Page 62 of Forbidden Vows

“He’s going to be alright,” I try to comfort her, but she waves me off.

“You weren’t there. You didn’t see him fading away, day after day. You didn’t hear me begging him to run a few more tests, seek a second opinion.”

“You all shut me out,” I reply. “How is this my fault?”

“It isn’t,” she shakes her head slowly. “Dad didn’t want anyone to tell you.”

“That proud, stubborn old fool.”

Dad’s personal physician enters the waiting room. I catch a glimpse of my dad behind him, an oxygen mask on his face, hooked up to multiple machines monitoring his vitals. The image causes further chaos and panic in my mind.

“Dr. Rattner, what is wrong with him?” Ciara jumps to her feet, her eyes wide with fear.

“It’s the worst episode yet, I’m afraid,” he says.

“What is the issue, exactly?” I ask.

“He hasn’t been the most cooperative patient,” Dr. Rattner says. “Recent blood tests and the EKG show weakness in his heart.There could be some neurological damage, as well. We’re going to run a few more tests, including a CT scan. He’s also scheduled for an MRI later today.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Ciara inquires.

Dr. Rattner gives her a sympathetic smile. “I wish I could say yes, but I’m not sure, not right now, anyway. We’re finding several issues, but without a known cause, prescribing a particular treatment might do more harm than good. He’s stable for now, but we’re going to keep him under observation over the next couple of days, at least. The CT scan and MRI should tell us more. Hopefully.”

“And if it doesn’t?” I ask, my brow furrowed. I can hear Ronan snarling at the nurse when she tries to draw his blood.

“I’m counting on you two ladies to convince him to stick around and let me do my job,” Dr. Rattner replies. “The last time we brought him in for a similar, albeit less severe issue, Mr. Donovan discharged himself before nightfall.”

I give Ciara a troubled look. “For real?”

“It’s like he’s asking the Grim Reaper to pick him up, I swear,” she nods with exasperation.

“I’ll talk to him.We’lltalk to him,” I tell Dr. Rattner. “Do you have any idea of a diagnosis so far?”

“We’re not sure,” he says.

“Last time we were here, Sergei was with us. We were having lunch out in the garden,” Ciara mumbles. “You said it could be severe arrhythmia, right, Doc?”

I look at Ciara again. “He had lunch with Sergei?”

“No,wehad lunch with Sergei, my fiancé. He’s been coming around the house every other day for the past couple of months. Sergei is the one who put us in touch with Dr. Rattner.”

“Mr. Kuznetsov and his family have been on my patient roster for the better part of the last two decades,” Dr. Rattner says. “The arrhythmia was just a guess. We’re still not sure.”

“How are you not sure?” I wonder aloud. “A specialist of your caliber, with your resources and knowledge. I’m stumped, Doc.”

“I am, too,” he admits. “But I need Mr. Donovan to cooperate, as well. There is only so much I can do here without his support and cooperation.”

Ciara exhales sharply. “Yeah, we really need to drive that point home for Dad. Eileen and I will talk to him. When can we see him?”

“As I said, they’re still running a few tests, but I assume he’ll be moved into a private room in the next couple of hours. You’re both welcome to wait here or downstairs in the cafeteria. I’ll send a nurse to get you once he’s in a room.”

I nod before Dr. Rattner turns and heads back into the ER.

Everything I’ve seen and heard up to this point is deeply unsettling. I don’t like Sergei being so close to my family. Granted, I can’t exactly stop the process, given that he’s going to marry my stepsister. My father’s pig-headed nature isn’t helping matters, either. He’s old-school, maybe a littletooold-school for this day and age.

I just wish he had a bit more fight left in him,, because he was right about one thing. I shudder to think what will happen to Ciara and me when he’s gone. For better or worse, even marriedto a Kuznetsov and a Karpov, respectively, my stepsister and I still benefit from the presence of Ronan Donovan—alive and able to issue orders across the board.

The Bratva needs the Irish support.

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