Not until Amy came into my life, anyway.
“Did Mrs. Cole have an accident?”
“Amy,” he said, and then quickly amended it. “Mrs. Petrovov.”
“Amy is fine, she said so herself.” It was then that I looked at him. Really looked. His shirt sleeves and the front of his shirt were covered in blood. There was even more of it on his hands.
I swallowed hard. “Whose blood is that Micah?” I asked in a trembling voice.
He stood slowly, his arms outstretched so I could see all of it. God there was so much blood.
“Your wife, Mr. Petrovov,” he said flatly.
I’d been around violence most of my life. Blood didn’t scare me or turn my stomach, but that amount of blood and knowing it came from Amy was enough to make me feel sick. There was just too much of it.
“But she was fine,” I cleared my throat harshly. “She was fine when I left her.”
Micah’s eyes narrowed. “She seemed fine. Alexei. She wasn’t fine. She haemorrhaged a few minutes later. Mrs. Cole and I only just got to her on time to save her life.” His eyes bored into mine. The accusations are clear in them.
“Her life?” I whispered. The baby. Oh shit. Wildly, I looked around. “Where is she?”
He pointed to one of the curtained cubicles. “Mrs. Cole is with her. She’s only allowed one person.”
I ignored him as I swept the curtain back. I didn’t care if she wasn’t allowed more than one visit. I was her husband, and my place was at her side. There was a small army of doctors and nurses around her, twice the number that had rushed into Violet’s room. My blood ran cold.
From the head of the bed, Mrs. Cole lifted her eyes to me.
“How is she?” I asked.
“You can’t be in here.” A nurse stepped in front of me.
“I’m her husband,” I said, like it made a difference. “Let me see my wife.”
“Mrs. Cole.” Amy’s voice was the tiniest of whispers.
My housekeeper, who had been part of my family since I was a child, stood up. Covered in blood just like Micah had been. She shuffled towards me. Looking twice her age and frail.
“Mrs. Petrovov doesn’t want to see you right now, Mr. Petrovov,” she said in an emotionless voice.
“I just want to see for myself, that she and—” My voice cracked with more emotion than I had even thought possible. “That they are both alright,” I finished lamely. My heart was beating so hard that I could barely hear my own words.
“If you care about her at all, you will let the doctors do their job.”
I frowned. What did she mean by if I cared? “Of course, I care, she’s my wife. She’s carrying my baby.”
Mrs. Cole winced back.
“Mr. Petrovov.” Another nurse came up behind me. “Violet is asking for you.”
I froze, trying to see the swarm of medical personnel around my wife like a shield. Mrs. Cole’s eyes remained glued to my face.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I said finally. I would just check on Violet for a second and then come back. It wasn’t like they were going to let me see Amy anyway.
Mrs. Cole licked her thinned lips and blew out a breath through her nose. “You need to find a new housekeeper, Mr. Petrovov,” she said flatly.
“Wait. What?”
“My time with you has come to an end.”
