Surprise!
Hi you guys, how are you? Everyone is still alive and well? I am still healthy and so far have not been infected, just waiting for the vaccine to get to our country so that I can get and worry less about all of the curfews and laws that have been introduced.
Anyway, I have finally managed to complete chapter 41 and it is divided into four parts [ 80 - 83 ] and the last chapter will be chapter 84 for you guys and it will be posted on the 15th of April, which will then be the end of this incredible long story, and it has already been four years since I posted this story, and man, it has been a journey but I am relieved that it is finally coming to an end. I am currently busy with the last chapter after I finally got back into the groove of writing and I have been moving with a speed so that I can finish it and get a chapter out already, and here it is.
There are no warnings for this chapter, just a little surprise, but I am not going to say anything.
Anyway, enjoy it you guys!
Chapter 41.1 - healing
Valerie continues to look down at the unconscious Mya while the junior doctor puts in the catheter into Mya's left subclavian artery, this catheter being needed for Mya's dialysis session which will start later this afternoon, her very first dialysis session.
Mya has acute kidney failure and only time will be able to tell how quick her kidneys will recover; after Valerie saw Mya's latest blood results, she made the final decision that Mya will have to start dialysis because both her creatinine and urea levels are abnormally high, this acute kidney failure of hers being a result from the sepsis.
The normal time for a dialysis session is four hours, but Valerie decided that she will first do three hours just to see how Mya's body will cope with it, and if her vitals remain stable, her next session will be four hours, and hopefully the four hours will do wonders for Mya.
So far is Mya still stable, she did not go into another cardiac arrest again, something Valerie is over the moon about because the third one would have been the final one, the last one, and she would not have been able to break the news to Kai seeing as how broken he was when Mya flat lined back at the abbey.
Mya is currently in a medically induced coma so that her body can get all of the rest it can get in order to recover, but again, no one knows the exact time of how long this will be and it all depends on how strong Mya is and how hard she will fight to stay alive, but hopefully Mya's healthy body will be in her advantage and she would not be kept in this coma for too long.
Kai is also being kept sedated for his own good so that he does not fall out of bed again and open up his wounds again, and he is also strapped to the bed should he somehow wake up and again try to get out of bed and get to Mya.
It is already two days since the attack on Boris and there is no sign of the dead bodies back at the abbey seeing as Tala had made sure they burn everything to the ground along with the bodies. Tala has found Boris's decapitated head and thought that it would make an excellent trophy for Kai, and right now, the decapitated head of Boris is floating in alcohol in a large jar back at Feniks manor, and the old man will never ever have the privilege of causing Kai any pain ever again.
"There you go, the catheter is in, doctor, and the blood flow is strong; I have already placed heparin into the tubes, so there will be no clots when they start with the dialysis later this afternoon."
Valerie nods her head to the young male doctor, "Very well; let the nurse start prepping the machine to make sure that everything is in order for later this afternoon."
"Very well, doctor."
Valerie looks at the unconscious Mya one last time before she makes her way out of the ICU cubicle so that she can go and check on Kai. Valerie will remain in Moscow until Kai is moved out of the ICU and then she will hand Mya over to Valentin so that he can be her doctor; she cares a lot about both Kai and Mya, but she also has responsibilities back home, both with the mob and her own practice, and not even to mention Inessa, so Valerie knows that she cannot stay in Moscow forever. As soon as everything is under control here, she is gone.
On the opposite end of the ICU, a burly male nurse is looking how Valerie walks out of Ana's cubicle, the junior doctor and his two assistants following her not long after and after making sure that the coast is clear, he walks over to the cubicle, his facial mask and hair cap covering most of his face.
Bryan quietly makes his way into Ana's cubicle and just seeing his precious sweetness lying unconscious on the bed both breaks his heart and angers him for what Boris had done to her. This is not the first time he has seen Ana since she has been admitted in the hospital seeing as he has been here since yesterday afternoon after Yurik got him into the system of the hospital and while being dressed in his nurse uniform, everyone thinks he is a new nurse so no one questions him about his presence.
He goes by the name of Dmitri Kuznetsov, he using the name of Ana's cousin and his old surname, he almost liking the sound of his new identity and were things different, he would not have minded being a spy with this new and cool identity.
Fortunately for him, no one has asked him any difficult medical stuff do to, and he quickly understood the basic stuff like taking the vitals of a patient and what certain medicines do and how the IV lines work and how they are programmed to give a certain volume after a certain amount of time, so Bryan hopes he will be able to pull this off until Ana is out of the ICU.
'Oh, sweetness,' Bryan thinks to himself as he slowly makes his way towards the bed all while keeping his eyes on his precious Ana.
Her chest rises and falls with the rhythm of the ventilator seeing as the machine is breathing for her, Bryan's heart breaking even more while looking at the tubes in both her mouth and throat, not even to mention the various bags hanging all around her that is being pumped through the IV line and into her body, the bags containing all sorts of medicines that is constantly being pumped into her body, and that all to ensure that she stays alive and recovers.
He also sees the catheter on the left side of her neck, he having overheard Valerie saying that Ana is going to need dialysis seeing as her kidneys have failed, and just looking at the catheter that will connect her to the dialysis machine causes Bryan to get all choked up, he coughing a few times to clear the knot in his throat that has formed from sheer sadness and heartache; the tears in his eyes he can't do anything about right now.
Bryan has heard about Kai injuring himself while trying to get to Ana, and to Bryan this just shows how much Kai truly loves Ana, that he is willing to ignore his own battered body just in order to get to the love of his life.
Bryan has also been in Kai's cubicle a few times now, and he is at least relieved to see that Kai is doing fine and that it won't be long before he will be out of here; Kai always were a man that recovered remarkably quick from any injury and this would be no different.
Bryan has also decided that he is going to talk to Kai as a nurse as soon as he wakes up and should Kai recognise him and confront him, he would not deny who he is; he however would not breathe a word about knowing Ana, aka 'Mya'.
Bryan takes Ana's left hand into his hand, her right hand being in a cast due to the broken wrist, and he covers her limp hand with both of his large hands while keeping his eyes solely focused on his unconscious former girlfriend and he again can feel how he wants to get choked up all over again.
"You have to get better, sweetness, please; we all miss and need you so you have to pull through, please," Bryan whispers softly to Ana and after saying this, he starts to look at the rest of her body that is not covered with the bedding or with the hospital gown and he can clearly see all of the bruises and wounds on her body, those that have not been covered by bandages. They had removed her spleen, but at least no big changes will happen in her body due to this and fortunately the scar won't be that visible seeing as medical science has changed and advanced so much over the years, and he doubts Ana would miss her spleen.
He does not even want to begin to imagine what Boris and his men did to Ana, and fortunately for her part, she was not sexually assaulted, and this alone makes Ana a very lucky and fortunate woman because most women are not that lucky whenever they end up in the hands of bad men; he would know seeing as he has had his fair share of women he took against their will which again makes Ana a very lucky and fortunate woman for missing out on that horrid ordeal.
Lord knows what Kai would have done to those men if they had dared to sexually assault his precious Mya.
Bryan can't help but to feel guilty for what has happened to Ana; sure, he knows that she was set on taking revenge on Kai for what he did to her family and that he actually would have been unable to keep her out of Boris's clutches, but he still can't help but to feel that there could have been something that he could have done, anything.
If only he had known from the beginning that Boris had kidnapped Ana, he could have rescued her himself and then he could have killed Boris himself and then she would have been spared this trauma, and he already knows that even though Ana will heal physically, her mental state will take much longer to heal and it will take quite some time to get through all of this trauma that she has experienced.
No one goes through that much shit and comes out normal on the other side.
"I wish there was something that I could do, sweetness, anything; even if I could take away some of this pain, I would have gladly done it because it pains my heart to see you go through this because you do not deserve this."
Bryan keeps his eyes on Ana, she looking like someone who is just sleeping if one takes away all of the medical equipment that is all around her.
Bryan glances up at the clock that is hanging against the wall and he sees that it is almost time for visiting hours which means that Ray, Tala and Alisia will most likely come around to see both Kai and Ana, and he would much rather avoid them for now because he does not want anyone to recognise him before Kai does.
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Bryan is standing in the doorway that leads into Ana's cubicle and he can see how Valerie and the other nurse is getting ready to start Ana's first dialysis session, this breaking Bryan's heart knowing that his sweetness was put through so much that she actually needs a machine to help cleanse her body and to help lengthen her life.
'You died an easy death, Boris, way too easy, because you deserve way worse for what you had put Ana through, you miserable bastard. I do hope that you are burning in the deepest parts of hell.
"Doctor, everything is in order; shall I start?"
Valerie nods her head to the nurse, "Yeah, you can start."
Silence descends onto the occupants within the room after the nurse starts the dialysis session, Bryan seeing how the blood moves out of the catheter in Ana's chest and how it travels through the transparent lines with red indications, this being the arterial line, it moving slowly until it reaches the artificial kidney and after some time it goes back into her body, this time moving through the transparent lines that are indicated with blue marking which means this is the venous lines, all lines now filled with blood as Ana's blood is officially starting to get cleansed.
Bryan remains to stand in the doorway for a moment longer all while looking at Ana with a deep sadness within his heart and eyes.
"Pressure in both arterial and venous lines look good but I will keep the speed at 150 for now, and push it up every 15 minutes if that is okay with you, doctor?"
"As long as her vitals allow it, I do not see a problem, but I want you to stay with her all the time, is that understood? We all know how much stress these machines can put on one's heart and with Ms Azarov's weak heart, I would like to avoid any problems."
"Of course, doctor."
"Well then, I will be off, but as soon as there are any complications, you call me immediately and you stop the session at once, is that understood?"
"Of course, doctor."
Valerie gives a silent nod to the nurse and after looking at Mya one last time with a sad expression on her face, Valerie turns around so that she can go and look on Kai who should be waking up soon seeing as they stopped administering the sedative; she just does not know how Kai is going to react when he hears that his precious Mya is receiving dialysis.
Valerie looks up into Dmitri's eyes and she sees the sad look within his eyes and even though she does not understand why he looks so sad, she does not press on the matter.
"When will be able to know whether her kidneys are improving or not, doctor?" Bryan asks while keeping his eyes locked on Ana, he not even aware that he had called Valerie 'doctor'.
Valerie turns around and looks at Mya before turning her attention back on to the burly malenurse, his focus still on Mya, "We will draw blood everyday for both the urea and creatinine, and we will also draw blood before and after dialysis, the pre and post vials, but we will only be able to know for sure after a week or so; after this session she will get two more before we will be able to tell whether her kidneys are improving or not, but I have faith that she will pull through," Valerie again turns her attention back on to Mya and smiles softly to herself, "I know this woman and she is as tough as they come, so I know that she will pull through; there is no doubt in my mind."
Valerie walks past Dmitri and puts a comforting hand on Dmitri's shoulder and walks past him, the burly man remaining to stand in the doorway for a while longer while he continues to see how the unconscious Ana continues to lie on the bed, her chest still rising and falling as the ventilator continues to breath for her seeing as her body is still too weak to do it all on its own, and even though she is stable right now, anything can happen within a blink of an eye.
Valerie enters Kai cubicle and sees that he is asleep and after checking his chart and his vitals, she comes to stand beside him and grasps his limp left hand and just holds it, "When you wake up, you will feel like you have walked into a nightmare, Kai, but I need you to be strong, for both you and for Mya because she is going to need you. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I know that you will be able to work it out, you just have to."
Valerie gives Kai's hand a last squeeze before finally making her way out of the cubicle and then making her way out of the ICU, but not without a last glance at Mya's cubicle, Dmitri still standing in the doorway, and Valerie cannot help but wonder why this burly man is so drawn to Mya, almost like he knows her.
Valerie also can't shake the feeling that she has met Dmitri before, that she has seen this burly man before, but for the life of her she just cannot remember where and when.
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Kai is finally awake and it is already nine o' clock in the evening and in true Kai fashion, he is being as difficult as can be. Valerie has already threatened to sedate him again if he does not get himself under control, to which the business mogul just pouted at but did agree to in the end, though with a lot of reluctance.
His wounds are still fresh and even though he can't argue about the pain, Kai just wants to get to Mya and to see with his own eyes that she is still alive. Valerie has promised him that first thing tomorrow morning she will personally escort him to Mya's cubicle so that he can see with his own eyes that she is alive and stable and out of harm's way.
Right now Kai is sitting up straight in his bed, arms crossed in front of his chest with his focus in front of him while he is lost in his thoughts, all of them circling around Mya and what has happened to them a few days back. Kai can't believe that not too long ago they were taking down Boris and he thought that he had lost Mya for good when her heart flat lined, that being something that Kai never wants to experience ever again.
Kai closes his eyes and rests his head against the pillow, he playing that specific scene over in his head, and he can suddenly feel all of those harrowing feelings once more, that horrible dreadful feeling coming over him when he walked into that room and seeing Valerie trying to bring Mya back to life.
Kai has never felt that kind of panic in his life, he not even certain if it can be classified as panic because what he felt, he is certain that a new term will have to be made to precisely describe what he felt at that moment.
"Mi Amor," Kai whispers softly to himself, "I am so sorry for what was done to you, and it was all of my fault," and now Kai feels very guilty because if he did not break up with her and pulled back her protection under her orders, Boris never would have gotten his hands on her and Boris never would have tortured her in that manner, and Kai already knows that Mya's mental state will not be the same after going through what she has gone through.
He is anxious to get to Mya, but even Kai knows that he has to abide by the rules because the last time he got out of bed in a desperate attempt to get to Mya, his body ended up paying the price, and if he wants to get out of here as soon as possible and be by Mya's side every waking minute of the day, he is going to have to stay in bed and let his body recuperate; it is after all for the greater good, and besides, he can't walk on his own seeing as his body is still too weak, much to both his shock and surprise because he cannot believe that his body has weakened so much but then again, his body and health is no longer what it used to be, so obviously will his body start degrading given the conditions on the inside of his body.
'Don't worry, Mi Amor, you won't be alone for much longer; as soon as I am out of here, I will be by your side and together we will get through this, you won't have to do this alone, and I will try my best to make up for all the hurt that I have caused you, that I swear to you on my life and on the Hiwatari bloodline.'
Kai keeps his head rested against the pillow and closes his eyes, his mind still on Mya, but now it is on their happier times right before everything came crashing down around them, before he took the coward's way out and ended it all with her.
However, Kai does not get to wander to those memories for long before he is rudely interrupted by a nurse coming into the room, Kai immediately opening his eyes to glare at whoever dares disturb his peace and to his surprise, he is met with that burly nurse that he has been seeing a few times now, and who has also surprisingly been assigned to him.
Bryan can feel Kai's heated glare on him and even though he is somewhat nervous about Kai maybe recognising him, he actually wants Kai to recognise him, but seeing as he is wearing a facial mask and a hairnet, that may be a little bit difficult, but then again, Kai has always been an intelligent bastard.
Bryan silently takes Kai's vitals and records them all while still feeling his glare on him, but he is not going to show any indication that it is getting to him.
"Is there something that I can help you with, Mr Hiwatari?" Bryan asks calmly while checking the IV lines and whether the flow is still the right amount, he not once turning to look at Kai as he continues to speak to him, "If you are hungry, the kitchen is still open, but you will unfortunately only get something light like yoghurt or jelly."
Bryan turns away from the IV lines and walks towards the nurse's table that is positioned beside the door so that he can write down the latest information, all while feeling how Kai's eyes are still on him.
"Shouldn't you be at home already? Don't you work from seven to seven or something?" Kai asks while still keeping his arms crossed in front of his chest as he keeps his sights on this burly man that seems so familiar to him, but he just cannot place him anywhere and that annoys the hell out of him.
He knows this guy from somewhere, but he just cannot seem to place him anywhere, whether it is someone that he has threatened before, fought before or did some business with before, he just cannot remember.
"I am still new here so I would like to make a good impression, and besides, back at home I have an empty fridge and an empty bed, so what use is there in going home then?" and after saying this, Bryan lifts his head and looks Kai directly in the eye, mentor and student once more looking each other in the eye with one of them not even realising it.
Now that he is looking directly into the eyes of this man, Kai knows for certain that their paths have crossed before, but it has definitely been a couple of years back.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Kai blurts out without even thinking about it, this surprising not only him but also Bryan, but both men keep their cools.
Bryan returns back to his writing while allowing a moment of silence to remain between the two of them to show Kai that he is as calm as a cucumber, while on the inside it is a whole other story because he is actually quite excited about the fact that Kai has in inkling about knowing him from somewhere which is what he was hoping for, but he is not about to admit anything; he wants Kai to remember and realise all on his own.
"I don't think so, Mr Hiwatari," Bryan says in a calm manner as he continues with his work, Kai still glaring at him.
Kai says nothing while he keeps his eyes on this burly man, even the voice of him sounding so familiar to him, and Kai already knows that this is going to bother him to no end; he was always good at remembering people that he has come into contact with, but why can he not remember this man?
Bryan finally finishes up with his work and gets ready to leave but not before looking at Kai once more, he now seeing that Kai is looking at him with suspicious eyes and he chuckles on the inside to this, he already knowing that Kai probably wants to remove his own hair from his head due to frustrations from not being to place him anywhere.
"Is there anything else that I can get for you before I go, Mr Hiwatari?"
"I thought you have an empty bed at home, so where are you going?"
Bryan can't help but to laugh lightly to this, "That's true, Mr Hiwatari, but I am not leaving the hospital, just this room; it is late and I would think that you would like to go to sleep seeing as tomorrow morning you have a very special appointment with a certain lady, so I thought you would like to be all rested out for that special appointment," the underlying meaning clear underneath Bryan's words, all coated with innocence and goodwill because deep down he wants to know what Kai truly thinks about Ana.
The scowl on Kai's face immediately disappears with the mention of Mya and he at once turns his face away from this burly man because he does not want this strange man to see the rush of emotions on his face right now.
"You know nothing about me, so don't think that you do," Kai replies in a somewhat harsh manner, but he is unable to prevent the blush from forming on his face.
Bryan smirks to this because he can't believe that he is seeing the all mighty Kai Hiwatari all flushed and embarrassed because of a woman, he also now seeing how Ana could have fallen for Kai because it is clear that she has woken up a side in him that has been dormant all his life, and a side that he only reserved for her, and he is actually curious to see this other side of Kai.
"All I know is that you have been difficult about seeing a certain woman and as we all know, action speaks louder than words and right now, your actions tells me all that I need to know, Mr Hiwatari."
Again Kai glares at him and Bryan just shakes his head while chuckling at Kai, "Well, Mr Hiwatari, if there is nothing that you need, I will be on my way," Bryan nodding his head at the glaring Kai before leaving the room, Kai's still keeping his eyes on him as he makes his way out of the room.
Now that this burly man has brought up Mya, Kai is suddenly feeling even more anxious in seeing Mya and now he cannot wait for tomorrow morning.
'Maybe I should just go to sleep, that way time will for surely pass quicker and then I will get to see Mya much quicker.'
Kai relaxes his entire body and uncrosses his arms and then picks up the remote of the bed so that he can lower his bed for a good night's rest. As he makes himself comfortable and switches off the light by also using the remote, Kai again cannot help but think about where he knows this male nurse from because even his chuckle sounded familiar, although not as sinister as the one it reminds him of, that being Sevastyan, and all of a sudden it is as if a light bulb has gone on within Kai's mind.
'Can it be, can that be Sevastyan?' Kai immediately shakes his head to this because he knows that that will be impossible seeing as Brooklyn had killed both Sevastyan and his brother, so there is no way in hell that guy can be the burly bastard, 'Yeah, that must be why; this guy's body structure is the same as Sevastyan's, so that must be why he seems so familiar to me, that has to be it.'
Kai continues to think about Sevastyan a while longer until his mind and body finally gives over to sleep, Sevastyan being the last person that he thinks about, and for a change it is not Mya.
While Kai is off in dreamland, Bryan is standing beside Ana's bed with sadness on his face once more as he watches how her chest continues to rise and fall with the help of the ventilator and he can't help to think about how Kai will react tomorrow morning when he sees how his precious Mya is in this condition; no doubt Kai would take it badly because no man wants to see the love of his life bed ridden like this and being kept alive by machines.
Bryan leans down and kisses Ana's forehead in a gentle manner and then strokes her hair before straightening up, "Get better, sweetness, because someone special needs you in their life."
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It is a brand new day and Kai is already sitting in bed with his arms crossed in front of his chest and with the mother of all scowls on his face while he waits for Valerie to send someone to take him to Mya's cubicle, his patience already all run out while he continues to wait.
Bryan comes walking in to the room to make the latest recordings and the moment he steps in, his eyes slightly widen when he sees the dark scowl on Kai's face and he already knows what it is about.
"Good morning, Mr Hiwatari, how did you sleep?" Bryan asks as he walks towards the only window to the outside world and opens up the curtains, all while feeling how Kai's eyes follow him.
"When is Valerie sending someone to take me to see my girlfriend?" Kai asks in a darkened manner, he not even bothering with formalities with this burly nurse that he is still convinced about he has met somewhere.
Bryan turns to look at Kai and smiles at him, "I am afraid that will only be a bit later, Mr Hiwatari, seeing as the doctor is busy at the moment with something," and Bryan already knew what Kai's reaction will be when he sees how the mob's boss eyes narrow in a murderous manner, he chuckling inwards when he sees this.
Kai clenches his fists tightly while fighting with everything within him to try and keep control and not imagine each and everyone's death in this ICU, including this burly guy and Valerie's deaths.
"I suggest you inform that DOCTOR that she better make her presence known in the next five minutes or there will be hell to pay," Kai threatens while narrowing his eyes at Bryan, darkness dripping from every word that he speaks.
Had Bryan not known Kai in a previous life, he may have pissed his pants after hearing and seeing this side from Kai, but seeing as the two of them were as thick as thieves, he finds it quite amusing, but seeing as he has to play the dutiful nurse, he has to act like he has been intimated, and so, Bryan swallows in a nervous manner and bows his head before leaving the cubicle so that he can inform Valerie that Kai wants to see his precious Mya.
In less than five minutes, Valerie finally walks in with a porter behind her who is pushing an empty wheelchair for Kai to get in so that he can go and see his precious Mya before he burns down this place while having one of his infamous temper tantrums.
Kai immediately glares at Valerie in hateful manner when she greets him in a cheerful manner, and she immediately shakes it off.
"Did you sleep well, Kai?"
"What took you so long, Valerie? You knew that I wanted to see Mya and yet you decided to waste my time with your nonsense," Kai says in a dark tone of voice, and the poor porter can't help but to feel anxious while being in the presence of this man, wishing that he will get to leave any minute now.
Valerie sighs to this while motioning for the porter to put the wheelchair right beside the bed for Kai to get in, "I'm here, aren't I, so stop your bitching already, Kai; I also have a life out of this unit, and it is still morning. Anyway, I am not going to allow you to get out of the bed on your own, we will help you," and Valerie again receives another heated glare from Kai which she again just shakes off.
She quickly leaves the cubicle and calls for Dmitri, the burly man walking in with a smile on his face, "Seeing as you are such an incredible beef bus, Dmitri, will you please help Mr Hiwatari into the wheelchair?"
"I can do it myself! I don't need anyone's help!" Kai suddenly says loudly while keeping his arms crossed in front of his chest as he hatefully glares at everyone within the room, but no one seems fazed by it, well, except for the poor porter.
"Enough, Kai, you are too weak and it is time you start accepting that; you can't even piss on your own, much less walk, so stop being a brat and let us help you or you will not see Mya at all, is that understood?" it suddenly being clear to everyone that Valerie has lost her patience with Kai, and so, without saying anything else, Kai just huffs and turns his head away from everyone, this being his sign that he accepts her terms but he does not agree with it.
'I can't believe I missed this kid so much,' Bryan thinks to himself in amused manner while he steps towards the bed and waits for Kai to put his arms around his neck so that he can lift him out of the bed and into the wheelchair.
With a lot of reluctance, Kai finally gives in and within a blink of an eye, is he seated in the chair and finally on his way out of the cubicle and towards Mya's cubicle, his heart suddenly starting to hammer within his chest from sheer nervousness because the last time he saw Mya she was just brought back from the dead.
Valerie is walking right behind Kai and the porter, Bryan way at the back because he wants to see how Kai will react when he sees the condition of Ana, he also anxious on Kai's behalf.
Kai finally enters the cubicle and his eyes immediately go straight to Mya on the bed and at once does his entire chest clench when he sees how fragile she really looks, and he suddenly can't seem to breath properly but he is not going to alarm anyone right now, in fear of Valerie who might take him away from Mya before spending even a minute by her side, and so, Kai tries his best to stay calm while he takes in everything of his precious Mya.
The porter stops him right beside Mya and without wasting another second, Kai immediately takes Mya's limp left hand into his while he looks at Mya.
He starts to take in how her chest rises and falls with the aid of the ventilator, how she has tubes in her throat and her mouth, as well as all of the other lines that are surrounding her. Valerie comes to stand on the opposite side of the bed and also looks down at the unconscious Mya, her heart breaking for Kai because of him seeing his lover like this.
"I had to put in her in a medically induced coma, Kai, because it is the only chance for her body to completely pull through after all that she has been through," Valerie says without looking at Kai, she keeping her eyes fixed on Mya as she continues to speak, "She truly has suffered a lot and it is only a miracle that she is here with us, Kai, but she will pull through, of that I am certain because she is a strong woman."
Kai says nothing as he keeps Mya's limp hand tightly in his two hands while he looks at her face, she almost looking like someone who is sleeping but it is also clear that she is not in a good condition.
'Mi Amor,' Kai thinks to himself as he feels how the tears are starting to well up within his eyes, he in so much agony right now and in so much pain right now, that it is almost impossible to think that a single person can feel so many horrifying emotions all at once.
Kai's eyes trail down to her neck and he sees a bandage that is clearly covering other tubes, and he does not recognise these tubes, "What are those?" he asks as he nods with his head towards the bandaged tubes, Valerie also turning her focus to that area.
"It is called a catheter, Kai, and is not like the one that is placed in the urethra; this catheter is used to connect Mya to the dialysis machine."
To this Kai immediately looks at Valerie with a questioning look on his face, "Dialysis? What do you mean dialysis, Val?"
Valerie meets Kai's eyes and she can clearly see how much Kai is hurting right now for Mya, "She has acute renal failure, Kai; due to her open wounds, she got an infection which in turn caused sepsis and due to the sepsis, her kidneys suffered and that is why she is receiving dialysis. She had her first session yesterday and her next session will be tomorrow," Valerie turns her attention back to Mya as she continues to speak, "Her body has been through more than we can comprehend, Kai, and her road to full recovery will be long and it will not be one of the easiest roads, both physically and mentally."
Kai looks at Mya once more and he suddenly feels like everything is closing in on around him because he never would have thought that his precious Mya would have been put through this kind of hell, and now he wishes he could have hurt Boris more, because he now realises that death truly was a too easy way out for Boris; he should have tortured the old bastard for years for what he has done to his precious Mya.
"How...how could this have happened?" Kai asks softly while still keeping a tight hold on Mya's hand, all while a storm is starting to brew within his heart and mind and unfortunately for Valerie, she is about to feel the wrath of this storm.
"The human body is a very complex thing, Kai, but at least we are able to prevent further damage to her other organs, which is a good thing, and we were also fortunate in picking up on this early on, and it is just acute renal failure which means her kidneys will recover, so all will be better in the end."
Kai slowly lifts his eyes towards Valerie and the moment she meets his eyes, she sees that Kai is about to lose it, all of his emotions being reflected within his eyes right now and unfortunately for them all, it is not happy-go-feeling feelings.
"You will fix my Mya or there will be hell to pay, Valerie; I will make sure you never practice ever again, not even in the shitty backwater villages in Africa, is that understood," and there is no mistaking the dark intent within Kai's words, and even Bryan raises an eyebrow to Kai's unfair treatment of Valerie because he truly did not expect Kai to react this way, that was truly uncalled for because it is not Valerie's fault that Mya is in this condition and even Kai has to understand that.
"Excuse me?!" Valerie says and she completely turns to face Kai and she too has at once changed into a darkened demeanour, and Bryan can't help but to suddenly miss his mob days, and all because of the members sometimes attacking each other, whether verbal or physical.
"Did you just threaten me, Kai?"
"Did I stutter, Valerie?"
"You two," Valerie says as she turns towards Bryan and the porter, "get out and close the door behind you."
Bryan nods his head to this and he actually regrets not being able to hear how Kai and Valerie are about to go at each other, but he can understand because she does not want him and the porter to see their mob personalities coming to light right now.
The two men leave the cubicle and as soon as the door closes behind the porter, Valerie again turns to look at Kai, hate radiating from her eyes, "You better think twice in threatening me, Kai, otherwise you may just die of a heart attack, and believe me, I CAN make it happen without anyone suspecting foul play. I will not stand here and let you threaten me just because you feel guilty for putting your EX-GIRLFRIEND in the hospital, and yes, Kai, it is YOUR fault that Mya is in the hospital. Boris may have tortured her, but you left her, threw her aside like yesterday's trash and now all of sudden you want to play the role of the concerned boyfriend, and now you want to blame everyone else and want to threaten everyone all so you can feel better about yourself. You're pathetic."
Kai feels how the rage is flowing through his veins, "Watch your mouth, Valerie; remember who is your boss and who has the power to make both you and your Inessa disappear without a trace."
"And remember who has the medical knowledge to take your precious Mya away from you, Kai, and make it look like her body completely gave in."
"Are you threatening me, Valerie?"
"Not more than you are threatening me, Kai; an eye for an eye, isn't that how the saying goes? You threaten me and I do exactly the same to you, but it's not so much fun when you get threatened back, is it?"
The tension is suddenly so thick within the room that one can cut it with a blade as these two mob members continue to stare each other down, neither one of them wanting to back down right now.
Valerie understands why Kai is acting out like this right now; if she hadn't known Kai all these years she would have thought that he was just a spoilt brat, but Kai is hurting right now and unfortunately for Kai, he has never had a grip on his emotions and always tend to lash out, he always diverting his emotions into rage and right now that is exactly the case.
Kai is not angry at her and he does not even mean his threats, but Valerie can't just sit back and allow Kai to lash out like this; sooner or later Kai will have to get a grip on his emotions and stop directing them into rage, for the sake of not only him but also for Mya and for all those that care for him, because God forbid, there may come a day where Kai will push someone too far and he will end up getting killed by one of his own, something she never wants to see happen, so she may as well start right now in helping Kai get a grip on his emotions right now, and sometimes being the lesser person in a conflict can help diffuse it, which is exactly what she is going to be right now.
Valerie takes a deep breath while having her eyes closed, her entire body still faced towards Kai who is still clutching Mya's hand tightly, even tighter than now seeing as the business mogul is currently seething on the inside.
"Look, Kai," Valerie opens up her eyes and looks down at Kai, all of her rage at once gone after calming herself down and now she is ready to talk to Kai in a calm manner and as a friend, "I know you are hurting, and I cannot even begin to imagine what you must go through right now and how difficult this must be for you seeing Mya like this, but threatening each other is not going to change the situation. I swear to you on my life and on the Hiwatari bloodline that I will do everything in my power to save Mya, I give you my word, Kai, but then you will have to remain calm and not expect a miracle to happen within a blink of any eye. Everyone here is doing all that they can in order to ensure Mya gets the best medical care, but if you are going to continue to be difficult, it will also be difficult for us."
Kai turns away from Valerie and his rage too has dissipated, and he turns his attention back on to his unconscious Mya, his entire being softening upon seeing her unconscious face once more and yes, he will admit that he was just very unfair towards Valerie, but he is just hurting so much on the inside, and he is to blame for all of this. Were he not such a coward and just told Mya about his health problems, she never would have been kidnapped by Boris and she never would have been tortured and then she never would have been in this hospital bed, and he has no idea how he is going to make it up to her.
"I don't want to lose her, Val; there is still so much that we have to do together, that I have to do for her and one of those things are apologising to her because it is my fault that Boris got a hold of her," Kai speaking in an almost whisper, but Valerie is able to hear every word, "I can't lose her, Val, because without her by my side, my life just does not make any sense. I want to have her by my side until I draw my last breath," this last statement breaking Valerie's heart even more because hearing Kai speak like this just shows how much pain he is currently harbouring within his heart.
Valerie walks around the bed and comes to stand right beside Kai and places a gentle hand on his shoulder while he looks down at Mya, he not even lifting his head up to look at Valerie, "She will walk out of here, Kai, that is promise, and then you two can spend as much time together as you want, more than you were already spending together, and you can then show her how much you love her and how much you regret putting her in this position."
'Yeah, but who says that Mya wants to be with me? As far as I am concerned, she would wish that I was dead, or better yet, she will finally find it in her heart to finally kill me off for good, and not just for what I had put her through, but also for murdering her family all those years ago. Who knows what is going to happen when she wakes up?' Kai thinks but he does not voice his thoughts.
"Kai, if you don't mind, I think you should get back to bed; you yourself are still weak and if you want to fight for Mya, you will have to gather all of your strength and that will only happen when you allow your body enough rest."
"Five more minutes...please," Kai says in a soft and defeated manner while still not looking up at Valerie, she agreeing to his request.
"Only five minutes, okay, but then it is off to bed, okay?"
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It is already late afternoon, visiting time in the ICU having come to an end about 15 minutes ago and deep down Kai was very happy to see Tala, Alisia and Ray, because he needed their support more than anything and he still does, but as he is sitting here in his hospital bed, he can feel that his mental state has improved somewhat, and that after spending some time with his three best friends.
He actually wishes that they could have stayed longer because the moment Kai is alone, his mind starts to drift back to Mya and to her lying in that bed while a machine breathes for her, and he is riddled with guilt because it is all of his fault that Boris caught her. Did he not break up with her and pulled back her protection, Boris never would have caught her and he never would have tortured her the way he did, and to add insult to injury, he completely broke her heart before Boris got a hold of her.
Kai drops his head back against his pillow in a tired manner and sighs deeply as he starts to look up at the ceiling, he already frustrated with being in this hospital bed; he would much rather stay beside Mya's bedside and watch every rise and fall of her chest while holding her hand tightly within his, but due to his own traitorous body, he is confined to this bed, he not even able to walk on his own, and if THAT is not the worst thing, it gets even worse seeing as he has a catheter in his dick which is a HUGE blow to his pride.
'I hope you are burning in the deepest parts of hell, Boris,' Kai thinks to himself in a scowling manner as he continues to look up at the ceiling.
At least Ray managed to sneak him a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, so hopefully when that brute nurse comes in here, he can demand him to take him to the roof so that he can at least have one pleasure in this godforsaken place.
To Kai's fortune, Bryan comes walking into the cubicle and he just nods his head at Kai when Kai looks at him with no expression on his face. Not paying much attention to Kai, Bryan goes to work in writing down Kai's vitals and the other readings, and also what he is observing of the patient, it seeming to Bryan that Kai is more than ready to get out of this place, not that he can blame him though.
He still remembers how much Kai use to hate hospitals and it seems that Kai still loathes a hospital, and now he is literally being forced to stay bedridden in the one place that he loathes more than anything in this world.
Kai keeps his eyes on Dmitri, he still certain that they have met before, but just like before, his mind continues to draw a blank whenever he tries to think where; all Kai knows is that this burly man reminds him a lot of Sevastyan.
Kai crosses his arms in front of his chest while keeping his eyes on Dmitri, he now having a strong desire to smoke.
"I would like to go the roof," Kai says in a demanding tone of voice while he looks at Dmitri with a hard expression on his face to show that it is not up for debate.
Bryan raises an eyebrow at this and looks at Kai with a surprising look on his face, "Okay? I will call for a porter to come and fetch you, Mr Hiwatari, but I should warn you that it is freezing outside and in your condition, it would be best to stay indoors."
Kai narrows his eyes at Dmitri and glares at this burly nurse, "I don't give a shit, and a porter will not take me to the roof, you will, and that is an order, DMITRI."
Bryan smirks inwards because of how demanding and intimidating Kai can still be even if he is in a hospital bed which again shows why Voltaire always was beyond proud of his grandson.
"With all due respect, Mr Hiwatari, you are my patient and your health comes first, and unfortunately for you, the outside elements will only be bad for you," and Bryan has to try and control himself and stop himself from chuckling when he hears how Kai growls inwards, the mob boss clenching his fists while a hateful expression comes over his face.
"Listen and listen good, you good-for-nothing male nurse, I am Kai Hiwatari and I demand you take me to the roof, otherwise you will never ever work again, you won't even be able to scrub a toilet when I am through with you, is that understood?"
Bryan wants to burst with pride right now because man, did he miss this kid, and just like he has threatened Valerie with ending her, Kai seems adamant on ending everyone's careers today. However, Bryan cannot show his pride and he has to pretend to feel intimidated by Kai's threat and so, he puts on a scared expression.
"I...my apologies, Mr Hiwatari," Bryan says in a stuttering manner and he even bows to Kai, "I will obtain a wheelchair at once and then help you dress warmly for the outside weather, and then I will personally take you to the roof."
"Hn," is Kai's only reply to that and he watches how Dmitri hurries out of the cubicle, Kai smirking to himself while he starts to get high from the rush of power that is currently coursing through his body.
'I seriously need to get out of here so that I can take my rightful place back at the top of the food chain. I have seriously missed threatening and intimidating people, and man, does it feel good!'
It does not take long for Bryan to return with a wheelchair and he quickly helps Kai put on a thick woollen trench coat that Alisia had brought him and within minutes is Kai ready to go to the roof, Kai just glaring at everyone within in the ICU that they pass as he gets pushed out, the packet of cigarettes and lighter within the pockets of his coat.
Kai can't help but to glance longingly at Mya's cubicle, his heart clenching from pain and sadness because of what his precious Mya has to go through, and he makes a mental note to come and see her when he gets back from the roof, even if it is only for five minutes or so.
Bryan sees how Kai looks at Ana's cubicle, he feeling sorry for Kai for seeing his lover like this, there no doubt that Kai loves her more than anything and yes, it does pain him but Kai's happiness is his happiness, however difficult that may be to comprehend.
No one has quarrels with Kai leaving the ICU because everyone knows about Kai's temper and threats by now, so they all know that it is for the best to just stay out of his way and do as he demands, no questions asked.
In no time do they reach the roof, the two immediately met with an icy air, but at least the wind is not blowing. Kai demands Bryan to move him to the edge so that he can overlook the city, Bryan doing so and after placing Kai where he wants to, he steps a few feet away and also looks out of the city, the skyscrapers of Moscow being in the distance.
No words are shared between the two men and Kai proceeds to put a cigarette in between his lips and the moment he lights it, he takes a very deep drag, as deep as possible and he literally shudders from sheer pleasure when he blows the smoke up into the air after blowing it out, he feeling how every nerve ending within his body rejoices after getting their first hit of nicotine after being without it for so long.
Bryan smells the smoke and even though Kai is not allowed to smoke, he dares anyone to tell that to Kai right now, and he sure as hell is not going to tell Kai what to do right now.
Kai is already on his third cigarette and neither of the two has spoken a word to each other, both of them lost in their own thoughts. For the last five minutes, Kai has been thinking of Sevastyan while looking at Dmitri, he playing with the idea of 'what if Sevastyan survived', and so far it does not seem farfetched seeing as Sevastyan always was a hard ass to kill, so what if Brooklyn did not succeed in killing Sevastyan, what if he did manage to survive the attack?
Kai throws the bud of the cigarette over the edge of the building and keeps his eyes on Dmitri, the burly nurse having his arms crossed in front of his chest while he silently continues to look out over the view in front of hm.
Kai takes a deep breath because he is going to take a chance, just to prove that Sevastyan did die in the attack of Brooklyn; however, if he did not die and this is Sevastyan...then what?
"Sevastyan?" Kai half asks and half demands while keeping his eyes on Dmitri's body so that he can look for any type of reaction, but he sees nothing, that is...until he hears a chuckling, a dark and sadistic chuckle that he has heard so many times while he was under Sevastyan's mentorship and that he has not heard for so many years now.
Bryan can't believe that Kai has finally put all the puzzle pieces together, and he is not going to deny who he really is, he still not looking at Kai as he chuckles in the manner that he was known for, "I was wondering how long it will take for you to recognise me, kiddo," and then he finally turns to face Kai, the mob boss's eyes wide and his jaw dropped from sheer shock, this causing Bryan to smirk broadly.
Now that this nurse is facing him, Kai can clearly see that it really is Sevastyan standing in front of him right now; sure, his colour is different and even his face looks different but there is no doubt that this is really Sevastyan, that he is truly alive and standing here in front of him.
"You...you're alive?" Kai asks in a shocked tone of voice, he suddenly not able to speak like a normal human being due to shock of seeing Sevastyan, to see him alive and well after he thought he was dead and after he had mourned him for so long.
"Yeah, alive and well, kiddo, no thanks to BROOKLYN," and Bryan says that name with disgust and he scowls for a few seconds before returning back to his previous relaxed facial expression and turns to completely face Kai, the business mogul still looking like he has seen a ghost, which technically, he is seeing right now.
"B...but how?" Kai asks, he now resembling some intimidated school boy, his facial expression accompanying his tone of voice.
Bryan sighs to this because even now, he still does not know how he survived that attack, he still feeling like it was completely unfair that he survived and his brother died, "I wish I could tell you how it happened, kid, but I honestly do not know, and Brooklyn had shot me in the chest which should have killed me, but for some reason, I managed to survive. Zory unfortunately did not make it, which seems unfair seeing as he was always the better out of the two of us and he deserved to live, not me and not after all of the horrendous things I have done."
Kai still cannot believe that this is happening, that he is actually talking to Sevastyan right now, 'Wait, maybe I am in some type of coma or something, maybe this is playing in my mind right now and I am still lying at that abbey, waiting for someone to come and find me.'
As if reading Kai's mind, Bryan assures Kai that this is no dream, that this is real and that this is happening, "I am really alive, kiddo, I promise you," Bryan says as he walks towards Kai and kneels right in front of him, Kai still looking at him with wide eyes, the shock still evident within those brown of his.
"I...I can't believe this is...really happening," Kai says softly while he slowly raises his right hand, he wanting to touch Sevastyan but he is afraid that if he does, this dream or illusion or whatever it is will shatter, and then it all would have been a lie his mind has concocted somehow.
Bryan sees the hesitation in Kai, he taking it upon himself to take Kai's hand and placing it against his own cheek, Kai only gasping to this when he touches flesh, and without saying anything else, Kai immediately grabs Bryan's uniform and pulls him into an embrace, Bryan immediately returning it because he realises that the two of them has needed this, for so many different reasons.
"It really is you," Kai whispers softly and he suddenly sounds very broken, he feeling how the tears are welling up within his eyes because Sevatsyan is alive, his mentor and brother is alive, and this is the last thing that Kai needed to break that wall around his heart and just like that, he starts to sob, he sobbing for so many reasons right now.
For some time now Kai has pushed down his own hurt, all the hurt that has accumulated from his ailing health, from his broken heart from Mya, from what has happened to her, from her that is lying helpless in that hospital bed and from his own condition after the fight with Boris, and now his heart has decided that it can no longer suppress all of those hurtful feelings, Sevastyan now acting as the force that has breached the wall and now everything is flowing out of him, Kai not even caring about his damned pride right now.
Bryan both feels and hears Kai's sobbing, he continuing to hold Kai in his arms because it is clear that Kai needs this given all that has happened to him up until now, and were he in Kai's shoes, he most likely also would have broken down like this.
A few minutes passes before Kai finally manages to compose himself and he finally pulls away from Sevastyan, his eyes red and puffy from all of the crying, his cheeks also reddened from the acidity of his tears, he continuing to look Sevastyan in the eye and there is no doubt in his mind that this truly is Sevastyan, his brother that he has mourned for so long.
"I never ordered the hit on you and your brother, Sevastyan, I swear to you on my grandfather's life," Kai says softly while still sounding broken.
He wants Sevastyan to know that he never betrayed him, that it was all Brooklyn's doing because he could never betray Sevastyan because they were brothers.
"I know, kiddo, don't worry about it; Brooklyn always was full of shit and he also was a jealous little shit, so I know that he had orchestrated everything, just too bad I had realised it too late," Bryan unable to hide the bitterness within his voice because he is still pissed at Brooklyn for taking away his brother in that manner.
"I made him pay for what he has done to you and Zory, Sevastyan. I removed his head from his body because he had betrayed us all, and hopefully he is rotting in hell right now for all that he has done."
"You did good, kiddo," Bryan says and then gets up and looks down at Kai, he now also in a state of shock because Kai and he are finally talking after all of this years, and even after he had trained Ana to kill him; there sure has happened a lot of things since he last saw Kai as his old self which was so many years ago now, he not even sure how long ago it is now.
"Why didn't you come back, Sevastyan, why did you not return to me when you had fully recovered?" and there is no denying the pain within Kai's voice, there almost a longing in his voice.
Bryan sighs to this and turns away from Kai to look out at the skyscrapers in front of them once more, "Kai, the truth is, Brooklyn did kill me that day, he did kill Sevastyan, and he will never rise up from the dead ever again; there will be no resurrection of Sevastyan. When I had recovered and found out that my brother did not survive, I had decided to use this second chance at life for good, because I owed it to Zory and that is why I decided that I was done with the mob world."
Bryan crosses his arms in front of his chest and continues on with his tale, "I took on my old identity, the one I had before your grandfather took me in, and since then I was known as Bryan Kuznetsov, my real name, and I really tried to live a peaceful life which I did and to my great shock and surprise, I actually enjoyed living a peaceful life in the shadows, away from all of the violence and death, and I knew that I will never be able to go back to my life of crime and in all honesty, it did not bother me, kiddo, because that just was not me anymore. I had bought myself a bar on the outskirts of the city and I have been a successful bar owner ever since."
Bryan turns quiet once more all while still looking out in front of him, he wanting to give Kai a chance to process all that he has just told him because it was quite a lot to take in.
Kai can't believe that all this time Sevastyan was alive, and he was in the exact same city as he was, and that Sevastyan never came to inform him of his wellbeing, but he can understand why Sevastyan did it. Hell, there were days where even he wanted a peaceful life away from crime and were he given a chance to walk away from it, he would have, but only if Mya were by his side, because ever since she had come into his life, he has been wanting a peaceful life away from all of the blood and violence, so he gets why Sevastyan walked away from it all.
Death and love has a funny way of changing a man.
Kai does not say anything and Bryan takes it upon himself to divulge more details about his new life and so, while still looking out in front of him with his arms still crossed in front of his chest, he continues with his story, "I even managed to fall in love with a one of a kind woman, kiddo, a woman that had taught me so much about life and that had made me actually want to thank Brooklyn for betraying me like that because if he did not, I never would have met my sweetness, and I never would have learned about love and all that it had to offer," Bryan unable to stop the small smile from forming on his lips but Kai does not see it.
Kai can again relate to this because he has also learned a lot of about love and life when Mya came into his life, he not regretting one second of it, and Kai is actually happy for Sevastyan that he had managed to meet a woman, because every man in this life deserves to love a woman with his whole heart and to feel loved back by that woman, so he is truly happy that Sevastyan has managed to feel that love that he too has felt and experienced with Mya.
"We may have broken up but it was not an ugly breakup and we still love each other very much; it is just that she had a goal to accomplish and she could not do it while we were together in a relationship, but who knows, maybe in the future we will be together again."
Kai suddenly feels saddened for Sevastyan because of his lost love and he can clearly hear the longing within Sevastyan's voice, and he hopes that this woman gets to accomplish whatever she has to so that she can get back to Sevastyan.
This may no longer be the Sevastyan that has trained him, but Kai feels relaxed and somewhat content in this new Sevastyan's presence, or should he say, 'Bryan', and now he can see that Sevastyan had changed for the better, and he is glad for him, both happy and glad for him because even though he may have been a dark, sadistic maniac, even he deserved true happiness, and it seems that he has received it.
Bryan finally turns to face Kai once more, he smiling while he looks down at Kai, "And I take it that you too have found a woman to love, kiddo, and if I am not mistaken, it is that black haired woman back in ICU?"
Kai looks away from Sevastyan and nods his head, his heart suddenly clenching with both hurt and guilt once more because he had treated Mya like dirt the last night he saw her, that not sounding like something a man should do to the woman that he supposedly loves.
"Mya Azarov, Mi Amor as I call her and she is my everything, Sevastyan, and it pains me to see her in that hospital bed because it is all my fault."
Bryan tilts his head to the side after hearing this because how can it be Kai's fault that Boris got a hold of Mya? That is just the bastard that he is, and thankfully the old bastard is dead, so he cannot understand Kai's guilt.
"Kai, it is not your fault that she is in here; we know how it works in the crime world, and unfortunately our enemies will always try to use our loved ones against us, and you could not stop yourself from falling in love with her; the heart wants what it wants, kiddo."
And now Kai feels even worse because he had chased Mya out of his manor like a lowly dog, and that is no way to treat your woman. Kai lowers his head and scrunches his eyes because he has to be honest with Sevastyan, he has to get this off of his chest, "It is my fault, Sevastyan. That night, the night Boris got a hold of her, I had treated her so badly before, I had broken up with her and told her that she has two hours to get her stuff out of place, and I was so rude and cold while I did that, knowing that I was shattering her heart into a million pieces and I did nothing to make it better for her. She got caught while having a broken heart, Sevastyan," Kai again looking up and meeting Sevastyan's eyes while he feels how his eyes start to tear up once more because now that he has said out loud what he has done to Mya, it sounds completely heartless and so, so wrong.
Bryan can't help but to frown at this because he had no idea that Kai had left Ana and that he actually chased her out of his home, he suddenly confused about what is going on because he was under the impression that Kai and Ana were so in love, and even now, after witnessing Kai's reaction to Ana's unconscious state, Bryan cannot understand why Kai had broken up with her.
"Why did you break up with her, Kai? It is clear that you love that woman, so why did you do it?"
Kai again looks away and he now also look out at the skyscrapers in front of him, he thinking on whether he should tell Sevastyan about his ailing health or not, and that he broken up with Mya because he wanted her to hate him so that she did not have to mourn his death when he was no longer around.
"I did it to protect her," Kai says softly while he keeps his face turned towards the skyscrapers, he deciding to tell Sevastyan the same lie that he told others, about protecting her against Boris, "I thought that if I broke up with her, that she would be safe and out of harm's way from my enemies because someone was threatening her life, and I thought that it would be for the best. I did it all to protect her, Sevastyan, I had to sacrifice our love and our relationship for the greater good, but just look how that had turned out in the end, because they still got her and they still tortured her," Kai lowering his head while he says this in a defeated manner because he still cannot stomach seeing Mya in that hospital bed, being broken and defenceless, and it is all because of him.
Bryan can hear the pain in Kai's voice and he can completely understand why Kai did what he did; any man in his position probably would have done the same, heck, even he would have done that in order to protect Ana. Just too bad that he was a little too late, not that it would have made any difference; the fact that Ana had meant something to Kai was already enough reason to hurt her, no matter if Kai broke up with her or not.
"It was not your fault, kiddo, so stop blaming yourself; that is just the risk everyone runs within the crime world. Loved ones have always been used as weapons and that is not going to stop anytime soon, so what happened to you was just part of the game. Yes, it hurts like hell and if I were in your shoes, I probably would have done the same thing, but you have to stop blaming yourself about something that was out of your control. In the crime world the loss of a loved one will always be there, but what makes it different for each and every person is how you handle it, and do you know what you are going to do the moment Mya wakes up?"
Kai looks at Sevatsyan and shakes his head from side to side, he listening to every word that Sevastyan is saying and taking it all in.
"You are going to prove to that woman that you still love her, and that you will always love her, and you will do everything in your power to make it up to her and to show her that you are sorry for what you had put her through, and you will tell her the truth of why you broke up with her in the first place, got it?" and yes, even if it pains Bryan telling Kai to fight for his precious Ana, he can see how broken Kai is over what has happened to her and he wants Kai to be happy.
The only question remains, how will Ana react towards Kai when she wakes up seeing as the last thing that Kai did to her was break her heart? Knowing Ana, she is not going to be forgiving towards Kai, so they will just have to wait and see what will happen with Ana and Kai. Maybe Ana will send Kai to hell and leave the mob life all together, and yes, deep down he would like that to happen, but just seeing Kai's broken form about it, makes him want to help the two of them, he wants to help Ana forgive Kai, even if it means he will lose her for good.
'Looks like I too will have to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good,' Bryan thinks to himself while he looks into Kai's saddened eyes, it pulling hard on his heart strings.
Kai nods his head to this, he feeling somewhat better knowing that at least Sevastyan understands his situation, because he never wanted to hurt Mya, but after talking to Sevastyan and hearing him say that he will have to do everything in his power to make it up to Mya makes him want to do it, and he will really do everything that he can to make it up to Mya. He will give his all to show her how sorry he is; unfortunately that does not include telling her the truth about his health, not yet anyway, and yes, she will mourn him when he is no longer there, but he is still not going to tell her about his health because that will hurt her even more than he has already hurt her.
Kai has no doubt in his mind that Mya is most likely going to send him straight to hell when she sees him again, but he is going to stick this out and show her that he still loves her, and that he has never stopped loving her and that he will never stop loving her.
"I will fight for her, Sevastyan, I promise."
Bryan smirks to this and nods his head, "Good to hear that, kiddo, now come on, let's get you back inside before Valerie yells at both of us and threatens to castrate us and give our balls to us as a Christmas present."
Kai snorts at this and only mutters 'women with their PMS', both men chuckling to this.
Bryan starts to push Kai back inside through the door and when they walk into the elevator, Kai can't help but to ask something that has been bugging him the entire time now, about why Sevastyan is here at the hospital.
"I am here because of you, Kai, I had thought that it was time to make my existence known to you," 'and I am also here for Ana,' but he does not say the last part.
"You were the one who found me in the stoned hallway back at Boris's abbey, weren't' you?"
Bryan chuckles to this but he does not deny anything, "I am surprised that you remembered anything, kiddo."
"It feels more like a dream to me than anything else, but yeah, I am glad that you are back, Sevastyan."
"Me too, kiddo. Do you want me to take you to Mya when we get back?"
Kai says nothing and just nods his head silently to this, he still not able to fully believe that after all of these years, Sevastyan is back, and it sure feels good to have talked to him , just like the good old days, and even though Sevastyan is done with the criminal life, Kai is going to make a point of it to spend enough time with Sevastyan before his life comes to an end, and he is already looking forward to it, almost as much as he is looking forward to shower Mya with endless amounts of love and devotion.
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Kai still cannot believe that Mya has suffered so much that her body literally has to get outside help just in order to stay alive and keep functioning like a normal human body.
It is times like these that he wishes he could have switched places with her because he gladly would have taken all of her injuries and would have added it to his own, just to make up for all that he has done to her and all that he has put her through.
Kai is currently sitting next to Mya's bed while holding her cast right hand in both his hands while the nurse connects Mya to the dialysis machine, each step breaking Kai's heart even more and more because while Mya is still in her medically induced coma, she has no idea that another machine is helping her to stay alive, and again Kai can't help but think to himself that she does not deserve this, that she had never deserved what both Boris and he did to her.
Boris may have hurt her physically, but he has hurt her emotionally and mentally which is just as painful as her physical wounds.
"Alright, Mr Hiwatari, we are ready to begin Ms Azarov's dialysis, and I promise you that she won't feel a thing."
Kai says nothing and also gives no other indication that he has heard her as he keeps his face on Mya's sleeping face, her lips slightly parted due to the mouth piece of the ventilator that is in her mouth, her chest still rising and falling with each artificial breath that she receives from the machine.
Kai looks down at the catheter on Mya's body and he sees how the blood starts to move into the tube that will take it to the artificial kidney, his eyes following the entire path of the blood until it flows back into her body through the second tube, the venous tube as Valerie had explained to him.
This will be Mya's second dialysis session and according to Valerie, it seems Mya will have a few more because there is no improvement after the first session and she doubts that there will be an improvement after the second session, but Valerie has assured him that acute renal failure is the one that they would prefer she has as to the chronic one, seeing as acute always recovers, whereas chronic does not. Valerie has assured Kai that Mya will recover from this acute renal failure, just as she will recover from all of her other injuries.
Kai will also be moved from ICU tomorrow midday and then be moved to a regular ward, much to his dismay because that means he will not be able to stay by Mya's side as much as he wants to seeing as there are rules and regulations that he has to follow, and even though this hospital belongs to him, Kai knows that he still has to abide by the rules. At least Mya's other injuries seem to improve somewhat, but she is still too weak and she still has to remain in this medically induced coma.
Bryan is standing by the door of Ana's cubicle and keeps his eyes on both Kai and Ana, his heart breaking for seeing Kai so defeated over Ana receiving dialysis, because he knows without a doubt that this has to be a blow to Kai to know that the kidneys of his lover has also stopped working, and that along with her other injuries; no man wants to hear that about the woman that he loves, and Bryan is not certain how much more Kai will be able to take because even as he stands here and looks over at Kai, he can see that the mob boss does not look as healthy as he use to, and Bryan can't help but wonder whether Kai has some kind of underlying illness that he has not told anyone about or whether he is only this worn out because of what has happened to Ana.
With a last glance at the two lovers, Bryan turns around to get back to his duties; he may still be only here for Ana's sake, but he still has some obligations to do if he wants to continue to remain here for Ana's sake.
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It has already been two weeks since Mya has been placed in a medically induced coma, and in that time Kai has been discharged and has returned back to work, not because he wanted to, but because he needed to because if he didn't start to get busy, his mind would have constantly stayed with Mya and he would have driven himself insane with worry and how she is doing. At least Mya has stopped receiving dialysis because her kidneys have finally started to work again, much to the relief of everyone, which is actually also funny because as Mya's health is improving, his health is deteriorating, much to his dismay.
Kai is losing more and more of his balance every day, not to mention his eye sight that is also starting to become problematic and as if that is not enough, he also has a ton of other shit going on in his body and it is becoming more and more difficult in hiding his deteriorating health from everyone close to him; Tala, Sevastyan, Alisia, Ray, Vera, they all have already picked up on something being wrong with him and they all have questioned him about it, but as always, Kai closes up if he is questioned about it.
He does not want their pity and that is exactly what they would feel towards him, and he would rather blow his own brains out before he has to face that pitiful look on their faces.
Kai is currently sitting behind his desk with his reading glasses on and reading the business section of the news paper; it is not like he does not have a lot of work which he does seeing as he was out of action for quite some time, but he honestly cannot bring himself so far as to do any of it now. Yes, he did come to work to get his mind busy but he does not feel like that right now.
Kai places the newspaper down and reaches for his box of cigarettes and removes one and just as he is about to light it, his phone rings. He glances over at it and sees Valentin's number, and a sudden wave of cold comes rushing over his entire body and all sorts of stuff start to rush through his mind at the speed of light, he suddenly afraid to pick up the phone because of what if it is bad news about Mya?
'Get a grip; Mya is improving, so it is most likely good news, but I would not know if I do not answer.'
Kai releases a breath he did not even know he was holding and finally answers the phone, "Is something wrong, Valentin?" Kai asks immediately, he not even bothering with the greeting formalities.
"Good morning to you too, Kai, my boy, and yes, I am doing fine, how about you?"
Kai can't help but to roll his eyes at Valentin's sarcasm but he did walk into that one, but he shrugs it off, "Yes, yes, whatever, Valentin; why are you calling, did something happen to Mya?" and the concern is very evident in Kai voice as he gets up from his chair and removes his glasses in the process so that he can go and stand in front of his favourite window.
Valentin chuckles on the other end of the line, Kai not seeing the joke but he says nothing else as he waits for Valentin to say why he had called; at least if the old man is laughing, it can't be something serious and this immediately relaxes Kai, but he will not completely relax until he has heard what is going on.
"Relax, my boy, I am calling with some good news," Kai taking a deep, silent breath the moment he hears this and he stays absolutely quiet to let Valentin continue to talk, "I am bringing Mya out of her coma today, Kai, because she is finally strong enough to do everything on her own."
Kai has heard what Valentin has said but it is suddenly as if he has lost touch with reality, like he is in some kind of bubble.
'She is okay, my Mya is okay,' he thinks to himself while he continues to hold the phone against his ear, he not hearing the rest of what Valentin is saying because his mind has stopped at the point of Mya finally being strong enough to be brought out of her coma.
"Kai? Kai, can you hear me? Are you okay? Kai?!"
Kai is suddenly brought out of his thought when he hears Valentin call him in an almost panicked tone of voice, "I'm here, Valentin," he says in a soft tone of voice, Kai still in somewhat of a shock out of sheer relief about Mya finally coming out of her coma.
"You had me worried there for a while, Kai, but yes, like I was saying, we have stopped administering the medicine about five minutes ago so it will be some time before she comes to, but if you want to, I have arranged for you to be by her bedside in case you want to be there when she wakes up? Are you up for it, Kai?"
And just like that, Kai turns into a nervous wreck with the thought of being there when Mya wakes up, because the last time they had seen each other was when he broke her heart and treated her like shit, so who knows what will happen when she wakes up and sees him next to her bed?
Would she be angry or would she still be so drugged up that she would be happy to see him and immediately reach out for his hand for his support? Kai is hoping for the latter, but this is real life and he doubts that he would be that lucky, which makes him even more nervous because Mya is not going to be happy to see him when she wakes up.
But still, he wants to be there, he wants to hold her hand when she wakes up, no matter what will await him once she gathers her bearings.
"I appreciate it, Valentin, I will be there as soon as I can be; thanks for letting me know, Valentin, I really do appreciate it."
"Anytime, my boy; well then, I will see you later, okay?"
"See you later, Valentin," and then Kai hangs up, his arms dropping limply to the side of his body while he looks out at the covered sky in front of him and sighs in a tired manner because he is still as nervous as hell about what might happen when Mya wakes up and sees him next to her bedside.
'Would she remember what happened between us the last night we spoke to each other? Dear God, I hope not; hopefully she would be so traumatized that she would be so happy to see me,' and just then Kai realises his mistake and shakes his head while he groans to himself, "How can I wish you to be traumatized, Mi Amor? Sorry for that."
And now that Kai thinks about it, he wonders whether she will freak out for different reasons because who knows what the last thing was that Mya saw before she lost consciousness, and who knows what must have gone through her mind while she was slipping into the blackness? Boris really did a number on her, and it is as Valerie had said, the physical scars may heal but who knows how long it will be for the mental scars to heal. No doubt that Mya would be different when she wakes up, but just how much different?
Kai finally turns away from the window and tosses his phone on to the desk as he reaches for the call button to call Vera so that she can inform the pilot that he wants to leave in 20 minutes.
"Yes, Mr Hiwatari?"
"Please inform the pilot that he should be ready to leave in 20 minutes, Vera; we will be heading to HMC."
"Of course, Mr Hiwatari; shall I move your other appointments to tomorrow?"
Kai silently groans to himself because he actually forgot about his appointments; they are not a lot, but it was with important people, "If you do not mind, Vera, tell them that I had a medical emergency and I will only be reachable tomorrow, so move them to tomorrow if you can."
"Very well, Mr Hiwatari."
Kai takes a seat in his chair once more and goes back to lighting his cigarette, he taking a deep drag while his mind again drifts back to Mya and what is going to happen when she wakes up.
"Please don't push me away, Mya, I beg of you."
How did you all like the meeting between Kai and Bryan? These two were always destined to meet each other again and it finally happened, and who is happy about it? And what do you think will Mya's reaction be when she sees Kai after he broke her heart?
These four parts of chapter 41 will be slow and somewhat emotional seeing as all of the action is over, hence why it is titled 'healing' due to various reasons, not just the healing of physical injuries, and there is going to be a roller coaster of emotions coming. Chapter 42 [84] all plots will be ended and you will finally get the answers as to why Kai had killed the Grekov family.
Anyway, as always, reviews and opinions are welcome and I apologise for making you wait a while for the next update but I am finally up to date once more, so hopefully no more updates will be skipped.
The next update will be on the 28th and I originally wanted to post this chapter only on monday but seeing as I already skipped one update, I did not want to make you wait any longer.
Take care you guys and many cyber hugs to everyone!
