"We're old friends."
Chapter Nineteen
In which there is torture and nature documentaries.
Dmitri…
"I need to get back to work at the hospital."
Pausing mid-shave, I look at her reflection in my bathroom mirror. "Not happening."
"You don't understand," Ava says plaintively, "I'm still in my residency. No matter what excuse you've given for me, they're not going to accept a long-term leave."
"The ten-million-dollar donation The Morozov Foundation made to Bellevue Hospital says otherwise."
She's leaning against my doorway, arms uncomfortably wrapped around her middle. "You just donated ten million dollars to the hospital?" She looks horrified. "That's madness!"
"We didn't donate it foryou," I say, rinsing my razor. "The hospital administration is still feeling warm and fuzzy about it."
"There's no way of knowing how long this will take," she persists. "I can't afford to lose-"
"You can't afford to lose your life or get sold into fate much worse than death. You can't begin to imagine how much worse it can get." The color drains from Ava's face and I refuse to let it affect me. Wiping the last of the shaving cream off my face, Imeet her gaze in the mirror. I'm shirtless, and until I terrified her with that last comment, I'd noticed that her eyes kept drifting over my chest.
"There's got to be something else I can do," she persists.
"There is," I say, reaching for my dress shirt and buttoning it up. "I know my mother already invited you to sit in on surgeries at her clinic. As it happens, she finished her residency under the supervision of two of the top surgeons in the state of New York. She told me that she can contribute the required hours to your residency by doing the same thing for you."
"I've heard of that," Ava frowns. "It's extremely rare and the surgeon has to have one hell of a pull with the state's medical licensing board."
I give her a pleasant smile as I thread my tie through my collar. "Dr. Ella Morozova does have that kind of pull."
Running her hands through her hair, she sighs, "I'm not sure what to say. Part of me is screaming at the excitement of being able to work under Ella's supervision, the other half is feeling…"
"What?" I prompt, pulling on my suit jacket.
"It's a huge favor," she blurts out. "I do everything on my own. I've never expected special treatment. It feels wrong."
"Ah, I see. So, what I'm hearing is that this is about your pride rather than simple necessity and opportunity?"
"Don't twist my words," she says crossly, following me down the hall.
"Not at all," I say with mock innocence. "I'm merely attempting to reflect back your concerns while using 'I' messages."
Her eyes narrow. "You're mocking me."
"Not in the slightest. I take her hand, raising it to my lips. "Okay, I was. The reality is this: you cannot go back to work at Bellevue. There is no way to adequately protect you there. You need to continue your residency and we have offered you a way to do that. Is your pride more important than your life?"
It's killing her, I can see it. "I don't want to be ungrateful. What you are doing is so-"
"Go get dressed, Ava." I turn her in the direction of her bedroom, though I intend to move her into the master bedroom by the week's end. "Rurik and Matvey, your security team will be here soon."
Her steps slow as she stares at me."Twomen? I need two men?" she says incredulously.
"You do remember that you were almost abducted when you had four bodyguards breathing down your neck?" I ask.
"That was different," she says. "That was an unsecured building, right? You couldn't fully control the environment." She looks a little pleased with her analysis. "If I'm going to the clinic, surely I don't need an entourage. "
I check my watch. "If you keep me waiting, I'm going to add two more men to your security detail." Glaring at me, she shuts the door and I hear her grumble as she heads into the walk-in closet.
