SASHA
The rain is barely a mist now, just enough to cool the air. An ambulance sits parked next to the warehouse. No sirens, no lights—one of my EMT teams on the payroll. I had them here within minutes of the détente.
Gabriella sits on a stretcher inside the open doors, legs dangling, a paramedic shining a penlight in her eyes. She’s pale and exhausted, but she’s alive. Whole. She squeezes my hand every time the EMT touches her abdomen.
“She’s stable,” the medic finally says. “No trauma to the abdomen. Blood pressure’s high, but that’s understandable. She needs rest.”
I nod once. Relief washes over me, but my expression is calm.
Clouds move over the sun, the already weak sunlight fading.
Then Gabriella’s eyes light up. “Bogdan!” The name explodes out of her mouth as she springs off thestretcher and rushes toward him. She throws her arms open and she hits him with a thud, one that makes his eyes go wide, then his face contort. He curses in Russian, but it’s more at the pain than Gabriella.
“Easy, little one,” he says, gingerly closing his arms around her for a soft hug. “I’m not at my best.”
She pulls back instantly. “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. I’m so glad to see you. I thought you were dead.”
“I came prepared,” he says, lifting his shirt to show the ruined vest. “But bullets still hit like trucks. Probably a few broken ribs.”
“You saved me,” she says. “Took a bullet for me.”
“Would’ve been better if I’d killed those assholesbeforethey took you.” Then he turns to me. There’s genuine worry in his eyes, contrition. A little fear. “Pakhan,I’m sorry. I failed you. I failed her. And I’m the one who told her the truth.
“The truth?” I ask.
“About Peter. I thought she needed to know. I stepped out of line. I understand if you need to punish me.”
I silence him with a raised palm. “Enough.”
He forms his mouth into a flat line. He’s a good soldier, ready for whatever’s next, no matter how harsh it may be.
“You’re going to the hospital.” I nod to the ambulance. “No arguments.”
He gives a pained grimace. “I hate hospitals.”
I smirk. “That sounds suspiciously like an argument.”
Another curse in Russian, then he trudges towards the ambulance.
“After you get checked out, you’re taking care of yourself for once.”
“Meaning?”
“You’re benched, my friend. Starting immediately. One full month. Paid leave. Plus hazard pay for today. No negotiating.”
Now it’s Bogdan’s turn to feel relief. His posture relaxes. “Yes,Pakhan.”
“Go someplace warm, anywhere it doesn’t look like this.” I nod toward the gray around us.
“I hear Rome is nice this time of year,” Gabriella says with a sly smile.
“That’s what I hear, too.” I catch the underlying meaning, but I don’t pry.
Gabriella steps toward him, pulling him into another hug, softer this time. “Thank you.”
He closes his eyes, nods. “My pleasure.”
She lets him go. Bogdan and I make eye contact, and I give him the briefest of nods. Old soldiers like us don’t need speeches. He knows he did his duty, that I’m pleased with his service. Nothing more needs to be said.
