Three: She Was Mine

Dmitry

God, Alec was a fool.

I fucking warned him not to get on the tracks in the rain, but he never listens.

Now here I was, pacing the damn hospital corridor, the sting of antiseptic crawling up my nose, burning like everything else tonight.

Tonight, the thought of Gia brushed my mind again. She was fucking beautiful, much more stunning with more fire in her.

I wasn't necessarily expecting a warm welcome from her when I arrived but fuck, her words burned through my head.

I fucking came to her house straight from the airport without a second thought.

We were done? I chuckled darkly, we were never done and that's what my little kitten didn't understand.

I walked over to the vending machine, needing a can of soda but as I was about to put in my change Gianna walked in, hair messy, eyes bloodshot red.

This was exactly what I was avoiding, my palm curled into a fist.

I’ll kill Alec once he wakes up.

As I started toward her, some guy I hadn’t noticed before stepped up and wrapped his arms around her, leaning in to whisper something that made her nod.

Who the fuck was he?

Alec never mentioned her having a boyfriend, I watched him closely eyeing his movements. Yeah, her type but he can't handle Gia, that's my job. Mine alone.

I’d made the mistake of choosing my family over her once, and I’d be damned if I ever let her go again.

I closed the distance between us, taking my sweet time to watch the both of them. She was still in his arms, and it the muscle in my jaw ticked.

“Maybe you could take your little cozy romantic montage out of the waiting room?” I said flatly.

Her glare met mine, sharp as ever, but there was something else beneath it, worry.

“What happened?” she asked, ignoring my obvious taunt.

I turned to the guy, not caring who he was or how much he knew. He didn’t belong here.

“This is a private matter,” I said, tone firm enough to leave no room for argument.

He nodded immediately, ready to back off but Gia's hand shot out, catching his sleeve.

Was she serious about us being over? yea, no.

So what if I left for five years, I had every fucking right to be mad too but I wasn't going to waste any more time.

I didn’t trust myself to speak without snapping.

“Just fucking say it, Dmitry,” she hissed, voice cracking with fear. “What happened?”

I glared at his hand still fisted in her shirt. “It was a racing accident,” I ground out through clenched teeth.

Her eyes widened, then filled fast, the tears fell before she could blink them away, and the bastard had the nerve to pull her against his chest.

"This is my fault," she mumbled into him.

“It’s okay, G,” he murmured, stroking her hair. “He’ll be fine.”

I needed air, some distraction other watching her in someone else’s arms. It felt like being skinned alive.

I returned back to the vending machine, before I did something to worsen my situation with Gia.

She hated my presence, that was obvious enough but what I didn't understand was why.

All of this was for her, everything I did was for her and yet she was mad at me.

The can nearly popped under the pressure of my clenched fist as I watched the both of them.

The nurse from earlier appeared down the hall, calling out, “Mr. Orlov? Alec’s awake.”

I stood straight, brushing my palms over my jeans, trashing the drink.

----

The nurse led us down the hall, her shoes squeaking through the silence like it might split in two.

Gianna trailed beside me pale, trembling, that other guy glued to her side.

When we reached the door, the nurse turned to her. “He’s awake, but… he’s only asking for Dmitry.”

Gianna blinked, eyes wide and wet. “What? Why?”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and for a second, I almost told the nurse to let her in too.

But Alec was my mess. He always had been.

I met her stare and said quietly, “I’ll tell you when I know more.” Then I stepped inside before I could change my mind.

Christ.

He looked like shit, head wrapped in thick bandages, his left leg propped up in a cast, tubes snaking out from under the blanket. His skin was too pale.

“Jesus, Alec…” I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair as I moved closer. “You couldn’t just listen for once, could you?”

His eyes fluttered open, glassy but still focused enough to find me. “Dim…”

I swallowed hard. I hadn’t heard that nickname in years.

“Yeah,” I said softly, sitting down beside him. “I’m here.”

He tried to smile, but it cracked halfway. “Told you the tracks weren’t that bad.”

“Yeah, and look where that got you, dumbass.”

He wheezed a laugh that turned into a grimace. “Don’t start. My head feels like a fucking orchestra."

He's got jokes, huh but still neither of us spoke for what felt like hours.

Finally, Alec’s voice dropped. “She’s here, isn’t she?”

There was no need to answer, he knew perfectly well she was.

He nodded weakly. “I need a favor.”

“Anything.”

“Take care of Gia. I don’t know if I’ll make it or not, but please, take care of her.”

I looked away, I couldn't take care of someone who could barely stand being in the same room as me.

“Stop saying shit like that, get some rest and don't worry about Gia.”

His eyelids fluttered, already losing the fight to stay open. “I knew I could always count on you, like old times.”

But the “old times” were long gone, and for the first time in years, I wasn’t sure I could fix what was left of them.

The door shut softly behind me, and for a second, I just stood there, staring at the dull hospital tiles like they might give me a damn answer.

Gianna was on her feet instantly. “Well? How is he?”

I exhaled slowly. “He’s alive. Making silly jokes, he'll be okay."

She sagged into that guy’s arms, sobbing quietly against his chest.

I hated the way his hands snaked around, giving her the comfort I was dying to give her.

The nurse brushed past us suddenly, then another one, sprinting down the corridor.

Gianna’s head shot up. “What’s happening?”

I didn't answer, my legs moved with them to the direction they were headed buy before I could reach the door a doctor shoved past, yelling orders.

“Crash cart, now!”

Gianna followed, panic breaking through her voice. “No—no, no, what’s happening to him?!”

She tried to run after them, but the guy caught her around the waist. She fought him, wild, tears streaking down her face.

“Gianna, stop—” I reached for her, but she was already crumbling.

Her knees buckled, and she hit the floor, shaking, hands over her mouth like she could hold the scream in if she just tried hard enough.

“Let me go! I need to see him, please!”

Couple of minutes later, Gianna still on the floor the doctor walked in.

“Mr. Alec is stable,” he began, and for half a second, I believed him, until the pause.

“But he’s slipped into a coma.”

Everything went still, except Gia's painful yelp.

The guy with her pulled her against his chest but she didn't seem to feel it, she just stared past him, right through me.

And I swear, I’d rather have taken the hit on the tracks myself than see her face like that.

The doctor left after giving more information about Alec's recovery, Gianna was still on the floor, her body trembling like her bones couldn’t decide if they wanted to hold her up or fall apart completely.

I crouched beside her, my hand hovering uselessly near her shoulder. “Gia… hey. Look at me.”

But she didn't budge at all, only clutching to his finger.

The other guy murmured soft nonsense to her, the kind that’s meant to help but never actually does.

“Stay with her,” I muttered to him, standing. “I’ll get her some water.”

The vending machines down the hall hummed quietly as I fished for coins, trying not to think about Alec, about how one minute he was cracking jokes and the next he's in a deep sleep.

Less than 24hrs in the Big Apple and terrible things were already happening.

I got the bottle and headed to the reception to clear the bill for as long as that jackass in there would be before returning to Gia.

But the sight in front of me stopped me dead in my tracks, she'd stopped crying and was instead smiling at what he said.

My legs refused to work anymore, what the hell was I doing?

I threw the bottle into the trash before I made a fool of myself the more.

I was fucking trying and all she did was play house with an asshole that shouldn't even be here.

Man fuck this, I was already storming to the both of them before I could stop myself.

“Get up,” I said.

She blinked at me, confused. “What?”

"We are heading home, and you need rest."

Her brows knitted, that spark of defiance flaring through the exhaustion. “Excuse me?”

"It's almost midnight, ki— Gia. We need to go home. "

She stared at me like I’d just grown another head. “Kev will take me home.”

So Kev was the Fuckers name.

"I don't think he knows here I live,” I shot back, jaw locked.

Her full attention was now on me, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Alec asked me to take care of you and that's all I'm doing."

She stared daggers at me, but not saying a word to either defy me or accept my conditions.

I needed a better reaction from her, yes Alec never said she had to live with me but that's the only way I'd be able to be around her daily to make sure he didn't have a chance with her.