The Billionaire’s Prodigal Wife (Mackenna and Alessandro)

Chapter 17

Mackenna noted the taste of his kiss was strange, it was thick and metallic, and she struggled against the strange flavour of it. He evaporated out of her arms and out of her dreams. She cried for him to come back. She could hear Savannah and she was confused.

Savannah shouldn‘t be in her bedroom in Milan. Savannah was in Phoenix. She was in

Phoenix. She was in Phoenix, and she had filed for divorce because she hadn‘t gone with Alessandro to Brazil. Her work term had extended to four months because the employer had been short-staffed, and she‘d enjoyed the work so much and Alessandro had encouraged her to work if it were what she really wanted to do.

He‘d gone to Brazil, and he‘d met Dulce and she‘d been naked and beautiful, and he‘d come home with her on his arm. Now he would probably marry her once their divorce was complete.

―Mac,ǁ Savannah‘s hand was cool on her brow. ―Mac, can you hear me?. Her eyes fluttered and she struggled to focus.

―You fainted, Mac. You‘re okay but we‘re just going to run a few tests to make sure there‘s no infection or anything Savannah pressed a kiss to her forehead.― Mac, take your time in opening your eyes. Do you want me to go get Alessandro?.

―No,ǁ she shook her head slowly and it felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds. She lifted her hand to it and cringed. ―My head hurts

―I‘m sure it does. Your blood pressure dropped quite a bit but it‘s coming back up fairly good. There are some tests they‘re going to run. We have to take some blood Savannah asked her again. ―Do you want Alessandro here Mac?.

―No. He left She struggled to get into a sitting position. A nurse was tying a rubber band around her bicep. ―He yelled at me and then he left

―He yelled at you?. Savannah‘s head snapped back. She‘d only met him a couple of times and she couldn‘t imagine him yelling. He was too cool for such a thing. ―Why?.

―He said I was immature, and he didn‘t want to be married to me anymore She was sure there was more to it, but it was the gist of the conversation she could

―But why Mac? What did you say to make him so angry?” ―I told him I asked Camille to move the court date closer if she could

Savannah was quiet as she considered her best friend might just be the biggest fool on the planet. She took a breath and squeezed her fingers. ―Mac, you knowl love you right

―Yeah,ǁ Mackenna sniffed and then jumped as the needle pricked her skin.

―Okay, so know I‘m saying this with all the love in the world Savannah stepped away from her and with her arm extended she tilted Mackenna‘s face to hers.―

You‘re an i***t. I‘ve known the man for a week and even I know he loves you and

wouldn‘t cheat on you and I know t the woman said what she said but I believe him Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Mackenna yanked her face away from Savannah. ―Doctor Kirkland, don‘t you have something better to do with your time?. She glared at her angrily. ―I‘m sure Doctor Ingram and Chrissie will be done with me soon and I‘ll go back to work

Savannah was horrified at the sudden change in her best friend. ―Mac don‘t be angry with me. I just…ǁ

―I know what you were just doing Savannah. You‘re just like every other person he‘s ever charmed and sweet-talked. You think he hung the moon and the stars and everything in between. Well, if you like him so much, you marry him. You can say what you want about how much he loves me and how much he adores me, but you forget he left my bed to take her dancing. I don‘t care how platonic their relationship was, is or is going to be. He was wrong. He was wrong to leave me all the times he did. He took the fact I adored him, loved him, and worshipped him and he used it against me. He used it as the insurance he could do what he wanted, when he wanted and how he wanted, and I would sit there like a good little girl and do what he

wanted. Well, he was wrong!ǁ She hissed at Savannah now. ―I could go back to him. I would love to go back to him and live with him and be his wife, but do you know what would happen, Savannah? He would leave me alone all over again to be with her and I‘d be an even bigger fool than I am already. He will never end his relationship with Dulce, and I will never trust him with her

the pain she‘d been through. She had believed everything to come from Alessandro‘s mouth, and she found herself torn between what she had seen her best friend go through and the way the man was treating her now.

―Whatever,ǁ Mackenna waved her hand at her. She started to get off the bed, but she was incredibly dizzy and both Savannah and the doctor pushed her backwards onto the bed.

―Mac, l‘m going to insist you stay on the oxygen for at least another fifteen

minutesǁ Doctor Ingram said quietly as he held it over her mouth and nose. ―You were hyperventilating, and you did have syncope. Its most likely stress but I‘ve run a battery of tests and we‘ll be certain by tomorrow. For now, I want you to just lay there and relax. Once the lightheaded feeling has completely passed then we‘ll try to sit up again and if after a bit you feel okay, I‘ll discharge you home

―I have to get back to work She struggled against their hands to sit up.

―You are definitely not working any more today Doctor Ingram insisted and gave an exasperated sigh. ―I swear Mac, I‘ll call down and get some straps and tie you to this bed if you so much as move an inch, do you understand me?”

She balked at his tone, and she pouted her lips and turned her face away from him, hating she felt so silly in the bed. She pulled the oxygen off and looked to Savannah, forgetting for a moment she was annoyed with her, and begged her to help. ―This is just foolish. I fainted.

No big deal

―You fainted for no good reason He corrected and pushed the mask back on and motioned to Savannah. ―You go away because you‘re making her more distressed than she already is

Savannah bent and kissed her forehead. ―I‘m sorry Mac

―It‘s fine. Can you just get me out of here?. She grimaced when Savannah shook her head and walked away from her. She glowered at the attending doctor and nurse. Finally, she stopped struggling and stared at the ceiling and breathed in the oxygen as commanded.

It was an hour later before Doctor Ingram decided she was able to sit up and

already called her boss and advised she was going home for the day. He‘d also told her to lay off the caffeinated drinks until he got his test results back.

Alessandro was walking into the hospital after he‘d taken a long drive to try to get his emotions under control when he caught sight of a very pale Mackenna holding onto a counter at the lobby while a doctor in a long white lab coat seemed to be giving her a dressing down. He heard a nurse speaking into a phone at the counter beside him. ―Just make sure we get the blood work stat. Since she had the

bacterial meningitis two years ago, we need to make sure she‘s not having anything residual from it. Doctor Ingram wants it before the end of the day so make it a priority, please

Alessandro‘s footsteps faltered as he looked between the nurse and his wife. He suddenly remembered the first day he‘d found Mackenna working in her office. He hadn‘t been paying much attention to the conversation taking place because he‘d been so overwhelmed with finding her that day but somewhere in the back of his

head, he remembered hearing meningitis. He stared at her and as if sensing she was being watched she slowly turned her head and looked at him. He instantly switched directions and moved right to her. He looked to the doctor. ―What is going on?.

―Nothing Alessandro. I‘m fine She looked with annoyance to the doctor who was insisting she was off work for the remainder of the week. ―I want to go back to my office

―And I want you checked into a room upstairs, but I don‘t get what I want either Doctor Ingram folded his arms over his thick chest. ―I don‘t even like the thought of you going home alone. I wish Savannah weren‘t pulling a double. Why don‘t you let me admit you so I can keep an eye on you and when Savannah is off in the morning,

she can take you home with her?.

―Because I‘m fine,ǁ she argued. ―I fainted. No big deal ―We don‘t know why you fainted and…ǁ

―You fainted?. Alessandro interrupted the conversation flowing back and forth so fast he could barely keep up. ―When did you faint?.

―No Both men spoke simultaneously. Doctor Ingram looked to him. ―Who are you?. Alessandro extended his hand and introduced himself. ―What‘s wrong with my wife?”

―Patient privilege prohibits me from telling you anything unless she agrees

―There‘s nothing to tell She argued with both men. ―Alessandro. This is Doctor Brody Ingram. He treated me a couple of years ago. We had a patient here Savannah had treated for meningitis. Since we were all exposed, we were all tested, and I ended up testing positive, but it was two years ago! I‘m fine

―You had chest pain and you fainted,ǁ Brody cut her off. ―I don‘t want you going home alone. If you faint in the tiny hole of an apartment, you and Savannah share, there will be no way to avoid smacking your head on something

―You will come with me back to the hotel Alessandro shook his head. ―I will make sure you get some rest

―No, I am not going with you. We‘re getting a divorce Just saying it aloud made the chest pain come back and she clutched her blouse tightly.

He lifted his eyebrows. ―Well, you‘ve obviously been away from your phone otherwise you would have heard from your lawyer who will tell you when she gets hold of you not only is our date not being pushed closer, but I‘ve petitioned to push it back further

―Alessandro, you said you would sign the papers She clutched his forearm.

―Ilied He said simply. ―Now,ǁ he looked to the doctor, ―give me a list of instructions and I‘ll make sure we follow them to the letter

―It‘s not an exhaustive list. She needs rest, no caffeine, and more rest. Tomorrow she can go for a short walk or two. No working the rest of this week Mac! I mean it He shook his finger at her.

―If she shows her face, I‘ll fire her Her director came down the hall. More introductions were made and then before she could offer any additional protests, she was pushed out of the hospital and when she blinked at the bright light of the

―I‘m being bullied,ǁ she sulked as she sat in the passenger side of the car with a seatbelt over her shoulders and a grim-faced Alessandro next to her. ―Just take me to my apartment and I‘ll go to bed. You don‘t need to waste your time with me

―I am not wasting my time. I‘m taking care of my wife ―Soon to be ex-wife She said smartly.

―Over my dead body He quipped back as he gunned the engine and tore through the parking lot.

―I looked into it but it‘s too expensive She saw his lips twist and turned to face him. ―Are you laughing at me?.

―Let‘s just say even ill, you‘re feisty and it makes me love you all the more ―You don‘t love me Alessandro. You think you own me

―You are mine, Mackenna. Make no mistake, I will not sit idly by and watch you throw our marriage away. We made the vow until death do us part ―Then kill me now because I want out She fumed.

―Mackenna,ǁ he took a long slow breath, ―someday you are going to have to be held accountable for all of the cold cruel things you say ―This from you,ǁ she scoffed angrily.

―I admit I have said some things in the past which were inappropriate, but I am working on fixing them. You on the other hand are constantly throwing around insults, rude comments and now death threats as if you could care less of the impact they make

―Oh,ǁ she mocked him, ―does it hurt your feelings Alessandro?. ―As a matter of fact, Mackenna, it does

His quiet words shut her up and although she wished she could come back with a pithy response, she could only fold her arms over her chest and pout and worry maybe, just maybe, he was right.