Page 63 of Bound For You

I scowl at her and say, my voice cold and sharp as steel, “I’m covered in my wife’s blood, my wife who’s in the ICU, and you’re stopping me from checking on my newborn twins because?” She pales and quickly buttons her top.

Sofia snaps, “Get back to your station, Lucy.”

The woman, Lucy, pales even more when she notices Sofia, and scampers off. I shake my head and walk over to my daughter first. My heart rate picks up when I see the tiny oxygen tubes attached to her face.

Sofia grips my hand and smiles softly, saying, “It’s simply a precaution because she was without oxygen for three minutes.”

I swallow and nod. “It seemed longer than that.”

She tips her head. “I’m sure it did, but Al was timing it.”

I let out a breath and turn toward Al, and he smiles then walks over to my daughter. Placing his hand into her hole of the bassinet, he strokes her hand. She grips his finger, making me smile. I go to my son as another nurse comes over.

“Would you like to hold him?” I swallow hard but nod, and sit down. The woman gently picks my son up and places him in my arms.

thirty

Avery – Four Days Later

I hear beepingand someone talking. It sounds like Ivan.

“Avery, can you hear me?”

I groan and slowly open my eyes, only to quickly shut them again because of the light.

“That’s it, Avery, open your eyes, sweetheart.”

I do, and yep, Ivan is standing over me.

I rasp, “The babies?”

He smiles and shines a light into my eyes, making me wince, but I know its protocol.

“Your babies are doing well.”

Tears fill my eyes. “Natalia?”

I know she wasn’t breathing when I lost consciousness.

“The little princess is off oxygen, and waiting for her mama to wake.”

I let out a sob when I hear, “Avery?”

I look toward the door to see Sergi standing there with his tears running down his face. I lift my arm, and he drops the flowers in his hand and rushes to me.

He kisses me gently on the lips, his hands cradling my face as he rasps, “It’s about time you woke up,dragotsennyy. Our twins want their mama.”

I offer a wobbly smile. “How long was I out?”

Ivan answers, “Four days. You hemorrhaged, lost a lot of blood, but we managed to stop the bleeding, then give you a transfusion. We also managed to save your womb.”

I sigh out in relief, then it hits me. “How on earth did I survive a hemorrhage?”

Ivan pales while Sergi snorts, and I narrow my eyes at the Bratva doctor, AKA my boss, and I gasp.

“Youfistedme! Seriously?” I shout.

Sergi laughs and Ivan slowly walks backward.