Chapter 10 #3
She pulls back and looks at me. Her eyes are red, and she’s still crying, and the sight of it breaks the heart that I’d always assumed was completely unbreakable.
“Volodya, you left. We shared whatever the hell that was in the woods, and then you were so damn sweet, and I thought that maybe it had meant something to you, but then I woke up alone. I kept waiting for you to come home or text or something, and then I realized that you weren’t there because you didn’t want to be. ”
“No, kiska,” I quickly cut in. “I got a text early that morning from Vasya. Something happened and I had to help take care of it. It ended up taking all day, and I should’ve left a note or texted.
” I sigh and cup her face. “This is all very new to me. I’m going to fuck up, probably a few times, but it’s not because I don’t care.
It’s just because I don’t know what in the fuck I’m doing.
I swear I’ll learn.” I smile and add, “Quickly.”
“Haven’t you ever dated?”
I let out a soft laugh. “No.”
She looks like she doesn’t believe me. “We can talk about all this later, kiska,” I promise her.
“Try not to worry about anything, but the next time you need me, you better damn well call me.” I kiss her gently, groaning when the taste of her hits me.
“For the first time in my life, I want to take care of someone, so stop being so damn stubborn and let me do it.”
Her faint smile gives me hope. She rests against me again while I stroke her hair and keep an arm tightly around her. “Is Dr. Gibson with her?”
“I never told you her doctor’s name,” she murmurs against my neck and then lets out a soft laugh. “I knew you were the Cubby Bear Foundation.”
“Just for the record, I did not choose that fucking name. My lawyer did, and I hate him for it.”
She laughs again, and the sound of it has the tension inside me slowly releasing. “Yes, he’s with her. I can’t thank you enough for helping her.”
“You don’t need to thank me. I wanted to help.”
“But why? Do you always do random acts of kindness for others?”
This time it’s my turn to laugh. “Another first for me,” I admit.
Maddie jumps from my lap when the door opens and an orderly walks in, pushing a wheelchair.
I recognize the woman from the photos I saw, but even if I hadn’t seen them, the family resemblance is unmistakable.
The woman is looking a bit frail at the moment with a face that’s too pale and a body that’s a tad too thin, but the eyes are the same, just blue instead of grey, and so is the big smile she gives us.
“What did they say?” Maddie quickly asks and then covers her mom with blankets when she’s back in the bed.
“Oh, they don’t tell me anything, you know that, sweetie. I just do what I’m told and wait for the doctor to explain it all.” She pats Maddie’s hand and looks over at me. “You must be the mysterious new boss.”
Even as lousy as she must be feeling, there’s a mischievous glint to her eyes, and I immediately like her. I step closer and hold my hand out. “I’m Volodya. It’s nice to meet you. Although, I’m sorry it couldn’t be under better circumstances.”
She shakes my hand. “I’m Kristy. Thanks for coming down. I’m glad Maddie’s not stuck here alone.”
I’m not sure what all Maddie’s told her mom about me or about us, and I briefly think about playing the part and keeping my distance, but fuck that. I wrap an arm around her daughter and pull her in close to me, kissing the top of her head.
“She’s definitely not alone.”
Kristy smiles and pats my hand while we both ignore Maddie’s shocked face. She’s saved from further embarrassment when the doctor walks in and our attention turns to him. I squeeze her shoulder when she starts to fidget as we listen to what he has to say.
“The tumor isn’t responding to treatment,” he says, and Maddie’s knees nearly buckle. She wraps an arm around me, clinging to me for support.
“What are their options?” I ask.
“Some of them are costly,” Dr. Gibson warns.
“Kristy has a foundation that’s paying for everything, so the cost doesn’t matter.”
Kristy raises a brow at me but doesn’t say anything while Dr. Gibson continues.
“There’s an experimental drug that I’d like to try. I’ve had great success with it in other patients with breast cancer, but it’s not covered by insurance companies.”
I wave the concern of money away. “When can she start it?” I look down at Kristy. “I mean, if you’re willing to try it.”
Kristy smiles and sits up a little taller. “I’m willing to try anything at this point.”
“I can get you started on it today, but I want you to stay here overnight so we can monitor you and make sure you’re not going to have a bad reaction to it.”
After the doctor leaves, Maddie squeezes her mom’s hand and sits on the edge of the bed. “This is great, Mom. I know this is going to work. I’ve got a really good feeling about it.”
Kristy smiles and pats her hand. I can tell she’s trying to remain positive for her daughter. “Honey, would you mind grabbing me a juice from the vending machine?”
“Yeah, of course.” Maddie jumps up and grabs the money I’ve already pulled out, giving me a smile before walking out the door.
I turn to her mom and give her a smile. “I’m guessing you wanted to talk to me alone.”
She laughs and pats the bed, scooting her legs over so I can sit on the edge. She runs her eyes over the tattoos that she can see poking out from my shirt, spilling out onto my neck and hands.
“Should I be worried, Mr. Tough Guy?”
I laugh because I appreciate the bluntness. “Not at all. Your daughter is safe with me, Kristy. I would never let any harm come to her.”
“Her last boyfriend broke her heart.” She fidgets with the IV tube before meeting my eyes. “I’d hate to see her get hurt again.”
“I had the unfortunate luck of meeting Derek the other night. He’s a real asshole.”
Kristy laughs, appreciating that I’m just as blunt as she is. “Yeah, he really had us all fooled.”
I meet her eyes so she can see the truth in what I’m about to say. “I love your daughter, and I’ve never loved anyone before. To be honest, I didn’t think I ever would.”
“You haven’t known her very long,” she points out.
“You know how amazing your daughter is. Does it really surprise you that I fell so quickly?”
Her eyes soften at my words. She grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Promise me you won’t break her heart.”
“I promise I will never break her heart, that I will never hurt her, and that I will never cheat on her like that little bastard did.”
She nods as her eyes tear up. “Does she know how you feel?”
I smile and hand her a tissue. “She’s about to.”
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Maddie rushes in with the apple juice, looking from me to her mom and trying to figure out what in the hell is going on.
“I’m fine, honey. I’m just really happy.” She lets out a small laugh. “Can’t wait to try those experimental drugs.”
I don’t think Maddie’s fully convinced that’s all that’s going on, but she just smiles and hands her mom the drink.
“I’m staying with you tonight.” She sits in the chair, prepared to sleep in it I’m sure.
“Like hell you are,” her mom says, making me laugh. “You’re going home with Volodya, and you’re going to get some real food and a good night of rest. You can visit me tomorrow.”
Maddie starts to argue, but her mom cuts her off. “I’m serious, Maddie. I need to rest anyway, and you know I’d just worry about you being uncomfortable in that damn chair, and you can’t sleep up here with me because the last time we tried that the nurse yelled at us.”
They both laugh at the memory, and when I lift a brow, Kristy explains, “She disconnected one of the many things they make me stay hooked up to and all the nurses on duty came running in like they thought I only had minutes left to live. When they ran in to find her sprawled over me and happily snoring, they were less than pleased.”
“I was not snoring,” Maddie says, but she’s laughing just as hard as her mom.
We stay for a couple more hours, keeping Kristy entertained and making sure she’s comfortable in the room and has everything she needs. Before we leave, she surprises me by pulling me down for a hug.
“Take good care of her,” she whispers.
“I promise I will,” I assure her and then tell her we’ll be back tomorrow to check on her.
I give the two of them a few minutes alone, and while they’re saying their goodbyes, I order a bouquet of flowers to be delivered to her room.
Hospitals are dreary enough places. There needs to be something in there to help lift her spirits.
As soon as Maddie steps out, I pull her into another hug, knowing with absolute certainty that my life has completely changed course over the last forty-eight hours, and oddly enough, I’m perfectly okay with it.