Truths and Chains – Chapter Six

NOT EDITED

Vito pulled his phone from his pocket as he dropped into his usual spot on Jamal’s private plane. Most people in Vito’s life were in agreement that public air transport was probably the last place he should be most days, and he was always thankful for that. Jamal’s plane was much more cushy anyway.

He raised an eyebrow as Jamal’s name appeared at the top of his screen. He swiped his thumb across the bottom of his screen, denying the call. Not because he didn’t want to talk, but because it had been six months since he’d gotten to fuck with Jamal, and God, had he missed it.

JP: Answer the phone

Vito: You wanna talk to a millennial? Learn to text, Boomer

JP: You’re insufferable

Vito: 😘

JP: 🙄

Vito: 😱 Baby Boomer’s first emoji!!!

JP: I hate you

Vito: You love me

Vito: You missed me bothering you 24/7

Vito: Admit it

JP: If I admit it, you have to accept my call

Vito: Pfft, no deal

JP: I’ll beat your ass the next time I see you

Vito: Like to see you try, short stuff

Jamal, a whopping two inches shorter than Vito, could very much successfully beat his ass. But Vito would never willingly admit that, especially to the man himself.

JP: I spoke to Elias, and he’s willing to meet with you. I gave him your number so you can coordinate a time and place. He also knows your real name. You should probably prepare me ahead of time if you have me call someone you’ve given a fake name to

Vito: Tattletale

Vito: Six months was a long time ago. You expect me to remember what name I gave someone?

Vito: And bro, my PHONE NUMBER dude? You gave him my actual PHONE NUMBER?

JP: It wouldn’t be a problem if you’d give people your real name

JP: We’ve talked about the ‘dude bro’ thing, have we not? Besides, I thought your ‘rule’ for phone numbers was not giving them to the women you sleep with? You’re not sleeping with him, so what’s the problem?

Vito admittedly didn’t know how to respond to that one.

Vito: Pfft, whatever dude. Out here handing my fucking number out like it’s everyone’s business

Vito tapped his thumb against the side of his phone. Jamal must’ve been closer to Mickey’s kid than he’d thought if he’d been able to talk him into meeting up with a Minetti twin so easily. Maybe he’d ask Elias about that. If Elias got to learn all about Vito’s relationship with his dad, it seemed only fair that he should get to learn about Elias’s relationship with one of his.

Vito: Thanks for talking to him for me

JP: It was ONE person’s business, shithead. And you’re welcome. Try to behave yourself. He has permission to call Tito if you don’t

Vito: Rude

As soon as a text from an unknown number popped up at the top of his screen, he clicked the notification, opening a new message thread.

Unknown: Hey, Vitelli, this is Elias, Mickey’s kid. Jamal gave me your number to coordinate coffee

Vito: Don’t worry, Jamal tattled on himself. I know you know my real name

Vito backed out of the thread long enough to add him to his contacts.

Mickey’s kid: Thank God

Mickey’s kid: You’re a good liar, Minetti

Vito: The best 😉

Mickey’s kid: 🙄

Mickey’s kid: I don’t know if Jamal told you, but I’m a veterinarian. I had a couple emergencies come in today, so I’m at the clinic and planning on being here for a while to keep an eye on everyone. If you’d like to have coffee here, I’m happy to give you the address. If you’d rather be out in public, I should be more available tomorrow

Vito: Vet clinic is okay, long as you feel comfortable with it

Mickey’s kid: I don’t mind

Vito: Sweet. We have a pit stop to make after we land, so it’ll probably be closer to four hours before I’m there. Whatcha gonna order? I’ll pick it up for you

Mickey’s kid: Dealer’s choice. I’m not too picky, as long as it has soy instead of dairy

Vito: Eww

Mickey’s kid: I know, haha. I’m not a big fan of the taste either. But I’d rather that than the migraine

Vito: You tried oat milk? My brother switched to that after I shit on his soy tastes too many times and likes it better

Vito was actually kind of impressed that he had remembered that. Maybe he wasn’t quite the piece of shit little brother he credited himself to be.

Mickey’s kid: You know, I actually haven’t. I’ll take you up on that offer though. Anything with oat milk

Vito: Awesome. You want food? I’m gonna score some pancakes myself

Mickey’s kid: A muffin?

Vito: Got a favorite?

Mickey’s kid: Whatever they have available. I’m not picky

Vito: Okie dokie. I’ll text you when I’m in Kansas and on my way. Send me a pin for your clinic whenever

Elias sent him a Google Maps link.

Mickey’s kid: Looking forward to seeing you again. Have a safe flight, and I’ll see you, food, and coffee in a few hours

***

Once their plane landed in Kansas, Tito had driven them straight to the Cassata household to see Matthew ‘Momma’ Dawson, the family’s doctor. Unlike their own house doctor, Momma was sober and actually gave a shit about the men he took care of, Vito’s dumb ass included. After taking Vito’s prized bag of drugs from Tito, he had shooed the taller twin out of his office and closed the door. He sat down at his desk, clearing his throat as he turned the bag over in his hands.

“So… what have you taken most recently?” Momma asked.

“Valium.”

He nodded. “Okay. It looks like all of these pills aren’t Valium, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Are these all things you’ve taken recently?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” Momma cleared his throat. “Would you like to tell me what the other pills are, or would you like me to dump them out and find out myself?”

“I can just, uh… tell you, I guess.”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Vito scratched his jaw, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Uh… Vicodin, Oxy, Fentanyl, Codein. Think that’s… probably it.”

“So mostly opioids?” Momma asked, absolutely no judgment written on his face.

“I guess, yeah. And the Valium.”

“Did you take that one frequently?”

Vito shook his head. “I switched… sources the day before I was released. She’s the ‘source’ who gave me that instead of the pain meds.”

“That’s good. We should only have to manage the opioid withdrawal. How are you feeling now?”

“Little bit like I wanna kill you for that bag.”

Momma nodded, like that was a totally normal thing for one human to say to another. “Well, I appreciate the honesty.” He locked the bag away in one of his desk drawers before pushing himself to his feet. “You weren’t getting any alcohol in there, were you?”

“No, just the pills.”

“Good,” Momma said softly, sorting through the keys in his hands. “I’m going to start you on methadone. It’ll help blunt your cravings a bit, but it might take a couple days for you to really feel that difference. It might make you a bit sleepy in the beginning, as well. Are you good at swallowing pills rather than… other methods one may use?”

“A pro at pretty much any form, Momma.”

“Perfect. I’ll give you one before you leave here, and I’ll give your brother the bottle. I’m going to start you on ten milligrams, and if you start experiencing heavy withdrawal in a couple hours despite that, we’ll up your dose. I don’t imagine we’ll have to decrease it any right now given your tolerance, but if you feel completely sedated by it, let me know. We can always adjust. Okay?”

“Okay.” Vito chose to continue staring at the wall as Momma walked behind him to open the medicine cabinet. He did not need to know which drawer held the opioids.

Momma leaned back against his desk, holding a bottle out to Vito. “Give that to your brother. I’ll text him the details, so if you don’t give it to him, he’ll still know you have it, and he will absolutely take it from you. Sound good?”

“Yeah.” Vito rose to his feet and cleared his throat. “Umm… thanks, Momma. For this. And for not being a piece of shit about it.”

“Of course. I’ve stitched you and your brother up so many times that it’d be impossible to pretend you aren’t family, regardless of the name your loyalty officially falls to.” Momma leaned forward to squeeze Vito’s shoulder. “You’re one of ours, kid, whether you know it or not. You always will be, and I will always take care of my own, you included.”

“Well, if you need anything stupid or dangerous done, you know who to ask for,” Vito said.

Momma chuckled. “That I do.” He pointed to the pill bottle. “You keep me updated on how that does for you. If something needs to change, you know where I am.”

---

Enjoying the story? Consider dropping a comment or a like down below!!

---