Page 46 of Midnight Sanctuary
Especially when nothing is resolved. Lev is still confined to his upstairs room, suffering from nightmares when the sun’s down and a boatload of daytime traumas. Polly is still missing. And I have no idea what’s going on between Uri and me.
“Is bed rest necessary?” Uri inquires.
I look up at him with alarm. Is he serious? I’ve already been going crazy down in that basement. Now, he’s trying to prevent me from leaving thebed.Oh,hellno!
“Bed rest is drastic,” Emily demurs quickly, probably having noticed the panic on my face. She gives me a little wink. “We don’t need to resort to that just yet. Alyssa is young and healthy. A little light exercise might actually do her and the babies good. By ‘exercise,’ I mean, like, a walk around the garden twice a day. That should do it.”
“Okay. And what about sex? Is that advisable in her condition?”
My jaw drops, but Uri doesn’t show the slightest trace of discomfort. You’d never know the man hated my guts just a few days ago.
“Sex is fine,” Emily confirms with a nod. “Just nothing too wild or strenuous. We don’t want to shock the system.” She clears her throat and stands. “Okay, I’m gonna sign off on the release paperwork. I’ve also scheduled another appointment for next week to make sure things are progressing smoothly. Until then, take care of yourself. If you experience any more bleeding or pain, call me immediately.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
Emily gives me a reassuring smile. “You’re gonna be fine, Alyssa. Trust me, in a couple of months, you’re gonna be bouncing two beautiful healthy babies in your arms and all this will feel like a distant, annoying dream.”
And just like that, I picture it. Me, lying in a hospital bed just like this one, trying to juggle two babies and the growing realization that I am forever tied to Uri Bugrov and the world he lives in.
For better or for worse.
Jesus.
I may be in way over my head.
* * *
I’ve found myself in a new room on the first floor of the house. It’s got big French doors that are thrown open in the morning so I can walk out onto my own private patio, complete with a sitting area and a bench swing. After the darkness of the basement, I’m surrounded constantly by light. It’s a blessing.
I’m also surrounded by Uri, who has taken it upon himself to be my constant caregiver through what’s left of this pregnancy. Despite me being more than capable of doing everyday things without effort, Uri seems to think otherwise. He took Emily’s “takeit easy”to mean “Alyssa is handicapped and cannot be trusted to so much as sneeze without assistance.”The man barked at me yesterday for trying to open a jar of macadamia nuts without his supervision.
Still, as annoying as his constant hovering can be, it’s a huge improvement from the dark days of the basement, when we mostly communicated in arguments and he looked at me as though I was some parasitic scourge that invaded his life.
I might actually dare to feel some occasional twinges of happiness if it weren’t for Polly still missing.
“Where are you going?”
I freeze halfway to the bathroom. “I just… need to pee.”
“You shouldn’t be on your feet.”
I plant my fists on my hips. “I’m not about to pee on the sofa, Uri.”
He sighs as though I’m the unreasonable one here. “Here, let me help you.”
He takes two strides towards me and the next thing I know, I’m being lifted into his arms.What the hell?!I decide to direct that thought at Uri. “Uri, what the hell?”
He walks me into the bathroom, which is big enough to include a walk-in shower the size of my first apartment, a massive bathtub-slash-jacuzzi that faces the garden, and a two-person sink.
“Do you need help getting your underwear off?”
I glare at him. “I didn’t even need your help getting in here in the first place. Now, put me down!”
He puts me down right in front of the toilet like I’m a three-year-old who’s just learned to use the potty.Oh, the indignity.
“Let me—”
“If you try to take my pants off, I’m gonna kick you in the nuts.” Luckily for him, he makes the very sensible decision not to smile. “Seriously, Uri. You’re being ridiculous. I’m pregnant, not disabled.”