Chapter 82 Chapter 82
CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO
Dimitri
"No no no," I whispered as Irina's eyes closed.
Her body went limp in my arms.
"Irina!" I shook her gently. "Irina, wake up!"
But she did not respond.
"Drive faster!" I shouted at the driver. "She is dying!"
"We are almost there, boss!" The driver replied.
I pressed my hand against Irina's stomach trying to stop the bleeding.
But there was too much blood, it kept flowing.
"Please," I whispered. "Please do not leave me."
I felt for her pulse and it was still there but it was very weak.
"Stay with me baby," I said. "Just a few more minutes."
The car screeched to a stop in front of the hospital.
"Help!" I shouted. "I need help!"
Doctors and nurses rushed out with a stretcher.
I carefully laid Irina on it.
"She is pregnant," I said quickly. "She was in a car accident and she has been bleeding badly."
"How far along?" A doctor asked.
"I... I do not know," I admitted. "A few months maybe?"
"We need to get her to surgery now," the doctor ordered.
They wheeled her away quickly.
I tried to follow but a nurse stopped me.
"Sir you cannot go in there," she said.
"That is my wife!" I shouted.
"I understand sir but you need to let the doctors work," she said gently.
"Please save her," I begged. "Please save them both."
"We will do everything we can," the nurse promised. "But you need to wait here."
She led me to a waiting room.
I sat down but I could not stay still.
I stood up and paced back and forth.
My clothes were covered with Irina's blood.
My hands were shaking and I felt sick.
What if she died? What if I lost her?
The thought made my chest feel tight.
I sat back down and put my head in my hands.
Hours passed. It felt like the longest hours of my life.
Finally a doctor came out.
I jumped up immediately.
"How is she?" I demanded. "Is she alive?"
The doctor's expression was serious.
"Your wife lost a lot of blood," he said. "But we managed to stabilize her."
Relief flooded through me.
"And the baby?" I asked.
The doctor hesitated.
"What?" I said. "Tell me!"
"The baby is alive," he said. "But..."
"But what?" I pressed.
"We had to perform an emergency surgery," the doctor explained. "The trauma from the accident caused some complications."
"What kind of complications?" I asked.
"We had to remove the baby early," the doctor said. "Your wife was only about five months pregnant."
My heart sank. "Is the baby okay?"
"The baby is in the NICU," the doctor replied. "It is very small and fragile."
"But will it survive?" I asked desperately.
"We do not know yet," the doctor admitted. "The next forty eight hours are critical."
I felt like someone punched me in the stomach.
"Can I see Irina?" I asked.
"She is in recovery," the doctor said. "But yes you can see her."
He led me to a room. Irina was lying in a hospital bed. She looked so small and pale. Tubes and wires were connected to her. I walked over and took her hand gently.
"I am here," I whispered. "You are going to be okay."
I sat beside her and waited for her to wake up.
More hours passed.
Then finally her eyes started to flutter open.
"Irina," I said softly. "Can you hear me?"
Her eyes focused on me slowly.
"Dimitri," she whispered. Her voice was so weak.
"I am here baby," I said. "I am right here."
"The baby," she said immediately, touching her already flat stomach. "Where is my baby?"
I took a deep breath.
"The baby is alive," I said. "But they had to deliver it early."
Her eyes went wide. "What? Why?"
"You were bleeding too much," I explained. "They had to do an emergency surgery."
Tears started falling from her eyes.
"Is the baby okay?" She asked.
"The baby is in the NICU," I said. "The doctors are taking care of it."
"I want to see my baby," she said.
"You need to rest first," I replied.
"No," she said firmly. "I need to see my baby now."
I looked at the nurse who had entered the room.
"Can we take her to see the baby?" I asked.
The nurse nodded. "I will get a wheelchair."
A few minutes later we were wheeling Irina to the NICU.
We had to put on gowns and wash our hands first.
Then they led us to an incubator. Inside was the tiniest baby I had ever seen. It was so small it could fit in my hand. Tubes were connected to its little body.
Irina started crying harder. "Oh my baby," she whispered. "My poor baby."
"The baby is strong," a nurse said kindly.
"Is it a boy or girl?" Irina asked.
"A boy," the nurse replied with a smile.
Irina looked at me. "We have a boy."
"Yes," I said.
Even though I knew the baby was not mine biologically.
He was Alexei's child.
But looking at him now, so tiny and fragile, I did not care.
This was our son, mine and Irina's.
"Can I touch him?" Irina asked the nurse.
"You can put your hand through here," the nurse showed her an opening in the incubator.
Irina reached in carefully and touched the baby's tiny hand.
The baby's fingers wrapped around Irina's finger.
"He knows I am his mama," Irina said with tears streaming down her face.
I reached in too and touched the baby's other hand.
He was so small and warm.
"What should we name him?" Irina asked.
I thought for a moment.
"Let's give Alexei the chance to name his son." I said.
She was quiet for a moment then nodded.
We stayed there for a long time, just watching him.
Finally the nurse said Irina needed to go back to her room and rest.
We wheeled her back reluctantly.
Once she was settled in bed again, she looked at me.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?" I asked.
"For saving us," she replied. "For not giving up."
"I will never give up on you," I promised.
She smiled weakly then closed her eyes.
Within minutes she was asleep.
I sat beside her and held her hand.
My phone rang.
It was the hospital's front desk.
"Mr Volkov?" A woman's voice said.
"Yes?" I answered.
"There is someone here to see you," she said. "She says it is urgent."
"Who is it?" I asked.
"She says her name is Marina Reznikov," the woman replied.
I froze.
Marina, who was Roberto's wife. Mikhail's elder brother.
"Send her up," I said.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.
I opened it and there stood Marina.
She looked terrible
, her face was pale and wrinkled.
"Marina," I said. "I am so sorry about Roberto."
She nodded. "I know, thank you."
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
She looked around nervously. "Can we talk?" She asked. "Somewhere private?"
I stepped out into the hallway and closed the door.
"What is it?" I asked.
Marina took a deep breath.
"I know who poisoned Alexei," she said quietly.
My heart started racing.
"Who?" I demanded.
"It was not Irina," Marina said. "It was..."
She hesitated.
"Tell me!" I said urgently.
Marina looked me straight in the eyes.
"It was Mikhail."