A/N: So I read on a few sites that Ilana was supposed to be Jacob's daughter and I have quite literally fell in love with it I wish it had been explored in the show but it also got me thinking how did Jacob manage to meet someone fall in love etc. Interesting stuff I would love to do more of it who knows. Thank you for reading I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
THE VISITOR
The nurse at the reception area had explained to him how to reach the patient's ward then judging by the puzzled look on his face she had said, "You know what come I'll just show you." And now she was walking in front of him down the narrow white sterile corridors, she was talking about the weather how lucky they were to have such beautiful warm days in the heart of winter when strangers have nothing better to talk about there was always the weather to rely on as a topic and now he was all to happy to partake in the conversation because it brought a temporary distraction to the real reason he was there at the hospital today.
"Are you Miss. Verdansky's son?" The friendly nurse asked a few steps ahead of him.
"No just an old friend." He replied.
She turned to look at him and smiled.
"You don't look that old to me."
He didn't say anything in return just smiled back at her. She slowed down and walked through an open door and he followed. And there she was Kiska Verdansky.
"Miss. Verdansky." The nurse spoke softly stepping closer to the bed and the old grey haired woman managed to open her eyes that were milky and glazed over. "You have a visitor." The nurse stepped out of the way and Kiska's eyes settled on him and those sad eyes lit up at the sight of him.
"Jacob." She whispered.
He stepped closer to the bed and leaned down kissing her on the cheek.
"Your really here?" She asked lifting her tired hands and holding his face in her hands.
"Yes I am."
"I have to ask my mind plays tricks on me nowadays." She smiled. "I have nothing to look forward to."
"Kiska." He started to protest because he didn't want to hear it, he didn't want to hear those words implying the end coming from her.
"But it's okay and today you remind me of my past and how good it was. Do you remember how we met?" She asked letting go of his face she was too weak to hold him anymore.
"Of course I do." He pulled a chair closer and sat down. "You were selling overpriced Dostoyevsky novels in St. Petersburg."
She laughed softly.
"And yet, you still bought them."
"I wanted to impress the sales lady."
"And whatever happened to those overpriced novels?"
"I have a confession to make." He teased. "I never actually read them."
She smiled.
"Well Dostoyevsky was a difficult read. What year was that I can't remember?"
"It was 1965."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes and it was one of the worst winters on record."
"Do you know what I miss most about Russia?"
"The snow?" He tried.
"You know me too well. I remember seeing you on the street catching snow in your hands and I found it kind of funny this grown man catching snowflakes in the palms of his hand like a child."
"It was the first time I ever experienced snow."
"And then you walked into my shop and we started talking and I went home that night still thinking about you and hoping I would see you again. I told my friend about you and I told her his like no one else I have ever met in my whole entire life. Natasja the old cynic, god bless her soul said Kiska you say that about every man you meet and maybe I did but with you Jacob it was the truth. And as it turned out, I was right." She reached out and held his hand.
"I'm dying." She whispered he nodded unable to say anything. "That's why you're here."
"You know I can fix this all of this it doesn't have to be this way." He whispered.
"I know you can, but it does have to be this way because it's the way life works." And again not for the first time he considered how life was cruel and unfair he knew it's harsh lessons more than most.
"How is Ilana taking it?"
"She says she's okay and she's trying to be strong. She's a lot stronger than I ever was she didn't get that from me."
"From me?" He ventured.
"Oh yes with a passionate temperamental streak as well."
"Yes, sorry about that." They both laughed.
"I want you to tell her the truth." Kiska said finally. "She deserves to know."
"The truth is very complicated. And I don't want to scare her with something that sounds like a ghost story."
"Give her a chance by telling the truth. She's already onto you Jacob, the man who shows up at any time, bearing gifts who never ages. She needs to know that you're her father and there was a reason why you couldn't be part of her life. That she wasn't just abandoned."
"Okay." He said. "I'll do it."
"Come by tonight she will be here and you can talk."
"And if she thinks it's ludicrous?"
"It's her choice to decide." She said.
"I wish now that things had been different."
"I wished for that too especially those years when you were away, I was so lonely and longed for you but now I see if things had been different there would have been no you and me and no Ilana so everything happened the way it was supposed to. At least we had our time together. Wasn't it good?" Jacob didn't even have to think about it.
"It was better than good." He said.
"Why were you in St. Petersburg that winter in 1965 Jacob? You never told me."
"I was looking for one of my candidates."
"Did you find him or did I sidetrack you?"
"I found her." He said. "But I never imagined that I would fall in love with her."
"Jacob."
"Like you said everything happened the way it was supposed to."
"I'm sorry visiting hours is over." The nurse said returning to the room.
"I have to go." Jacob said getting up. "But I'll see you tonight." He told Kiska.
"I'll be waiting."
He kissed her goodbye and stepped out of the room.
"Is there a vending machine I could use?" He asked the nurse who directed him to one. Chocolate was the one of the things off island that he couldn't resist he craved for it and it was one of the first things he indulged in when on the mainland.
He took some coins out of his pocket and saw that there were two doctors at the end of the corridor having an argument, one was young with dark hair and blue eyes and the other was older, they looked alike like they were father and son. Jacob dropped the coins in the slot of the vending machine's and two Apollo chocolate bars dropped down. He watched as the older doctor stormed off and left the younger one behind.
"Excuse me is one of these yours?" Jacob asked the young fuming doctor who turned to look at him a bit surprised.
"Yes, it got stuck." And he walked toward Jacob who held the Apollo bar out at the end of his hand.
"Guess it just needed a little push." Jacob said as the doctor reached out for the chocolate and Jacob deliberately touched the hand of the doctor who smiled and said thank you before disappearing down the corridor.
Jacob walked out into the warm sunlight and thought about tonight and having to tell Ilana the truth he thought about Kiska dying withering away and it chocked him inside that he nearly could not breathe. He needed to not think about all these emotions right now.
"How did it go? Did you find him?" Richard asked walking up to Jacob.
"Yes I found Jack."
"Good, can we leave now?"
"No I have to come back tonight." Richard looked like he wanted to ask why since Jacob had made contact with one of his candidates, but he knew better than question.
"So what do you want to do till then?"
"You want to go see a movie?" Jacob asked unwrapping the Apollo chocolate bar.
"A movie?" Richard asked.
"Yes Richard moving pictures." Jacob took a bite of the chocolate and closed his eyes in the sheer enjoyment of it.
"I know what movies are I just never took a liking to it." Richard replied.
"Move with the times my friend or get left behind."
"Yes you keep telling me that."
"Do you want to know what the best part of movies are?"
Richard stared up at him he already knew the answer to the question.
"Popcorn." They both said in unison and then laughed as they made there way down the busy street looking like everybody else. If only.