Chapter 14 - Sebastian Stands
Recovery did not look like a miracle.
It looked like sweat.
Pain.
Frustration.
Failure.
And trying again.
Sebastian hated all of it.
He had spent two decades controlling rooms with a glance.
Now Clare celebrated when he moved his left foot two inches.
“Again.”
“No.”
“Again.”
“I’m tired.”
“Good. That means you worked.”
“You enjoy this.”
“More than I should.”
Weeks passed.
The story of Vittorio’s arrest spread through Chicago, though the real details remained sealed during the investigation.
Sebastian slowly withdrew from the criminal operations that had defined his adult life.
He sold companies that existed only to hide money.
Closed businesses that depended on intimidation.
Kept the legitimate properties.
Hotels.
Restaurants.
Construction firms.
Exactly the life he had wanted at twenty-three.
Carlo stayed.
Not as lieutenant.
As an adviser.
Trust would take longer than rehabilitation.
Maybe years.
Some days Sebastian wondered if either would fully return.
Clare never promised they would.
That was why he trusted her.
One evening, after Owen had fallen asleep on the sofa in Sebastian’s private library, Clare found Sebastian staring at him.
“He likes you,” she said.
“He cheats at cards.”
“He’s eight.”
“He’s ruthless.”
“He learned from you.”
Sebastian smiled.
Clare sat beside him.
“How are your legs?”
“Still attached.”
“Very funny.”
“They hurt.”
“Good.”
He gave her a look.
“You physical therapists are disturbing people.”
“Pain means nerves are communicating.”
“Then my nerves have become extremely talkative.”
She laughed.
Sebastian watched her.
Something had changed between them.
Neither had named it.
Maybe because naming things made them real.
And real things could be lost.
Clare noticed his expression.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s never true when men say it.”
Sebastian looked toward Owen.
“When this is over, what happens?”
“To your rehabilitation?”
“To you.”
She became quiet.
“I go back to work.”
“You are working.”
“I mean my real life.”
“This isn’t real?”
She looked around the enormous library.
“My real life has coupons.”
“You can use coupons here.”
“Sebastian.”
He smiled.
Then became serious.
“You changed my life.”
“I touched your back.”
“You stayed.”
The room seemed suddenly smaller.
Clare looked away.
“You paid me ten thousand dollars.”
“I can ask for a refund.”
“Try it.”
He laughed softly.
Then Owen woke.
“Are you guys flirting?”
Clare nearly fell off the sofa.
“Owen!”
Sebastian looked amused.
“What?”
“You’re supposed to be asleep.”
Owen shrugged.
“You’re both loud.”
“We were whispering.”
“You whisper loud.”
He went back to sleep.
Clare covered her face.
Sebastian looked happier than she had ever seen him.
Two mornings later, Dr. Franklin cleared Sebastian for a full assisted standing trial.
No wheelchair behind him.
No immediate sitting.
Just Sebastian, parallel bars, leg braces, Clare and a safety harness.
He gripped the rails.
Clare stood in front of him.
“Don’t look at the floor.”
“I need to see my feet.”
“They’ve been there forty-three years. Trust them.”
He looked at her.
“Ready?”
His breathing slowed.
“Yes.”
Sebastian pushed.
His arms engaged.
His legs trembled.
His knees fought to straighten.
For one horrible second Clare thought he would collapse.
Then his body rose.
Higher.
Higher.
Until Sebastian Lombardi stood.
Not perfectly.
Not independently.
But stood.
Clare’s eyes filled.
Sebastian stared at her from a height he had not experienced in twenty years.
“You’re shorter than I thought.”
She laughed through tears.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Owen cheered from the doorway.
Sofia cried.
Even Carlo turned away to hide his face.
Sebastian remained upright for twelve seconds.
Then fifteen.
Then twenty.
When he finally sat, he was shaking from exhaustion.
But smiling.
For twenty years, people had looked down at Sebastian Lombardi.
That morning, for twenty seconds, he looked the world directly in the eye.
May you like
And he wanted more.
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