Chapter 35
Zoya
My head is pounding, and everything aches. When I try to open my eyes, the light is blinding. “Alexei?” My voice comes out rough.
“I’m here, Vedma.” His hand squeezes mine. “Don’t try to get up.”
I try to sit up, and pain explodes through my skull. “Lie down.” He eases me back against the pillows. “You need to rest.”
“What happened?” I reach for my head. “Why does it hurt so much?”
“The car flipped, and you hit your head hard, but you’re safe now. You’re in the hospital.”
The memories start to bleed back in. First the gunfire, then the screech of the chase, and the bone-jarring pop of the tire exploding. I close my eyes against the sudden rush of it. “I feel so dizzy,” I whisper.
“Just hold on. I’ll call the doctor.” He presses a button, and a few minutes later, a middle-aged woman in a white coat walks in.
"Good to see you awake, Mrs. Romanov." She smiles, stepping closer to the bed. "May I check your vitals?"
"Yeah," I mutter.
I stay still as she works. She presses her fingers to my wrist, watching her watch as she counts my pulse, then pumps the cuff tight around my arm. The Velcro rips loudly in the quiet room before she moves in to shine a penlight in my eyes.
"Everything looks good," she says, her voice, professional. "You’re very lucky. You hit your head, but thankfully not your stomach, so your baby is fine."
She keeps talking - something about monitoring and follow-up appointments - but the words just blur into background noise. What was she saying?
Baby.
“Where do you go for your prenatal care?” the doctor asks, her eyes focused on her clipboard. “We’ll need to coordinate with your OB-GYN moving forward. Based on the measurements, you’re twelve weeks along.”
Silence.
I can’t answer. I’m too shocked to even move. My eyes shift to Alexei, who’s already staring at the doctor. His eyes are wide in shock.
“Wait,” he says slowly. “You’re telling me she’s pregnant?”
The doctor stops, confused. “Yes. You didn’t know?”
“No. We did not.”
“Oh.” She shifts uncomfortably. “I’m sorry. I assumed you knew. The ultrasound showed…”
“It’s fine,” Alexei says. “Can you give us a moment?”
“Of course. I’ll be back later to discuss next steps.”
She leaves, and the door closes behind her. My hand goes to my stomach. A baby.
“We’re having a baby,” Alexei says quietly, and I look up at him. His eyes are locked on my hand, on my belly.
“Yes. We are.”
The silence stretches out between us, and that’s when the weight of the night finally settles. I can still hear the echo of the gunshots over the ringing in my ears. I’m alive, but barely. A sob catches in my throat, and the tears start falling - hot and fast.
“I almost lost the baby,” I whisper. “I didn’t even know, and I almost…”
“No. Don’t cry.” Alexei moves closer and wipes my tears. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was my fault. I insisted on going even when you told me it was dangerous…”
“It was mine,” he interrupts. “I should have gone with you in the first place instead of letting you go alone. If I had, none of this would have happened.”
“No, Alexei.” My voice cracks. “It’s mine. If something happens to this baby, I won’t be able to forgive myself.”
“Don’t.” He cups my face, “You didn’t do it on purpose. You didn’t know. So stop crying, okay? You’re only going to stress yourself out and make your head worse.” He kisses my forehead and wipes away the last of my tears.
“Go back to sleep,” he says gently. “Relax. I’ll talk to the doctor and get everything scheduled. We’ll figure this out.”
I nod, already exhausted.
He pulls the blanket up, tucking it around me. “Sleep, Vedma. I’ll be right here.”
My eyes close, and the last thing I feel is his hand wrapped around mine.