Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.

[ngm_miscellaneous]

Marcelo Alencar da Silva had been in surgery for a few hours. He had been completely unaware of law enforcement locking down the city block his building was on. He had not been aware of much outside of trying to stay awake until some doctor like person told him it was okay to sleep.

The doctors had worked hard. As precisely as the sword had been impaled into their patient, they had to be just as precise to make sure he did not bleed out all over the operating table. Those doctors lived and worked in New York, home of the Avengers and Fantastic Four. Yet, they were never quite prepared for people stabbed with swords.

Even with a very close call, the Brazilian patient was rolled out to recovery. As the nurses and doctors monitored him, the surgeon went out to explain to his fiancee how things went. When the medical personnel were sure he was stable enough, he was sent to his own private room and allowed to have visitors.

Comments

[pyroprincess]

"I'm sure I would have been told something similar had Marcelo not also been a billionaire." Father had been rather silent about the issue of Marcelo, perhaps because he sensed that it was a non-negotiable issue. There were many things that she had to surrender to him, but that was one thing he would never touch. Or there would be hell to pay.

"I can't blame you for wanting to take him away from all this." Stephanie replied. "But ... you're right. We were miserable without each other." She doubted he would choose to go, either. He had his work, and his other work, and her. And he was not one to cut and run.

"But he will be okay. I know there were many others that weren't so fortunate. If there is anything I can do to help you and your people, just ask."

[ngm_parents]

He dragged his gaze away from his sleeping son to Stephanie. His look was as level as he could make it considering the circumstances.

"I need you to promise me you'll protect him. From himself. From whatever else comes at him. I need to know he'll be safe."

He drew in a slightly unsteady breath. "I will handle everything else until he's strong enough to shoulder it."

[pyroprincess]

"Your son is the most precious thing in my life. I will protect him, I promise you." This time, she had no problem meeting his gaze. She couldn't promise he'd be safe, because they both knew Marcelo was not one to seek safety. She knew things that he did not, of course, about Vesper, but it was an established enough trait of his even if one didn't know about his nocturnal activities.

"Of course. But there are certain resources I could call upon to assist. The Shaw Industries legal team, for one." There were others that she couldn't so openly offer, of course.

[ngm_parents]

He nodded once. He caught the omission of safe, but he couldn't really press on that point.

"I will be invited to the wedding, of course." It was good to change to a new topic. He couldn't dwell on thinking his son would be in the hospital again like this.

"I have hired some security. To supplement law enforcement and what's here at the hospital. Symkarian mercenaries, I believe. When Marcelinho is better, he will want to run things. But until he's out of the hospital, I have paid for extra protection."

[pyroprincess]

"That goes without saying. Of course you'll be invited to the wedding." Stephanie answered smoothly.

"He will." Stephanie nodded. "But until then, I wholeheartedly approve the hiring of the best security you can find."

She wanted to stay on the new topic, however. "I suppose it remains to be seen what the wedding will actually look like. A small wedding sounds nice, but it may be difficult."

[ngm_parents]

"You can make it smaller if you have it on a private island in the Caribbean," he suggested. "When are you two planning on getting married?"

He settled back into his chair.