Chapter 51
Nora
T he hours it takes the drugs to wear off are some of the most terrifying of my life.
Trapped inside my body, I fear the worst, that I’ll be stuck like this.
The concern in Leo’s eyes and the tight set of his jaw tells me he fears the same.
I feel nothing as the doctor takes my blood to run tests and checks me over.
Leo doesn’t let go of my limp hand the whole time, but I only know this because I can see him clinging onto it, willing me to squeeze.
Without being able to move my head, I’m limited to a minuscule window of vision.
The plain white ceiling above, Leo’s face on my left, and the door on the right.
I don’t know where I am. The beeping of the machine I’m hooked up to would suggest a hospital, but there aren’t the usual sounds of a busy hospital outside my door.
I strain my peripheral vision for clues.
Leo must sense what I’m doing. “You’re in a private facility.
The Belyh family doctor treats us here when we don’t want to deal with unnecessary questions from police.
I promise you, he’s the best. And if he says we need to take you elsewhere, we’ll do it, even if I get locked up.
The doctor’s just running some tests, then we’ll know more about what we’re dealing with. ”
I feel wetness and realize I’m crying. Automatically I try to wipe the tears away, but my arm stays where it is, useless.
Leo leans over and gently brushes away the tears with his thumb, “It’s okay, Nora, the doctor will fix this.” Despite his words I can sense the uncertainty in his voice.
I know Leo wouldn’t leave me. He’d stick by my side and care for me if I remain like this. Though it would destroy us both. I can’t stand the thought of Leo watching me waste away, a shell of a person. It’s a fate worse than death.
“If… stuck… kill me…” I manage to garble out.
A dark cloud crosses Leo’s features, and he looks physically pained, but he pretends not to understand me. “I love you, Nora, you’re going to be fine. Everything will be fine,” he insists. I try to speak again, but he stops me, “Shh, save your energy. Rest.”
I do as he says, my eyes not leaving his handsome face as I fight the urge to sleep. The fear that if I do, I might not wake up, is overwhelming, but I’m so exhausted I’m fighting a losing battle.
“Doctor, what’s taking so long? Is everything okay? Is my wife going to be okay?” Leo’s panicked voice wakes me. I have no concept of how long I’ve slept.
“My apologies, Mr. Belyh, I’m still not sure what drug was administered to your wife.
It looks like it’s a neuromuscular blocking drug, similar to the ones used in anesthesia.
The fact that Mrs. Belyh can breathe unaided and the symptoms are improving suggests whatever it is, it’s starting to wear off. ”
“Will it cause lasting effects?” Leo asks.
“If it’s a drug of that type, then providing the patient survives—and I have every confidence that she’s going to survive—then she should make an uneventful recovery.”
I tentatively test my body, willing myself to wiggle just a pinky finger, a toe, anything. The barest flicker of movement makes my heart soar.
“Nora, did you hear that?” Leo says with pure joy, squeezing my hand.
“I can feel you,” I say, marveling that I can feel his touch again, and the words come out more clearly.
“What are you doing?” Leo asks sharply, turning his attention to the doctor.
“I’m administering a reversal agent that should help speed up the recovery process,” the doctor replies calmly.
“What if it isn’t the type of drug you think it is?” Leo asks.
“It’s safe.” The doctor looks at me and smiles gently. “You might experience some minor side effects, but compared to what you’ve already been through, it’s nothing.”
Leo relaxes and allows him to calmly work over me.
“I’ll be back in an hour to check on you,” the doctor says before leaving.
***
Slowly I realize that I’m starting to get sensations back, I can wiggle my fingers and my toes, I can turn my head slightly, and I can open my mouth enough to talk.
“I thought you were dead,” I say to Leo.
“So did I. Nora, the thought of losing you was more than I can bear. I’m so sorry I left you behind with her,” Leo says, his expression pained.
“Don’t blame yourself, none of us knew. There’s nothing to forgive. Is everyone okay? Nikolai? Nadya? Cillian? Josef?”
Leo nods. “Yes, they’re safe. There were some injuries and a couple of casualties, but we won.
While you were asleep, I updated everyone on your condition and what happened at the beach.
Nadya is here too, being treated. Quinn beat her up badly but she’ll survive.
Cillian wanted to come but I told him to wait, he’s looking after Josef right now, so you don’t need to worry about him.
Nikolai is being held for questioning since Tatiana was his wife. ”
“He didn’t know,” I insist. “Tatiana told me everything. I can tell you—”
Leo shakes his head. “Not now, you need to rest and get your strength back. Later.”
I’m too weary to argue with him. I’m grateful that the people I care about are safe. For now, that’s enough. Everything else can come later.
Leo’s phone rings and he ignores it, but the person calls back, determined to get a hold of him.
“You’d better answer it,” I tell him.
Reluctantly, he moves away to take the call and I watch as he listens, offering monosyllabic responses as the person speaks.
“Find out what she knows, if anyone else was in on it. Make it last. I’ll be there when I can to finish the job,” he says before hanging up.
“They found Tatiana,” Leo says to me.
“Where?” I ask.
“She walked right into one of Chos’casinos a short while ago.
Seems she was too confident in her acting skills and success.
Rather ambitiously, she wanted to include the Chinese in her hostile takeover.
She claimed that Quinn had killed me and you and that she’d shot him in self-defense, barely escaping with her life.
Of course, they were already well aware of her betrayal and that we are very much alive.
The Chos have her in their custody and will interrogate her to make sure there are no other traitors in our midst.”
I can tell from his tone that Tatiana won’t be granted clemency. Leo will kill her for what she’s done. I don’t feel sorry for her. In the end, Tatiana was the engineer of her own downfall. There’s a sort of poetic justice in that.
The doctor returns and states that he’s happy with the progress of my recovery. He then looks tentatively between Leo and me, as if wondering how to tell us something.
“There’s something else we discovered when running our tests. Perhaps you could step out of the room a moment and allow me to speak with your wife in private?” he suggests.
Leo looks ready to rip his head off, and I quickly jump in to stop him from tearing into the poor doctor. “It’s okay, you can tell him anything you need to tell me.”
The doctor nods, relieved. “Well, Mrs. Belyh, it appears that you are pregnant.“
Both of us take a moment to process the information. I’d noticed the weight gain, but I’d not had any other symptoms. “How many weeks? I don’t have regular periods.”
The doctor smiles, “I’ll have to do some more tests, but going by your HCG level I’d estimate you’re around seven weeks pregnant.”
“We’re going to have a baby?” Leo says in shocked awe.
“What about the drugs? Will it affect the baby?” I ask.
“We’ll run tests, but if it’s a neuromuscular blocking drug—and the fact you responded so well to the reversal agent suggests it is—then there shouldn’t be any adverse effects.”
“We’re going to have a baby,” Leo repeats, still sounding almost dazed.
“Yes, congratulations,” the doctor says before stepping out to give us a moment alone.
Leo whoops and pulls me into a huge hug. I’m so grateful that I’m able to hug him back. “Oh my god, Nora, this is the best news! I’m going to be a dad!” he says, his face splitting into an infectious grin that I return.
“You’ll be the best dad our child could hope for,” I reply earnestly. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he replies, showering me with kisses.
From the darkness of tonight, a light of pure hope and joy emerges. Now that it’s finally over, the dangers we faced are gone and we can move forward with our lives and raise a family together. I didn’t think I’d ever find happiness like this. That I’d have a family of my own.
I guess happy endings exist after all.