Chapter 52 Aleksandr
ALEKSANDR
I've faced down armed men without flinching. I've negotiated deals worth millions with a steady hand. I've stared death in the face more times than I can count.
None of it prepared me for this.
"Breathe, baby," I say, gripping Lena's hand as another contraction rolls through her. "Just breathe."
She shoots me a look that could melt steel. "I am breathing, Aleksandr. What do you think I've been doing for the last four hours?"
The doctor hovers near the foot of the bed, checking monitors with practiced efficiency. My shirt is soaked through with sweat despite the cool temperature. Every time Lena gasps or tenses, my heart stops.
"You're doing great," the doctor says. "We're making excellent progress."
Lena's grip on my hand loosens as the contraction passes. She falls back against the pillows, her hair damp against her forehead. Even exhausted and in pain, she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
"I still haven't forgiven you," she says suddenly, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
I freeze. "What?"
"I haven't forgiven you." She turns her head to look at me. "For six months ago."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Six months ago. When I found her trying to sneak her parents out of the basement. When everything came to a head.
"Lena—"
Another contraction cuts me off. Her whole body goes rigid. She makes a sound that tears something loose in my chest. I hold her hand, feeling utterly useless, while the doctor murmurs encouragement.
When it finally releases her, Lena is breathing hard. "You scared the shit out of me," she says quietly. "I thought you were going to kill them, Aleksandr. My parents. I thought you were going to make me watch."
The memory is sharp and clear. Finding her in the stairwell, her parents behind her, all of them frozen. The rage that had burned through me. Not at the theft, but at the thought of her leaving.
"I would never—"
"I didn't know that then." Her eyes are bright with unshed tears. "You'd just gotten all your memories back. You were the Pakhan again, fully. And I was trying to help my parents escape."
I pull a chair close and sit, bringing us eye to eye.
She takes a shaky breath. "When you found us in that stairwell, the look on your face…"
"You were trying to leave." The words come out rougher than I intend. "Taking your parents, yes. But leaving me too."
"What choice did I have? They're my parents, Aleksandr. And I knew what the Bratva does to thieves."
Another contraction builds. This one seems worse. She grips my hand hard enough that I feel bones grinding together, but I don't pull away.
"That's it," the doctor says, moving closer. "Just breathe through it."
When it passes, she's shaking. I grab a cloth and wipe her face gently.
"I thought you'd punish us," she continues. "All three of us. Make an example of my parents. And me… I didn't know what you'd do to me."
"I sat them down," I say. "In my office.
Like they were guests instead of prisoners.
I told them the truth. That theft from the Bratva usually results in a death sentence.
That I would be well within my rights to make an example of them.
" I pause. "But then I told them I loved their daughter.
That made them family. And I don't kill family. "
Lena's eyes fill with tears. They spill over, running down her cheeks. "My mother cried. She kept saying 'thank you' over and over."
There's a soft knock at the door, and Mary peeks her head in. "How are we doing?"
"Fine, Mom." Lena manages a smile. "Just talking."
Mary steps inside, her eyes soft with concern and a wry smile. "Your father is wearing a hole in the waiting room floor."
Lena laughs and shakes her head. "I bet he is. But I also bet he wouldn't step a big toe in here even if you threatened his life."
Mary laughs. "I wouldn't bet against you on that."
Another contraction hits, stronger this time, and Mary's attention shifts immediately back to her daughter, holding her hand.
When it passes, Lena looks exhausted. Mary slips out of the room with the excuse that she wants to give the would-be parents some privacy and that she'll check in again soon.
"Your mother is warming up to me," I say to Lena.
"She likes you," Lena says. "She always has. It's just… complicated. You're not exactly the son-in-law she imagined."
"No," I agree. "I'm probably her worst nightmare."
"You're mine," she says, touching my face. "That's what matters. And they're trying, Aleksandr. That's more than I hoped for six months ago."
I must have a look on my face because Lena frowns at me. "Tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"Whatever you're thinking," she says with a stern look. "I can see that you're debating on telling me something, so if you don't tell me right now…"
I raise my arms as if in surrender. "Alright, alright!" I say with a soft chuckle. "I just heard that your Uncle Orleg has finally surfaced."
I pause, but she just raises an eyebrow at me. Her face doesn't pale as if frightened about what I'll do and she doesn't look worried at all.
I shrug. "I guess he figured since you are with me, alive and healthy, he's safe to come out in public again."
Another contraction starts, and she curls forward with a gasp. The doctor moves closer. "We're getting very close now."
When the contraction passes, Lena is panting. "I thought you were going to punish me."
My eyes widen in surprise. "Because your uncle is back?" I ask incredulously.
"No, silly. After you talked to my parents and told them you weren't going to kill them. Remember? You took me to my room. I thought I was in serious trouble."
Oh, she's back to the conversation about the night she tried to help her parents escape. Shit, trying to keep up with her train of thought right now is a challenge!
"But instead, you made love to me. Slow and gentle. You kept telling me you loved me, over and over, until I believed it."
"I meant it," I say. "Every word."
"I know that now." She touches my face. "But that day, I was so scared. Of you being the Pakhan and nothing else. Of losing the man I'd fallen in love with in that cabin."
"I'm both," I tell her. "I'll always be both. The Pakhan and the man who loves you. Those things aren't separate anymore. You made them whole."
Another contraction hits, harder than the others. Lena makes a sound that's almost a scream, and the doctor snaps on fresh gloves.
"It's time," he says. "Lena, when the next contraction comes, I need you to push."
Everything happens fast after that. Lena pushing and me holding her hand and murmuring encouragement. Mary slips in, taking position on Lena's other side.
"You can do this, sweetheart," Mary says. "You're so strong."
"I can't," Lena gasps.
"You can." I lean close, my forehead against hers. "You're the strongest person I know. You survived me. You can survive this."
She chokes out a laugh then frowns at me for making her laugh while she's trying to give birth, and I grin back.
"Push," the doctor says. "Big push now."
Lena bears down, her face going red with effort. I feel her nails digging into my hand, probably drawing blood, but I don't care.
"I see the head," the doctor announces. "One more big push, Lena. You're almost there."
"I forgive you," Lena gasps out between contractions.
"Lena—"
Suddenly, there's a sound that makes my heart stop.
A baby crying.
"It's a boy," the doctor says, placing something small and red and screaming on Lena's chest. "A healthy baby boy."