by Desiree Hart
"How'd he take it?"
She shrugged. "All right, I guess. He's a nice guy, and I could tell he was really into me, but I guess I just wasn't ready to settle down yet when we met."
"So you broke his heart." I couldn't help but feel just a little bit sorry for the guy.
"Not really. I told him at the time that I wasn't ready for a relationship, and he said that was OK." Her eyes got a faraway look in them. "The sex was really great, though."
"Better than it is with Ivan?" I asked.
"Believe it or not, we haven't taken things to that level," she told me. "Ivan wants to wait until after we're married. You know how super religious he is. He told me I'm his first serious girlfriend, that he never even expected to get married at all until he met me."
"You mean he's never even..."
She shook her head. "No, he hasn't."
"No fucking way!" I couldn't believe that even an aspiring priest of Ivan's age would still be a virgin.
"I had a hard time believing it at first, too," she replied. "But I think it's really special. Don't you?"
"I suppose so." To my surprise, I felt a little bit jealous. "I've never been with a virgin before. I don't know how many women Jeff had before me. I was always afraid to ask. And Mischa..." Suddenly I wondered how many women my husband had been with before me, besides Tina. Not that I'd ever ask him, but it was something I knew I'd always wonder about.
I was cuddling on the sofa with Mischa that night when I mentioned the conversation I'd had with Mitzi. "Did you know Ivan's still a virgin?" I asked him.
"That's not the kind of thing guys talk about together," he replied. "But it doesn't surprise me one bit. When we were very young, he told me he wanted to dedicate his life to God."
"I think Mitzi's really lucky," I remarked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He sounded hurt.
"I didn't mean luckier than me," I said quickly. "Only that she doesn't have to worry about any diseases, or some kid showing up on her doorstep out of the blue years from now, claiming to be his long-lost child."
"You don't have to wonder about those things either, Trace," he said gently. "I know I'm not pure as the driven snow like Ivan. All I have to offer you is my heart, and my vow to love only you for the rest of our lives."
"Oh, stop it, Mischa," I sniffled. "You're making me cry!"
"With happiness, I hope."
"Of course with happiness!"
He laughed and pulled me closer to himself, planting a big, sloppy kiss onto my lips. "Well, I'm awfully glad I have that effect on you!"
I kissed him back, a deep, passionate, open-mouth kiss, and he picked me up and carried me into the bedroom.
"Mischa, the babies..." I began.
"I promise, I'll be very gentle," he told me. He was. More gentle than he'd ever been before, in fact. As we slowly drifted off to sleep together afterwards, I wondered how in the world I ever could have compared him negatively to Ivan, or to any other man.
✽✽✽
Ivan and Mitzi did get married later that month. Her sisters and best friend were the brides' maids, but Mischa and I were invited, so we went. It was at an Orthodox church, of course, and was beautifully decorated with red roses. I looked around and saw that a lot of the people I worked with were there, including, unfortunately, Debbie. I decided not to let her presence bother me and enjoy the occasion anyway.
Mitzi was beautiful as she walked down the aisle in her white gown, but I had to stifle a giggle as I thought about what a joke it was that she was dressed in white, considering that it was supposed to represent virginity.
As Ivan and Mitzi recited their vows to one another, my mind went back in time to my own wedding only a little over a year previously. Mischa must have felt the same way, as I felt his arm slip around my shoulders and hug me tight. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he kissed my hair.
Everything went fine until the reception. I was chatting with a fellow nurse and enjoying myself when I saw Debbie, who appeared to be struggling beneath the weight of a large box. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor and hugging my abdomen in agony.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Debbie cried. I saw that a couple of people were helping her up. "Silly me! How could I have not seen that?"
"Are you all right, Tracy?" Instantly Mischa's arms were around me, helping me to my feet. The sharp pain was already subsiding to a dull ache.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Debbie tripped and hit you in the belly with that box she was carrying," Mischa told me. "Are you all right? Can you stand?"
"I think so," I said shakily. "But my belly hurts!"
"Oh God." Mischa turned pale. "I'm taking you to the hospital right away!"
"She did it on purpose," I said as we were on our way. "If anything happens to the babies, it will be her fault!"
"We can't just assume that," Mischa replied. "Accidents do happen, after all."
"Yeah, and denial is a river in Egypt," I muttered. "You know as well as I do that what happened to me was no accident!"
Mischa sighed. "I know. But there's no way in the world we'd ever prove it."
At the hospital they did an ultrasound, and to our immense relief, we saw that both tiny hearts were still beating.
"We'll keep you overnight for observation, just to be safe," the doctor told me.
Later that evening, Mitzi came by to visit. "What are you doing here, girl?" I asked her. "You're supposed to be on your honeymoon!"
"I just had to come by to make sure you're OK before we left," she told me. "I feel just terrible that you got hurt at my wedding! Debbie feels awful about what happened, too. She asked me to tell you once again that she's very sorry and that she hopes you're going to be OK." I knew that wasn't true, but I didn't want to spoil her honeymoon, so I didn't say anything.
Although thankful that the babies and me were all right, I dreaded returning to work, as I knew that I'd have to work with Debbie on some shifts and was terrified that she might try to hurt me again, and next time, I might not be so lucky.
"I don't know what to do about it," I complained to Mischa. "I can't quit work right now because we need the money."
He sighed deeply and patted my hand. The next time I ran into Debbie at work, she didn't say a word to me, but from the look on her face, I could tell that she was disappointed that I was still pregnant.
For Easter, we hid eggs for Sage and Meadow like we had the previous year. At not quite three, Meadow was much more proficient at hunting eggs this year, but of course her brother was a lot faster and found more eggs.
"Look, Mommy!" she said excitedly, showing me her basket full of eggs.
"Aw, that's nothing!" said Sage. "Look how many I found!"
"Sage!" I scolded my son, but his attention was focused elsewhere. I turned to see what he was looking at and gasped in wonder. Mischa held a beautiful piece of jewelry that was in the shape of an Easter egg. It was pink and covered in green leaves and tiny rose buds, and rested on a three-legged golden stand.
"It's a Faberge egg," Mischa told me. "Not a real one, of course," he amended quickly. "I could never have afforded one of those. Tsar Nicholas II gave his wife Alexandra an egg like this for Easter every year. This one's called the Lilies of the Valley egg. Look." He removed the top of the egg, and inside was a perfect red rose. It's edges were trimmed in gold, and it's leaves were made up of tiny rhinestones.
"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" I gasped. I took it into my hands and cradled it, admiring the exquisite design. "Tsar Nicholas II had incredibly good taste!"
Mischa laughed. "He was also incredibly wealthy," he said ruefully. "But never mind. I'm glad you like the egg. We'll have to find a good place to display it."
"In the living room, so everyone who comes to visit us can see it!" I exclaimed.
Mischa frowned. "It's very fragile. You know how Sage and Meadow like to run around bumping into thi
ngs in the living room."
"Oh, yeah. On the dresser, then." I felt just a little bit disappointed, but I knew that what he'd said was true.
Later we went to my parents' for dinner, where we found Adam alone, looking desolate. "Where's Jill?" I asked him.
"We broke up," he told me. "She's gone back to stay with her stepfather. Excuse me, her ex-stepfather. She said she wants to cut all ties with everyone here."
"Even Lisa?"
"I guess so. She didn't say anything about that."
"I'm sorry," I said, secretly wondering whether Jill's decision had had anything to do with the fact that her father was back together with Lisa's mother now.
"That's all right," Adam replied. "There's this really cute cashier at the supermarket I've been wanting to ask out for awhile, and now I finally can."
So much for true love, I said to myself.
I was at work the following day when I heard another nurse's voice raised in alarm. "Tracy, look out!"
I glanced up just in time to see a surgical cart piled high with heavy medical equipment barreling straight for me.
I dashed out of the way just in time, the surgical cart whizzing so close by me that I could feel its breeze. "You did that on purpose! I saw you!" I heard the voice of the nurse, whose name was Ellen, and saw that the person to whom she was speaking was Debbie.
"You'll never be able to prove it," Debbie said snidely.
"Yes, she will, because I saw it too." I heard the voice of another nurse, Danielle. "I'm calling the police right now!"
Debbie tried to run away, but Ellen grabbed one of her arms and I grabbed the other, and between the two of us, we were able to keep her from escaping. A few minutes later, Mischa and his partner, Adrian, arrived. In almost no time, they'd handcuffed Debbie and led her away.
"You can't prove anything!" she yelled. "I'm calling my lawyer!"
"Lawyer, schmawyer," sneered Ellen. "She's not getting away with it this time. There were too many witnesses. Are you OK, Tracy?"
"I'm fine," I assured her. "Just scared me to death for a minute there."
"I'll bet!" said Danielle. She and Ellen helped me to the employees' lounge, where they led me to a seat and asked if I wanted something to drink.
"No thanks," I replied.
"Are you sure you don't want to go home for the day?" asked Danielle.
"Oh no, I'm staying for the rest of my shift." Determined not to allow Debbie to be the cause of my losing time from work, I returned to my duties a few minutes later.
Despite my fortitude, I still had a bad case of the willies for the rest of that day. I couldn't believe that Debbie hated me so much that she actually wanted me to lose my babies. What had I ever done to her? Nothing! Was it because of what had happened to Tina? I'd had nothing to do with that! Was it because of Mischa? Did she want him for herself? If that was the case, then she must be even sicker than I'd thought she was.
I felt even more tired than usual when I finally got off work. The stress of what had almost happened to me combined with the usual fatigue, I supposed.
When I got home, I saw that Mischa had already put the kids to bed and was sitting up reading. He stood and walked to the door as I entered. "Tracy! Are you really OK?" he asked as he embraced me.
"Yeah," I said weakly as I rested my head on his shoulder. "Just really tired, that's all."
"I was hardly able to finish my shift, I was so worried about you," he told me. "You can't begin to imagine how upset I was when your co-worker called and told me what had happened, and when I saw Debbie standing there looking so smug, it took all the self control I had not to slug her right then and there."
"Where is she now?" I asked.
"In jail, being held on five hundred dollars' bail," he told me. "Personally, I wish they'd just lock her up and throw away the key. I can't stand the thought of someone who tried to harm my wife and children out walking the streets."
"Five hundred dollars isn't very much," I remarked.
"I know, but since she didn't actually hit you, she can only be charged with a misdemeanor."
"But she's already tried to hurt me twice!"
He sighed. "Yeah, but that's how the system works. You can get a restraining order against her, though."
"That would make her even madder!"
"It would be better than doing nothing, and it would sure make me feel better," he replied.
"I'll do it, then," I told him.
He held me more tightly than usual that night, but even so, I had a very difficult time falling asleep. My mind kept replaying the traumatic event over and over again, imaging what could have happened.
Everybody was talking about it at work the next day, of course. Luckily I learned that Debbie had been fired from the hospital, but that only made me feel a little bit better. She still lived in the same town as me, and I had no way of knowing when I'd run into her again.
One day I was at the mall with the kids when I met up with a teenaged boy and girl who looked slightly familiar and, to my surprise, realized that the girl was Carrie, the teenager who'd lost both legs in a tragic accident the previous fall. She looked perfectly healthy now and was walking without a limp.
"Your kids are cute!" she told me.
"Thanks," I replied. "How are you doing now?"
"Much better," she replied. "Tom and I are here to rent his tuxedo and to get a formal for me. Our school prom is coming up soon."
"That's great!" I exclaimed. "It looks to me like you're getting around just fine."
"After much physical therapy," she told me. "I was really depressed for a long time, so much so that I didn't even want to go to PT, but once I got used to getting around on my artificial legs, I started actually enjoying life again."
"I'm glad to hear it," I said. "I hope you have a great time at the prom."
"Thanks," she said. She and Tom moved on.
"Mommy, what are artificial legs?" Sage asked me as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Sometimes when somebody gets hurt really bad, they lose one of both of their legs and have to have new legs made for them," I explained. "It's kind of like Darth Vader. You know how a lot of him is made out of metal? Well, Carrie's still mostly a regular person just like you and me, but her legs are made out of metal, like Darth Vader's."
"Cool!" said Sage. "Can I see her metal legs sometime?"
"There are pictures of them in some books I have," I replied. "I'll show you when we get home."
I took them to the pizzeria for lunch and then shopping at the dollar store, where I found the cutest little cloth baby shoes as well as socks, bibs, blankets, pacifiers, and even onesies. I also bought a few toys and books for Sage and Meadow and some make-up and jewelry for myself. "Now I've got a gun just like Daddy's!" Sage chortled with glee. "I can't wait to show him!"
"He'll be home later this evening," I told my son. "You can show him then."
When we were inside the car, I turned the radio on and heard the news. "Two policemen are dead in an attempted supermarket robbery."
My heart sank as my hands gripped the steering wheel. Please, God, let Mischa be all right! I prayed.
To be Continued…
About the author
Desiree Hart has been writing stories off and on since she was nine years old. She began posting stories on fiction press in 2012 and she’s currently updating 4 stories a week. She lives in Pensacola with her daughter Megan and shih tzu Willy. Besides writing, her other hobbies include reading, working jigsaw puzzles, and cross stitch.
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