by Kay Loren
Sergei laughed and then added, “ So you’re not going to shoot me in the foot?”
Nikolai glanced down at his left arm and chuckled again. “You’re lucky he shot me in my good arm or I just might have.”
Nikolai winced when the truck went over a bump. The pain was becoming more throbbing and less bearable. Sergei noticed and took out his phone.
“House call,” he said into the receiver. “Double if you make it within the hour.”
Dr. Jones… that is who he called. He knew deep down that Dr. Jones would never betray him and work for Michael yet he was still weary of everyone around him.
“I’ll get Vladimir to take it out,” Nikolai said. Vladimir was a last resort. Vladimir would fix the guys who could not go to the hospital -like the ones with warrants- and the most he gave them anesthetics wise, was a bottle of vodka to numb the pain.
“And risk an infection?” Sergei shook his head. “No. You’ll have Dr. Jones see to it and she can check on Audrina while she’s at it.”
Nikolai glanced back at Audrina who’s body just swayed with the movement of the car. It looked like she was on a boat , gently rocking to and fro, as her hand rested on her stomach. He allowed himself to imagine -for that small moment- him and Audrina on a boat, sailing the seas with a small child running about. He could imagine the cool ocean breeze whipping through her hair and the sun shining down on her beautiful face.
It’s a ridiculous thought, he concluded after a while. She left me and she’s pregnant with Michael’s child. He didn’t even know what she would think once she awoke. The continuing growing pain in his arm was a welcome distraction. He would just have to deal with it all as it happened.
Once they arrived back to the house, Sergei carried Audrina in as Nikolai followed closely behind. Given the complete silence of the house -and the late hour of the night- they concluded that Svetlana and Nikki must have been sleeping. The guards were still on patrol, walking up and down the various halls and staircases.
“Put her in my room,” Nikolai said.
Sergei halted at the bottom step. He wasn’t so sure it was a good idea. “Why don’t I put her in the room next to yours? Just in case…”
“In case?” Nikolai said through gritted teeth. His arm was hurting and he just wanted to drown his pain with some liquor.
“In case she doesn’t want to see you or be around any one of us,” Sergei spoke honestly. “She tried to get away from here… just a precaution..”
Nikolai didn’t think of that. Where was she going? The thought pained him. After agreeing to place her in the room next to his, Nikolai stalked off to his office and went straight to the mini bar in the corner of the room.
He bothered not with a glass and instead took a large swig of the bottled vodka in hand. He just wanted to dull everything. He walked over to the leather sofa by the big bay window and sat. Slowly, he peeled off his jacket and then unbuttoned his shirt. When the final button became undone, he carefully pulled down the material from his injured arm.
“Shit!” he cursed in his mother tongue.
He couldn’t remember the last time he got shot. It had to have been sometime in his early twenties if he thought back far enough. The pain was an all too good reminder of what his life was. The bullet or the bars…
“Doc is pulling up,” Sergei announced as he waltzed into the room a good while later. “She made it quickly.”
Nikolai took another large swig of vodka. He didn’t really care for the taste yet it was the first thing he grabbed and it dulled his senses.
“Audrina?” he asked.
“I put her in bed and cleaned her up,” he replied.
Moments later, Dr. Jones walked into the room with her bag in hand. She was a tall woman with platinum blonde hair, clear grey eyes and a full pout that was always coated in a lovely shade of red or mauve. To be nearing fifty, she looked as young as she did now than when Nikolai had first met her twenty years before. She was the widow of Nikolai’s father’s best friend and was always nearby, ready to patch up the wounded men.
“He got shot in the arm,” Sergei told her as she stepped towards Nikolai.
“I can see that,” she huffed and gestured over to the lamp next to the couch for Sergei to turn on.
Nikolai closed his eyes when the bright light hit. He was tired and a little buzzed from the alcohol. She took Nikolai’s muscular arm in both her hands and examined the wound carefully. She put on the pair of glasses she wore around her neck to further inspect.
“You might want to drink a little more,” she said as she opened her bag and pulled out a few sharp tools. “I have to dig out the bullet.”
Vladimir could have done it.
He swallowed another large gulp before she went straight to work on his arm. The pain was dull but he could feel the sharp tool dig into his arm deeper and deeper.
“We need you to check on someone else when you finish up here Doc,” Sergei said from behind as he watched Dr. Jones pry the bullet out of Nikolai’s arm.
“Another bullet wound?” she asked.
“No,” Sergei said.
Dr. Jones eyed Sergei and then Nikolai for a moment. “Do I dare ask?”
“Not if you-“ Nikolai began but then grunted in pain when her hand jerked back quickly.
“You were saying?” she smiled in triumph when she held up the bullet with a pair of tweezers.
Nikolai let out a deep growl as she disinfected and cleaned up the wound and the area surrounding it. She was quick with her work, wrapping his arm and securing it tightly with a white bandage.
Dr. Jones stood up, disposing of her gloves in the nearby wastebin. “Watch out when you take a shower. No water on the bandage if you can manage. And clean the affected area twice a day… “
“Thank you,” Nikolai muttered. He was too weary to even move from his spot. He rubbed his eyes, feeling the effects of the vodka and the last two sleepless nights.
Dr. Jones eyed Nikolai for a moment. She reached into her bag, producing a white bottle. “Here, take two of these. You will get a good night’s rest.”
Nikolai’s shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Dr. Jones arched a perfect thin brow and held her hand out containing the two white oblong pills. “You need it.”
As much as Nikolai wanted to dismiss her offer he found himself reaching for the pills. Just before he swallowed them with another swig of vodka, she placed a gentle hand on his wrist.
“Water is the preferable choice.”
Nikolai eyed her for a moment before nodding and asking Sergei for a glass. Once he took the pills he laid back on the sofa. The leather felt hot and stuck to his back yet he did not care. It was comforting to a sense.
“Who’s the next patient?” Dr. Jones asked gathering her medical bag.
“She’s upstairs,” Sergei gestured with his finger up to the ceiling. “I’ll take you.”
“I can take her,” Nikolai stated. He winced as he tried to get up. The last few days had taken a toll on his body.
“No, you’re going to rest,” Sergei said sternly. “I’ll take care of it and then I’ll help you up to bed.”
Less than fifteen minutes later the pills kicked in and put Nikolai into a euphoric state where he could barely feel any pain. His eyes began to close and when they finally did he dreamt of a child in a field, running about while Audrina looked on with a smile. He watched them from far with the sun shining down on them, while he stood far away in the gloom.
Chapter Twenty- Seven
The dark haired child ran through the tall grass hiding from Audrina. She could hear the child’s gleeful laughter as she made her way through the grass. Only the top of the child’s head could be seen as the sun bounced off of the full head of hair.
“I’m gonna get you!” she laughed as she got closer to the child. She was sure it was a boy…
Just as she was about to wrap her arms around the child she heard the sound of a gun go off prompting her to turn her atten
tion to the loud sound behind her. When she glanced back to see where the child was, he was gone. She screamed for him but no sound came from her mouth.
Audrina awoke with a gasp. Her eyes darted around the semi dim room looking for the child from her dream. It dawned on her a few moments later that there was no child. She put a hand to her belly reminding herself that her baby was safe. Her skin was damp with a light sheen of sweat and she could feel her heart pound rapidly through her chest.
She ran a hand through her hair and looked around the room. This room was unfamiliar to her. The walls were white with a wide trim of dark wood and in the far corner of the room stood an oak armoire. Two wide double doors stood directly across from the bed leading out to a terrace from what Audrina could see.
She looked down at the bed she was laying on, running her fingers slowly over the black silk material. For some odd reason she thought of Nikolai as she continued to run her fingers over the cool material. They looked like the sheets he had in his bedroom at his penthouse.
Just then, the realization of what had transpired before she had awoke, slapped her across the face. Gino had come for her. That bastard! All she could remember was the blue sheets of the hotel bed contort into a blur before she succumbed to darkness.
She sat up quickly, her breathing coming out in frantic gasps.
“Hey, hey, easy now.”
The soothing voice sounded familiar to her. Very comforting in fact. She looked to the left side of the bed and let out a shaky sigh upon seeing Nikki’s face come into view. She had been asleep on the grand armchair next to the bed the whole time.
“Nikki,” Audrina smiled when Nikki crawled onto the bed. The two girls embraced one another.
“I didn’t think I would see you again,” Nikki whispered holding her close. “Where were you going?”
Audrina’s eyes watered and her lip trembled. She didn’t know if it was because she was seeing Nikki again after a couple of days or it was her hormones raging. Either way she was happy to see Nikki’s gorgeous face. “I just wanted to leave it all behind, Michael, Nikolai, my mistakes… I didn’t, I mean I don’t want to bring a baby into the world where my life is a fuckin mess because of me or the fact that the baby’s potential father is in the mafia…”
“What?” Nikki shook her head flabbergasted.
Audrina sniffed. “Michael’s in the mob… I just found out.”
“Who told you that?” Nikki’s face blanched.
Audrina didn’t want to give away the source. Jeana had done too much for her already. “It doesn’t matter.”
Nikki sighed and replied after a while, “Well I guess I kind of knew.”
“Really?”
“Well yeah,” she shrugged. “Look at everyone around him… the men, the women. Oh my god! How they talked about their husbands and all the money and where it came from… I put two and two together but I wasn’t so sure.”
Nikki was observant and smart when it came to reading people. She was always good at that even when they were young. She reminded Audrina of Nikolai to a sense. Oh Nikolai, her heart clenched when she thought of him again. She wanted to see him again even if it was for a second.
“Wait, where am I?” Audrina asked finally.
Nikki looked down at her hands and then looked up at Audrina. “You’re here… in Nikolai’s home.”
“Nikolai’s home?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “You do remember what happened last night right?”
Audrina shuddered. She recounted the memory of Gino bursting into the room and then struggling until her vision went blurry. A chill ran up Nikki’s spine after hearing the events Audrina had told her about. She grabbed ahold of Audrina’s hand. “I didn’t know that. Sergei just told me they found you last night at a hotel.”
“Sergei’s here too?”
“Yeah,” Nikki nodded. “He brought me up here a few days ago… said it was for my protection.”
“Protection from what?”
“He didn’t say much but the urgency in his voice was enough to know that he was dead serious,” she said with a long sigh. “And then he asked me about you and if I knew where you were and I’m sorry but I caved! I told him you left town and I guess he told Nikolai -who I might add was hell bent on finding you- and anyways they found you at the hotel last night… I’m sorry but it was better that they found you before Michael did.“
All this information was hard for Audrina to process. She understood Nikki’s reasoning’s and did not fault her one bit. But it was hard for Audrina to imagine why Nikolai wanted to find her or how he even found her in the first place. No one knew where the hell she was or where she was going. She had made sure no one knew.
But to know Nikolai had saved her from Gino made her feel overwhelmed with love and gratefulness. God knows Gino would have handed her straight over to Michael who she did not even know now what have done with her. An unwelcome thought rattled her nerves. Nikki noticed and handed her the glass of water that was on the nightstand.
Audrina took a few long sips and then asked, “Where’s Nikolai?”
“He left this morning,” Nikki replied. “He came by to check on you before he left.”
Audrina’s heart clenched. She couldn’t imagine him in the room hours before and her not seeing him. She wished nothing more than for him to walk into the room at that very moment, but given how she left him, she knew he would look at her differently.
“Did he seem… angry… with me?”
“Why would he be angry?”
Audrina arched a brow. “I left him remember.”
Nikki frowned. “I doubt it. He seemed more relieved to know you were here- safe and sound. He actually slept last night for the first time in days.”
Audrina’s breath hitched. “I miss him.”
“He’s a good guy,” Nikki smiled. “He’s doing everything in his power to make sure we all remain safe here.”
Judging by the way Nikki said that last statement, Audrina knew she was not going anywhere unless Nikolai allowed it.
“I don’t understand what is going on,” Audrina sighed.
“Me neither,” Nikki replied. “But if you ask me, I have a strong feeling it has to do with Michael.”
The door opened slightly after a soft knock. A raven haired beauty with piercing blue eyes entered the room with a tray in hand.
“She’s up!” the girl beamed walking further into the room. She placed the tray down on the bedside table and walked closer to the bed, gazing at Audrina.
The blue eyes gave it away. Audrina knew the girl was the beloved sister of Nikolai. She was absolutely gorgeous. She looked like a doll, small and delicate.
“Audrina, this is Nikolai’s sister Svetlana,” Nikki introduced. “Svetlana, this is Audrina.”
Audrina sat up straight and put her hand out in front of her. “Nice to finally meet you… Nikolai has told me so much about you.”
A soft blush crept up on Svetlana’s round cheeks. “It is great to meet you too… When I found out Nikolai brought you here, I was just dying to meet you…”
“She got so desperate that Sergei actually caught her sneaking in here to wake you,” Nikki chuckled.
Audrina laughed. Svetlana seemed bubbly and she could see why Nikolai once described her as an occasional pain. Her eyes radiated a sense of mischievousness like a child.
“Are you hungry?” Svetlana asked as she grabbed the tray off the small table and placed it on top of Audrina’s lap before she could respond. The long, wide silver tray was filled with fried eggs, sausage, biscuits, bacon, potatoes, meat, fruit and what looked like oatmeal. “I had Olga, our cook, prepare a little bit of everything for you.”
Audrina got one whiff of something that did not agree with her and she quickly removed the tray from her lap.
“The bathroom is over here!” Nikki said, leading Audrina to the bathroom that was on the far right of the room. Audrina lunged for the toilet, flipping the lid quickly and puking.
/> “Is she okay?” Svetlana asked from the doorway of the bathroom.
“I’m fine,” Audrina nodded after whatever was in her stomach was emptied out. “It’s just morning sickness.”
Svetlana gasped and ran into the bathroom. “You are pregnant?”
Audrina mustered up a smile and nodded.
“Oh congratulations!” she clapped her hands giddily together. “A baby! That is so exciting!”
Audrina glanced at Nikki who just shrugged with a smile.
“Do you know how far long you are?” Svetlana asked.
“Three months,” Audrina stated.
“Nikolai did not tell me you were pregnant!”
Audrina glanced over at Nikki who had her lips pressed together into a tight smile. To her knowledge, Nikolai did not even know she was pregnant. She felt ridiculous that she could not even explain what was really going on. How could she tell her she was sleeping with her brother and another man at the same time? She swallowed back the sob that threatened to escape.
“Why don’t you take a shower Audri,” Nikki pointed to the glass enclosed shower behind her. “I will bring some clothes that you can change into.”
A shower seemed like a good idea to wash off yesterday’s events and her ridicule now.
“I will try to explain the situation to Svetlana as best as I can,” Nikki whispered into Audrina’s ear before she exited the room.
When she was alone, she slowly peeled off her clothing and climbed into the shower. Cold water blasted over her face and the front of her body as soon as she pulled the small knob forward. She stood under the cascading water, sobbing, letting all her emotions out.
As terrible as she felt for her actions involving Nikolai and Michael, she did not regret feeling the little life inside of her. She placed both hands on her little belly and rubbed it. She had to stop stressing for the baby. She remembered Dr. Jones saying that stress was bad for the baby, but she could not help crying for every little thing.
Twenty minutes later she emerged from the shower and walked back into the room. Nikki left a change of clothes on the bed, laid out neatly. She changed into the stretchy black leggings and a pale cashmere sweater just before Nikki reentered the room.