Page 92 of Savage Truce

Suddenly, a thought pops into my head, and I glance up at him. “Did you call Andrei’s family?”

He rubs his thumb over my skin as he answers, “We are his only family.”

Just as Katya comes back from buying a bunch of coffees at the cafeteria, a doctor walks toward us while pulling off a hairnet.

Rodian shoots to his feet and I scramble after him.

“Andrei Dragun’s semʹya?”

“Da. Rodian Volkov,” he replies.

The doctor checks a chart before rattling off a string of words I don’t understand. I nervously fidget, unable to tell from Rodian’s stern expression if the news is good or bad.

He takes hold of my hand, and we walk fast as we follow the doctor, then he murmurs, “The doctor says it’s too early to know the full extent of the damage to Andrei’s eye, and that he could lose vision in it. They’ve stabilized him, but he’s in critical condition, so we can only see him for five minutes.”

“So he’ll be okay?” I ask.

Rodian exhales a heavy breath. “If he makes it through the next forty-eight hours, he should recover.”

We stop outside a set of double doors and disinfect our hands before we’re allowed into a ward that’s filled with an ungodly amount of noise. Alarms, beeps, suction sounds, and Lord only knows what else, come from every bed as we’re taken to where Andrei is.

Seeing the man who’s been a quiet force at Rodian’s side covered in bandages with a sheet barely pulled over his pelvis, my heart breaks in two.

“Andrei,” I whimper as I carefully take hold of his hand that feels surprisingly hot.

Rodian leans over him and says, “I’ve killed the fuckers. All you have to do is rest and heal, moy brat.” I’ve never seen Rodian as vulnerable as he looks when he presses a kiss to Andrei’s hair. “Don’t give up the fight. I need you.”

My chin quivers as tears blur my sight, but I manage to keep it together until Rodian whispers, “I love you.”

Andrei’s fingers stir in my hold, and I say, “He moved!”

Just then he opens his right eye a crack, but he looks completely out of it as he stares at Rodian.

“I’m here, brat. You’re doing so great. I’m fucking proud of you.”

Andrei’s fingers curl around mine, and it has me inching closer and smiling through the tears. “Just get better, okay?”

Slowly he nods, and his tone is hoarse as he mumbles, “Sokolov… dead?”

“Yes.” Rodian carefully brushes his palm over Andrei’s hair. “I repaid the favor and carved his face up before gutting his throat.”

“Goooood…” The word hisses from Andrei before he drifts off again.

I notice a nurse coming toward us and say, “I think our time is up.”

Rodian presses another kiss to Andrei’s head. “I’ll be back.”

I gently set Andrei’s hand down before I leave the ward with Rodian.

As we walk down the hallway, I ask, “What do we do now?”

“Sergei is going to take you home so you can get some sleep.”

My gaze lifts to Rodian’s face. “And you?”

“I’m not leaving the hospital until Andrei is out of danger.”

“But –”