Everything in its Rightful Place

By Dimitri Cocciuti

Rome, Summer 2016.
Giovanni is an established doctor, a married man and a human being conditioned by the choices imposed on him by his family.
Antonella, his wife, is a woman who lives in the constant search for perfection, thus thinking she can escape from her frailties and from the awareness of a marriage that doesn’t make her happy.
Alessio, in a hot summer of sixteen years earlier, found love in Giovanni, in the present day he only retains a bitter memory of him.
One evening, fate will put Alessio’s life in danger and Giovanni in front of the only person who ever really made his heart beat.
The events will lead the three protagonists to a new state of consciousness and the awareness that pain can be the means to put back everything in its rightful place.
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Finally, the English version of the number 1 Italian LGBT novel!

• Language: English
• Publisher: DC
• Release date: Jul 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9788835865315

Book preview

White

Summary

Foreword

Another summer

There’s no me without you

After the fog

Our differences

An invincible security

Calm chaos

A sense – A meaning

Between the sea and sky

Atonement

September

All that matters is the heart

The boundaries of love

Afterword

Thanks

To those seeking the courage of truth.

To those who find the strength to love unconditionally.

To those who choose to put everything in its rightful place

Foreword

There are many reasons to read and love this novel.

For Giovanni's passionate love story, which embodies a tale of epiphany: the full-flooded breaking through of the truth that lies behind feelings, overwhelming and sweeping away the conforming confines of an inauthentic life.

For the irresistible little madeleines that are scattered within it.

Those who belong to the surroundings of Generation X (but millennials will also appreciate it) will be pleased with snapshots of their youth: songs, fashion, TV programs, objects, the first digital technological devices available to the masses.

And it is a delight to observe the transformation, up to who and what we are today.

For the imposing gallery of wonderful women.

Look at them - Antonella, Viola, Marianna, Gina, mothers, grandmothers - while they feed, assist, provide, explain, direct, understand.

Strong, or forced to be, to make up for male weaknesses.

For the indulgent tenderness towards his men: protagonists, yes, at the centre of the narrative of course, but small, confused, frightened, fragile, absent. Out of place.

Fabrizio Battocchio

Format and Factual Director RTI/Mediaset

Another summer

As soon as he opened the main door of the apartment building, Giovanni thought that spring had finally arrived.

Then he headed to his car; another long night shift was about to begin.

A year earlier he had been employed by the hospital emergency room; a demanding job, with fast-paced rhythms, a roller coaster of strong emotions and which by default needed infinite patience.

But all this was not a problem for him, on the contrary, the passion he put into his job repaid him for all his efforts and for all the days spent working without a moment's respite.

After all, being a doctor had always been his dream and the emotions of that fateful phone call informing him that he had been hired were always there, etched into his mind: «Good morning, Dr. Galvani, we would like you to come in for an interview».

Following that phone call, he had begun his career in the hospital, one of the most stimulating moments in his life; he who had been so accustomed to the monotony of too many days all spent in the same way.

He had first started shadowing a colleague, then, in a few months, he had managed to perform the job alone.

His talent had not gone unnoticed: all of his colleagues appreciated the seriousness and empathy he displayed towards his patients.

Always composed, always impeccable, in any situation or emergency, Giovanni was the quintessential example of reliability.

For this reason, the hospital had decided to enrol him in the emergency room, where his characteristics were well suited to the extreme conditions that an emergency department inevitably brought with it.

That evening, like every day, after saying goodbye to his wife Antonella with a quick kiss on the lips, he got into his car, and headed to work.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the cold air of the previous months had given way to a warmth that gave no doubts about the fine season that was on its way.

Giovanni loved springtime: the light of day that seemed to never end, the smell of jasmine that invaded the streets, car windows that were finally lowered, people walking peacefully outdoors, enjoying the new climate.

They were all sensations that made him rejoice, as if spring were not just a season for him, but more a state of mind.

He parked the car, grabbed the bag containing his white lab coat and then his smartphone from the passenger seat, and headed to the hospital.

Entering, he waved to the staff at the check-in desk, and as he was heading towards the changing rooms his colleague Antonio appeared.

«Hey, amico mio, how are you? Ready for the evening shift?»

They always greeted each other in this way, using the Italian phrase 'amico mio’ in an affectionate and warm-hearted way.

They had specialized in different departments, Antonio in neurology, Giovanni in surgery, then events had led them both to divide the long hours in the emergency room; over time they had built a good professional relationship and great mutual esteem. Antonio had built up an enviable physique, the result of long hours in the gym that he frequented after work.

«You should train a few hours a week too, it would be good for you», Antonio often suggested to him.

But Giovanni’s relationship with sport was different, not that he didn't like it, but he preferred to give his priority to other things.

There was another curious detail that linked the two men, a detail they often joked about together: they were born on the same day of the same month in the same year. Recently they joked that this was going to be the first birthday that they would most likely have both celebrated at work.

That evening Giovanni noticed that his colleague was not as exhausted as usual, despite being at the end of his shift.

«You’re looking particularly sprightly tonight, even though its almost ten o’clock. No code reds? Nobody on their death bed?» «You wish my friend. But yes, you're right, today was less busy than usual; with this heat they will have all had less desire to fall ill.

In any case, a friend texted me, he was on his way here and is stuck on the ring road near the main highway; he said that there has been an accident, and there is a long queue of cars.

Seeing as its just round the corner from here, I guess they’ll bring the injured to us.»

«Okay, so these are my last five minutes of peace before the chaos starts?»

«They could be, enjoy them while you can!»

«Take the piss if you like. Today it’s me, tomorrow you’ll have the gruelling shift!»

In the meantime, Giovanni had Antonio bring him up to date on the situation of the patients at that point, then he said goodbye and went into the locker room: he changed and put on his lab coat.

Despite his colleague’s words, he didn’t let it get him down, he was ready with his usual enthusiasm and patience to bear the weight of another long shift that would have seen him work until dawn.

Of course, watching his favourite TV series sitting comfortably on his super-relax armchair in his living room would have been an excellent alternative right then, but in the end he gathered his courage and clocked in using his badge, glancing towards Caterina, the nurse who was always by his side.

«Good evening doctor, everything okay?»

«Hey Caterina, yeah, great as always. What patients do we have tonight?»

«Listen, if you can go to the waiting room for a moment, maybe you can give me a hand, there is a guy who has been yelling for the last ten minutes, complaining about everything».

«I'll go right away. What's wrong with him?»

«You decide. If you ask me, nothing, some imaginary illness».

He headed to the waiting room to check on the patient.

«I’ve been waiting too long, how is it possible that hours and hours have to go by before you can even be seen by a doctor? I’m dying!»

Giovanni, with due calm, began listening to the pensioner’s complaints, who had been accompanied by his son who, patiently speaking to his father, had tried in every way possible to calm him down, without success.

Giovanni however, did succeed: after first reassuring him and then examining him, he realized that he was simply agitated and had mistaken a simple and banal gastritis for an imminent heart attack.

He had dealt with hypochondriacs of all kinds: those who rushed to the emergency room for a common cold, those who made their will for a temperature of 100 degrees, but above all, those who lived under the spectre of suffering a heart attack.

Apart from them, however, Giovanni mainly dealt with real emergencies, those that motivated him every day, pushing him to perform to the best of his abilities.

Catherine joined him after lingering for a few minutes at the emergency room check-in desk.

«Doctor Galvani, I'm sorry to start your shift this way, but we have just been alerted about an emergency in arrival».

«Perhaps it’s the one Antonio warned me about. We’re used to it by now Caterina, after all, this is an emergency room, not a holiday camp».

Keeping a cool head in the most difficult situations was his strong point, even if the stress, punctual as ever, would come back to claim its price.

While they waited for the emergency to arrive, Caterina began to describe the other code-yellow patients he would have to visit, once he had finished dealing with the code-red patient in arrival.

«Let’s see: a suspected appendicitis, this woman has diverticulitis, tonight we’re in luck!»

He didn’t have time to finish the phrase, the sirens from the ambulance could be heard in the distance, approaching.

The sound, getting louder and louder, began to drown out the constant murmuring of the complaints from those in the waiting room.

Giovanni passed through the long hall and headed for the emergency room entrance.

The emergency vehicle stopped; the ambulance crew got out, quickly greeted Giovanni and rapidly transferred the unconscious patient onto another stretcher.

«Code-red, doctor. A pedestrian victim of a hit and run, he wasn’t driving any vehicle, but was knocked down by a motorcycle that drove off. He has an evident head injury, witnesses reported seeing him bang his head violently, groan in pain and then lose consciousness. Regular breathing, slight tachycardia. The patient is thirty-six years old, we found his name on his I.D.: Alessio Caputo».

At the sound of that name Giovanni's stomach twisted into a knot. He remained paralyzed, a high pitched whistle penetrating his right ear. His gaze followed the stretcher as they wheeled him into the hospital, and the moment he saw Alessio’s face, he broke into a cold sweat.

«Doctor, are you okay?» asked Caterina, who, having daily dealings with Giovanni, immediately noticed something different in his gaze».

«Yes, of course, everything’s under control».

Professional ethics demanded that he always keep a cool head, because the lucidity that the moment required was of utmost importance and there was no place for anything else.

He started to treat the patient: to reduce the large swelling caused by the violent impact with the tarmac he realised that it would be necessary to induce a pharmacological coma and ordered that he be transferred to intensive care.

Caterina assisted Giovanni as usual.

The ambulance team began to wheel away the stretcher and Caterina, as always, began to comment on the incident: «My God, poor thing, such a handsome man. And such a blow to the head... let's hope he survives, doctor».

Sighing she shook her head, «Those damned motorbikes, first they complain that motorcyclists are the ones who get hurt, and now they start knocking people over and then ride off! What an uncivilised world. That’s why I don’t have a driving license, I don’t want such responsibilities».

While the nurse talked for endless minutes, Giovanni thought about Alessio's body, motionless, while he was being transported to the large elevators. He remained in silence, not listening to his colleague’s words.

Caterina noticed his strange behaviour.

«Doctor, are you listening to me?»

«Yes, of course. A really bad incident».

«Excuse me, doctor, but since that patient came in you seem somewhat dazed. Are you sure you're feeling okay?»

«Of course, I’m fine, what are you talking about?»

«Well then, I apologise, from your expression I thought for a moment that you knew him and were shaken for that reason».

«No, I was just lost in thought».

Caterina held back from asking other questions, keeping her doubts to herself.

After a few minutes, Giovanni took the medical records to examine the other cases and, with his usual dedication, started to visit everyone, trying to reduce the influx of patients who, despite the late hour, had begun to fill the room.

He spent the rest of the night in the usual way, overwhelmed by routine.

The hours passed and, distracted by the enormous amount of work, he barely noticed the first rays of sun creep through the hospital windows.

It wouldn’t be long before he clocked out and went home.

While waiting for the colleague who would take over for him in the morning, he illustrated to the other doctor the work to be performed in the following hours.

Then he used his badge to clock out, but instead of heading to the locker room to change and head home, he decided to stay a little longer in the hospital.

He bought a bottle of water and went out of an emergency door, also used by other colleagues for their compulsory cigarette break; he took a sip from the bottle and nervously looked at his phone. He checked the status