CHAPTER TWELVE

   TATYANA 

Yesterday, before I slept, I was up waiting for Nikolai to return. I had pretended to not hear him step out in the morning, not even when he said I could go did I turn. 

   I wanted to see his face so badly but to my disappointment, Lev had come in to check on me, asked if I was okay and when I wrote to ask if his boss was on his way, he gave me a blunt ‘No’.

    It wasn't until the nurse tried holding my hand up and I winced in pain did I notice that she had come in.

   “What was that for?” I groaned weakly and barely audibly,

     “I'm sorry ma'am, just wanted to check if we were making progress”.

    I rolled my eyes at her and muttered an “Alright”

Wait! Did I just speak? The nurse squealed,

      “Oh my God ma'am!! I just realized you spoke to me, congratulations you're recovering slowly but fine.”

     “Yes I just did! Thank you” I answered her and I tried to be louder this time. I’ve never been more grateful for the gift of being able to speak. These few days of writing in notepads has made me appreciate my voice a little more.

      “Let me get the doctor ma'am,”

   “Alright, in any case my husband shows up do not tell him, I will tell him myself,”

    “As you wish ma'am.”

The television was on, seems like the nurse turned it on when she entered and I didn't notice. It was the news. They were broadcasting about a family whose two storey mansion had been burnt down by a mysterious fire. The members of the family were unaccounted for.

It was the Baranov family. I recognised the name from the list of people my mother had mentioned from her charity gala. That means they were in our circle. 

  Oh my God!!!

I just realised that these could be the people that hurt me and Nikolai was punishing them and getting his revenge for my accident. But this was too extreme. The family might have burnt to ashes in that fire hence the reason they are unaccounted for.

   ‘Was this the man I had married?’ I asked no one in particular. Is this the protection he said he had to offer me? Protection at the expense of innocent women and children dying for my sake? This was wrong!.

   A train of white flurry coats entered the room and their chatter silenced my thoughts. An elderly man I recognised as the chief examined me and asked the questions,

      “Mrs. Markov, we heard you could speak now, is that true?”

      ‘Yes Sir’ I tried to say but the words did not come out. They were all staring at me like I was their specimen and they were checking if the experiment was successful, the nurse looked at me with anticipation in her eyes, I groaned in frustration but my words didn't still come out.

    The elderly doctor turned to the nurse saying, “I thought you said she spoke?” disappointment laced in his tone, I could taste it.

     “Doctor, but she spoke, she really did, I don't just know what is happening now.”

    She looked pitiful, but I was disappointed in myself. Why couldn't I speak again? I turned my face away from them, and they all walked out each muttering what they were disappointed about and calling the nurse a liar. I heard them all, tears stinged my eyes but I refuse to cry. At least not here again.

    My mind wandered back to my parents not visiting me and Nikolai's possible involvement in the death of that family coupled with the fact he had still not come to see me. I don't know how it happened but tears started coming out from my eyes. 

    I began crying in great torrents till I tired out and slept.

    

     NIKOLAI 

I don't know when I stopped drinking last night. I just woke up this morning to a glass and two empty bottles of whiskey beside me on the floor. 

   My neck strained so much thst I felt like I was carrying an extra head. It felt so heavy and painful that I doubled over twice before finally being able to stand on my feet. I went to the in-office bathroom to freshen up.

   I’ve never been so grateful for always having extra office clothes in here the way I was today. After a shower and a cloth change, my head still felt like it wasn't mine so I had to pop a pill which I rarely ever did.

   There was a knock on the door, 

      “Come in” I groaned,

It was Lev,

      “Sir I just came to let you know that Tatyana is fine.”

I don't know where I found the strength,

   

   “It's Mrs Markov to you” I snapped,

  He stared at me in astonishment, 

     “My apologies sir, Mrs Markov is fine”

  “That's good, call Grace for me on your way out.”

     “Sir one more thing,”

     “What is it?”

     “The Baranov matter has been taken care of. The family are in a ship out of Kazan and they were properly warned not to return or to ask after their father, the house was burned and the news carried it,”

     “Good. Hope Oleg watched his house being burnt down and thinks his family died in that fire?”

    “Yes sir, he's distraught. We just need your instructions on how he's going to die.”

    “No need to rush, I need him to properly lose his mind.”

   Grace came in almost immediately Lev left,

    “Gather these and submit at their various destinations. Do not make an appointment for me with anyone and do not allow anybody into my office. Prepare a cup of black coffee for me now, You may go.”

     Grace came back with my coffee almost immediately, I drank it in one go eager to make me sober faster. I properly positioned myself on my sofa that doubled as a bed and almost immediately I drifted off to sleep.

    A bang on my door woke me up, I groaned in frustration,

    “I remember clearly asking Grace to not let anyone in my office, seems she's us ready to lose her job” I said to no one in particular.

   “I’m coming!!” I screamed at the bastard trying to pull my door down ready to lash out. I opened my door to see a panting and breathless Lev and a contrite Grace.

   “Sir I am so sorry, I tried to stop him,” she pleaded,

    “Why the fuck do you want to take my door down and why are you breathing like someone's pursuing you?”

    “Sir it's Tatyana sorry Mrs Markov,” my ears perked up,

     “What happened to her?”

   “Sir she….she's coding!” he said trying hard to breathe,

   “The fuck you mean by coding?!” I screamed.