Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Amy
My life was a never-ending circle of work and looking after my sister, and the meeting with the egotistical and bossy Alexei hadn’t changed a damn thing. I just went about my days in quiet desperation that something had to change soon.
There was tiredness and exhaustion, and then there was what I was feeling. It was like my bones were weary. My brain felt fried, but deep down I knew that I would have to make a very hard decision very soon.
The idea of putting her in hospice care wasn’t one I wanted to think of, but there had been no viable donors, and her heart was failing.
I was so lost in my own jumbled thoughts as I trudged along the wet sidewalk that I didn’t notice the flashing lights reflected in the puddles until I was right outside my home and had lifted my head to find an ambulance parked right outside.
My breath hitched, my heart slammed into my chest with such force that it felt like it was going to smash right out of my rib cage.
Dropping my bag onto the sidewalk, I sprinted forward, rushing towards the open front door at breakneck speed.
A paramedic appeared, and I skidded to a stop, breathing heaving as they wheeled my sister out.
Her frail body was strapped to the gurney but not covered.
There was a mask over her face, and I could see her breath fog it up with every labored breath she took.
Another paramedic worked on her, quickly securing wires. Tripping over my own feet to get to her, I let out a cry, and their heads turned towards me.
“What happened to her?” Righting myself, I grabbed at my sister’s clammy hand. I rubbed my thumb over her palm. How was it possible that she was so cold and so sweaty all at the same time?
“She called in with chest pains,” one of the paramedics said quickly. “The line went dead, and when we got over here, we had to break down the door because she was unconscious.”
My eyes flicked to the door. It wasn’t just open, it was smashed almost completely off the hinges.
“Doesn’t matter,” I whispered. “Is she OK?”
She didn’t look OK. My sister looked grey like she was already dead.
“And you are?”
“Her sister. I take care of her.” I fell into step with them as they wheeled her quickly towards the ambulance.
It didn’t matter that my front door was open or if my bag was lying forgotten in the street. I just wanted to know that she was going to be OK. Neither one of them answered me.
“Is she going to be OK?” My hand fell to my side as the trolley was lifted into the back. It was only then that one of them turned towards me.
“We are going to do everything we can for your sister. She is in good hands, but we have to leave. Are you able to get to the hospital by yourself? The doctors will be able to give you a better update when she is there.”
Longingly, I stared into the back. Usually, I would ride with her. The fact that I wasn’t allowed this time just proved to me how serious this was.
Mutely, I nodded.
I didn’t move even as the ambulance moved away. It was like I couldn’t. My feet felt like they were rooted to the spot.
“Amy?”
I didn’t move. Tears ran down my face, or maybe it was the rain. I was no longer sure. All I knew was that I was suddenly numb. I had failed her. I hadn’t been there when she needed me.
“Amy, are you OK?”
Shaking my head, I turned to my neighbor, confused. She had her arm around me. Her eyes were wide.
“No, I’m—” I grimaced. What was I meant to do now? “I’ve got to go to the hospital.”
How was I going to get there? A cab would be too expensive. I barely had any spare money as it was, and now, I had to fix the damn door as well.
A sob ripped its way out of my throat. Instantly, the older woman was there, her arms comforting me. “It’s going to be OK, Amy,” she crooned. But it wasn’t. Nothing was ever going to be OK ever again.
“I’ll drive you there, and Derek will fix your door. Come on now.”
I didn’t know who Derek was. I didn’t even remember her name. All I knew for certain was that my whole world was imploding.
“Thank you,” I whispered and let myself be led away.
Three hours later, I was in the hospital, alone and shaking on one of the hard, blue plastic chairs.
My ass was numb and my body shaking, but I refused to move an inch, not even to go to the toilet.
I didn’t want to miss any updates. I had a feeling that if I left for even a second, the doctor would come out and not be able to find me.
Time dragged on and on, each minute felt like an hour, and there was nothing. They were working on her. That’s all I was told. There would be an update soon. Only soon seemed to be never.
Finally, the door to the room opened, and a tall man with a belly stepped out. Seeing me in the chair, he came towards me, and I slowly rose to my feet.
“How is she, doctor?” I couldn’t help it. My voice shook so much that the words were barely understandable.
“Stable,” he said softly. “For now.”
A flicker of hope lit in my chest. Stable was good. Stable meant she had a chance.
“When can I take her home?”
He looked at me with a pointed look, and that hope vanished. “You’re taking care of your sister?”
I nodded.
“And you’ve done a great job so far, but she needs full-time care now. Without a heart—” he shook his head. “The best place for her is here. Where she can be cared for full-time.”
Slowly, I nodded. I knew what he was saying was true, but that didn’t mean it could happen. I couldn’t afford that kind of care for my sister. Even if I worked double shifts or picked up another job, I would never be able to afford it.
“If she had a heart?” I mumbled.
“She would have a chance, but Amy,” he lowered his voice. “Your sister is very, very sick. Even with a donor heart, it’s not guaranteed that her body will be strong enough to take it.”
He wasn’t saying it outright, but I knew what he was trying to say.
My sister was dying.
“Thank you, doctor.” I fell back into the chair. A sob locked in my throat. A painful lump that I couldn’t even breathe around. My sister was dying.
The one person who had taken care of me, who had sacrificed everything for me when our parents had died, was dying, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to save her.
I had failed.
Screwing up my eyes, I screamed, letting out all the pain and anger that had been building up since she became sick.
“Amy.” The doctor bent over me, but it was someone else who put their heavy arm around my shoulders.
“It’s OK, doctor. I’ve got her. Come on now. Let’s get you some air.”
I was led away. It wasn’t like I wanted to leave, but my feet seemed to follow the stranger anyway. It was only when he pushed open the door and a blast of cold air hit me in the face that I finally looked at his face.
He was familiar, but I couldn’t place him. But maybe that was because my vision was swimming with tears, and rainwater was soaking his face. All that water made it impossible to see anything properly.
And it really was raining now. A downpour that had soaked my clothes to my skin in seconds. My hair was flattened to my scalp with the force of it.
“Here you are cold.” A thick coat was wrapped around my shoulders. “Are you OK now?”
I continued to stare at him. “I know you,” I mumbled softly. “You’re Nikolai’s grandson.”
His lips tilted upwards. “Yes, Alexei. Or Alex if you prefer. Tell me what happened in there.”
“Why are you here?”
“I stopped by your house to discuss our deal, as you left so suddenly at our last meeting, and found your door off the hinges. I had a quick talk with your neighbors, and they told me you were here.”
“OK.” Clutching his coat around me with trembling fingers, I glanced back inside, and his gaze followed mine. Everything in there looked so calm and sterile. It was strange considering the chaos going on inside my own head. “OK. That answers that question. I guess the next one is why are you here?”
“I want to help you.”
Tearing my eyes away, I stared up at him. “Why would you do that? You don’t know me.”
He shrugged, the movement making his sopping wet shirt stick to his muscles.
“It’s what my grandfather would want me to do. It’s what he does want me to do. You saved his life, so I owe you.” Almost gently, he gripped me by the shoulders. “Let me help you.”
“There is nothing you can do.”
And there it was, the truth. There was nothing anyone could do.
“Amy,” he snapped and drew my attention back to his handsome face. “Your sister is sick. So, tell me what you need. What she needs.”
“There’s nothing you or anyone can do.” Raggedly, I sucked in a wet breath and tore myself out of his arms. I didn’t deserve the comfort when I had failed her. She had given up her whole life for me, all of her hopes and dreams, and when she needed me the most, I had failed her.
My knees buckled, and Alex caught me before I could drop to the ground. Holding me against his chest, he rubbed a hand up and down my back.
“She’s dying,” I sobbed against his chest. “She’s dying, and I can’t—” I broke down into uncontrollable sobbing. The sound was wet and full of heartbreak.
“Tell me how my family can help?” he asked again.
“There is no help. You’re not getting it. I can’t afford her care, and even if I could, without a heart, she won’t survive anyway. My sister is going to die, and it’s all my fault.”
“None of this is your fault, Amy.” Firm fingers tilted my chin up. “I will cover her medical bills. I’ll get the best doctors in to take over her care. You don’t need to worry about any of that.”
“It won’t be enough.”
“And I’ll find her the heart she needs.”
I blinked the rainwater out of my face in surprise. “What?” I whispered. Surely, I hadn’t heard him right?
“I’ll find her a heart. I’ll pay for everything.”
“Why would you do that? I can’t afford—”
He cut me off. “It’s not a loan, Amy. You won’t ever have to pay me back.”
“Then why?”
“My grandfather likes you, and he thinks you are the perfect match for me.” His lips twisted together in a look of almost disgust that he hid almost instantly. “I owe my grandfather everything, Amy, and like you, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure he is happy.”
“But that doesn’t answer my question?”
He sighed, his breath coming out like white smoke. “I’ll help your sister. I’ll look after you both if you agree to be my wife.”
My eyes widened, and my lips fell open. It was as crazy this time around as the last time he mentioned it—completely and utterly crazy.
Turning my head, I stared into the hospital. I couldn’t see my sister’s room from here, but I knew she was in there, and she was dying.
Alex could be our only hope.
My shoulders dropped as I sighed. “OK. OK, Alex. I agree to be your wife.”