The Twelve Tables Ch. 18

"I want to see him," Lucia said and not knowing what to do. Peri opened the door and they both walked into the waiting room where Antonia sat with her other children. She looked at Peri and held out her hand. Peri went to her taking the offered hand.

"Did he talk to you?" She asked in a sob.

"Not very much, he mostly cried," Peri answered honestly. "I promised I would go back in once I'd been to the bathroom," She said gently taking her hand away. "I'm so sorry Antonia, I don't know what to say to anyone, it's a nightmare, and I'm so sorry."

"It was a dreadful accident but just that, an accident. We have spoken with the police and doctors here. It was a stupid, tragic dreadful accident, and I have lost one son. Now I need to make sure I don't lose another," Antonia's words were hiccupped as she struggled to take hold of her emotions. "They were closer than any of the other boys, it is Dante we must look after now," she said urgently.

"Has the Doctor come yet?" Peri asked feeling the need to help this woman somehow.

"Peri," Joseph's voice reached her. "Come now," he said placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned and nodded moving into the room she saw a doctor sitting opposite Dante, who seemed to be looking right through him. He blinked as she came back to the door and a soft, sad smile appeared on his face.

"You came back," his voice was low and seemed hoarse after his bout of crying.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," she said softly. "You should talk to the doctor so we can take you home," she said gently. Dante seemed to focus on the Doctor for the first time, his face blank.

"I'm Doctor Khan, Mr. Donati. You've suffered a terrible loss today, and you have my deepest sympathy," the man said.

"Do I?" Dante said. "How very nice," he sneered. "What can you tell me about losing a twin? You have no idea what it is like to have half of your whole being ripped away." His tone was harsh and unforgiving as if the man in front of him were somehow to blame. "None of you do," he said looking around the room. His eyes settled on Peri and seemed to soften; his shoulders slumped again, and his hands scrubbed at his cheeks.

"You are right. I don't know. Why don't you tell me about it, about your brother," Dr. Khan prompted him to keep talking?

"I tell everyone that he was the good twin, but his temper was worse than mine, he just managed to hide it better. Where I became dark and surly, he was sweetness and light. When shit went down, however, he handled it with well-concealed stone cold rage while I was, well I never concealed much of anything. We kept each other in balance. We were each other's conscience. We stopped each other from making huge mistakes. He kept me sane when I lost everything, who will do that now?" He asked the stunned doctor. "You can't help me, they can," he turned and looked directly at Josh and Peri. So give me whatever pills you think I need to get through the next week and let me go home."

"He can come home with me," Lucia stepped forward interrupting the conversation. "His family will be there, and we can make sure he is well cared for," she looked at Dante with sad eyes.

"No, I'm going home with them. None of you knew Lio. None of you would know the first thing about him. I don't want to listen to you all talk about the things he wanted you to see. They know why he hid so much," Dante said the harsh tone back in his voice.

"It's not the time," Josh said cutting him off with a stern tone similar to that that his father had used. "We'll take him home Lucy. You can all come tonight for dinner and stay if you want." He spoke in the same voice willing his sister not to argue any further.

"I'll see about getting you some sedatives," the doctor rose from his seat and indicated that Joseph should follow him.

"Lucy come and help your mother," Joseph said guiding her from the room.

"He's grieving," Dr. Khan stated the obvious. "There is nothing in his demeanour to make me overly concerned for his welfare. For whatever reason he has transferred his attachment to Josh, and I think that allowing Josh and his wife to care for him while he grieves is for the best. I'll see to that medication so he can go home." Joseph nodded and walked back into the room and looked at his two sons and Peri. Closing the door firmly he walked to where Dante sat and took the chair the doctor had vacated and look at his son with misty eyes as if deciding what to say.

"Do not mistake my silence for ignorance. I knew your brother as I know all of my sons. It is to my eternal regret that I did not heed the warnings earlier about your sister, but I had hoped she would mature," he took a shaky breath. "I knew who your brother was and who he loved. He was discreet. He didn't publicise his personal choices and neither should you now that he is gone," Joseph commanded. "He was a good man, and that is how everyone will remember him. You will not push him out of the closet on his deathbed."

Dante looked at his father in wild-eyed wonder, "You knew?"

"You think I am some doddering old fool stuck out in the middle of nowhere?" Joseph scoffed. "I was already packed and filing a flight plan when Ben called me with the news. I know what each and every one of my children is thinking and doing," he said stretching the truth of the matter. He had received a phone call informing of Emilio's fate only a half hour before Ben had called him. "You will not expose your brother's hidden self to the world," he commanded again. Dante nodded dumbly saying nothing. Joseph nodded and stood again this time to face Josh and Peri.

"A parent shouldn't outlive a child, and it is frightening to contemplate any loss like this be it a parent or a child or a loved one. We have to walk on though and look after the living. Appreciate and revel in the closeness of our bonds with those we love. Dante has loved you both more than you realise for some time, look after him as you would each other," Joseph said cryptically and left the room again.

*****

Once the funeral was over Dante seemed to compartmentalise his grief and bury it beneath a façade of a more subdued man. Rather than the constant teasing and jokes, he became more serious and after a week, he went back to work. Without Emilio there with him, he took on all of the day to day running of the Auction House promoting two of their long term employees to managerial roles and keeping both personal assistants. He would be the figurehead but as he had seen Josh and Peri do in both of their work roles he put in place the people he knew he could run the auction house the way he wanted even if he was not there in the flesh.

He struggled to go through all of Emilio's business dealings and allocate some of those customers and families that used the House of Lorraine regularly to the new managers. One would look after the sellers and the other the buyers. After as little as two weeks he had known he had chosen the right men to spearhead his business dealings.

In Peri's absence, as she came down very little now, he brought in his cousin Claudia to help manage the family archive. Being Charles' daughter she was as close as a sister to him and he trusted her implicitly. He hoped in time that Peri would re-join him to manage the archive, but he knew it would only be on a part-time basis when and if she did come back. It was Josh's duty to continue the family history as part of that archive. As Josh was already involved in the archive in some way, Dante hoped he would take up some of the burden now left to him alone.

He had been living with them since the day they had taken him home from the hospital. He felt content that he was where he belonged. There were days when he wished for so much more, but he took the love they gave him and savoured being part of their world in a way he could never have been part of Emilio's. Dante had on occasion tried to be part of Emilio's world, but he wanted more, he wanted, women and family as well. In the same way, that he had shared in Emilio's life for a time, he was now sharing Josh's. The one time he had attempted to carve out a life for himself had ended in disaster resulting in the loss of the woman he had thought himself in love with and his unborn child.

She had ended the pregnancy as soon as she had returned to the city and when he had confronted her about it, she had raged at him and cruelly taunted him that she had never really loved him but had thought she would have an easy life with his wealth and family connections. His father's offer of a trial had come with a prenuptial agreement. In her rage, she had claimed she would fuck anyone even his father, but she wasn't signing away her right to all that money. Lio had ended her career and her reputation with Charles' help and Dante's faith in women, bolster's by his vain and narcissistic sisters, had been destroyed until he met Peri.

He considered his other sisters in law. Emily was a good woman but like Ben, her first thought was always about pleasing the family. To her own and Ben's detriment at times. Baby Timo was now thriving but her decision to try and give Ben a second son was risky to both mother and child. Bianca was far too much like Nik for Dante's liking. He did not doubt her love for Jules, but she was vain and independent. She bore his children, but she certainly didn't mother them, leaving that to the nannies and housekeepers. Carmen, on the other hand, was the opposite with a mothering instinct that bordered on pathological. She tried to mother them all, interfering in their lives and mothering the other women as if only she knew what was best for their families.

Peri, on the other hand, was able to be independent despite being shy, quiet and quite obviously submissive. He knew that Josh would have no need to employ a kept as his brothers did. He imagined her as she was when he first met her at the family lunch telling the story of how she and Josh had got together with a perfectly straight face. It was her comment about the boots that had made him look at her properly that day. She certainly didn't look like a model or even the elegant women they were used to seeing Josh with. There was, however, an attractiveness to her fuller figure that he couldn't deny, and her sweetness tinged insecurities that made her shyness win out only made her seem more attractive to him.

He'd dated Louisa for a time but found that even though she was lovely, there was no real attraction there. He hoped that she worked out with Carlo, he needed a nice woman in his life. Even the Kept housed at the farm, and Charles small rehab facility did not hold his attention as he began to find excuses to hang out with Josh and Peri. Lucia knew and counselled him against spending so much time with them but like Carmen she believed she knew what was best for everyone.

What he needed right now was to remain part of their life and to find a Kept with similar attributes to Peri that he could work out his frustrations on, he decided to spend some time with Charles and discuss his needs. He was the best trainer the family had if anyone could find what he needed Charles could.

*****

"Baby Diary – Week 32 (8 months) – The Donati Triplets.

I'm swollen and itchy everywhere even my insides sting from heartburn and the constant reminder that three little people struggle for room inside me. They move slower now as if arguing over who will stretch next in their cramped conditions. I feel fine when I am home and imagine I have all the energy I ever had pre-pregnancy, but when I go out, I realise that I am fooling myself and need a recovery nap when I get home.

I finally made thirty-two weeks, now we wait for the birthdate we have chosen. Until this last appointment I was able to set myself the goals of making the next four-week mark, now I just feel scared. I'm scared of the birth, scared of becoming an instant family but most of all I'm scared of motherhood. What if they arrive and I don't recognise them and love them immediately?

I'm scared about the surgery and have asked about delivering vaginally but the risks are apparently a lot higher, and Josh has refused even to contemplate an option that carries more risk even if it gives our babies more time to grow.

What if our house isn't ready for us? Josh assures me it will be and shows me photos of the work on the interior and Grant calls me with questions or photos, but it's not the same as being there and knowing.

The one thing I am thankful for at the moment is yoga pants. I would never have believed how comfortable they could be and had I not outgrown my whole wardrobe I probably would never have known. I can't even imagine that my belly will ever be normal again, but Dr. Bellino says she knows some tricks to help me starting with a girdle type thing that will help with the afterbirth pain.

I don't know what is scariest, staying as big as a whale or meeting these new little people and finding out if my dreams or nightmares come true.

"Come on then stumpy, we're going for a drive," Dante announced as he finished his breakfast. "I can't be waiting all day for you to waddle in there and get dressed into something pretty."

"What?" Peri asked confused. "I doubt I could even fit in our car anymore."

"I hired a bus big enough to fit your huge butt, just go and get all beautiful. Trust me, you'll want to go where I am taking you," Dante chuckled.

"Where would that be exactly?" she asked but started moving toward the bedroom.

"Just trust me," he said and waved her off, knowing she would do as he asked. Since Lio's death, he had lived with Peri and Josh and their relationships had deepened. Each of his brothers had been checking in on him and dropping by constantly. Josh though had never forced him to join them for anything, not even dinner. As far as Josh was concerned, it was a given that Dante would be there and be part of their lives. That automatic acceptance and their late night chats about what was going on in their lives helped to fill the gaping void that Lio's absence caused in his day to day life.

They let him take his time to feel ready to go down to Lio's apartment and go back to work, and he knew when they moved into their new home that he would be welcome, they had both said as much. If he was honest with himself, he didn't want to be here alone. He stood up and walked to the windows looking out on the city. He'd never been alone in his entire life. Even when he and Lio were apart, he knew that his twin was no further than a call away, no matter the time. With Josh's easy acceptance of his constant presence, Dante hadn't felt alone, not even at the funeral when his pain was so raw.

Ben had not understood his preference for Josh's company and had demanded that Dante stay with him and Emily until he recovered from the shock of Lio's loss. To his surprise, Joseph had stepped into the conversation and said he thought that Dante spending some time with Joshua and Peri would be a good thing for all concerned. Then he had taken Ben for a walk and talked with him. He was still contemplating that moment and what his father might have said to Ben when Peri came out of the bedroom looking lovely despite the huge bump and unusual walk of a woman carrying triplets.

"Ah beautiful," he said with genuine warmth.

"Liar," she accused. "Let's go and see if I can fit in this big butt bus of yours," she laughed easily.

"Your chariot awaits," he swept his arm before them.

They chatted casually as Dante drove more carefully than he normally would have causing Peri to tease him about his change of driving style. About fifteen minutes from their destination Dante used the hands-free to call Josh and put on an eastern European type accent.

"Ve have kidnapped your vife, if you do not pay us one million dollars ve will return her to you, and you can put up with her for eternity," he said winking at Peri.

"I'm a bit short of funds at the moment. You'll have to bring her back I suppose?" Josh said as if thinking over the demands.

"You son of a beer swilling old goat, I vill be there in ten minutes," Dante cursed.

"Yeah well what ya gonna do, see you in ten minutes," he chuckled and hung up.

"We're going to the house?" Peri asked in stunned amazement. Josh had refused to let her anywhere near the house because it was too dangerous during construction and then when the interiors were being completed he had used similar excuses.

"We are," Dante nodded. "I did tell you that you would want to come for a drive with me."

"It must be finished or close enough to being finished or Josh wouldn't have let me come," she reasoned out loud becoming excited to see the house she had dreamed of.

"I believe it is, aside from a few feminine touches that you will bring to it," Dante smiled looking at her happy smile. She was glowing, and her happiness was palpable as she looked out of the windows for a glimpse of the turn off that she knew must be close. He was happy that Josh had asked him to be part of this moment in their lives and share her joy at seeing the new house for the first time.

After ten long minutes, Peri saw the large house nestled on top of the hill above their original house which had been left intact as a guest house after the team had taken in its quaint charm. Peri was speechless as they drove closer. The front was like a sprawling historical Queenslander style home, but it rose in the rear in glorious golden roughly hewn sandstone blocks that made the rear appear from the same era and as if it had always been there. The big SUV crunched on the gravel drive, and Peri marvelled that even the landscaping had been completed.

"It's like driving up to a manor house," Peri said breathlessly, her eyes wide as she took in the sheer size and beauty of the house. "It's incredible. This isn't a house it's a mansion!"

"It's the house that Wah-wah built," Dante chuckled. He was as impressed as Peri, but he was not going to let his little brother get away without a few digs in the ribs.

Josh sat on the wide veranda with the team that had built the house for and with him. He watched eagerly as the car pulled up and went down to help Peri from the car.

"You never told me you were finished, I thought there was still weeks to go," Peri said in wonder looking around at the landscaping and front veranda.

"The team wanted to be here when I told you that it was ready for inspection," he said bending to kiss her and wrapping an arm around her waist as he led her up the three steps to the veranda where they all waited. All five of the team spoke as they toured the main floor and cellar of the home. The second story of the residence had been divided in two by a wide sweeping staircase. One wing held beautifully furnished guestrooms and bathrooms while the other wing held rooms for children with smaller rooms for nannies on both sides at the end of the corridor.

"This is all so beautiful, but where will we sleep?" Peri seemed confused by the lack of a Master suite.

"We saved the best for last little Mama," Grant said cheerily and led the way back down the stairs to the main floor. In her excitement, she hadn't realised that she had only seen the front area of the main floor where the various living rooms were located and the kitchen nestled under the stairs. Walk back behind the staircase to where the kitchen opened out she realise that the ground floor opened up into two wings as the upper floor did above them in the larger sandstone section of the house.

"This," Josh said to his brother, "Is yours for a lifetime or as long as you need it," they walked into a large suite off the corridor they entered. It was as beautifully finished as the rest of the house. "There are two suites in this wing; it was designed for the grandparents and Uncles to come and stay for extended periods. In the last few weeks, we changed a few things to make it yours. We want you here, I want you here," Josh said with feeling. They had both lost their twin this year, and Josh felt a special bond with his brother which had deepened over the last few weeks.