Chapter 54 Sienna #3
“Yes, Baby can definitely still change its position, but most settle by thirty-six weeks at the latest. The doctor will continue checking Baby’s position at future appointments by palpating your belly.”
Dimi nodded, apparently satisfied with this answer. The rest of the scan passed quickly, and my eyes stayed on Dimi. I’d never seen such open emotion on his face. He looked exactly how I felt when I saw our baby girl...like he was in complete awe of the tiny creature we’d made.
Nadia finished the scan and handed me tissues to wipe off the gel. After parting well-wishes and goodbyes, she left the room.
“That was amazing,” he said once we were alone. “Thank you for letting me be a part of this.”
“Of course.” My voice cracked and I cleared my throat. “I’ll text you copies of the pictures.”
We fell quiet. Without something else to focus our attention on, everything from the past few months stretched between us.
“I better go,” I finally said.
His lips parted to say something, but he changed his mind last minute. “Take care of yourself. And baby Cabbage.”
I hung up with an ache in my heart and a fragile smile on my lips.
Finally. Not a vegetable. Enjoy this downstairs—the room next to the gym.
I cocked my head as Polina handed me the note and the large empty bucket for movie theater popcorn.
“All I can say is, I hope my baby isn’t this, uhh, wide,” I said, staring at the bucket’s massive circumference.
She shook her head. “I told him he went overboard on the size.” She linked our arms. “Come on, we’re going down together.”
Vovchyk led our way down the stairs. I hadn’t been down here since poker night. My eyebrows shot up when I saw Sergey wearing a suit and standing in front of a closed door.
“Welcome, ladies,” he said in a truly horrendous English accent.
“Thank you for the welcome,” I said in an equally terrible English accent. “Now, what is it you’re welcoming us to?”
He opened the door with a flourish. My jaw dropped when I realized this was the room I had wanted to turn into a movie theater.
I had completely forgotten about my idea until this moment, standing in the doorway of what was a real-ass movie theater with a huge screen, plush recliner chairs staggered on an incline, and a concession area in the back manned by my new friends.
Sveta was scooping popcorn into big buckets, Vasya was pulling drinks out of a fridge, while Maxim, Lyosha, and Matvey were organizing boxes of movie theater candy.
“Welcome to your very own home theater!” Polina shouted. There was a twinkle in her eye that made my heart pound. “And our inaugural film is actually a TV show.”
“Wait, you don’t mean—”
Sergey wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Yes, that gay Russian hockey one you’ve already watched a million times but for some inexplicable reason want to watch with us.”
I squealed and bounced on my toes until little Movie Theater Popcorn squashed my bladder and I had to run to the bathroom.
When I returned, Sveta led me to my seat, which had an array of treats around it.
I let myself relax as I watched an impossible love story unfold on screen.
I ate snacks and laughed with my new friends and for the first time in weeks, got a few hours’ break from the horrors of the world.
A few hours to remember that love still existed.
My options this week were a funnel cake or a papaya. I hope I know you well enough to have chosen correctly.
– Dimi
My heart pounded as I reviewed the CCTV footage while shoving pieces of funnel cake into my mouth. The man in the surveillance picture kept his face hidden from the cameras, but he had used one of the Souleater’s aliases to book three nights at a hotel.
A sick feeling settled in my chest because the hotel was in Paris. Not the same one I had stayed at, but close enough that it made me feel vulnerable and exposed, like this monster was sullying the home of my greatest adventure.
It made me want to text Dimitri, but he knew nothing about this part of my life and I had no idea how he’d react. Besides, he was visiting gem mines in the Ural mountains. Instead, I pulled up my chat with Atlas.
Hedgehog
This man is using one of his aliases at La Couronne Noire. It’s a hotel in Paris. He looks to be the right height, except he looks kind of frail. Not how you described him
Atlas
Fuck. I can’t tell if it’s him. Any pictures that show his face?
Hedgehog
No. It’s like he knows where all of them are and is avoiding them.
Atlas
On my way. Send me any more images and updates.
I miss you and baby Pineapple.
- Dimi
A thick manila envelope sat under the pineapple on my desk. I tucked the pineapple in the crook of my arm, even as the prickly surface reached my skin through my sweater.
Nothing was written on the envelope, but I assumed it was mine. I poked it. Right, because poking is an effective way to evaluate mysterious envelopes. Well, at least it hadn’t exploded.
I opened it and pulled out a stack of official-looking legal papers.
I slumped down on my chair as the words Custody Agreement floated in front of my eyes.
The room spun and my vision swam. Oh god.
Had Dimitri’s gifts been lulling me into a false sense of security all these weeks just to pull the rug out from under me?
It took multiple attempts to make sense of the first sentence.
The vise on my chest loosened.
I kept reading, my lips mouthing the words written in black and white, and by the time I made it through the last paper, my tears had transformed into happy ones. Because written on the pages was a guarantee that I could never be separated from my baby girl.
I signed them with a shaking hand and sent a silent wish halfway across the world for Dimi to come home soon. Because I might just miss my husband.