Page 97 of Wanted

About twenty minutes later, I’m on the sofa by the window when a middle-aged woman, dressed in a long white coat, enters the room and introduces herself as the doctor.

“How are they?” It’s the first thing I ask, and the only thing I care about knowing.

“Mrs. Kral came here with severe dehydration. We don’t have much information as the woman who came with her didn’t say much.”

Stella knows someone in this city, boy, that’s news to me. I’ll have to figure out who the woman is and talk to her.

“And the baby?”

The doctor smiles a little before answering. “We did an ultrasound before bringing your wife into the room. The baby is well implanted, at eight weeks it’s a good size, almost a quarter of an inch.”

God, I’m a man who lives between mathematical calculations and measurements, but at this moment, no matter how much I search my brain, I don’t get it.

The baby is fine. Eight weeks.

“It’s the size of a raspberry,” she ends, still smiling. I imagine she’s used to talking to first-time parents who don’t have a clue. “When your wife wakes up, we will know more. You can take it easy, we are taking good care of her.”

The truth is her words give me peace, although only partially. I’m still walking on a tightrope.

As I wait, the minutes pass slowly. I know Mark and his people are around, but I appreciate them not coming in, allowing us some privacy. Well, as much as we can have considering the nurses come to make their rounds regularly.

My mind wonders what it must have been like for her to know that I was in a bed similar to the one she’s in—having to face my mother, standing up for me but also for herself.

Every time I discover something new, I admire her even more. Love her more.

Now we’re having a baby, I should search Amazon for one of those books about What To Expect When You’re Expecting. What? I know a little about that, several women on my staff have children, and I don’t live under a rock.

At first it felt as if we were going in circles, but even though we seemed to be moving in the right direction, now something unexpected is thrown into our path.

I spend the night sitting next to her bed, holding her hand, trying not to wake her up. She must be exhausted after being on the move for weeks.

The race is over, the time to rest is here.

I’m the king of my jungle, and I’m here to defend my queen.

It’s early in the morning when I hear her call my name.

“Lionel?” she says in a sleepy and hoarse voice. “What are you doing here?”

I kiss her hand repeatedly before answering, I’m relieved to see her open her eyes, even though she’s staring at me with thunder in them. “I’ve been looking for you for weeks, Hvezda.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” The light from a lamp on the side of the room fills her with a soft golden glow, her eyes sparkle, full of unshed tears. That breaks my heart. “Why did you come? You have no business here, and I have no idea who is trying to harm you. Now you can leave me alone.”

She ends this by raising her eyebrows, inviting me to oppose her.

“Listen, Stella, I know you heard what my mother and I…”

She raises one of her hands, I think she’s going to touch my face, but suddenly she stops herself.

“I want you to go, Lionel,” she tells me in a low but firm voice. Thick tears have already escaped from her eyes. “There is nothing between you and me, everything is a lie. And don’t tell me otherwise because it was your choice, you could have told me everything a thousand times, and you decided not to.”

I get up from my chair, needing a couple of seconds to compose myself and remember the speech I had so carefully prepared.

“I-I-I know, Hvezda, I know. I ask for your forgiveness, I was wrong, and I’m so sorry. I wish I could start all over again, but I can’t.”

She closes her eyes. Her lips quiver like her hands, which she has entwined on her chest.

“I’m not interested in hearing your excuses, Lionel, go or I’ll call the nurse so they can escort you out.” She says it in a low but firm voice, here is the strong woman I’ve learned to love and respect. “Go away!”

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