bsp; He sat back in his chair. “Gut wounds can be tricky, but as long as she takes it easy and has good aftercare, she should make a full recovery—provided she doesn’t get an infection.”
My relief was so strong, I felt dizzy for a second and had to blink to focus on the doctor. “Can I see her?” I didn’t care that I sounded desperate. That was exactly what I was right then.
“She’s in recovery right now, but once she’s moved into a room, you can see her all you want… As long as she permits it.” He stood. “She might not have known she was pregnant. This miscarriage may come as a complete surprise to her. Nonetheless, we should handle telling her delicately.”
I nodded my agreement. He shook my hand and then Pops’s, telling us someone would let us know once Tavia was comfortably in a room. Pops followed him out the door, already making arrangements to make sure Tavia had a private room and any other luxury the hospital could offer.
As the door closed behind them, I fell back against my chair, the reality of what the doctor said hitting me full force. Pregnant. Tavia had been carrying my baby. I wanted to think she didn’t know, but what if she had? What if those times she’d called and I hadn’t answered she was trying to tell me she was going to have my child?
Fuck.
I’d completely messed up with her. She probably thought she had to go through the pregnancy alone. Had to raise our baby alone.
All her life, she had felt just that. Alone. No one to take care of her. No one to worry for her. No one to love her.
I’d make sure she never felt like that again, I vowed silently. I wasn’t ever going to let her down again.
Chapter 6
Tavia
Reality came back to me slowly. The scraping of a chair across the floor filled my ears, then a chilled hand touching mine, the deep inhale of someone before their lips brushed over my knuckles.
Then the pain hit me, and I moaned pitifully before blinking my eyes open. The lighting in the room was dim, but there was daylight shining through the partially shut blinds. The smell of antiseptic was suddenly harsh to my senses, and I turned my head as I vomited, but there was nothing but gastric juices able to come up.
The contraction of my muscles as I heaved only made the pain that much more intense, and I was sobbing by the time my stomach calmed down.
“It’s okay,” a deep voice assured me, a heavy hand stroking soothingly over my back.
Disbelief at who it was had me lifting my head to make sure I wasn’t hearing things. But no, Theo was actually there, his face gray and set in hard lines as he lifted a damp washcloth and wiped it over my brow and then my mouth.
Tossing away the cloth, he took two tissues from a box and mopped up my tears. “Better?”
All I could do was nod, too stunned he was there, taking care of me. Being kind.
Cupping the back of my head, he eased me onto my back and then tucked the covers around me before taking the chair directly beside the bed.
“Are you in a lot of pain?” His voice was so gentle, full of the same tenderness he’d used when he was deep inside me all those weeks ago. Only now, I knew better. He got what he wanted, and then I’d meant nothing to him.
I nodded again, refusing to speak to him.
He drew his brows together, but he hit the call button tied to my bed rail. Not even ten seconds later, the door opened, and not one but two nurses walked in after a brisk knock.
Theo didn’t take his eyes off me as he instructed them to give me something to better manage my pain.
“Of course, Mr. Volkov,” the more petite of the two said. “We can hook her up to a morphine pump, and she can dispense as much or a little pain medication as she feels she needs.”
The second nurse stepped out and was back quickly, pushing some kind of machine that looked like the one holding my IV and the bag of blood that was now empty. Within minutes, the thing was hooked up to my IV site, and the two nurses instructed me how much would be dispensed per hour. Once they were done, they asked if I needed anything else, but I only shook my head, and they left.
Theo once again took his seat, but I focused on the little red button I was supposed to push to administer the morphine.
“Tavia…” I pressed the button once, but that didn’t even faze my pain level. “You haven’t said anything yet.” I pushed the button again and then twice more before the pain began to fade. Only then, the world began to spin, and I quickly closed my eyes before I became nauseated again. “Baby, talk to me.”
I turned my head away from him without opening my eyes. I knew it was childish to give him the silent treatment, but my heart was too broken to care. All I wanted was for him to leave me alone, something I knew he was good at. The morning after I’d given in to my feelings for this man and he’d taken my virginity, I’d woken up to an empty bed, and I hadn’t seen him again until…
Until Yerik took off that hood, and I saw Theo standing there looking like the ruthless mobster he apparently was.
I heard Theo exhale heavily. “Okay, krasotka. Rest. We will talk later.”