STELLA

"Piccola, wake up!" The familiar voice coaxes me gently, but there is urgency behind it. (little one)

"Dolcezza, open your eyes, tesoro mio," Another voice I haven't heard for a long time encourages me. (sweetheart, my darling)

I slowly move to lay on my back, groaning softly. A burning sensation erupts on my side and on my shoulder. I taste coppery, metallic flavor of blood in my mouth.

"You're not going to die like this, Stella, you've got my blood running through you, now get up," A strong voice demands. 

I force my eyes to open and it takes a lot more energy than I know it should to do so. The bright blue sky is cloudless above me, but a small breeze brushes up against me in a whisper. 

"That's it kiddo, you've got this." 

Tobias? I must be hearing things. I thought I heard, my pop's and ma's voices-Dominic and Serena's voice, too and even Timo's stern voice.

I sit up slowly and expect to see myself covered in blood but I'm not. I feel my side and shoulder where the fire-like pain is making it hard to breath, but there's nothing there. I stand up slowly, my legs shake slightly and look at my hands

"There's my girl, badass as always," I look up to see Melanie standing near me. She doesn't look anything like she did when I last saw her. Her long, dark wavy hair is parted deep, the way she always use to wear it before she got sick. Tobias is standing next to her smiling back at me. 

I gasp when I see, my ma and pop, Dominic and Serena. My dad has his hand on my mom's shoulder, the way he would always stand next to her. And then there's Timo with Carmela and Rocco. While I'm happy to see them, tears fall down my face as I look at all the people I know I've lost as the truth hits me. 

I'm dead. 

"You're not dead, dolcezza," Carmela seems to read my mind with her response. 

"Are you sure?" I sniffle.

"Despite, the circumstances, you're still funny as hell, Stella," Rocco smiles at me.

They all chuckle and its both awesome and sad hearing their laughter again. I cry involuntarily. 

Timo steps up to me and wraps his arms around me and I'm both shocked and comforted to be surrounded in his familiar scent and I hold on to him with everything I have. "Dad," My body shakes as the sobs rack through me. 

He strokes my hair gently and kisses my head quietly telling me he loves me. "I love you, too, dad. I'm so sorry." 

"Shh, you have nothing to be sorry about, bella Stellina mia," He tells me soothingly. He cups my face and I look into his dark eyes as they shine with tears. "You need to fight, Stella. For those you love, but most of all for yourself, like you always have." (my beautiful little star)

I sob, "I don't think I can."

"You can and you will." He tells me. 

Carmela walks up beside him, and pulls me into a hug. "You are a Bracco. You don't give up." 

"My brave girl, you have always been strong even as a little girl," Serena brushes my hair away from my face and then she pulls me into her arms.

"I miss you so much," I cry. 

"I'm always with you, Stella, never forget that. We both are," She turns to Pop who wipes my face of the tears that are still falling. 

"You made a beautiful life with all of those you surround yourself with. Protect it and cherish it always, Stella," My pops tells me as he kisses my forehead.

"You are an amazing, person Stella," Tobias cups my face. "I know our children are a handful, but they need you. They have so much to learn from you, and I couldn't be prouder of you for what you have taken on." He hugs me fiercely. 

"JP needs you, too, Stella. You know this," Melanie tells me softly. "You're both strong individually, but together you are unstoppable, never forget that." She kisses both sides of my face before she also hugs me. 

"You know better than to expect me to get all mushy and shit, you've been through and survived far worse," Rocco says as he walks up to me with his hands in his pockets. "So, quit your blubbering and get back in there and fight. Joey needs you, right now." His voice fades.

I gasp coughing, once again tasting blood in the back of my throat. I stare up at the darkened, colorless ceiling. The burning and stabbing pain heightening my senses as I look around and then I see Joey. 

"Joe?" My voice sounds far away. I try to clear my throat but that only makes me gag and cough again. "Joey!" I say louder and roll on my side that's not oozing blood out of two bullet holes. I grunt with the effort it takes to pull myself forward towards him. 

I crawl over him, and see his eyes are closed, but he's breathing. Shallow breaths, but still breathing. "Joey, open your eyes." I grimace as I pull myself up further against him. I can see he was shot twice in the stomach. 

He groans, "Stella..."

"I'm here, Joe. We need to get out here," I groan as I try to sit up but think better of it when I feel like I'm going to vomit.

"I'm not...I'm not...going to make it," He struggles to finish. 

"Yes, you are, Joey," I tell him. "You're going home, back to Anna and baby Rosaly," I reassure him using the name, Anna and Joey recently agreed on for their baby.

"Stella," He sniffles. "Tell Anna I love her and that I'm sorry. Tell my family..." He starts choking and I roll him to his side as blood pours out of his mouth. "Stella, tell my family I love them."  

"Stop it Joey!" I try to stay calm but as I look over at him and the pool of blood that's collected around him; with his complexion ashen-like, I know time is running out fast. 

Focus, Stella. I pull my shirt off after grunting and crying out with effort and bunch it up pressing it over Joey's stomach. "Please hold on Joey." I look around and crawl towards Luan, praying he has his phone on him. I pat his front pockets feeling for his phone, but they're empty. 

I pull his arm towards me, grinding me teeth as I flip him to feel his back pockets and curse when I feel they're empty too. 

I move on to the next guy and after coming empty I scream in frustration. "Joey, keep fighting!" 

I crawl to the next guy and feel his front suit pocket and chuckle in relief when I feel a phone, but as I pull it out I see it was shot through with one of the bullets he was killed with. I make my way over to the next guy and I hit his body in frustration when he also doesn't have a phone on him. 

I'm loosing energy fast as I make it to the last guy. His back pockets are empty and after a couple of hard pulls I roll him on his back and my fingers shake as I dig through his front pockets and then I feel a phone in his breast pocket. 

I use his thumb to open his phone and call Lucy, I don't have anyone else's number's memorized. 

She doesn't answer, probably not recognizing it. I send a text, telling her it's me and the phone rings instantly and I put it on speaker.

"Mom?" She cries into the phone. 

"Luce," I whisper trying to control my emotions. 

"Mom!" She screams.

"Get...get JP...Enzo, please....hurry..." I tell her and make my way back over to Joey. She's screaming that I'm calling her and I can hear all sorts of commotion coming through the phone and several voices calling out my name. 

But I focus on the one that drowns them out. "Stella? Where are you? Are you hurt? Is Joey with you?"

"JP, I don't know if..." I cry out in pain, as I pull myself closer to Joey, taking the phone with me. "Jimmy...he...shot us; Joey...Joey's in bad shape, please hurry."

"Keep talking, baby; Tej is tracing the call," JP tells me. 

"Joey, keep your eyes open," I come up next to him and my shirt is completely soaked in his blood. 

"Joey?" Annalisa's voice comes through the phone. "Babe? Please talk to me." She sniffles.

"Anna," Joey gasps out. "I'm sorry," He cries. "I love you, doll face."

"Joseph Salvatore, you hold on. Do you hear me?"

"Enzo...Enzo are...are you there?" Joey coughs and I can't stop the tears coming as I sob next to him. 

"I'm here Joe," Enzo voice is heard now. "You gotta fight, Joey." 

"It's too..." He takes in a deep breath, "It's too late for me." Annalisa sobs loudly through the phone. "Remember the promise..." 

"Something is blocking the signal," Tej says. "Stella, can you tell if you're underground?" 

"It looks like a warehouse, but I'm not sure." 

"Can you try to get out of where you are?" JP asks me. 

I don't want to tell him, that I'm not exactly mobile, but as I look over at Joey I know I have to try. "I'm going to try; Joey I'll be right back." He groans softly in response. 

I crawl towards the open door. I have to use my feet to push the door open further and then crawl out into what looks like an alley. "Its  industrial," I say breathless as I blink away the brightness of the sun. 

My vision is going hazy. "Can you see any street signs?" Enzo questions.

I shake my head through the haze but it's getting harder to hold my head up. I lean my head on arm to take in a few deep breaths. I look around. "No signs. Just buildings."

"Got it!" Tej shouts. 

"Adonis call 911 get help going there now. Enzo with me. We're coming Stella," JP says and it's getting harder to keep my eyes open. 

"Mom?" I hear Lucy vaguely. I think I'm talking back, but I'm not sure. I gotta get back to Joey, maybe I can pull him out here. I have to try. 

I leave the phone where it is and crawl back in. "Joey," I rasp. "They're coming for us." 

"Joey, come on, let's go. We can do this." I crawl up next to him and I can hear his breathing is now more like wheezing. "Let's go, Joe." 

He's trying to speak but it comes out like a hissing sound. "Save your energy, I'm going to pull us out of here." I pull his arm and he barely moves. I grind my teeth and put all my focus on pulling him. 

"You're not dying." 

"You're not dying today!" I scream and grunt as I pull at his body and he slides forward. This pattern continues as I tug at his body; alternating between yelling at him and dragging his body with mine. 

"You're not dying!" I grunt out with the last effort I can give as my strength gives out and I collapse unto the asphalt next to him. "You're not dying." I pant out breathless, crawling to lay my head on his chest. His heartbeat is faint and slow.

"You're not dying," I whisper. "You can't die, please." I beg and at this point it feels like I'm talking and pleading with myself as much as I am with Joey.

But I will never forget the sound Joey makes as he takes in his last breath before he stills; his heart stops beating under me and darkness comes over me.

******

Please vote, comment and share lovelies :)