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“What the fuck happened?” I ask, realizing that he too is completely wet. Viktor, the doctor on duty, comes out of the emergency room and starts issuing orders, not letting me hear his response.
“Dean, go home, I'll take care of your sister-in-law,” he tells me as everyone rushes in behind the glass doors.
I follow them, because until proven otherwise I am still on duty and Miriana is my wife, although not legally.
“We'll have to do a CT scan and an MRI,” Viktor orders. “And an urgent blood draw.”
I see the nurses cut off Miri's clothes and jealousy takes over. “Out of the way!” I take the scissors out of their hands, close the curtains quickly, finding myself with Vanessa, the nurse who is pumping oxygen into her lungs. “Don't gawk and continue.” I begin to undress Miriana and then examine her. She doesn't seem to have any broken bones, but seeing her so helpless breaks my heart. “I'm right here, baby. It's going to be all right, okay? Hang in there for me,” I whisper as I kiss her hand, before pulling up the heated blanket. I sprint toward the drawer, the urgency of the situation quickening my every move. Reaching the drawer, I yank it open with a swift motion, my eyes darting over the neatly arranged shelves inside. I need something—anything—to help her. That's when I see them: the warm compresses. They're supposed to bring relief, and warm her up. I snatch several from the shelf, my fingers working deftly to activate them. I can feel the compresses beginning to heat up under the pressure of my hands, a small but promising sign.
With care, I place one compress on her chest, its warmth seeping into her skin, and another on her slender neck, hoping the heat will penetrate deep enough to make a difference. “Please do your job,” I whisper under my breath, a silent plea to the inanimate objects that suddenly bear the weight of my world.
I extend my fingers to her wrist, seeking the rhythm of life that should be thrumming beneath her skin. Her pulse is faint, barely there, a ghost of its normal strength. Anxiety knots in my stomach, but I push it down, refusing to let it overwhelm me. “Come on, work!” I urge, my voice a mixture of command and desperation. The seconds stretch out like hours as I wait, watch, and hope.
The curtain opens abruptly and they take Miriana away as Viktor grabs my arm when I try to follow them. “You're involved too deep, Dean. Get out of here.”
“Involved my ass, Viktor.” I pull back, wriggling out of his grasp, “I need to know everything as soon as you have the results, or believe me, you don't want to have an enemy like me,” I yell at him, realizing only later that everyone stops and looks at me.
“All right, but let us do our work.”
I stand waiting for the results as I go to talk to Kyle. Fear and anger take my breath away as two hands encircle my neck, tightening, but I have to stay strong for Miriana.Fuck!
Chapter Nineteen
Kyle
Job can go to hell! It's the last thing on my mind right now, and anyone with something to say better keep it to themselves. Everything that matters is right here in this room, on that bed where she lays still. Fear has a chokehold on me. I can't lose her. I can't exist without her.
“Why isn't she waking up?” I question Dean, who's been here with me, keeping watch over her all night.
“I don't know.” The helplessness in his voice is almost tangible. “It's like her body's overpowered her mind. But the main thing is, she and the baby are safe and sound.”
When the doc said that the tests were in the normal range but they still needed to run some on the baby, Dean nearly hit the floor. We knew this could happen, but I thought we'd have seen it coming. If not me, then at least him.
Nineteen days pregnant.
I watch as Dean balls his hands into fists, the strain of the situation clearly getting to him. “And why was she with Greta, of all people?”
“I don't know,” I confess, letting out a deep sigh. I've wracked my brain trying to figure out why they'd be together. Greta couldn't have forced her to go. Miri can handle herself and wouldn't let Greta lay a finger on her. Could Greta have threatened her? But that doesn't make sense. Miriana would've laughed in her face and I doubt she knew about the pregnancy because I'm certain she would've said something. If only she hadn't slipped away from me... but how could I chase after her when my wife was falling from the bridge? There was no time to think, and I leaped without hesitation.
“When I get my hands on her, she's gonna have to deal with me.”
“No, Kyle, this is on me. I'll handle her,” he counters firmly, wiping away his tears. “They need you, and you're not thinking clearly.”
I clench my fists, fighting the urge for revenge that's swelling inside me. “You're not thinking straight either, and we all need you. Do you really want to miss the birth of your child because of that whore?”
Dean doesn't respond, but I can see the inner battle raging in his eyes. I know he's weighing his options, and I'll do whatever it takes to find her before he does. Greta's gonna wish she was never born. My family's been threatened, and I don't take kindly to anyone who endangers Miriana and our child. The hunt for Greta starts now, and she won't find a single place to hide.
* * *
The hours drag on and even though all the test results confirm that Miriana and the baby are okay, her unconscious state is a heavy weight. I see her so frail, so defenseless on that hospital bed, and I can't shake off my worry.
Dean and I take shifts at her bedside, unable to peel ourselves away. Her mere existence is our rock, our beacon.
As the night presses on, midnight chimes as Miriana starts to fidget in her sleep. She grips the sheets tightly, her face filled with distress as tears trail down her cheeks. Dean and I rush to her side. Dean checks her eyes, but there's no sign of her waking up and our hearts tighten with fearful anticipation.
I'm dozing off in the chair when, at two a.m., my phone buzzes. I snatch it up and answer.
“Target spotted, coordinates sent.”
