Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Sure thing, boss,” he says, knowing better than to ask questions.
He reverses out of the road and turns around. Amelia looks out of the window.
“I’m never coming back here again,” she says.
“You’ll never have to,” I tell her. “Because no matter what the future holds for us, I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
She shuffles closer to me, and I wrap my arm around her shoulders. She rests her head on my shoulder for a moment and then she lifts it up.
“I didn’t ask you. Is everything with Igor sorted?”
“Yes,” I say.
She accepts this without question. I know she knows what I mean by him being sorted, but I don’t need to rub her face in it.
“And your shoulder? How is it?”
“Better,” I say.
This she doesn’t accept so easily.
“Better better or trying to be macho even though it’s still bad better?” she asks.
“Better better, really,” I say. “Look.”
I shuffle my shoulder out of my jacket and shirt and show her the small scar left behind.
“Dr. Singh is good,” she smiles.
“Yeah, he’s the best,” I agree.
“Shouldn’t we go to him now then instead of going to the hospital?”
I shake my head.
“He’s the best surgeon I know, but he’s not the sort of doctor you need.”
She lays her head back on my shoulder and puts her hands protectively on her stomach. I reach over and put my hand on top of hers and she smiles up at me.
“It’s going to be ok,” I say again.
We make the next part of the drive in contemplative silence and I let myself think for a moment. I’m overjoyed that she’s pregnant and terrified that she may have lost the baby. As much as I tell myself not to get too excited until we know for sure that everything is ok, I can’t help but be excited. I can’t help but picture myself with a baby. It tells me I did the right thing with my business too. If I’m going to be a father, I want to be a good one, one who shows his child the right example.
“Have you ever cheated on your girlfriends?” she blurts out suddenly.
I know it’s the poison her mother has poured into her ear that makes her ask me that. I look into her eyes. “Never. I have never cheated on any woman in my life. I always make it perfectly clear that I am not on the market for serious relationships.”
She chews her bottom lip. “But won’t you miss the thrills and excitement of having many different women?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I have all the thrills, all of the excitement, I’ll ever need right here in my arms. I haven’t even looked at another woman since I found you in that dive bar.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Jerome pulls into the hospital grounds and takes us right up to the entrance to the emergency room. Some of the easy jovialness between Amelia and me falls away as the looming hospital building reminds us of the reason we’re here.
“Do you want me to wait for you?” Jerome asks.
“No, it’s ok. I don’t know how long we’ll be here. I’ll just call one of my drivers when we’re done. Just get back with your team and make sure they haven’t left any loose ends behind.”
He nods and we get out of the car. It pulls away and I take Amelia’s hand. She puts her other hand on her stomach.
“It’ll be ok, won’t it?” she asks, her eyes begging me to reassure her.
“Of course it will,” I smile. “Us Leshchenkos are made of strong stuff. And something tells me you are too.”
44
AMELIA
Viktor ushers me into the emergency room and immediately the smell of antiseptic hits my nostrils.
I keep my hands on my stomach, shielding the fragile life that is hopefully still growing inside of me as Viktor leads me to the front desk, his arm wrapped protectively around my shoulders.
“My girlfriend is pregnant and she’s been hit in the stomach,” Viktor says. “We need to see a doctor right away please.”
The receptionist asks me for my details, and I give her everything she asks for. My name, my address. I give her Viktor’s address and I feel a warmth inside of me as I say it. Then I tell my medical history and my insurance details.
“Thank you,” she smiles. “Please take a seat in the waiting area.”
“I don’t think you understand,” Viktor says, his voice level but with anger simmering just beneath the surface. “She needs to be seen by a doctor right now.”
“I appreciate that, Sir, but as you can see, there are a lot of people waiting to be seen and…”
“I’m going to say this one more time,” Viktor interrupts her. “She needs to be seen by a doctor right now.”
I cringe slightly, sure he’s going to threaten the woman, but once again, he surprises me with what he actually does, and once again, I tell myself to stop thinking the worst of him.