Chapter164 Nova's gone
Aliya POV
As soon as I walked out of the room, the tears started falling. I managed to make it around the corner before I couldn't hold them back anymore. I slid down the wall until I was crouched on the floor, my shoulders shaking.
A shadow fell across me, and I looked up to see Patrick standing there. His face was full of concern as he crouched down beside me.
"Can't let him go, can you?" he asked gently.
I couldn't find my voice to answer. The words were stuck somewhere between my heart and my throat.
Patrick pulled me into a warm embrace. "It's okay," he said softly. "I understand completely. You don't have to explain anything to me."
I felt terrible about the whole situation. "This isn't fair to you," I finally managed to say. "I'm being so unfair, dragging you into all this."
"Hey, don't worry about me," Patrick said, rubbing my back comfortingly. "You know what might help? Tomorrow I could take Nova out for a fun day. She's been here for so long, but we haven't really taken her anywhere special yet."
I pulled back to look at him, wiping my eyes. "Tomorrow? But Nikolai's getting discharged tomorrow. I need to be at the hospital as his attending physician."
"I can take her by myself," Patrick offered. "Just the two of us. She seems to like me well enough."
I hesitated. The thought of Nova being away from me while Nikolai was around made me nervous. But Patrick looked so determined to help, and Nova really hadn't gotten to do much sightseeing since we'd arrived.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Absolutely. Let me do this for you both."
His kindness made me feel even worse about using him this way, but I nodded. "Okay. If you really don't mind."
That evening, I told Nova about the plan. She was sitting on her bed in her pajamas, brushing her stuffed bunny's fur.
"Patrick's going to take you out tomorrow," I said. "Just you and him. Would you like that?"
Nova's face lit up. "Really? Where are we going?"
"Wherever you want to go. The zoo, the park, maybe get some ice cream."
"That sounds fun!" She paused, tilting her head. "Is the Alpha King coming too?"
I shook my head. "No, baby. The Alpha King has his own things to take care of."
"Oh." Nova seemed to accept this without question. "Okay. Can we go see the tigers at the zoo?"
"You'll have to ask Patrick about that."
The next morning, I got Nova dressed in her favorite pink dress and little white sneakers. She was practically bouncing with excitement as we waited for Patrick to arrive.
When he showed up at our door, Nova ran to him immediately.
"Uncle Patrick! Mommy says we're going on an adventure!"
Patrick grinned and picked her up, spinning her around once. "That's right, little one. Just you and me today. Are you ready?"
"Yes!" Nova giggled.
I handed Patrick her small backpack with snacks and a change of clothes. "Her favorite juice boxes are in there, and she usually gets sleepy around two o'clock."
"Got it," Patrick said. "We'll be fine, won't we, Nova?"
"We'll have the best day ever!" Nova declared.
As I watched them walk to Patrick's car, I waved goodbye.
An hour later, I was at the hospital checking on my other patients when I made my way to Nikolai's room. I expected to find him alone, maybe reading or on his phone. Instead, the room was full of people.
His Beta was there, along with several of his elite wolves, and even Victor had shown up. They were all standing around like they were waiting for something important to happen.
Nikolai looked up when I entered, and I caught something in his expression. Surprise, maybe. Or was it disappointment?
"You came," he said, his voice carefully neutral.
I raised an eyebrow. "This is my workplace. Is that surprising?"
"I heard Patrick was taking your daughter out today," Nikolai said, watching my face closely. "I thought maybe you'd go with them."
My blood ran cold. "Are you having me watched?"
Nikolai's expression didn't change. "It's just standard procedure for an Alpha King to keep track of his pack members. Nothing personal."
"My daughter is going out with her father," I said firmly. "I don't think that requires the Alpha King's attention."
Something flickered across Nikolai's face at the word "father," but he didn't respond.
I busied myself checking his chart and taking his vitals, trying to ignore the tension in the room. All of his levels looked good, and his wounds had healed remarkably well.
"Everything looks normal," I announced to the room. "You're cleared for discharge."
As I was finishing up the paperwork, Victor approached me.
"Dr. Rowanwood," he said formally. "Could I speak with you privately for a moment?"
I glanced around the room. Nikolai was getting dressed while his Beta helped him gather his things.
"Of course," I said, following Victor out into the hallway.
We walked a few steps away from the room before Victor stopped and turned to face me.
"That child," he said without preamble. "She's really Patrick's?"
I crossed my arms defensively. "Are you suggesting I would lie about who my daughter's father is?"
"I'm not suggesting anything," Victor said carefully. "I'm asking directly."
"Why would I give my child a fake father?" I shot back. "What possible reason would I have for doing something like that?"
Before he could respond, I felt a sudden, urgent mind link connection open up. It was Patrick, and his mental voice was filled with panic.
"Aliya," he said, the words rushing through my mind. "Nova's gone. She's missing!"