Page 99 of Doc

When Daddy comes back into the room, he's accompanied by a tall woman with long, pale blond hair, and delicate features.

Standing, I take Daddy’s hand when he reaches for me. “Ma,” he says. “This is Doc, my partner. Doc, this is my mother, Ilyona Knightly.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Knightly. Soren didn’t tell me you were coming.”

“Please, call me Ilyona, or Mama even. And Sory didn’t know, as he would have told me not to make the journey.”

“Doc’s still healing, Ma,” Soren tells her with an exasperated sigh.

“It’s fine, I’m okay. I’m happy to meet you.”

Ilyona smiles and steps forward, encasing me into a hug. “How could I stay away when I heard you were hurt? And by Nisha?” She pulls away and shakes her head. “I am so sorry you were treated like that, but know I am very happy for you and my son.”

It’s easy to look her in the eye as she’s the same height as me, which is a bit amusing, considering her son looks just like her, aside from the eyes and height.

Ilyona regards me with soft green eyes and I can’t help but smile back. “We’re happy to have you.”

She grins and looks over to Dmitri. “Are you sure? It’s my understanding you’re also hosting the trips, which makes me happy to see, but I can get a hotel. I don’t want to put you out. Or, Sory still has his apartment, doesn’t he? I can stay there.”

“No, no,” I insist. “There’s plenty of room for everyone. Someone will take your bags up and I can show you to your room, if you want to freshen up.”

“Maybe later, come sit with me. I want to get to know the man my son is so infatuated with.”

Soren groans. “Ma, don’t overwhelm him.”

“I know how to behave, Sory. Stop being such a worrywart.”

Laughing, I lead Ilyona to the sofa. “I like you,” I tell her.

“You’ll like me more once I tell you all the best stories Sory doesn’t want you to know.”

Daddy groans, but we both ignore him. Dmitri makes his way over to where we’re sitting and takes a seat on my other side. “Shall I get my brothers?” he asks. “You know we love your stories.”

“Of course! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you boys. I’m very much looking forward to catching up with you three, as much as I am excited to get to know my son-in-law here.”

Her words make my insides heat, and I grin before looking at Daddy. He’s shaking his head with an exasperated look on his face, but there’s a fondness in his bright blue eyes that shows he’s not really upset.

When he catches my eyes, he winks and I smile at him, glad he’s willing to let me further into his world.

It almost makes me feel bad for the plans I have for him. Almost…

Doc slides the mug of steaming tea over and I pick it up with both hands, letting the warmth seep into me. “Thank you, baby,” I say before taking a sip.

“You’re welcome. You’ll have to let me know if it was steeped long enough. James always likes his just a bit under the recommended time, so I don’t know if I screwed it up or not.”

“It’s perfect,” I tell him, taking another sip. “How was your first day back?”

He shrugs a little. “Fine, I didn’t do much, as you know. Aside from Dima’s physical, it was rather uneventful, but it felt good to be back to work.”

“Good. I know Dr. Murry already had this discussion with you, but I want you to take it easy for a few weeks, yet. I know you’ve been healing well, and Jayden approved of you returningto a little more physical activity than before, but this is for my peace of mind, more than anything.”

He sighs but nods. “Yeah, I hate it, but I know you’re just worried about me. I’ll try to be on my best behavior, Daddy.”

I study him as I drink my tea, searching his expression for any hint of his usual brattiness or dishonesty. All I see when I look into those gorgeous cognac eyes of his is love, and it makes me smile around the rim of my mug.

I knowsomething’s wrong the moment I wake up, even before I open my eyes. My entire body feels…heavy, and there’s a strange, cottony feeling to my head that I’ve never experienced before.

Slowly, I open my eyes and find myself in our bedroom. The light is soft and muted, and it takes me a moment to realize I’m not just laying on the bed, I’m chained to it.

---