Saviours

by Beth Abbott

  “How is it you piss me off, amuse me and turn me on in equal measures?” He murmured, shaking his head in wonder. “You are the living embodiment of recklessness, and yet, somehow, here you are, still breathing. I still don’t know why I allow it.”

  “You like the money I make you.” Micky shrugged. “Now, is there anything else you’d like to complain about, or may I be allowed to get on with the hundred other tasks I have on my to-do list?”

  “You can arrange for Mara to come to my cabin in half an hour.” Sergei turned away from her. “She can work on my back before she works on my front.”

  Micky listened to Sergei’s chuckle as he let himself back into his cabin, only the door clicking shut finally blocking out the sound.

  She glanced at her watch, so she’d be sure when the thirty minutes would be up. Passing the message to Mara would just be another thing she had to add to her ever-growing list.

  One of these days Micky would be able to get away from Sergei, away from her job, and away from owing anyone anything. Her debt to her country would be paid, and she could just disappear.

  She’d been praying for that day for months, ever since Andre had vanished. Surely it had to be soon?

  Chapter 27 – Sacha

  “Mrs Tucker?” Sacha’s heart skipped a beat as the nurse called out her name. “Doctor is ready for you.”

  Sacha turned to Vicky with half a smile.

  “I’m so glad you’re here to hold my hand.” She whispered.

  Vicky stood up, pulling Sacha to her feet.

  “That’s why we formed the sisterhood of the Alpha-Stalwart women.” She grinned. “We have each other’s backs through thick and thin.”

  Sacha took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

  Vicky was right that they were part of a sisterhood, and if she couldn’t have Zach there with her for this appointment, then Vicky was a pretty good stand-in.

  They followed the nurse into the doctor’s office, where a woman in her late forties was sitting behind a desk.

  “Mrs Tucker?” She stood up and held her hand out. “My name is Fiona Price. Vicky and I are old friends.”

  “Fiona treats most of the London based Alpha-Stalwart families.” Vicky grinned. “We’re just lucky that as well as being an awesome general practitioner, her speciality is gynaecology.”

  “It’s true.” Fiona nodded, smiling as they all sat down. “And at the rate the family is growing, they’re keeping my practise well occupied, although thankfully, mostly for baby jabs.”

  Sacha smiled politely. She’d never met a doctor that was quite as friendly.

  “Which, of course, is what brings you here today.” Fiona tapped some keys on her keyboard and some notes appeared on her screen. “I understand you’ve had two miscarriages or spontaneous abortions as they’re sometimes referred to.”

  Sacha winced at the term ‘spontaneous abortion’ even though she knew it was a medical term.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “The first about nine months ago, and the second about nine weeks ago.”

  “And have you had any tests done by your doctor or gynaecologist back home?” Fiona asked.

  “Not really, no.” Sacha shook her head. “I didn’t ask for any, and I don’t think I could have faced them if they’d been offered. I guess I was in shock, or denial, or something.”

  “It’s understandable, and not at all unusual.” Fiona nodded. “Often you won’t be offered any sort of testing until after the third miscarriage, because even after three or more, many women go on to have a house full of kids with no interventions, and no further problems.”

  “Is that what I should do?” Sacha frowned. “Wait to see if it happens again before I do anything about it?”

  “Not at all.” The doctor smiled. “We can get you checked out while you’re here, to see if there are any obvious problems. If we find anything, we may be able to treat it immediately, but if further tests are needed when you go back home, we can pass on our findings and recommendations to your own doctor, and you can continue your treatment back in Philadelphia.”

  “That’s what I was hoping for.” Sacha nodded. “My husband is working this weekend, so we’ll be in London until at least the middle of next week. Anything we can achieve before then would be a bonus, and maybe give us a head-start when we get home.”

  “Ok, well I’ve looked at your medical records and I can’t see anything obvious from the notes.” Fiona explained. “Both times you started bleeding at around the ten-week point, and within forty-eight hours everything had passed. Is that correct?”

  “Yes.” Sacha whispered, not needing to be reminded.

  “Then the best place for us to start is with an ultrasound scan.” Fiona announced. “I’d like to perform a transvaginal ultrasound first, if you’re Ok with that, followed by an abdominal ultrasound.”

  “You need both?” Sacha frowned.

  “Normally if time wasn’t so pressing, I’d have booked you to come in for an abdominal ultrasound, with instructions to drink lots of water an hour beforehand. Then if necessary, I’d have asked you to empty your bladder to do the transvaginal scan.” Fiona smiled. “As time isn’t on our side, and I doubt if you’ve come in with a full bladder, I suggest we do it the other way around. “You can drink the water first, and while it makes its way through your system, we’ll get the transvaginal scan out of the way.”

  Sacha turned to Vicky for some reassurance. She’d had an abdominal scan twice before, but she’d been so distressed each time she could barely remember them.

  “It sounds so much worse than it actually is.” Vicky grinned. “It’s a bit uncomfortable but nothing more. And the abdominal scan just makes you want to pee yourself.”

  It did sound a bit unpleasant, but Sacha guessed it would be worth it.

  “You can do them here?” She asked.

  Fiona pointed to the examination bed in the corner.

  “I’ll bring the portable scanner in here, and you and I can go behind the curtain while Vicky stays on this side of the room.” She explained. “Is that Ok?”

  “Yes, that’ll be fine.” Sacha nodded.

  “Good, then if you’d like to go behind the curtain and remove any clothing below the waist, while I go and get some water for you to drink.” Fiona smiled. “When you’re undressed, just lie down on the bed and cover your self with the sheet. I’ll be back in a few moments.”

  Fiona let herself out of the office and Sacha handed her purse to Vicky.

  “Would you rather I wait outside?” Vicky offered.

  “No, I like the thought of you being here.” Sacha shook her head. “Even if I can’t see you, I’ll know you’re close by.”

  “Ok, honey.” Vicky smiled. “Just keep thinking positively. There are so many reasons this sort of thing happens, and many of them are treatable or just stop being a problem all by themselves.”

  Sacha retreated behind the curtain and undressed, climbing onto the examination table and covering herself with the sheet.

  When the doctor returned she was carrying a large bottle of water and a glass.

  “Drink as much of that as you can before we get started, and then keep sipping it as I examine you.” She smiled at Sacha’s frown. “The sooner you drink it, the faster it will get through your system, and the quicker I’ll be able to do the abdominal scan.”

  Sacha drank a few glasses down straight away, but then had to slow down when her stomach started to feel full.

  Laying back on the bed, she tried to empty her mind of what the doctor was doing, and instead concentrated on trying to sip the water every thirty seconds or so.

  The ultrasound ‘wand’ as Fiona called it wasn’t painful, just slightly uncomfortable, but Sacha was honest enough with herself to admit that half of the discomfort was down to her own embarrassment. She’d never liked visits to the gynaecologist, and if she hadn’t been as high as a kite when she’d given birth to Rocco, there was a good chance he’d still be in there!

 
“Ok, all done.” Fiona smiled as she covered Sacha’s lower half with the sheet. “Now, as you seem to have drunk most of the water, why don’t you put your clothes back on and walk around for five minutes to let gravity help move the water through your system, and then you can hop up on the table again to do the abdominal scan? We can do that one without you getting undressed again.”

  Thirty minutes later, the examination over and her bladder thankfully empty once again, Sacha sat in front of the doctor, waiting patiently for any news that could help her find out why she’d been through the ordeal of two miscarriages.

  “Well, I’ve got one word for you, Sacha.” The doctor smiled. “Fibroids.”

  “Fibroids?” Sacha repeated. “Why do they sound like aliens?”

  Fiona smiled at her.

  “Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb.” She explained. “And I was able to find evidence of a lot of fibroids of various sizes in several areas.”

  “Would they cause a miscarriage?” Sacha whispered.

  “Absolutely.” Fiona nodded. “Obviously, nobody can say with total certainty that they caused your miscarriages, but they could very well have contributed. You see, if they cover large areas of the inside of the womb as yours do, they can prevent the placenta from attaching itself properly. It’s a common cause of miscarriage.”

  “Are they treatable?” Sacha asked. “Can they be removed by surgery?”

  “Yes, and yes.” Fiona smiled. “Although, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend invasive surgery at this stage.”

  “Why wait?” Vicky frowned.

  “Oh, I don’t think we need to wait.” Fiona clarified. “There’s a treatment called hysteroscopic morcellation. It’s a relatively recent development, and it’s where you would have the fibroids removed under general anaesthetic, but instead of going in abdominally, they would insert a hysteroscope into the womb through the cervix, and then use something called a morcellator to cut away and remove fibroid tissue. It sounds a little scary, but I believe it would be a good option for you, especially as you wouldn’t need to be in hospital overnight. You could have it done as a day patient.”

  “Would you be able to do it?” Sacha asked.

  “Me? No, I’m afraid not.” Fiona shook her head. “But I have a colleague in the field who has performed many of these operations. I would be happy to refer your scan results to him and see if he’d be willing to perform the procedure. Unless, of course, you would prefer to wait until you go back to America?”

  “It depends on how long it will take to get the operation done.” Sacha bit her lip. “As much as I love being in the UK with all our friends and family, my mom, dad and brothers are back in Philadelphia. My mom still gets anxious if I’m away for too long.”

  “I can probably get hold of him this afternoon if he’s not in surgery.” Fiona offered. “As a private patient you will obviously be treated as quickly as he can manage it. He even works weekends if he’s trying to get through a backlog. Would you like to take a seat in the waiting room while I try and get hold of him?”

  Sacha looked at Vicky who smiled.

  “That sounds perfectly reasonable, don’t you think?” She encouraged.

  “Yes, sure, it sounds fine.” Sacha nodded.

  “I’ll send him your scan results and ask his professional opinion.” Fiona smiled. “If he agrees that you’re a suitable candidate for this procedure, I’ll ask him how quickly he can fit you in, and let you know.”

  Sacha stood and picked up her purse.

  “Thank you so much for your kindness.” She murmured. “I can’t begin to explain how much it’s meant to me. I feel like a dark cloud has been lifted.”

  “It’s like I said earlier, Sacha. I can’t make any promises, but I’m very hopeful that the procedure will make a big difference to your next pregnancy.” Fiona confirmed.

  As Sacha left the doctor’s office, she desperately wanted to phone Zach and talk it over with him, but she couldn’t.

  Maybe that was for the best.

  With any luck, by the time he called her later, she might have even more positive news to give him!

  Chapter 28 – Kellen

  “Come on guys.” Kellen looked at his watch. “It’s chow time, and I’m damned if I’m gonna miss my lunch because you bunch of assholes can’t be bothered to get off your asses to go and eat.”

  He watched his three teammates stir themselves half-heartedly and resisted the temptation to stamp his foot in frustration.

  What was wrong with them? Didn’t they realise he was still a growing boy and needed all the nourishment he could get?

  That was the one thing he’d really appreciated about those Hobbits in the Lord of the Rings books that few other people respected. They knew how to eat properly!

  You had to find time for breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, not to mention your snacks in between.

  Didn’t these guys understand anything?

  “Ok, if none of you are hungry, you can all stay here and screw you!” He announced, his patience finally running out. “I’m going down to the dining room, and if none of you assholes show up downstairs by the time I finish my lunch, then I’m probably gonna eat yours as well. Got that?”

  Kellen grabbed his key and headed for the door, but before he could get there he was tackled from behind. Within seconds he was flat on the floor, and his three roommates were out of the door and headed for the stairs.

  “Assholes!” He growled. Obviously, he’d been set up!

  By the time he slammed the door behind him, he could already hear the thud of heavy footsteps as they headed down to the dining room.

  There was only one person who could have told them how much he appreciated his food and hated his mealtimes messed with. Hollywood!

  Wait until he got hold of that asshole!

  Kellen made it to the bottom of the stairs just as he noticed the rest of the team walking through the entertainment area, and he hurried to catch up with them.

  No way was he going to let them eat all his food before he had a chance to fill up!

  By the time they walked into the dining room, he had already overtaken Kris and Zach.

  Abram was a different challenge altogether.

  Not only was he the width of the doorway, leaving no space on either side to pass him, but it also seemed that he was every bit as big of a food-freak as Kellen was.

  Kellen considered whether it would be worth fighting the big Russian for the food, but quickly decided against it.

  Alan, their guide, had insisted that there would be food aplenty for everyone, so it would probably be wiser to check whether his statement was factually correct before starting a fight with his own teammate, possibly unnecessarily.

  His first glimpse of the dining room was indeed reassuring, with enough tables and chairs to seat maybe thirty people at once, the whole of the back wall was a serving area like you’d find in a school cafeteria.

  As the room was otherwise empty, the four men headed for the stack of trays, and Kellen and Abram immediately took two large dinner plates.

  They walked the length of the serving area, helping themselves to the variety of food that was on offer.

  Most of it was familiar to him, steak in gravy, mashed potato, vegetables, a pasta dish that looked like it was tuna based, and another which he identified as lasagne. He checked out what looked like a meat stew, some strange balls that looked like dumplings, and some large pieces of battered fish. They would do for the second helping.

  “You could just fill up one plate and come and refill it when you’ve licked it clean.” Zach pointed out, helping himself to some of the meat stew.

  “Why?” Abram grinned. “We’d just burn off the calories quicker going back up and down for more food.”

  “How many helpings do you think you’ll need?” Kris grinned.

  “Another two plates from the dinner selection should just about do it.” Kellen no
dded. “After all, you have to leave room for dessert.”

  “True that!” Abram saluted him with his fork.

  Kellen got stuck into his food, ignoring the conversations that were going on around him. He had his priorities right, as far as he was concerned, and the chatter could certainly wait until he was finished eating.

  He watched Abram out of the corner of his eye and noticed that the Russian was of exactly the same mind. Food first, always! Everything else could wait.

  He had just returned from his third trip to the food counter and was carrying two desserts, when he heard the door on the far side of the room open and two women walked in.

  One of them he recognised from the group brought through earlier, as a hostess from Lebedev’s club. She was one of the women brought in to please Sergei’s business associates, a brunette in her late twenties, probably a few years older than most of the other hostesses.

  As she stepped out of the way, Kellen got a look at the woman with her, and his entire body froze, his spoon already halfway to his mouth.

  Mikhaila Koslova!

  He watched her move through the dining room with grace and assurance, chatting to the woman as though they were old friends.

  When they got closer to the table, Kellen noticed her eyes dart around the group of men until she spotted Abram.

  Kellen saw the exact moment she recognised him, her facial muscles seeming to freeze even as her eyes widened.

  Abram had obviously spotted her as well, as he lowered his fork.

  “Excuse me, miss.” Abram stopped her as she passed, speaking to her in English. “Are you one of the organisers?”

  “I am, yes.” She looked wary of what Abram was going to say next. “I’m Micky. How can I help you?”

  “I can see you’re busy right now.” Abram grinned. “But when you have a free minute, could you spare us some time to answer a few questions? We just want to know the timetable for the weekend.”

  Micky’s eyes narrowed as Abram smiled at her.

  She’d definitely recognised him and must be fairly sure he recognised her as well, so she was probably wondering what the hell was going on.