Tally One: Why Ade Was Born A Girl

Posted on Sun Dec 29th, 2024 @ 11:06pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

2,277 words; about a 11 minute read

The sterile smell of disinfectant stung Adrianna’s nose as her eyelids fluttered open. Her vision blurred at first with a slight vignette, but gradually, the harsh white of the hospital room came into focus. A dull, aching throb radiated through her body, and she tried to move, only for a sharp pain in her ribs to stop her short.

Quickly looking up from a silent prayer, Tanina gasped, finally seeing Adrianna awake. "Amore mio, stay still," came her mother’s voice, soft yet trembling. Tanina sat by her bedside, her face pale, her eyes rimmed with red as though she hadn’t slept in days. She reached out to smooth Adrianna’s hair, her hand gentle but shaky.

Adrianna blinked, her dry throat scratching as she tried to speak, "Mamma... what happened?"

Before Tanina could respond, the sound of raised voices pierced the quiet of the room. Through the partially open door, Adrianna could hear her father, Dario, shouting. The man was not one to raise his voice, but when he did it was for good reason. “How could you let this happen, Giovanni? You were supposed to be in charge! She could have died!” he bellowed, not caring about the nurses and doctors staring.

Adrianna winced at the sharpness in his tone, her gaze flicking to her mother for answers. "Papà..." she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Tanina sighed, her hand stilling on Adrianna’s hair. "You fell, cara mia. From the roof. You missed the pool," her voice broke slightly. "The doctors had to revive you– twice. You have been out for three days. I came as soon as I heard. Your father– he got on the first shuttle she could and arrived about ten minutes ago."

Adrianna’s heart sank, fragments of the memory beginning to piece themselves together. The celebration for her acceptance into Starfleet Academy, the wild laughter of her brothers, and the reckless dare to leap from the roof into the pool below. She had hesitated, but Giovanni had reassured that all of the boys had done it and it would be fine– she never wanted to be outdone by one of her brothers.

Outside, Dario’s shouting continued, “I left you in charge for one weekend! For one weekend, you were the man of the house! What were you thinking, letting her do something so stupid?”

Adrianna could barely hear Giovanni’s reply, but his voice cracked with guilt. "I didn’t think she’d actually do it, Papà. Plus, we've all done it. I told her it was safe– I..." He broke off, his words fading into silence.

Tanina pressed her lips into a thin line, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, "your brothers are devastated, especially Giovanni. He hasn’t left the hospital bed since you were brought in, even when I got here. Your other brothers have been in the reception area, taking it in turns to make sure you're both ok."

Adrianna swallowed hard, guilt pooling in her stomach. "I– I didn’t mean to worry everyone," she croaked.

Tanina kissed Adrianna's hand, "you’re alive, amore mio. That’s all that matters now."

The door creaked open and Giovanni stepped inside, his face full of guilt but his eyes soon lit up when he realised that it was a two way conversation. He looked at Adrianna as though he couldn’t believe she was awake. "Adrianna," he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes glistened, and he quickly looked away, rubbing at his face.

Dario’s towering frame appeared behind him, his anger momentarily replaced by relief as his gaze settled on his daughter. "You’re awake," he said gruffly, stepping around Giovanni to be at her bedside, "thank any god that listens."

Giovanni hung back, his shoulders hunched and wanting to run away to sulk. He couldn’t meet Adrianna’s eyes, his guilt weighing heavily on him. "I’m so sorry, Ade," he murmured, "I should never have let you–"

Adrianna’s lips twitched into a faint smile, though it hurt to do so. She cut his words off mid sentence. "It’s not your fault, Gio," her voice was weak, but there was no mistaking the sincerity in her words, "I made the choice."

Giovanni shook his head, his eyes brimming with tears, "no, it is my fault. I should’ve stopped you." He turned to Dario, "she’s here because of me. I’ll take whatever punishment you think is fair."

Dario’s face softened, though his jaw remained tight. "This isn’t about punishment," he said quietly, stepping closer to Giovanni in an almost intimidating manner, "we’re lucky she’s alive. Learn from this, Giovanni. All of you need to start looking out for each other better. This feeling that you have right now– that is punishment enough."

Adrianna’s gaze flicked between her father and brother, her heart aching at the strain between them. "Papà," she rasped, drawing everyone’s attention, "it’s over. I’m here. Let’s just be grateful for that, ok?"

Tanina placed a hand over Adrianna’s, her expression a mixture of relief and exhaustion. Giovanni stepped closer to the foot of her bed, his guilt-ridden face illuminated by the pale hospital light. "I swear, Adrianna, I’ll make it up to you," he said, his voice breaking.

"You already have," Adrianna replied, her voice soft but firm, "you’re here."

Giovanni blinked, the weight of her words settling over him. For the first time since the accident, he managed a faint, trembling smile. As the tension in the room settled, Tanina gave Adrianna’s hand a final squeeze and rose to her feet. "We’ll leave you two to talk and rest," she said softly, glancing at Dario.

Her father hesitated, his eyes lingering on Adrianna, as though he couldn’t quite believe she was awake and breathing. He had seen so many nightmare scenarios in his mind's eye on his way there. Eventually, he nodded. "We’ll be back soon," he said, his voice gruff, "we’ll get some proper food for you and let everyone know that you're ok."

Adrianna offered a weak smile, "Grazie, Papà."

Dario kissed her forehead, his touch lingering for a moment before he followed Tanina out of the room, shooting Giovanni, one finally glare. When the door clicked shut, silence enveloped the space, broken only by the steady beep of the heart monitor. Adrianna turned her head slightly to look at Giovanni, who stood stiffly at the foot of her bed, his head bowed.

"You don’t have to stand there like a statue, Gio," she murmured, her voice hoarse but laced with a faint tease as she gestured to the seat that her mother had been sitting on.

He flinched, as though her words had startled him, before slowly sinking into the chair beside her. His broad shoulders slumped, his usual air of confidence replaced by a palpable guilt. He rubbed his hands together, his knuckles white. "I thought I’d lost you," he said finally, his voice low and uneven.

Adrianna’s chest tightened at the raw emotion in his words. "I’m still here," she replied gently, though the memory of falling, the rush of air and the cold, hard impact, flickered at the edges of her mind.

Giovanni shook his head, his jaw clenched, "I was supposed to be looking out for you. I promised Mamma and Papà I’d keep everyone in line, but instead, I let things get out of hand. I let you get hurt."

"You didn’t push me off the roof, Gio," Adrianna said, her tone firmer now as if reprimanding his memories, "I made the choice to jump. You didn’t force me. I just wanted to be like you all."

"I might as well have forced you," he muttered, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. His head dropped into his hands, and for a moment, he was silent. He knew that Ade was a daredevil and rather competitive when it came to being like her brothers. After a few moments, he looked up, his brown eyes filled with determination, "I swear to you, Adrianna, from now on, I’ll protect you. Always. I'll find a way."

Adrianna raised an eyebrow, though her lips twitched in a faint smile, "Protect me? Gio, I’m not a child and I'm certainly not your child either."

"I know that," he said quickly, his voice thick with emotion, "but you’re my little sister– the only sister– and I’ve already failed you once. I won’t let it happen again."

She studied him for a moment, seeing not just her older brother but the weight he carried as the eldest in their large, chaotic family. "You’ve always looked out for me," she said softly, "even when I didn’t want you to."

He chuckled faintly, a sound tinged with both humour and sadness, "yes, well, I’ve been a bit overbearing, haven’t I?"

Adrianna smirked, the movement tugging at the corner of her split lip, "a bit? You once made Constantine fill out a questionnaire before I was allowed to go to his birthday party, even though we've known him since we were toddlers and I'd been dating him for a year at that point!"

Giovanni rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile breaking through his guilt, "I thought it was fair to screen potential bad influences."

Adrianna rolled her eyes, though warmth softened her expression, "you’re ridiculous, you know that? Everyone knows that in scenarios like that– I'm the bad influence."

He leaned forward, his tone turning serious again. "Either way– I mean it, Adrianna. You’re going to Starfleet now. I know what it’s like out there– what the Academy’s like, what space is like. It’s not all rules and protocols. It’s dangerous, unpredictable," he swallowed hard, "I’ll always be there for you, no matter what. You just have to promise me you’ll look after yourself, too."

Adrianna reached out, her fingers brushing against his arm, "I promise, Gio, but you’ve got to let me make my own choices, even if they’re risky."

He nodded slowly, though his expression remained conflicted. "I’ll try," he said at last, "but don’t expect me to stop checking in. It’s my job as your big brother."

"And a Starfleet officer," Adrianna added with a teasing glint in her eye.

Giovanni smirked, leaning back in his chair, "exactly. Double the responsibility. And, when I make it as a captain one day, I will drag you into my crew and make sure you clean the engineering decks with your toothbrush as punishment for this very moment."

For the first time since waking up, Adrianna felt a sense of peace settle over her. Her body ached, but the bond between her and Giovanni felt stronger than ever. Giovanni’s smirk faltered as his eyes lingered on her bandaged arm, but Adrianna, sensing his unease, decided to lighten the mood. “You know,” she rasped, her lips twitching into a faint smirk, “if I’d been just a foot to the left, I’d have made it into the pool. Perfect landing and everything.”

Giovanni blinked at her, his mouth falling open in disbelief before he groaned and covered his face with his hands, "you nearly died, Adrianna, and you’re cracking jokes about your aim?"

“At least now we know why I wasn't born a boy– my aim is terrible,” she chuckled softly, though it hurt to do so. I'm one sense it was karma for laughing about the situation, "well, I didn’t die, did I? And it’s true. A foot to the left and I’d be a legend. Now I’m just a cautionary tale about measuring twice and leaping once."

Giovanni dropped his hands and shook his head, though the corner of his mouth quirked up into a grin. “You’re unbelievable," he muttered.

Adrianna’s smile grew, but then she sobered slightly. "Guess this counts as my first tally, doesn’t it?" she asked.

Giovanni straightened, his expression softening. "Yes," he said quietly, nodding, "it does."

"You’ve got two, right?" Adrianna asked, her voice teasing but her gaze curious.

Giovanni leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest, "I do. One from a shuttle accident during my Academy days, and the other from that transporter mishap on my first mission."

She raised an eyebrow, her tone playful despite the gravity of their conversation. "So, do I get to brag that I’m catching up to you already?"

"Don’t even think about it," Giovanni said firmly, though his lips twitched into a faint smile, "you’re getting this one, and that’s it. You’re not allowed to have more tallies than me."

Adrianna tilted her head, mock-pouting, "but what if I end up with a better story?"

Giovanni leaned forward, his tone half-serious, half-amused, "better story or not, I’ll make sure you never get to nine– like a cat. Deal?"

She held up a weak hand, as though taking an oath, "fine. Deal."

Giovanni exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing. "Right then," he said, "I’ll arrange for it. Small, simple, and your first. But let it be a reminder, Adrianna– not a challenge."

She grinned at him, though her eyes shimmered with gratitude. "Grazie, Gio. For everything."

He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, his voice soft but firm, "Always, sorellina. Always."

 

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