She leads me down a corridor that smells like antiseptic and recycled air. My heart pounds with every step, torn between desperate hope and lingering fear.
She stops at a door and pushes it open. "He's still sedated, but he should wake soon."
I step inside.
The room is dim, the only light coming from the monitors that beep steadily beside the bed. Medical equipment hums and clicks in the quiet.
And there he is.
My husband.
Lying in the hospital bed, he’s so still it makes my chest ache.
He's shirtless, and the sight of him alive and breathing nearly breaks me. White gauze covers the left side of his chest, stark against his tanned skin. His dark hair is mussed and falls across his forehead. His face peaceful in a way I've never seen it before. He’s still strong and beautiful, even like this.
I move to his bedside on trembling legs and sink into the chair someone has placed there. My hand finds his, and his skin is warm as I bring it to my lips.
I love you.
I don't know how long I sit there, just holding his hand and watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Minutes. Hours. Time loses all meaning.
Then his fingers twitch in mine.
"Nikolai?" I lean forward, my free hand hovering over his face, not quite daring to touch. "Can you hear me?"
His eyelids flutter. Then slowly, they open.
Those bright blue eyes I know so well find mine, unfocused at first, then sharpening with recognition.
"Malyshka." It’s barely a rasp.
"I'm here." The tears finally fall, hot and fast down my cheeks. "I'm right here."
His hand tightens around mine with surprising strength. "You're okay?"
Of course his first concern is for me.
"I'm fine. You're the one who…" My voice breaks. "You took a bullet for me."
"And I would do it again,malyshka," he says.
I let out a sound that's half laugh, half sob. "Don't ever do that again."
"Can't promise you that."
"You scared me."
His lips curve into the faintest smile as he reaches up to cup my jaw. "It’s going to take more than a bullet to keep me away from you."
I close my eyes and lean into his touch, letting the warmth of his palm ground me.
"I love you," I whisper. The words feel too small for what I'm feeling, but they're all I have. "I love you so much it terrifies me."
"Good." His voice is getting stronger, more like the Nikolai I know. "Because I love you too."
I pull back just enough to look at him, to see the truth in his eyes.
“Kiss me,” he says.
