Friday, November 26th, 6:00 AM.
I wake to Sonya gasping beside me.
"Maksim—"
I'm instantly alert. "What's wrong?"
"I'm bleeding."
The words stop my heart.
I throw back the covers, see the small red stain on the sheets. Not heavy, but there. Undeniable.
"Hospital. Now."
I'm dressed in seconds, helping her into clothes with shaking hands. Sergei appears at the bedroom door—he heard the commotion.
"Hospital," I tell him. "Now. Alert Dr. Volkov we're coming."
We're in the car by 6:15 AM, driving fast through pre-dawn Philadelphia.
"It's okay," I say, not believing it. "You're okay. The baby is okay."
But I don't know that. Nine weeks is still so fragile. Anything could be happening.
I text Alexei while Sergei drives:
Sonya bleeding. Hospital. Will update.
His response comes immediately:
On standby. Call if you need anything.
We arrive at the Bratva medical facility at 6:30 AM. Dr. Volkov is already there, prepped and waiting.
They take her immediately to the exam room, start an ultrasound. I hold her hand, both of us staring at the screen, looking for that tiny flickering heartbeat.
Please. Please. Please.
Dr. Volkov finds it.
"There," he says, pointing. "Heartbeat. Strong and steady."
The relief nearly drops me to my knees.
"But the bleeding—" Sonya starts.
"Stress-induced spotting, most likely. Yesterday's emotional trauma—the package from Anton, the fear, the violation—your body reacted. It's not uncommon in early pregnancy, especially after significant stress." He continues the ultrasound, checking everything. "Fetus appears healthy. Development on track. But we'll monitor closely. More blood work, observation for a few hours, make sure the bleeding stops."
It takes until 10:00 AM for them to clear her.
The bleeding has stopped. All tests are normal. The baby's heartbeat remained strong throughout. Stress-induced spotting, exactly as Dr. Volkov suspected. Frightening but not dangerous.
"Complete rest for the weekend," he orders. "No stress, no teaching, no strategy sessions. Just rest and recovery."
We return home at 11:00 AM.
Alexei and Mila are waiting, relieved when we report the baby is fine.
