Chapter 2

Wheeler wasn't sure what invisible force had caused him to step inside the hospital. Hell, he wasn't even sure what had propelled him to step on that plane in the first place. He'd interpreted the last-minute deal on the plane tickets as a sign that he was doing the right thing. And so the nine-hour long flight from New York's JFK airport to Moscow's Sheremetyevo had felt like a blink to the besotted American. Something bigger than himself was driving him to Linka, to her nearness, and even though he tried convincing himself it was a gesture any friend would perform for another friend, he knew it was no use fooling himself.

It did not take him too much effort to find the hospital wing where Linka's Grandmother had been placed. Wheeler's Russian wasn't any good, but his charming smile won over any nurse he met along the way, and they were more than happy to switch to passable English for him and help him along. They smiled at the dashing redheaded American because he emanated something like young hope, and no one dares oppose that noble sentiment.

Only, Wheeler's world collapsed loudly around him when finally he stepped into the waiting room and saw Linka sitting there. Her face was worried, her expression distracted. He could not help but notice how different she looked when not in her Planeteers attire. Like a sophisticated European model. Her hair fell like a soft curtain over her shoulders, catching the light like golden silk. She was wearing a white sweater over jeans and low-heeled boots, while a tan-colored tweet coat had been swung carelessly over a nearby plastic chair.

All this wasn't what caused Wheeler's heart to sink, however. It was the fact that she wasn't alone. Next to her was a guy approximately their age, and he was holding her hand in his.

Wheeler felt very silly, like a Martian, all of a sudden. Out of place and emotionally naked. There he was, holding a plant with little yellow flowers he'd picked up at a floral shop along the way for Linka's Grandmother. And there was Linka, receiving comfort from someone other than him. This time, the American was certain that the boy wasn't just some relative of hers. He'd made the mistake of believing her brother, Mishka, had been a love interest of hers when he'd first met the family. Wheeler had a sinking feeling there wasn't anything nearly as hilarious going on at the moment.

When Linka noticed the Fire Planeteer hovering nearby, she surprised him by immediately jumping up from her chair to greet him. Wheeler wasn't expecting such a display of enthusiasm as she nearly collided into him to embrace him. He stood stunned for a moment, drinking in the warmth of her body pressing up into his.

"Jacob, you came," Linka whispered close to his ear, her tone filled with gratitude, and Wheeler knew he was beaming by this point. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her male companion a smug smile, as if to challenge him.

The brown-haired boy was eying the scene suspiciously, without uttering a word, but nothing else mattered to Wheeler at this point, except Linka's reaction to his presence. It wasn't common for her to show such affection, but he was ever so thankful that she cared about him at least little bit.

"Of course, babe," he quipped when she pulled away slightly to examine his eyes. His tone softened when he continued, "I heard how upset you were over the phone and I couldn't stay away."

A slight coughing sound brought the pair back to the present and Linka disentangled herself from her American friend. She turned and smiled at the other boy, almost apologetically.

"Ah, this is… my friend, Alexei," the blonde nodded to Wheeler, who made no move to shake Alexei's hand. "His father was the one who found Grandmushka. They are neighbors of ours."

"So you brought her here together?"

"Nyet," Linka shook her head patiently, as if she were explaining to a child.

"Alexei moved to Moscow when he became a student at the University here. He was just checking up on us once his father told him what had happened."

"Thoughtful," Wheeler remarked, but no one caught the sarcasm in his voice. Or maybe they were just ignoring it. Now that he examined the Russian boy closer, he had to admit he was a handsome chap, and this irritated him even more. He was tall, pretty-faced and well-dressed. Not a good thing if he was going to hang around Linka.

As if on cue, the blonde girl turned to Alexei with a smile to sing his praise. "Alexei and I grew up together for a while. Now he is top of his class, ready to graduate with honors in space engineering."

Wheeler nodded wordlessly, feeling more and more self-conscious. His ego was taking a brutal beating. It was now Alexei's turn to beam at him.

"Linka, you will make me blush if you keep that up," came the reply in perfectly-structured English. His voice seemed to Wheeler cuttingly soft.

"We are all so proud of you," Linka smiled delicately at him while Wheeler silently fumed.

"So, babe, can I go in to see your Grandmushka?" Wheeler addressed her singularly as if to dispel the earlier conversation and Alexei's unwelcomed presence. He really hadn't come all the way to Russia to feel as inadequate as he did at the moment. He knew it hadn't been Linka's intent by any means. It wasn't like he was unintelligent or anything, he had just never really liked school or studying, didn't have the right attention span for it. Plus, his family wouldn't have had the money to send him off to college, anyway, so it had been a lost cause from the start. Wheeler liked physical labor better, anyhow, hands-on type work. They couldn't all be future astronauts like Alexei here, could they?

"Visiting hours are over, I believe," Alexei piped up evilly and Wheeler all but fulminated him with a glare. He could have sworn a mocking smile had animated the Russian's amused features.

"Maybe I can try sneaking you in, Yankee," Linka readily offered, and he newly fell in love with her right then for trying to save the situation. She took his hand and tugged him along. "After all, you have come all this way to see her."

Yes! Wheeler followed Linka without any reserve down the narrow hallway, not giving the stunned boy left behind a second thought. This was better than getting picked first by the captain at team sports. No pity party for him today! He'd encountered too few victories in his life so far, and he silently willed for things to keep going right.