CHAPTER TWENTY
Fyodor
The birth of Alexei and Galina Sokolov happened on the eleventh of November, after six hours of labor. Anastasia gave birth in the early hours. Matteo traveled all the way from Dallas, insisting that there was nothing that would make him miss the birth of his grandchildren.
Katya and Leonid were also in the hospital, and it got to one point that Dr. Donovan had to ask that only the immediate family stay in the waiting area. Of course, there’s no way Dr. Donovan would be able to make Matteo leave, so in the end, it was Matteo, Marina, and me waiting in the lobby.
This is the very first time that Matteo and I have been in the same room since my trip to Dallas, and if Marina wasn’t present, it would have been the perfect opportunity to discuss with him what Yuri shared with me.
There’ll always be another time, so for now, the only thing that matters is focusing on Anastasia, who is trying everything in her power to bring our kids into the world.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” Matteo assures me. “First births like this can take time.”
He’s unusually calm, and he soon explains that he was fidgety the very first time his wife gave birth. He recounts how back then, it felt like he was about to lose his mind, just waiting in the hall like this.
“But the moment I heard the sound of my son crying, my initial fear and concern simply melted away like butter in the sun.”
His words comfort me, and I really can’t wait to meet my children. Marina has been awfully silent, and I notice that she’s gripping tightly to the bags in her hands. She’s worried to death for Anastasia’s safety, and I have to assure her that she’ll be fine.
“I know. I shouldn’t be like this, you know.” Marina brings out a tissue and blows her nose with it. “I mean, my godchildren will be here any minute, and I really don’t want to greet them with a snotty nose.”
Clearly, Anastasia and I made the right decision in naming her the godmother to our children.
Anastasia’s scream interrupts my musing, and I hear the nurses scamper around, saying that it’s time. I feel this fear rising deep within me as I begin to think of everything that can go wrong. What if something goes wrong? What if there are complications?
I begin to pace the hallway, praying for the first time in years. All I want is for Anastasia and the babies to be safe, and I stop my prayers when I hear a loud cry pierce the air.
It had to have come from Anastasia’s room, and Matteo and I try to peep through the door, but we can barely see through all the nurses gathered around her. Thirty minutes later, the nurse tells us that we can come in, and both Matteo and I step inside, noticing how tired and pale Anastasia looks.
“You look tired,” I whisper to her, my voice strained.
“I know, but look at our babies.” She points to where the babies are sleeping, and I slowly make my way toward them. My heart beats fast in my chest as I stare at the two bundles, who are fast asleep.
My children. My flesh and blood.
I lean in closely, unsure what to say to them. “Hello,” I whisper, afraid that I will wake them up if I speak at my normal volume. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
My voice almost chokes with emotion as Matteo comes to stand right beside me. Leaving him alone to admire his grandkids, I sit right next to Anastasia, holding her hands in mine. She tells me she’s tired, and I ask if she’d like to get some rest, but she shakes her head.
My siblings join later, and soon the room becomes a crowded with Matteo telling everyone how much Alexei and Galina look like him.
Anyone can see that Matteo is delighted to be a grandfather, and he swears that he’ll do everything in his power to see that they get the very best things the world has to offer.
With Anastasia feeling better, Matteo tells me that he needs to return to Dallas, and I offer to escort him to his car downstairs. This is the perfect opportunity for me to bring up what I have discovered.
“What plans have you made now?” he asks as we get into the elevator.
“Plans?” I ask, a little confused as to what he is referring to.
“Trust funds? Stocks? I don’t know, something they can rely on?”
That’s something Anastasia mentioned in passing, but the truth is that I haven’t really spent time to think about it that much, which I tell him. Matteo tells me that I need to draw up a plan and let him know what it is.
“The birth of your children has brought me so much joy,” he tells me as I stand next to him. “My family has grown, and now I have two grandchildren—a boy and a girl—with more on the way soon.”
He pats me on the shoulder, and I quickly correct him that I am not sure if Anastasia would be interested in having more kids any time soon. We haven’t really spoken about that, and that’s not a decision I can make by myself.
“Don’t worry, I understand,” Matteo tells me as we continue our ride downstairs.
“There is something I would love to discuss with you, though.”
“Oh, what’s that?” He turns to me.
I need to be careful broaching this topic, and I begin by reminding him of the purpose of my last visit. His face turns cold, and I tell him that I explained things to Anastasia.
“Yes, I know about that,” he informs me as the elevator door opens.
Because Anastasia told him.
“I managed to stumble on more information, and discovered what Alexei was up to at the time of his death.”
We’ve gotten to the parking lot, and Matteo begins to walk to his car. “You know, you remind me a lot of him,” he begins. “Alexei was smart, dedicated, and eager about expanding our activities, and then he changed.”
Something akin to regret seeps into his voice, and it seems as if he is ashamed of what his boy did.
“Does that mean you’ll deal with me the same way you dealt with him if I ever end up being a problem?”
Now Matteo stops, and instead of facing me directly, he takes a look around, trying to see if anyone caught what I just said. “Be careful, boy; you tread dangerous waters,” he warns.
I shift my weight from my left leg to my right, knowing that I need to be careful with my next choice of words.
“Please, I’m not trying to blame you or insinuate anything,” I quickly clarify. “I mean, I understand what Alexei would have cost you, should he have crossed to the Feds’ side.”
Matteo’s expression softens as his car approaches, and he tells me that he likes me more each time he meets with me.
“Marrying you to my daughter was the right choice. Alexei was going to give the Feds everything, all our dirty secrets, and they were going to swoop in and take hold of my entire operation—something I built with my own sweat and blood.”
His fury is understandable.
“Alexei was my son, but the organization comes first, and there is no way I’d endanger the empire I spent all my life building just because my son suddenly decided on developing a moral compass.”
To some extent, I understand how distraught Matteo might have been back then to make the decision between the organization he spent more than half of his life building and his son. But if I ever have to make that decision, I am not sure I will be able to make the same choice he made.
“What do you plan to do with my greatest secret? Will you tell Anastasia?”
She will never know this secret. “She already believes that the people who killed her brother are not from the Bratva, and I have no intention of making her think otherwise,” I clarify to Matteo.
“Fyodor, you are a wise man,” Matteo tells me as he opens the door to his car. “I knew you would always grow up to be something big.”
The truth is that I’m not entirely convinced I am making the right decision, but after weighing it all, keeping this a secret is the only way to move forward.
I watch as Matteo’s car drives away, thinking about how much of a burden he has to bear as the leader of the Bratva. This is exactly what Dimitri is avoiding, and soon, Alexi will be taking over from Ivan, a decision almost everyone is comfortable with.
Apart from Gregor.
Gregor clearly hates the idea of Alexi taking over, and we expect him to stir up trouble, but so far he has been quiet, though there are rumors in the wind that he’s planning something drastic.
Until we have solid information that confirms that, sleeping dogs are better left alone. When the time comes, I know we will be able to count on Matteo to help.
I return to my wife, who is slowly drifting in and out of sleep.
The nurses instructed that she get some rest, and everyone left so she could sleep.
Sitting down right next to her bed, I hold her hand as I take into account all the good things in my life.
I have a wife I love, two children I can't wait to watch grow up, and a stable job. What more can a man ask for?
“Hey, you are back,” Anastasia says in a sleepy voice.
Kissing her hand, I answer that I just returned from escorting Matteo to his car, and I lean forward, placing my hand on her forehead to check her temperature.
She’s a little warm, and I can tell that she’s tired from the whole process.
The tiredness is obvious in her eyes, and I tell her how much she amazes me with her courage.
“Dr. Donovan said that in two days’ time, you'll be free to go home.”
“Good. I can’t wait to take them home.” Anastasia looks in the direction of our kids, who are still fast asleep.
My life is complete, and who would have believed that nine months ago, it felt like the entire world was about to end? Natalia had broken up with me, and I was drowning myself in alcohol, not sure if I wanted to live to the next day.
“I love you from the bottom of my heart, Anastasia,” I murmur to her.
“I love you, too, Fyodor Sokolov,” she answers. “And I’ll love you to the very end of time.”
I lean forward and kiss her on the lips, knowing that this is the beginning of what will be a very long time together.
*****
THE END