I look up at him with alarm. Is he serious? I’ve already been going crazy down in that basement. Now, he’s trying to prevent me from leaving the bed. Oh, hell no!
“Bed rest is drastic,” Emily demurs quickly, probably having noticed the panic on my face. She gives me a little wink. “We don’t need to resort to that just yet. Alyssa is young and healthy. A little light exercise might actually do her and the babies good. By ‘exercise,’ I mean, like, a walk around the garden twice a day. That should do it.”
“Okay. And what about sex? Is that advisable in her condition?”
My jaw drops, but Uri doesn’t show the slightest trace of discomfort. You’d never know the man hated my guts just a few days ago.
“Sex is fine,” Emily confirms with a nod. “Just nothing too wild or strenuous. We don’t want to shock the system.” She clears her throat and stands. “Okay, I’m gonna sign off on the release paperwork. I’ve also scheduled another appointment for next week to make sure things are progressing smoothly. Until then, take care of yourself. If you experience any more bleeding or pain, call me immediately.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
Emily gives me a reassuring smile. “You’re gonna be fine, Alyssa. Trust me, in a couple of months, you’re gonna be bouncing two beautiful healthy babies in your arms and all this will feel like a distant, annoying dream.”
And just like that, I picture it. Me, lying in a hospital bed just like this one, trying to juggle two babies and the growing realization that I am forever tied to Uri Bugrov and the world he lives in.
For better or for worse.
Jesus.
I may be in way over my head.
I’ve found myself in a new room on the first floor of the house. It’s got big French doors that are thrown open in the morning so I can walk out onto my own private patio, complete with a sitting area and a bench swing. After the darkness of the basement, I’m surrounded constantly by light. It’s a blessing.
I’m also surrounded by Uri, who has taken it upon himself to be my constant caregiver through what’s left of this pregnancy. Despite me being more than capable of doing everyday things without effort, Uri seems to think otherwise. He took Emily’s “take it easy” to mean “Alyssa is handicapped and cannot be trusted to so much as sneeze without assistance.” The man barked at me yesterday for trying to open a jar of macadamia nuts without his supervision.
Still, as annoying as his constant hovering can be, it’s a huge improvement from the dark days of the basement, when we mostly communicated in arguments and he looked at me as though I was some parasitic scourge that invaded his life.
I might actually dare to feel some occasional twinges of happiness if it weren’t for Polly still missing.
“Where are you going?”
I freeze halfway to the bathroom. “I just… need to pee.”
“You shouldn’t be on your feet.”
I plant my fists on my hips. “I’m not about to pee on the sofa, Uri.”
He sighs as though I’m the unreasonable one here. “Here, let me help you.”
He takes two strides towards me and the next thing I know, I’m being lifted into his arms. What the hell?! I decide to direct that thought at Uri. “Uri, what the hell?”
He walks me into the bathroom, which is big enough to include a walk-in shower the size of my first apartment, a massive bathtub-slash-jacuzzi that faces the garden, and a two-person sink.
“Do you need help getting your underwear off?”
I glare at him. “I didn’t even need your help getting in here in the first place. Now, put me down!”
He puts me down right in front of the toilet like I’m a three-year-old who’s just learned to use the potty. Oh, the indignity.
“Let me—”
“If you try to take my pants off, I’m gonna kick you in the nuts.” Luckily for him, he makes the very sensible decision not to smile. “Seriously, Uri. You’re being ridiculous. I’m pregnant, not disabled.”
“Svetlana mentioned that you threw up this morning.”
That little bitch. “Svetlana needs to mind her own damn business,” I snap. Then I take a deep breath. “I threw up once this morning and that was it. Morning sickness is normal, you know.”
“It’s normal in the first trimester.”
“Actually, for some women, it can last through all three. It’s no reason to be concerned. It’s just normal pregnancy stuff. I wish you would relax.”
I’m not sure he’s listening to a word I’m saying, if the stubborn clench of his jaw is anything to go by. “Your blood pressure was high this morning.”
I groan. “It was slightly higher than yesterday. It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Not sure you are the most impartial judge.” I make myself take a deep, steadying breath. “Uri, I’m fine. I feel better than I have in ages and I’m pretty sure that’ll translate to the babies, too.”
“Have you taken your prenatal vitamins for the day?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m sure Svetlana would have reported back to you if I hadn’t.”
He smirks and bows out. “I’ll leave you to pee in peace then.”
“Thank God.”
The moment I shut the door on him, I drop the scowling act and start smiling. Sure, he can be overbearing. He’s definitely overprotective right now. But I get the sense that this is his way of trying to make amends.
And honestly? I don’t mind it that much. I’ll take breathing down my neck Uri over I hate your fucking guts Uri any day.
Now, if only we can get Polly back… life might just approach something resembling normal. Happy. Healthy, even.
Wouldn’t that be something?
22
ALYSSA
“We’ve got a lead,” Uri announces as he bursts into my room. He stops abruptly when he sees Nikolai sitting opposite me on bed, cards splayed over the sheets.
I put down my hand of cards. “A lead? About Polly?”
Nikolai gets to his feet. “What have you heard? Who from?”
Uri doesn’t answer right away. His eyes veer from me to Nikolai, crinkled with suspicion. “Kruger just called. A girl matching Polly’s description was seen in an underground sex club in Beverly Hills.”
“Are you heading over there?” Nikolai asks. “Or should I?”
Uri glances towards me. “Someone needs to stay with Alyssa.”
“No, Uri—I’ll be fine on my own. There’s a house full of staff and I still haven’t visited Lev today. Both of you can go.”
“No.”
“You stay then,” Nikolai decides, dropping his cards onto the bed. “I’ll—”
Uri cuts him off. “No. The two of you look pretty cozy here anyway. I’ll let you know if it leads to something.”
He whips away before either Nikolai or I can say another word. “Weirdo,” I mutter under my breath.
Nikolai, however, seems less amused and more… anxious? He doesn’t sit back down on the bed. Instead, he drops into an armchair and sets his chin in his palm, murmuring something I can’t make out under his breath.
I watch him for a while as his eyes churn with thoughts. “What’s the deal between the two of you?” I ask bluntly.
“Nothing.”
“You sound like a teenage boy.”
“I am, at heart.”