Avrora
The next two days are awful, but Anatoli is still with us.
I've been sitting next to his bedside watching him fight for his life and hoping he'll come back to me.
I pay attention to every sound on his monitors and watch for signs of anything and everything when the nurses and doctors check his vitals.
I continue praying as the next day passes with the same results.
His words keep ringing through my mind.
We're not done yet, we're not done yet, we're not done yet.
I just hope he knows I'm with him. Wherever he is, that's where I am, too.
Heart, body, mind, and soul. He always had me long before I knew I'd given myself to him.
Two weeks slip by and Anatoli is still the same. I feel like I'm dancing on the edge of insanity.
The doctors have kindly arranged for me to sleep next to him when I can, so I stay all night.
Everyone is hoping he'll pull through and wake up soon, so everything has been put on hold, including Leif and Evgeni's funerals.
On Friday night, I fall asleep next to Anatoli instead of the cot the nurses set up for me, and I slip into a dream.
It starts with me running through the meadow. I run, and I'm happy. A bird flies over my head, but instead of the fractured dream-or memory-I see my family ahead of me. My real family. The Butyrskayas.
The bird flies to my brother and lands on his outstretched hand.
I run toward my father, and he picks me up, hoisting me in the air. My mother is laughing, and I feel so much love from all of them.
The memory fades, and warm fingers cover mine.
I almost think I'm still in the dream, but when I open my eyes and find Anatoli looking at me, my heart soars into the heavens.
"Valkyrie..." he mutters in a faint voice.
"You're awake."
"I told you. We're not done yet."
I smile. That's the best thing I've ever heard. "No, we're not. We never will be."
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Anatoli
I lower myself into my chair. I'm in my office at home. A place I never thought I'd see again.
I've been home from the hospital now for a week, and it's been two weeks since I woke up from my deep slumber.
I don't know how I made it back, and my body is still weak, but I'm alive. Alive and grateful for a second chance.
I remember thinking my end had arrived when the bullet hit me, but it was worth it. I'd watched Mikhail going after Avrora with his gun to shoot her. To kill her.
At that moment, it didn't matter what happened to me. I had to save her by whatever means I could.
When his bullet hit me, I tasted death and got closer to the other side than I ever have. But now I'm back in the world of the living with a wife who loves me, a baby on the way, two funerals to attend, and a brother on the run for murdering our uncle.
Somehow, I need to get back on my feet and pick up the pieces that have been left behind after losing Leif. A month has passed since he was killed, and my mind still won't accept it. I keep expecting him to call me or come by and visit.
He left me a video message.
Ehlga gave it to me when I got home on Monday. She said he did it on my wedding day as a 'just in case' message. He knew once Avrora and I got married, we'd have a clock ticking over our heads and it was only a matter of time before things started happening. Leif, as always, couldn't have been more right.
I've been trying to watch the video since Ehlga gave it to me, but every time I try, I can't bring myself to look at Leif alive, knowing he'll be forever trapped that way in a recording. Another memory for me.
It's even harder to watch knowing that Zakh, whom I actually ended up trusting, took Leif from me and no one has seen hide or hair of him. And with the skill set Zakh has, no onewillfind him. A man like that will know how to stay hidden.
But I will find him. I vow to avenge Leif in every way possible. It doesn't matter how well Zakh hides himself, I'll spend the rest of my life looking for him if that's what I have to do.
As for now, I'm making another attempt to watch the video.
Ehlga walks in with a jug of ice water. She gives me a warm smile when she sees me sitting in front of the computer.
"Are you going to watch it now?"
"I'm going to try. Is Avrora awake yet?" Avrora has been getting tired and falling asleep a lot more recently. It's a pregnancy symptom.
When I think of Avrora pregnant, a feeling comes over me that I can't describe. If I were to try, I'd say it was eternal bliss and worth fighting death for. They both were worth the fight-my woman and my baby.
"Yes, she's out on the terrace. I told her you were probably up here watching the video."
"Thanks."
"Anatoli, do you want me to watch it with you?" Another kind smile lifts her lips. "I can do that if it will help."
I take her hand and bring it to my heart. "I'm okay. But thank you. Thank you for always being there for me."
Leaning forward, she plants a kiss on my forehead.
"Always. Let me know if you need me." She nods and leaves.
When the door closes, I pull in a deep breath and turn the video on.
Leif's face comes on the screen.
He's in his office sitting on the edge of his desk. He looks just like how I remember him.
"Hello, son. If you're watching this, it means I'm no longer with you in body." He pauses for a few beats and sighs. "I wish I could say I hope that doesn't happen, but in the world we live in, death is just around the corner. As you know by now, everything I own belongs to you. But what I wanted to leave you in this message is wisdom. So, my last lesson is this: don't grieve for me. Instead, live for me."
I take note of the change in his face as he speaks. As if this is the most important thing he will ever tell me.
"I devoted my life making sure you lived to see happiness. I had the privilege of seeing you happy when you took your wedding vows. Our forefathers believed that fate would bring you your true love. I believed that happened for you, and a new leaf has turned over in your life with your marriage. So, love your wife and look forward to everything you'll do together. Those are the priceless moments that are worth fighting for. I had most of mine with you. Thank you for thinking of me as a father to you. That really did mean a lot to me, son, and I will always be with you."
He dips his head, then the screen goes blank.
Just like that he's gone, but his words stay with me, giving me a newfound strength.
I sit there for a moment processing his wisdom, and I think of everything that's happened, from as far back as I can remember.
I've never truly lived until now. There was always something stopping me.
But Leif is right, and I've been given more than a second chance.
With that in mind, I stand and block out the weakness I still feel gripping my body. The strength in my heart is enough to keep me going.
I leave the office and find Avrora on the terrace standing by the balcony. She's resting her hands on the stone surface, looking ahead at the garden.
Fate truly did bring us together. To think this was her family's home that I lived in as a boy before she was born, then she lost and found herself here with me. It must truly be fate.
When I get closer, she turns and looks at me. A smile brightens her face, and the twinkle in her eyes brightens.
I close the space between us and kneel to kiss her stomach through the fabric of her dress.
"I'm not going to get tired of this." I kiss her stomach again. "I hope you know that."
"I didn't know until just now." She giggles.
"Well, now you do. You'll have plenty practice for the next baby, and the one after that, too, and the one after that."
"Anatoli, how many kids will we have?"
"As many as we can manage. It's not like we'll ever get tired of trying to make them." I stand and kiss her properly. "I love you, Avrora Scarfoni."
"I love you, too, Anatoli Scarfoni."
"Good, we should go to bed now."
"I agree."