CHAPTER THIRTEEN

NIKOLAI 

My legs moved faster than my brain did. I dashed back into the office to grab my keys, walking briskly nearly running to the garage where my car was parked. I pressed it unlock when I was still a few metres away, got close, got in and sped off.

   I barely saw the traffic lights as I sped through the traffic, it was a miracle i didn't have an accident. Fear washed over me and recognition dawned on me that she had to leave if she was going to survive. 

    I barely parked properly in front of the hospital when I dashed out, walking in great strides as fast as my feet could carry me and rushed to her room. I met the doctors were pressing something against her chest and taking it back, rubbed it together and restarted the process again, 

   “What the fuck is happening?”

  They all looked in the direction of my voice, a person in white coat said, “someone should get him out of here”.

   My whole body went limp, I tried to enter forcefully but the nurses had refused and pleaded with me to let the doctors do their job. Their job better involved them solving whatever the fuck is wrong with her.

   I waited for what seemed like an eternity before they came out,

     

     “What happened to her?” i asked them weakly,

   “Mr. Markov she was poisoned, but we were able to detect it on time, so we administered the antidote and resuscitated her. You can go in now to check on her, she will be fine.”

    

    She's going through these repeated death attempts just because I refused to kill her perhaps I should just kill her and be done with it so she wouldn't have to go through these pains and death attempts. 

    Pushing these thoughts to the back of my mind, I entered her room. Oh she looked really frail. Tge machines that had been removed from her when she was getting better after the accident had been plugged back in again.

    Her head rested still on the pillow, her lashes fluttered softly, her lips pursed in a tight straight line and her face looked pale but she looked like she was in a deep sleep.

    My heart ached as I looked at her, I grabbed her hands, 

     “I promise to find whomever did this to you.”

It was a promise more to myself than her. I stepped out because I don't know what I'd do if I lingered a little longer. Picking up my phone, I dialed Lev,

      “I want to see the cctv of this hospital especially her room. The time frame from yesterday night till this morning and I need it in the next 15 minutes,”

    “Okay sir,” he answers swiftly.

 Few minutes later my phone pinged, I checked it and it was the footage Lev sent. It was clean, the only people who went to her room were the nurses who went to care for her. There was no record of anybody administering any injection to her. Now that was strange.

    I had a feeling the footage had been erased, but I needed concrete evidence to go after the person. I went directly to the black market app on my phone to hire a hacker to restore the footage. The one I wanted to hire, ‘Prickly Flower’ was not available, I had to settle for another one whose name was not interesting enough for me to memorise. 

   After giving direct instructions and providing the email to which I would be reached, I put off my phone sighing loudly. I was exhausted.

    TATYANA 

I don't know how long I had been sleeping, I could barely even remember a thing but when I opened my eyes, the light almost blinded me but I saw a shadow with me in the room. 

   The silhouette resembled that of Nikolai’s. I smiled like a little child when he turned and it was him. He came over fussing immediately,

     “Oh my, are you good? I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you. Let's go home, you're safer there, let me get the doctors..” he rambled on as he kissed my fingers. 

    In no time the doctors came in. They were all hovering over me, flashing lights in my eyes and doing their thing quietly and noisily at the same time, till someone I had recognised as their chief spoke,

      “Her reflexes are working perfectly and she's doing fine generally..”

   “Are you sure? She has been unconscious for the past seven days,” Nikolai’s voice interrupted him,

    “She is recovering perfectly, Mr Markov, there is no need to worry but if she's to be moved home, she will have to be under supervision round the clock,”

    “Okay that can be arranged, you'd come in twice everyday to check on her, she will have live-in nurses and anything else she might need.”

  The Chief stared at Nikolai like he wasn't satisfied with the arrangement, 

   “You will be duly compensated Chief,” now there was a smile on his face. 

    The discharge process happened too soon, I soon found myself on a wheelchair then I was wheeled to the car and Nikolai carried me in to sit. I was happy to be going home. Home was now Nikolai’s house and that was strange. 

    The drive was smooth, on reaching the gate, a Mercedes was parked in front. When we got closer, the person inside came out. It was my mother. I didn't know what or how to feel. She hadn't visited me since the day of the accident. 

    The glasses were tinted so I'm sure she didn't know I was inside. Nikolai came out of the car,

    “What are you doing on my property Mrs. Petrov?”

    “I..I just want to ask if my daughter is okay?”

   “Now? Nikolai asked in disbelief,

       She had been there for weeks yet you didn't have the guts to go see her in the hospital? She always asked if you had come in to see her, what type of a mother doesn't check on her only child?”

    She was weeping now, muttering some words I could not hear again. I had strained to hear what they said. I heard Nikolai say,

     “Well I saved you the trip, she's here.”

I hadn't seen Nikolai walk up to me but the door opened, my mum was shocked when she saw me. I expected her to run towards me to hug me or something but she just stood there muttering a

    “What are you doing here? Are you not supposed to be in the hospital?” As if she realised that she was rooted to a spot, she walked hurriedly to me,

    

     “Oh my Tatyana, are you okay? aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?” She kept asking multiple questions while fawning over me. I just looked at her, curious why she had not come to see me, I opened my mouth to speak, surprised that i actually talked although it was strained,

   

    “Mum why didn't you come to see me all this while?”