped a stray tear away.

"Can you take me there, someday?" I asked when he looked at me and smiled, a genuine one at that.

"I'd love to." He said before we both looked back at Nico.

"I still think he knocked you up on purpose, though." Jake said after a few moments when I looked at him confused.

"What?"

"Just a wild guess, but I'm thinking he knocked you up so you'd be bound to him in every way possible." He said with a mischievous smile when I rolled my eyes and smacked his arm.

I have no doubt about it.

"Yeah right. Don't you have someone special in your life? Someone you've liked perhaps or are pining after since childhood?" I narrowed my eyes at him when he shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not." He said when I gasped dramatically.

"Jacob Knight, tell me, right this instant." I exclaimed dramatically when he chuckled and got up from his seat.

"Do I know her? Does Nico know her? Does anyone know her?" I asked impatiently when he laughed.

"No, you don't know her, but I think Ace might. Not sure though."

"Can I meet her? Please? Pretty please? Or I'll spill all your secrets to Matteo!" I threatened when his eyes widened.

"God, you're relentless, woman! Fucking fine, just keep your mouth shut!" He said in a warning tone when I smirked and stuck my tongue at him before he left the room, cursing me in Italian.

Giggling at him, I crawled over to my side on the bed, making sure the pillow wall was in place because I always had a habit of clinging on to Nico like a monkey when I slept, and I don't exactly want to strangle him right now. In my sleep. That would be bad.

Pulling the blanket over his body, I turned to face him, taking his hand in mine and sighed.

"Please wake up Nico, I miss you. I love you, good night." I whispered, closing my eyes and falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

Snuggling closer into my pillow, I sniffed it like a dog would sniff food and smiled because my pillow smelled just like Nico.

I think I'm in love with this pillow.

Sighing in contentment, I felt my body relax as the covers around me held me in their tight embrace, like a cocoon that was warming me up when I felt a small, feather like peck on my forehead, then my cheek, and then my nose.

Scrunching up my face because the touch tickled me, I groaned, because who dare disturb my sleep, something so sacred, that I'd kill for it.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but still.

Another kiss was placed on the top of my head when I realized that pillows can't exactly kiss you.

Or can they?

Shaking the weird thought away, I opened my eyes which only widened when I found dark, blue ones staring right back at me.

Am I dead?

"I'm dreaming, aren't I? Or am I dead?" I mumbled to myself when he chuckled, leaning towards me and pressing his lips to mine, effectively doing my brain some damage as my eyes fluttered shut.

Nope, definitely not a dream.

The realisation that Nico was very much awake and not dead, neither was I, was like a slap to my face as I pulled away, much to his dismay when he frowned.

"Let me fucking kiss my wif-"

"You're awake!" I exclaimed, cutting him off and sat up in bed, my hands trailing over his face, his shoulders and down his arms as I felt his skin under mine, tears springing to my eyes when I saw the bandage wrapped around his stomach.

"You're awake." I said, my voice cracking when he sighed, pulling me towards himself and tucking me in his arms.

"I'm okay, my love." He whispered, pecking my lips and then my nose before I pulled away from him and got off the bed, much to his disappointment.

Helping him sit up, I gave him some water to drink while he held my hand all the while, not once letting go.

"C'mere." He pulled me towards himself but I shook my head.

"I can't, you're injured, and I have to call the doctor." I said reaching for the phone when one deadly glare from him had me getting in bed next to him.

"Can I call the doctor now?" I asked him while he sniffed my hair and kissed my neck.

"No." He grumbled and I sighed, wiping my stray tears away but when one fell on his arm, he immediately pulled away with a frown.

"Fuck, okay, you can call the doctor, just don't cry baby." He said worried when I shook my head, pressing myself to him and nuzzling my face in his neck.

"It's not that." I whispered when he sighed, threading his fingers in my hair.

"I'm okay now, baby, I promised you I'd never leave you, didn't I?" He asked pulling away to look into my eyes when I nodded, sniffling, before pecking his cheek.

"I was so scared." I said when he nodded with a sad smile.

"I know. I was scared for you too." He mumbled against my lips before pressing his to mine.

As soon as our lips touched, I felt alive, like someone had jolted me back to life as my body tingled, his hands holding me close to him as our lips moved against one another.

But before we could go any further, I pulled away, resting my forehead against his as we both breathed heavily.

"I love you baby. So fucking much I can't think straight." He said when I smiled, pecking his lips briefly.

"I love you, Nico." I said before taking my phone from the nightstand and dialling Jake's number.

He had been staying here for the past few days and was right across the hall, but better than screaming for him anyway.

"Hello? Dove?" He spoke into the phone sleepily and I figured he must have been asleep as I put it on speaker.

Whoops.

"Hey Jake, sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, but Nico's asking for you." I said when he hummed.

"Tell him to piss of- WAIT WHAT?!" He shrieked when I hung up, looking at Nico who chuckled and looked at me amused before someone broke down the room's door, almost, and ran inside.

"Where the fuck is he?" Jake yelled skidding to a stop right in front of us only in grey sweatpants and beamed when he saw Nico awake.

"Fucking finally! Now I don't have to deal with her tantrums." He sighed, looking at me pointedly when I gasped.

"You were the one who came to me!" I defended myself when Nico chuckled.

"What are you both on about?" He asked amused when Jake sneered at me playfully.

"Well, since you decided to be fucking sleeping beauty for nearly two weeks, someone had to satisfy her." He said when both our eyes widened and Nico's grip on me tightened considerably.

Wasn't this guy just hurt?

"What the fuck does that mean?" Nico seethed when Jake gulped and looked at me and pointed his finger at me.

"It was her! I swear to God! I'm innocent!" He said and screamed when Nico threw a pillow at him and I scoffed.

"What he's trying to say-" I threw Jake a sharp look and saw him gulp before I smiled sweetly at Nico.

"That he took care of me and you while you were uh... out cold. Gave me company took me to the doctor. It was pretty boring talking to myself and then you while you were, like I said before, out cold." I explained and Nico nodded slowly.

"Could've just led with that, then." He muttered when I giggled, Nico's eyes snapping to mine immediately as a big smile spread across his face.

"So fucking whipped." Jake said and Nico threw him a deadly glare that made him back away a bit as he chuckled nervously.

"I'll uh... go get the doctor, yeah." He said before practically sprinting out while we both laughed at him.

The doctor came shortly, and told us Nico had healed pretty much but still needed at least two weeks of more rest to completely heal, if not more.

The day passed by quickly in Nico's family coming to see him and how he was. Stuart and Matteo stayed with us longest before they too, had to go home since Adriana wasn't feeling well.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to your wife now." Jake said as he got up from the chair near the bed when my eyes widened in realization.

"Oh shit, I'm married now." I said wide eyed, remembering that small little detail when Jake chuckled and shook his head before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

"You just remembered that, Mrs. King?" Nico whispered in my ear huskily as a shudder made its way down my body.

"Cold?" He asked teasingly as his warm arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer to him when I shook my head.

Bastard knows what he's doing.

His hot lips trailed down my neck teasingly, placing small kisses as I sat between his legs with my back to his chest, but careful of his injury.

"Relax, baby, you're too tense." He whispered in my ear as I let my head rest on his chest and turned it so I was facing him just as his lips descended on mine.

"So beautiful." He murmured against my lips, swiping his tongue over them as I parted them, granting him access, our tongues swirling together.

His hands slid under my shirt, settling on my waist before they lay flat on my stomach just as he pulled away and smiled, resting his forehead against mine.

"We're having a baby." He whispered, my own smile widening when I nodded.

"We're having a baby." I confirmed when he pecked my lips, rubbing his warm hand on my stomach affectionately.

"You have no idea how happy I am, my love. When you told me you were pregnant, I was over the moon." He said lovingly.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" I asked when he smiled, nuzzling his nose with mine.

"A girl, definitely. Just like you. Brave, strong and beautiful." He whispered when I smiled.

"I think I want both." I said absent minded.

"Yeah?" He asked and I nodded, humming in response.

"That can be arranged." He said, making my insides clench as his hand trailed further up towards my chest.

"Nico..." I whined.

"You're hurt, we really shouldn't be doing this." I mumbled, trying to pry his hand out of my shirt when he grunted.

"But I want to fuck you."

"Okay, okay, no need to be so blunt." I rolled my eyes before removing his hand from me completely, I kissed his lips sweetly and pulled away from him.

"And as tempting as that sounds, you're still hurt." I said and saw him frown.

"I'm fine." he said when I gave him an 'oh really' look and poked his waist lightly, although making sure not to hurt him, but he winced a bit anyway.

"Yeah, 'I'm fine". I mocked him in a deep voice while he grumbled incoherently.

"Can we sleep now? I'm tired." I pouted and he sighed, pecking my lips as I snuggled beside him, pulling the covers over us.

"Why was there a pillow wall when I woke up this morning?" He asked when I shrugged.

"I didn't want to hurt you in my sleep." I said when he snorted.

"Yeah, like you could ever kill me." He said when I pursed my lips.

"I was about to kill you two weeks ago, wasn't I?" I sassed back when he pursed his lips to control his laughter while I groaned.

"Admit it, you love me too much." He mumbled into my neck, wrapping his arms around me while I grumbled.

"I hate you Nico." I huffed and heard his chuckle from behind me as he placed kisses on my neck.

"I love you too baby."