Page 35 of Scarlet Promise (Yegorov Bratva #4)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

ALINA

“Do you want the good news?” the doctor says later when he comes by to check on me.

I look him up and down. Isla’s on her way over to see me, so if there’s another side to the good news, she’ll be here to pick up the pieces.

Her number is the only one I know by heart. When we were teens, we made sure we had each other’s numbers locked tight in the memory vault in case of trouble.

Though the doctor doesn’t have the air of a man with grave news, my stupid heart starts a rapid beat.

“It depends,” I say, aiming for humor, “if there’s a ‘but’ attached.”

He laughs. “Only if you consider waiting for your final set of results a ‘but.’ No, I came to tell you most of the results that came back are glowing. You’re in great health, and you even have a rosy glow about you. We just want the last few results in before we send you home.”

A small squeal breaks free. “I can go home.”

“When our results come in. It might not be me with them, unless they’re bad…” He winks. Actually winks.

The man’s probably about sixty, if he’s a day, and he’s got a slight air of grandfather about him, so I don’t take offense at the wink.

It makes me feel like I’m about five, though.

“It’s just some of your blood tests to make sure you’re in tip-top shape. Since you’re here, we ran the whole lot.”

I breathe out. “And then I can go?”

He nods as a young nurse comes in and takes me off the drip. “Then you can go. Don’t need that stuff anymore. We just wanted to give you a boost of vitamin Bs and fluids.”

He peers at me.

“Actually,” he adds, “you look healthier and more relaxed than you did when I first saw you. Keep it up.”

“Yes, Doctor,” I say.

He smiles. “Although, I’m still prescribing plenty of bed rest. You don’t strike me as someone to step on a toy on a step…

Your brother said it wasn’t overly small, so I’d put some of that down to exhaustion, and the further along you get, the more exhaustion you’ll feel.

And as I tell new moms, get in as much bed rest now as you can because there’s a solid year at least of lack of sleep coming. ”

I nod, smile, and tuck that information away because it will never see the light of day. If Ilya and Demyan hear about it, they’ll probably chain me to the bed or something. Poor Erin went through hell with Demyan fussing every second of her pregnancy with Nadya.

She claims it was because he missed being around for Sasha, but I’m not so sure. Demyan with me is bad enough, so of course he’s going to be a mutant mother hen with his own kids.

Erin never stood a chance.

I intend to.

By withholding the information from him and Ilya.

The doctor’s beeper starts up, and he takes off, muttering to himself. He almost runs into Erin and Isla.

They both grin, and Isla makes sure the door’s shut before Erin puts a big moving bag down on the bed.

Excitement fills me from all angles. “Is that…?”

A small bark erupts. I clap my hands, grinning. Erin laughs, unzipping the bag, and Albert wriggles out. He scampers up to sit on me and lick me wherever he can reach.

“Erin’s softer than me,” Isla says. “She let him out immediately, but it’s back in the bag if someone comes in, okay?”

Albert looks up at me and then gives another small bark.

“I swear that dog understands,” Erin says.

“He does,” I say. “Did you speak to Demyan?”

She rolls her eyes and nods. “Yes, and that idiotic man sounded happier than he has since he got it into his head to cut out Ilya.”

“Men.” Isla grins. “You’ll be pleased to know Sasha and Maize and Poppy are playing… Poppy? Or Nadya?”

“Both,” Erin and I say at the same time.

Erin takes over. “Her real name’s Nadya, but Sasha named her Poppy.”

“So cute.” Isla sighs. “I can’t wait until the two girls have their new baby girl to play with.”

I sit up on the bed as I point to my clothes. Erin fetches them for me, and I start to pull them on. I’m so ready to go. I want to spend as little time here after I get my release papers as possible.

“I told you,” I say to Isla, “the baby’s just dividing cells right now. So we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl. Are the kids at home alone?”

Isla laughs and pets Albert. “They’re with Olga, and I’m pretty sure Magda’s making pancakes.”

“Sasha just ate,” Erin mutters.

I look at her. “And you’re shocked?”

“No.”

“So what did the doctor actually say?” Isla asks.

“That I’m in great health, and they’re waiting on final blood results, and then I can go home.”

“With us?” Isla asks.

“With you.”

She looks about. “Where’s your man?”

“Being a badass with my brother,” I say. “He said they’d be done soon. And thank you both so much. And thank you, Albert. I was going crazy.”

Isla laughs. “How long have you been in here?”

“Too long,” I say.

Erin sits on the bed next to me, and Isla takes the foot. I’m pretty sure Albert thinks this is heaven.

“Since she got admitted and Demyan called me, it’s only been a few hours,” Erin says, scratching behind Albert’s ears.

“And you’re insane thinking it’s too long.

Remember what Demyan was like? I was either made to go to bed, carted around by him like I was suddenly made of bone china, and treated like an invalid.

If he’d been able to convince me to live in that wheelchair he got Ilya, he’d have done so. ”

Isla nods. “Remember with Maize, Alina? I was put on medical bed rest for the last two months of my pregnancy.”

“I don’t know. I think forced bed rest by Ilya and Demyan might be worse. There are two of them.” I glance at the door. “The doctor recommended more bed rest, but?—”

“Don’t tell them unless it’s medically necessary. Is it?”

“Nope,” I say to Erin.

“Then don’t. I only had to deal with Demyan.” Erin laughs. “As much as I adore Ilya and love how he’s the softer version of Demyan, he’s just as stubborn and protective. He took a beating for you.”

“I know.” I look at Isla and groan. “I don’t think I could handle being forced to stay in bed for two months.”

She shrugs. “If you don’t have a choice, then you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, you know?”

And it hits me then. I get it.

There’s a difference between an overprotective man and having to do it, actually literally obey staying in bed for two months.

And it’s more than that. If it wasn’t an overbearing order, if it was needed I would.

I one hundred percent know I’d do anything I had to do so I would have a healthy, perfect baby. Even if that means sitting on my ass starting today.

Someone rattles the door handle.

“Albert, bag, now,” I say, pointing.

He jumps up and into the bag, only his snout sticking out, which makes Isla dissolve into laughter.

The door opens, and a good-looking orderly in his twenties comes in with a wheelchair.

“Mrs. Belov, I’m here to take you for your ultrasound.”

I frown. “There must be a mistake. I’m waiting on blood test results.”

“I don’t know about those,” he says. “I just do what I’m told, and you’re scheduled for an ultrasound.”

It seems a little early, but doctors can peer at all stages. Excitement suddenly fills me at the idea of the first glimpse of my dividing cells.

“Can we wait until my husband comes back? He won’t be long, and he’d love to see our baby for the first time.”

“I’m sorry, but we’re booked up through tomorrow afternoon. You don’t have to look, but we need to check on everything.”

I’m torn. I’d love to catch a glimpse even if it looked like a tiny blob, but I also don’t want that gift without there to share the moment.

“It’ll help you get out of here earlier,” he says with a wink.

It’s the wink that does it for me. He must work closely with that doctor.

His words sway me, too, so I get up and into the wheelchair.

“Tell Ilya where I am when he gets back, okay?” I say as the orderly wheels me away.

“Will do,” Isla says over the whine of Albert.

I don’t need to look, do I? And if Ilya arrives…it’ll be an awesome surprise.

Suddenly a drop of unease spreads.

I expect the orderly to go into the non-Demyan wing of the hospital, where patients come for pre- and post-natal care. I’ve passed it before when I got lost looking for Ilya when he’d been shot.

But we’re not going there.

Instead, the orderly takes me to an elevator.

That drop turns into a small lake.

We get in, but it’s not until the doors open again that things feel off.

For one, the floor looks empty. I know Demyan keeps floors in case a disaster happens to his men and he needs a lot of people taken care of fast, from ICU to theater to just observation.

I haven’t seen them, but this feels like one of those floors.

But weirder still, there’s an old sign stating CLOSED FOR RESERVATIONS.

Didn’t they do some work in the other part of the hospital a few years ago?

Alarm bells ring inside my head.

“Actually,” I say, “I think I should skip the ultrasound.”

I start to stand, but a hand comes down hard on my shoulder. The coolness of a gun’s muzzle touches my temple.

Heat streaks through me like lightning.

“Sit.”

I do. He’s some kind of maniac, and I need to stave off the panic, focus on calm, and get the fuck out of here.

“Whatever you want, we can pay. My brother and husband are rich and powerful, so just let me know and?—”

“Be quiet.”

He moves the gun to the back of my skull and pushes the chair until we enter a hospital room with what looks like a new bed. It’s not made up at all, but I don’t think comfort’s the name of the game here.

My heart thumps wildly.

“Get up and get the fuck on the bed. Now.”

Shaking, I do as he asks, and he cuffs me into place and then leaves.

“You can’t do this! What do you want? What do you think my husband will do when he gets you? My brother?” I don’t even know if he’s outside the room.

“Please let me go. My friends will be looking for me by now.”

It’s a lie, but I hope they will soon. How long is it going to take until they work out that I’m not where I should be?

“Hello?”

No answer.

“Help!” I scream. “ Help !”

“No one can hear you,” says a familiar voice as a man comes into the room. “Hello, Alina. Lovely to see you again.”

Melor.