I can’t answer. I’m too shocked to even move. My eyes shift to Alexei, who’s already staring at the doctor. His eyes are wide in shock.
“Wait,” he says slowly. “You’re telling me she’s pregnant?”
The doctor stops, confused. “Yes. You didn’t know?”
“No. We did not.”
“Oh.” She shifts uncomfortably. “I’m sorry. I assumed you knew. The ultrasound showed…”
“It’s fine,” Alexei says. “Can you give us a moment?”
“Of course. I’ll be back later to discuss next steps.”
She leaves, and the door closes behind her. My hand goes to my stomach. A baby.
“We’re having a baby,” Alexei says quietly, and I look up at him. His eyes are locked on my hand, on my belly.
“Yes. We are.”
The silence stretches out between us, and that’s when the weight of the night finally settles. I can still hear the echo of the gunshots over the ringing in my ears. I’m alive, but barely. A sob catches in my throat, and the tears start falling - hot and fast.
“I almost lost the baby,” I whisper. “I didn’t even know, and I almost…”
“No. Don’t cry.” Alexei moves closer and wipes my tears. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was my fault. I insisted on going even when you told me it was dangerous…”
“It was mine,” he interrupts. “I should have gone with you in the first place instead of letting you go alone. If I had, none of this would have happened.”
“No, Alexei.” My voice cracks. “It’s mine. If something happens to this baby, I won’t be able to forgive myself.”
“Don’t.” He cups my face, “You didn’t do it on purpose. You didn’t know. So stop crying, okay? You’re only going to stress yourself out and make your head worse.” He kisses my forehead and wipes away the last of my tears.
“Go back to sleep,” he says gently. “Relax. I’ll talk to the doctor and get everything scheduled. We’ll figure this out.”
I nod, already exhausted.
He pulls the blanket up, tucking it around me. “Sleep,Vedma. I’ll be right here.”
My eyes close, and the last thing I feel is his hand wrapped around mine.
Chapter 36
Alexei
When Zoya finally falls asleep, I ease out of the room and walk down the corridor to the doctor’s office. I knock and hear her say, “Come in.”
I open the door to find her at her desk. She waves me toward the chair across from her. “Please, sit.”
I cross the room and lower myself into the chair.
She folds her hands on the desk and looks at me directly. “I know this came as a surprise, and I apologize for not realizing you were unaware of the pregnancy.” She glances at me, her tone measured and calm. “Based on the ultrasound measurements and fetal development, she’s approximately twelve weeks along—so conception would have occurred around late February or early March. The baby appears healthy from what we’ve seen so far. Heart rate is strong at 160 beats per minute, which is exactly where we want it at this stage. All the early markers look good.”
I exhale. “That’s a relief.”
“However,” she continues, “there are some things I held back when your wife was awake. Things I think we need to talk about now.”
My grip tightens on the armrests. “What things?”