Page 82 of Sergei
So, I sat there, staring at Sergei and waiting for some sign that he was coming back to me. It had been hours, and sadly, there had been nothing. Not an eye flutter. Not a shift of his foot. Not even a wiggle of his finger. Until then, I’d never realized just how still a body could be, and it made my heart ache.
He was right there next to me, and I missed him like crazy.
At some point, Viktor had stepped out of the room to make a call, and Preacher had taken Tabitha downstairs to the cafeteria for a bite to eat and some coffee. Like me, Nikolai didn’t move. He sat in the corner with his long legs stretched out and his armscrossed like he was ready to take on anyone who told him to move.
I took Sergei’s hand in mine and brought it up to my cheek. I just wanted to feel his warmth for a moment, but it felt cool against my skin. I didn’t let it go. Instead, I held onto it, hoping he knew that I was there with him. I was watching the slow rise and fall of his chest when Nikolai said, “You should go home and get some rest. Maybe take a shower and grab something to eat.”
“I’m not leaving. Not while he’s like this.” I turned to look at him as I said, “But you can go. I’m sure you could use some rest, too.”
“I’m staying.” I gave him a slight nod, then turned my attention back to Sergei. After a few moments, Nikolai grumbled, “But I can’t take just sitting here in the quiet. I need you to talk to me.”
Even though I wasn’t really up for talking, it was clear he was struggling with seeing his brother in this condition, so I nodded and asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
“Anything.” He sat up in his seat. “Tell me something about you and what you have going on.”
“You already know everything that’s been going on with me.”
“What about your writing? Are you still doing that?”
“Some.” I shrugged. “I don’t think it’s all that great, but it’s been therapeutic.”
“They’re good. A little dark, but good.”
“They are a little dark.”
“Sometimes dark is what people need.” He cocked his brow. “You should consider publishing them. Might help women who’ve been through shit like you have.”
“Maybe. It’s definitely something to think about.”
Before he could respond, the door swung open and Viktor walked back in. His eyes went straight to Sergei, and he sighed when he saw that he was still out. “Anything?”
“He hasn’t moved.”
“But remember what the doctor said,” Nikolai interjected. “He said the next few hours will tell us more of what we’re up against.”
“He’s still stable?”
“Yes. For now.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
“This is it.” Nikola nodded toward me. “She’s not leaving, and neither am I.”
Viktor gave him a nod, then walked over and pulled up a chair next to me. And the three of us sat there, watching Sergei like our lives depended on it, and silently prayed that this wasn’t the end. After a while, Tabitha and Preacher returned. While Preacher found him a spot by the window, Tabitha wanted to be closer. She sat in the chair across from me, and there was no missing the concern in her eyes as she looked over at her son.
Viktor cleared his throat and shook his head. “Boy, he’s really milking this one.”
“He’s not milking anything,” Tabitha fussed. “Your brother is fighting for his life over here.”
“It’s a little stab wound,” Viktor scoffed. “He’s just looking for attention. He’s been doing this shit since we were kids. Always trying to play hero and scaring the hell out of us in the process.”
“He isn’t wrong,” Nikolai piped in. “He was always into something.”
“Yeah, remember that time we were all out at that abandoned train yard… the one out by Yuri’s old place?”
“You talking about those guys who were screwing around with that old, stray dog?”
“Yeah, they cornered it under one of the rail cars. It was a pitiful old thing.”
