Chapter 26 - Kazimir
There is an indoor garden on the ground floor of the clinic, and I find myself standing in the center of it with my hands on my hips as I stare up at the glass ceiling. Lush green plants trail from every available space on the walls and ceiling.
I’m hyperventilating.
Panic is surging through me like a sharp current.
Fear, anxiety and confusion.
Okay, so she’s pregnant. So what?
Well, I never planned to be a father. That’s what. It might not be my baby, though?
Does that make any difference at all? No. It doesn’t.
I let out a heavy breath, not realizing I was holding it in. My stomach is in a knot.
Pregnant. She’s having a baby.
We’re having a baby.
The idea of being a father absolutely scares the living daylight out of me!
But on the other hand…I could never stay away from her. Maria is…she’s everything to me. I would never have the strength to walk away from her, and even if staying means I’ll have to be a dad to a baby that is or isn’t mine…I’ll do it.
Maria is mine. I’m never letting her go.
She’s mine, and her baby is mine. That little thing is a part of her, and I will love it in the same way I love her.
We’ve shared so much together, and I’ve never felt this close to anyone before.
We have something truly special.
“Kaz?” Joe’s voice drags me from my thoughts.
“Hey, man,” I sigh.
“You okay?” he asks, sitting down on a bench nearby. He looks exhausted.
“Are you?” I ask, walking over to him and sitting as well.
“Fuck, everything happened so fast. And now…she’s pregnant,” he mutters, more to himself than to me.
“Bit of a shock?” I chuckle, understanding exactly how he feels.
He snorts with laughter, a quiet, unsure amusement amid the craziness of today’s situation.
“That’s an understatement,” he smirks. “We just got married. And the alliance is new, and she’s going to have a baby, and all of us are only just recently starting getting along and…”
“What’s really bothering you?” I ask, realizing he’s just listing random things but not saying the thing that’s truly on his mind.
Joe presses his lips together and groans. He clenches his jaw and pushes his hand through his hair, then leans forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his head hanging.
“I don’t want to be like my father,” he mutters quietly.
“Your father? Are you kidding me?” I blurt out in disbelief.
“No man, I’m serious. It’s in my blood. I’m his son. He’s the only father I ever knew, and I’m worried that I’ll turn out to be just like him,” he sighs.
I chuckle, and he turns to look at me with his nose scrunched in confusion.
“Come on, man, you aren’t and could never be like him.
You go out of your way to protect your family.
You take care of your sister. You make sure she’s safe.
You created this alliance to go against your father.
You gave up power and assets to protect Maria.
Are any of those things your father would do for anyone?
” I ask. “You put others before your own needs, Joe.”
He licks his lips, nodding. “Maybe you’re right,” he sighs.
“Not maybe. I know I’m right. There are plenty of things to worry about without adding things to it that don’t make sense. Like, where the hell do people buy diapers? What do babies eat? How often do you feed them?” I blurt out, throwing my hands in the air.
Joe starts laughing. “You aren’t serious, are you?” he asks in amusement.
“Man, I am dead serious. I don’t know the first thing about any of this,” I huff.
He laughs harder, shaking his head. “You’re lucky you’re not alone in this, man,” he says, slapping me on the back.
“Well…things just got wilder, didn’t they?” Joseph says, standing up.
“Shall we get her home and figure out what our next step is?” I ask, standing up too.
“I’m going to take a minute down here, you go ahead.”
I leave Joe in the garden and make my way back to the fourth floor.
Ben and Artur step aside and mumble something about getting air too.
I sit on the edge of her bed and take her hand, not knowing where or how to start.
“I’m so sorry, Kaz,” she mumbles. “I know this is a commitment thing and you hate commitment,” she sighs.
I chuckle and shake my head.
“Yeah, that was the old me, though,” I smile, looking up at her.
“What do you mean?” she asks, hope edging her words.
“I mean that I’ve changed a lot since you first met me. I think we all have.”
My heart is racing a thousand miles an hour as I try to find the right words. “Maria…I, uh, I’m going to be there for you through all of this. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, because…uh…because I…uh…” How the hell do the movies make this look so easy?
Maria giggles and leans forward. Grabbing the front of my shirt, she pulls me toward her and kisses me.
She pauses, grinning. “I know,” she says, then kisses me again.
I pull away, confused. “You know?”
“I know you love me,” she smiles, her eyes glittering.
I chuckle and press my finger beneath her chin. “You do?” I ask, smirking. She nods.
“You’re right,” I tell her.
“I’m always right,” she says.
I press my lips over hers and kiss her again, slower this time.
***
That evening, after dinner, Benedikt carries Maria up to bed, insisting that the doctor gave strict instructions for her to get as much rest as possible over the next week.
He almost didn’t want to let her out of bed to eat dinner at the table.
We were all going to eat up in her room, but she insisted on getting a break from being stuck in there.
While Ben is upstairs with Maria, I get a call.
Pacing up and down the dining room with the others staring at me, I listen to the news.
“What’s going on?” Joseph mouths.
I put the call on speaker and set the phone on the table.
“…they came in through the back after taking out the security camera. Half of the product was taken, and one man was killed…”
“Another attack?” Joe hisses.
I nod. “West warehouse, along the docks.”
He sneers, and Artur clenches his fists, shaking his head.
My floor manager runs through the information that he has while we listen.
“Thanks, Tony,” I say when he’s done. “I’ll send extra men over there to assist with things. We’re going to sort this out. Stay in touch, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Artur, Joseph, and I sit around the table staring at each other.
Ben walks in and immediately senses the mood.
“What now?” he sighs, sitting down too.
“Another attack,” Art fills him in.
“We have to deal with this once and for all,” I state.
“Agreed. I say we capture Misha and force him to tell us what he’s been doing. With a confession, we will have all the power we need to kick him out of Chicago for good,” Art snaps.
I sigh, not seeing any other choice. It is an extreme route to take, but I want Maria and our alliance to be safe.
Misha crossed too many lines, and it’s time to show him who is really in charge in Chicago.
“So, we’re all in agreement?” Joe asks. “We track him down and capture him?”
“Who?” she asks, standing in the doorway.
Fuck.
“Are you talking about going after my brother?” she asks, her face knitting in horror.
“Maria, he keeps attacking our warehouses. He won’t back off, and we have no choice but to do this,” Benedikt speaks gently, but it doesn’t change the stress and fear in her expression.
“Maria?” I ask when she doesn’t say anything.
“I…I understand. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt,” she sighs.
Benedikt stands and walks to her side. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed. Nothing is happening tonight, but you need to rest.”
She lets him lead her away.
I sigh and rub my hands over my jaw. “It’s better she knows, anyway. It’s not like we want to keep secrets from her. She has a right to know.”
Joe nods. “She does. It’s her brother.”
I stand up from the dinner table and roll my shoulders to try and ease the tension out of them. “I’m going to bed. Please wake me up if she needs anything.”
“Will do,” Artur nods. “I’m also headed to bed. I reckon we should take turns sitting up to watch her? I can take the first shift?”
“I’ll take the first shift. I’m not tired yet,” Joe says, standing up too.
“Give me an hour or two of sleep, then I’ll take over,” I call out as I leave the room and head up to my bed.
It’s been one hell of a day, and tomorrow is going to be busy, too.
We all need as much rest as we can get.