I tried to open my eyes even when they felt as if they weighed a ton each. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry but couldn’t. My body did not respond to my brain’s commands. I wondered if the girls were close by, if I was in the hospital, or if I was home. Making a monumental effort, I was able to flutter my eyes. As soon as I did, I felt chaos around me. Bright lights, people shouting words I could not understand and finally my body felt as if it was coming back to life.
“Oh thank you God.” Finally, a familiar voice speaking in Russian—Vlad. I tried to say his name but couldn’t. “Don’t, beautiful. You’re okay, you’re safe. The girls are with me, safe. Everybody is.”
I smiled, and the noise around me didn’t matter. I felt as if my body was drifting off in a deep sleep. This time, I did not fight it.
»»•««
I felt as if I could open my eyes again. The room was dark, monitors beeped around me, and a familiar energy was close to me. I moved a hand and felt a soft squeeze in return.
“Vlad,” I whispered with a voice I couldn’t recognize.
I felt his strong arms around me. His body shook, and I did not know how to deal with it. He kept thanking God for me and said how much he loved me. I opened my eyes and tried to talk but couldn’t. He immediately gave me some water. I was able to finally see my surroundings.
“The girls are at the ranch. They came by a little while ago with Martha, Joe, and Bruce. They left this for you.” He picked up a vase with wildflowers. I noticed that next to them were several drawings and letters. I nodded and smiled. “Let me call the nurse.” I shook my head. I felt dizzy, and a headache was pounding so I did not want another chaos of doctors parading in right that minute. I glanced back at my nightstand and noticed several bouquets of wildflowers.
“How long have I been here?”
“Let me call in the doctor, beautiful.” I noticed that he was thinner, he had bags under his gorgeous blue eyes, and his red beard was grown.
“Don’t make me ask this twice. How long?” I begged in Russian.
“A year.”
My mind went foggy, the headache pounded so badly, my throat was on fire, I felt nauseous, and my body drifted away. I heard Vlad screaming for the doctors as I left reality. A year? It had to be a lie.
»»•««
It turned out he was not lying. I woke up to the horrible news that I’d missed one year of my children’s lives, one year away from my sweet lover and from all the people I had grown to love. After I woke up and talked to the doctors, I was shocked to find out twelve months had passed in the blink of an eye. When I was able to get up and look a little more presentable, I told Vlad to bring the girls. I saw him get on the phone and tell Bruce that I was awake. A team of nurses came in and helped me with a shower and gave me some physical therapy to get me on my feet again. I stared at Vlad every chance I got. He looked so different. He was still the most handsome man I’d ever seen, but I could tell he was not sleeping or eating well. His muscles were still as hot as ever, but he looked more ripped. I loved his beard, and for some reason, I couldn’t stop staring at it.
“I know, I’ll shave.” He smiled at me while helping me get dressed with a new set of pajamas.
“I like it. I bet it scratches.” I thought out loud, and he raised an eyebrow. We spoke in Russian.
“I’ve missed you, beautiful, so much.” His eyes had longing embedded in them.
“I’m sorry.” He helped me as I walked back to bed. I felt dizzy and languid.
“You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“This whole situation is messed up. I’ve missed a year of my babies.”
“Well, lucky for you, they have been keeping a diary. I got it for them so they could vent about what was happening. Little Bee’s diary is full of pictures and flowers and notes. Mia just sits down every night to write. I let them have space, and it has been good for them, and me.” I could not picture my girls being without me all that time. What about school? Had we moved here? Where did they live? What about Stunt? Jezebel? What had happened? I had so many questions in my mind, and nothing would come out. I was afraid of hearing answers.
“My love, please don’t be sad. You’re alive and back with us. That’s what’s important right now. Nothing else. Our family is whole again. I’ve missed you so much.”
I let his words wash over me. It gave me comfort when I saw he seemed to have it all together. He pulled up my chin and brushed his lips over mine. It was so sweet and perfect. I felt all his pain and love at the same time. We smiled and locked gazes for a second before he turned and grabbed a brush.
“This has become a therapy for me.”
I was confused for a second until he said, “Brushing your hair. I did it every day while you slept.” It broke my heart, this man deserved all the happiness I could give him for the rest of my life, and it would not be enough. I took the brush from him and smiled.
“Then it’s about time you tangle it.”
He took me into his arms, and as we sat on the bed, he kissed me again, again, and again. He was careful, and I felt dizzy in a whole new way. I parted my lips, and he took me over with hunger and desperation. As we reluctantly parted, we realized where we were. Our passion needed to wait, and we knew it. Our kiss slowed, and our breathing evened out. I had so many questions trying to get out. They all fought each other to be heard.
“Jezebel?” She was the first question that came out. Jezebel was the woman responsible for all of this. Flashes of bringing the women back ran through my head. Getting Vlad and all the others to safety was my more vivid memory and what had happened later was all a blur.
“We don’t need to talk about her right now. Let’s get you settled, back with the girls and let me explain how our life here is. We can change whatever you want. We could live wherever you want. I’ll do whatever your heart desires.”
I gave him a warning look, and that was all it took.
“She got away somewhere between the black holes. When you teleported us back, she was gone. She has been missing ever since. The Agency has been working on tracing her all this time and nothing. I haven’t had any other missions, even though they insisted. Victor has remained close to us, but he knows when to push and when to leave us alone.” It took me a while to process it all. She’d gotten away? She knew who we were. She was not gonna leave us alone—ever. I would find her and kill her. I felt his anxiety, so I held him close.
“Tell me about our life here,” I whispered.
He smiled and seemed relieved. “We all moved to Texas. Stunt is stationary here now, so I’m able to provide for our girls and give you the best care possible. The girls loved the countryside so much Martha offered me to stay with her. I try to pay her rent even when she does not want it. I figured the girls needed her motherly figure around while you were sleeping. You would have liked that. I was able to save up and bought a piece of land. Nothing crazy but big enough to build you a house and have some animals for the girls. I’ve already talked to an architect, and we had some ideas for the design, but I would not build anything yet. Not until I had you back. The countryside gives me peace. The shadows are more dormant here. I enrolled the girls in an excellent primary school, just twenty minutes away from the farm. They are happy there, and they have had a chance to make friends. I’m part of their Parent Association, so I’m up to date with their studies and activities. They are also on the swimming team, and they joined a camping club at school. Their schedule is pretty full, but I make it work. When I perform, Martha takes care of them. And to tell you the truth, Joe, Ginny, Remo, and Bruce fight each other to babysit, take them out, and have fun. Remo and Ginny bought an apartment close to where Stunt is located, and they’re expecting a baby. Matt, our boss and creator of Stunt, also lives close by with his wife, Lisa, and their children. Bee and Mia are close to them, and they all go to the same school.”
It sounded as if he had it all figured out. But I know being a single parent was hard. I could not imagine how having a job, the girls, and taking care of a person in a coma would exactly work out.
“Walk me through a regular day. How are you doing this?”
He sighed. “Well, I wake up at four and train while the girls are sleeping. At seven, I wake them up, make them breakfast, and off to school. I pass by the hospital to see you for an hour before rehearsal and lunch. I come here and brush your hair and help with your physical therapy. After that, I squeeze in any parent meeting or planning committee from school or anything Martha might need. I grab snacks, pick up the girls, and come back here so they can see you. Sometimes we have dinner here with you. Martha leaves us food most days from the lunch that she makes for the farm hands, or we eat out. Then we go back to the house to do homework, shower, and bed. My performing time is pretty short, so since my boss knows my situation, he lets me walk in, get in costume, perform, and walk out. Nights when I have performance, Martha picks up the girls, comes here, and then takes them home. Thank God the practice for the team is at school, so it doesn’t throw me off. The camping activities are also manageable, only once a month. Weekends are another story.”
I could not believe he did all of that and he was still standing. He helped me lie down, and I pulled him right down with me. I felt his strong arms around me, closed my eyes, and enjoyed listening to his deep voice.
“I take the girls with me on Saturday to Stunt after we come in to see you. We have three performances, so it’s pretty intense, but they love it. They are like little celebrities. If they don’t want to go, they stay with Joe at the farm and help with the animals, go to the lake, finish whatever homework they have, clean their room, etc. That’s my worst day because I only see you once. I get out at eleven, so I go straight to bed. On Sundays, we only have one performance at five. So we sleep in a little, have a big breakfast, come to the hospital to see you, and go to mass. Remo is a very devoted Catholic and he and Gin always go to mass together, so they invited us and I have come to love it. It brings me peace, I get to have some solitude, and the girls are part of the childrens’ group. They have friends, and they go to a separate room while the mass is going on. They do arts and crafts, and it has become fun for them. After mass, we all have lunch, and I either drop off the girls at the farm or take them with me to Stunt for my last performance of the week. Then, back to the hospital. Alone. That’s my time with you. I look forward to every Sunday night. I brush your hair and talk to you about my week. I dreamed of arriving here and seeing you awake almost every night…” He could not finish his thought as his voice cracked. I looked up to see his beautiful blue eyes. It broke my heart. I felt an unbelievable sense of relief and happiness. All my hatred toward Jezebel was put aside.
“I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to do this all alone anymore.”
His arms held me tighter as he leaned down and kissed me. It was so tender, so real. My body felt funny, but Vlad grounded me, made me feel loved. I could not wait to see my girls again, but this moment was addictive, and part of me did not want it to end. Until it did. Our kiss ended when I heard their voices coming down the hall. Little feet running in a quiet hospital, my girls were here all right. The door flew open, and what I saw overwhelmed me. My two children were one year older. They looked so different. They were taller, Mia’s hair was longer, and Bee’s curls were dancing all over her face. Even their voices sounded different. They had clothes I did not recognize, and their faces of wonder were still while staring at me. Vlad helped me up, and the silence in the room seemed to last a long time.
“My girls,” I whispered. They both looked at Vlad as if asking for a silent permission or something.
“She’s okay, princesses, go ahead.”
What happened later, I could not predict. My loud, hyper daughters walked slowly toward me. They looked as if they couldn’t believe I was there. I let them take their time, and Vlad waited patiently with his arm around me.
“Mia, Bee, I’m okay. Everything is gonna be fine.”
They finally made their way to me and hugged me tight. Vlad join in, and he pulled us three together in a bear hug. The room was silent, and I felt at peace, knowing my family was back together.
“I knew it. Didn’t I tell you, Vlad? One year. I saw you, Lada. Wearing white.” Mia broke the silence. I was shocked to hear that her visions had gotten more elaborate. I looked at Vlad for some answers. Little Bee still said nothing but held me tighter by the second.
“We have a lot to catch up on.”
I heard a knock on the door. “We gave you four enough time. Can we come in?” Martha had a huge smile on her face. She was followed by Joe, Bruce, Ginny, and Remo. They all looked a little different, different haircuts, except Remo of course. Gin had a little bump, and her face was rounder than what I remember. She proudly showed me her belly and smiled. Bruce and Joe were holding hands, which I had not seen, and Martha’s hair was more salt than pepper. I smiled at them and welcomed all their love, hugs, and happiness.
»»•««
Finally, the doctors gave me permission to leave the hospital. Vlad picked up everything in the room, and I tried to help as much as I could. My coordination was still a little off, but I felt fine. Doctors had come in to evaluate me, nurses came by to introduce themselves, and they all talked to Vlad with such familiarity that I felt as if I were living in a dream most of the time. I needed to be with people that I knew before I lost my mind. After Vlad said good-bye to almost every nurse and staff in the hospital, I felt exhausted.
“I’m sorry, love, but remember I come here every day for a year. You get to know people.” I did not say anything but was glad to be in the car by ourselves.
“It’s okay.” I leaned back and closed my eyes. A feeling of jealousy came over me. Maybe it was me, but every single nurse checked him out and were a little too familiar with my man.
“Do you mind if we stop by the school for a second? I need to take the pastries for the parent meeting and snacks for the team’s practice.”
“No problem.” We drove, and being in the vehicle triggered my vertigo. I was dizzy from the motion of the car, but I was handling it.
“You all right?” I nodded. As he parked the car, he turned to me and said, “Do you want to wait here?”
“Nope.” I did not want to be separated from him, not for a second. He grabbed two trays he had in the back and then helped me up. The school was colorful and bright. It had gardens, playgrounds, and kids’ art everywhere.
“Hello, Jules,” Vlad said as he approached the security guard. She smiled as soon as she saw him, like everybody we had encountered in the last twenty-four hours.
“Hey, Vlad, whatcha got there?” Was she flirting?
“You know what I bring, pastries for the meeting. Grab one,” he offered. “This is Lada, my fiancée.”
“You’re out of the hospital? Welcome back.”
“Thanks.” I sounded like a cold bitch, but my head was killing me. Vlad seemed unaware, and he led me to the main office where a parade of secretaries received him like a group of teenage fans. Their shrieks tempted me to lift a couple of shadows but I refrained. Could I lift shadows? I did not feel any close by.
“Hello, ladies. This is Lada, my fiancée. She’s fine now and finally out of the hospital.” They all hugged him and introduced themselves to me. I need to get out of there. Even the fucking principal came out.
“I won’t be able to come to the meeting this afternoon, but can you give the pastries to Agnes for me? These are snacks for my girls’ team.” They all said yes and seemed to talk at the same time in a language I didn’t understand. His arm held me with my balance as we got out of the office and back to the car. I sat and leaned my head back again. As I closed my eyes, I could not contain my comment. “So, who the fuck’s Agnes?”
“What?” He seemed shocked by the inquiry.
“Nothing. My head is killing me.”
“The doctor warned me about this.” He had a little cooler in the back and took out a bottle of water, Dramamine, and aspirin. I took it in silence and breathed in.
“The farm is thirty minutes away, but if you want me to stop the car halfway, let me know.”
I just nodded, and he drove slowly away. As silence grew, I felt exhaustion and dozed off. How could I be sleeping for a year and feel so tired? Next thing I knew, I felt his strong arms grab me and carry me inside Martha’s home. The smell of apple pie was just like the one I remembered, but everything was quiet and still.
“I can walk, you know.” I snuggled in his chest.
“I know.” He kicked the door closed. “You will have silence here to rest for a while. Martha is out with her reading club,” he explained as he walked upstairs to the same rooms we’d had when we came there before the mission. He placed me on the bed and then proceeded to take off my shoes. I looked around, and the room looked different than what I remembered. But my eyes were too heavy to figure it out.
“What day is today?”
“Wednesday, the girls are in school now. It’s only ten a.m.”
“I don’t want to go to sleep. I don’t want to leave you again.” I pulled him down to meet my lips. I closed my eyes and savored his mouth on mine.
“You never left, my love. I would not let you.” He kissed me deep and hard this time. Our lips parted, and our tongues danced together in an all too familiar melody. Slowly, he slowed down his kiss until only pecks met me. “You need to rest. How’s your head?”
“I don’t need to rest,” I whispered. “I need you.”
“Lada, we don’t need to rush anything.”
“Please,” I begged. “I feel like I’m lost. Please make me feel like I was before the mission.”
His resolve disintegrated. My body felt drained, but I was tingling with need. He got up, and his eyes darkened. With a grin on his face, he grabbed his T-shirt from his back and tossed it. He opened his fly slowly and took off his jeans, socks, and shoes. His sculpted body was flawless. His muscles were firm and huge. He still looked a little tired but that look came with parenthood. I had it too. His beard was trimmed but not shaven, his head shaven like always. Vlad looked like a gladiator, a Greek god, and a hot firemen model all at the same time. I temporarily forgot about my dizziness, my headache, those women in school and every person who was able to be with him for a whole year while I was sleeping. I made an effort to get up, and he came quickly.
“No beautiful. Please, let me.” He spoke in Russian. He undid every single button from my blouse, unclasped my bra, trailed his fingertips down my stomach, and opened my fly, letting my jeans down my legs and grabbing my underwear at the same time. He was so soft and gentle, but my eyes were glued to his painfully erect cock. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Marry me today.”
He stopped what he was doing and stared for a second.
“You heard me. I don’t want to wait anymore. I want to be your wife. I want to build our house, I want to camp with our girls, I want to have our child, and enjoy our home. I want it all—now.”
He smiled and leaned down to kiss me.
“You will have it all, starting right now.” He placed himself between my legs, and we made love for the rest of the morning into the afternoon.