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When I stand up, the room freezes around me, and I start to pace the floor again. The other visitors have chosen to sit on the farthest side of the room, nowhere near the men covered in tattoos, wearing yesterday’s clothes.
A nervous woman with dark eyes behind large glasses glances over to make sure I’m staying away from her children. Her young son stares at me with fascination, and her daughter’s gaze is drawn to the tattoos on my hands. The woman tugs both of them away and turns directly toward the TV as if it’s the most interesting thing in the room.
I’m certain they’ll be pleased when we leave.
The nurse steps into the waiting room and frowns as I stop in my tracks. “Aaron Smith?” she calls out.
I step forward, leaving no space between me and the tired woman dressed in baggy scrubs. Her blonde hair is braided down her back, and a permanent crease rests between her eyes.
“How is she?” I ask in one breath.
She holds up her hand to silence me quickly. “Please follow me, sir.”
Anton, Pavel, and I enter a private room in a separate wing far from the main entrance. Eden lies quietly on the hospital bed, machines monitoring her heart rate and blood pressure. Her face is pale against her auburn hair, but her cheeks show a little color.
I hurry to her side and feel relief flood my body.
A moment later, the relief is replaced with dread. I’m not sure what I’ll hear. And I’m not sure how I might react if the worst is true.
“How is she, Nurse?” I ask.
“Dr.Galano,” she corrects me efficiently. “Belova couldn’t find the bullet because it didn’t penetrate her. But grazes aren’t that much better. She’s lucky there’s no internal bleeding. But she’s still lost a lot of blood. But by my count, she can go home tomorrow morning.”
My heart rises to my throat. “What about the baby?”
“Baby?” Dr. Galano asks.
Panic surges, and I fight the urge to shake her as well. “Yes, the baby. Ed—Eve is pregnant.”
Dr. Galano sighs. “We can arrange for an ultrasound so that we can check. But that’ll mean more strings to pull.”
“Please do.”
She glares at me for a moment, as if to say something. But slowly, her expression softens. “I’ll see what I can do. But for now, I’d prefer it if you could draw less attention to yourself.” Galano steps closer and lowers her voice. “I happen to like working here.”
I nod. “We’ll be discreet.”
“Do better thanthat.” She points at an anxiously pacing Anton, who is drawing more looks from the woman and her children. “Be invisible. I’ll do my best to let you know as soon as possible.”
“Can I see her?”
“Yes.” A smile slips onto her face, and she looks a little bit more human. “But remember. Be invisible, Mr. Smith. I’ll be back soon.”
A moment later, I’m sitting beside Eden’s bed and placing my hand over hers.
Eden moans softly in her sleep, and maybe I’m imagining the slight grin that appears on her beautiful face when I touch her. I hold her hand gently, my mind still racing at the uncertainty. I haven’t lost Eden yet.
But if we lose our baby …
I don’t want to think about it. Ican’tafford to think about it. I’ve suffered losses that will always be hard to bear. But this? If the worst happens, this will be a loss that is impossible to bear. Looking at Eden, I wonder if I can deliver the message to her when she wakes up.
If I can even deliver it for myself.
“Nikolai Gennadyevich,” Pavel leans down and whispers in my ear.
I shove my public display of affection aside. Responsibility and duty return to my brain and body instantly. My intellect, not my emotions, forcibly takes command as I stand and step away from her bed.
“Have guards surround the hospital from a distance, on foot and in vehicles, monitoring who comes and goes. Watch all doors, especially the employees.”
