I for starters- I laughed and got a real kick out of everyone's comments about Niko being a dad. Legit would break out in random laughter at the house and everyone would look at me like I was crazy. I mean- maybe I am, who knows. LOL But some of what is going on with Kate comes from personal experience. And I think a lot of people can relate to the near miss or joy that comes with wanting kids.
On a serious note- This chapter shifts between heavy and not. I think I did an alright job moving the story along.
But talks of losing a loved one is never easy, and I hope I did a good enough job portraying it.
Enjoy! And Happy Friday Everyone!
aaaaaa
Kate jolted upright in the bed as her consciousness slammed back into her body. Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar space before realizing she was still in the hospital room Niko brought her to… Except it was dark. Save for the small pot lights glowing on the far wall by the television. The blinds were drawn shut and the heater hummed as it pumped warm air into the space.
The couch sat empty, and it worried her. Where was Niko?
She felt an extreme itch light up the length of her arm and she glanced down to scratch it. That's when she noticed she was in a hospital gown and her arm was bandaged from her shoulder down to her wrist. The snaps were undone over her shoulder to allow for more bandages to cover parts of her chest. Her eyebrows scrunched down in confusion at the sight of it. Last she could remember she only had the soreness to her throat and neck.
Deftly she trailed her fingers over the bandage, seeing the IV tapped to her other arm. 'Just what happened…?'
Flashes of fighting off the man and his cold, lifeless stare flashed before her eyes and she flinched at the memories, her hand immediately seeking out her throat to feel for the lines and bruises she knew would be there. The tightening of the IV cords on her skin sent a chill over her body and she pulled the thin covers up her legs to try and stave off the cold.
Her fingers felt around the edge of the bed for the attached remote to be able to call the nurse. Someone. Anyone. Why was she completely alone in the hospital room?
Her fear, all encompassing, was growing stronger the longer she could hear her ragged breathing. Her arm was throbbing something fierce and the yearning to yank off the soft gauze and scratch the skin till it bled was getting hard to suppress. Tears threatened to fall as the panic set in. She was all alone, in the hospital, after being attacked. Niko should've been lying next to her this entire time. Keeping her safe and warm.
"Niko?"
Her throat immediately ignited with a fiery burn. She had forgotten that talking in a normal voice was difficult. Her good hand sought out her neck and rubbed at it, wincing at the tenderness of it. One lone tear trekked down her cheek, and she angrily swiped at it. Surely someone was bound to enter the room any second now. They must have gone to the restroom, or to get some food or a coffee. Kate hated leaving Niko alone for even a second when he was unconscious. But certain needs needed to be met and she would be forced to leave for short periods of time.
'Okay calm down… Everything is okay. Work the problem- Just like Sharon taught you.'
With a renewed bolstering courage, she did a slow scan of the room. There had to be some kind of clue as to who was watching over her. A jacket. Maybe a duffle bag. Perhaps a rifle would be leaning in the corner letting her know she wasn't left completely unprotected. But the couch was neatly put together as if no one had been sleeping there. The recliner was in the upright position and turned toward the door as if it had not been disturbed. No flowers or cards graced the back counter that the tv hung above.
Even the glow of the computer monitor was grim. Why in the world would she be left in a darkened, now becoming rather warm, room with absolutely no note or person to let her know what was happening?
Then she spotted several pieces of paper folded over, waving to her with the stuffy air that wafted down from the overhead vent.
'Someone left a note!'
Carefully Kate slid to the side of the bed by the nurse's cart and swung her legs off the edge. There was a hesitation that crept up her spine- would she be able to stand? Would her legs give out?
She flexed her feet and could feel every one of her toes and muscles that operated her legs. She would be okay to stand up. The railing to her bed felt cold to the touch and the contrast was strange to her hand. The heat that kept seeping into her skin wanted to make her sweat and pant. Just what was making her so hot? Her bare toes lightly touched the frozen tiles of the floor and caused her to jerk her feet up.
'Okay… I must have a fever or something. There is no way everything feels cold while I am wanting to get out of this hospital gown and take a cold shower.'
Once more she tested the floor and shoved the uncertainty aside. The note was waiting for her, and she was determined to figure out her predicament. Her legs shook with the strain of hauling herself up off the hard surface of the bed. She shifted from foot to foot checking her balance and stability. Satisfied she wasn't going to collapse the second she let go of the bed railing, she took a timid step toward the beckoning paper.
Thankfully it was only a few feet away and she grabbed it off the surface and held it to her chest. 'Okay back to the bed and then let's figure this out.'
Kate plopped down to the crinkled sheets and tucked her legs under her. There was a renewed strength brewing inside her as she unfolded the several pages to see what it was. Typed, printed, neatly laid out rows greeted her, and she realized it was her lab results from her blood work. Her name, date of birth, and information lined the top corner of the first page, and she grew curious as to what all had been run.
She pressed a button on the side of the bed and lifted the head to be able to lean into something as she read through the various generic tests hospitals ran when someone was admitted. She shimmed down some on the bed and got as comfortable as one could get on a thin hospital mattress. Random scientific words got skipped over for ones she could identify- white blood cell count, lipids, cancerous cells, infections- She frowned as she saw the list of normal household poisonous chemicals.
"Was I poisoned?!" She whispered out as the heater cut off. Absently she pulled the covers over her legs to stay warm.
She dropped a couple of pages to the surface of the bed as she scanned through everything. But nothing was giving her any kind of indication to why she felt sick to her stomach, burning up, had her arm and part of her chest bandaged. Her head dropped back into her pillow as she felt like groaning and throwing the stupid pages across the room.
As she went to fold the papers back up, a simple and usually harmless word caught her eye.
'Pregnancy test'
Kate pursed her lips and had a strange thought float through her mind. With an internal calculation she dropped the pages to her lap. She had missed her last appointment to get the birth control switched out. It was scheduled for the middle of November and with everything that had happened, was happening, and trying to bury her Ma…
"Oh… shit…"
She snatched the pages up and frantically scanned through the tests trying to locate the pregnancy test results. At the middle of the page, she found what she was looking for. A hand dropped to her flat stomach below her navel as she read, and then reread, the words over and over again.
Inconclusive.
What did that even mean?! Was she, or wasn't she?
A drop of water landed on the page, and she was startled by it. When did she start crying? Her fingers shook so bad that she ended up dropping the papers back into her lap in order to wipe away the onslaught of tears. Sobs became lodged in her throat, and she gasped for air. Painfully she tucked herself on her side and held her knees, trying to ignore the way her arm practically screamed in distress at her.
If this information was left out in the open… That meant…
"Niko…" His name came out of her lips as a horse whisper.
Did he know? Did he suspect? Is that why he wasn't sitting next to her?
This time the sob did break free, and she couldn't stop the floodgates from opening. Full body anguish cascaded over her as her mind went to dark places. Maybe he wasn't ready? Maybe he didn't want to be a parent. Maybe he freaked out and left her there to deal with it on her own. So many questions, scenarios, and doubts overloaded her fragile mind.
The door softly opened, and she turned her head and lifted wet eyes to see who was coming in her room.
Gordon immediately tucked his phone away and ran over to the side of her bed, "Kate?! Kate what's wrong? What hurts?!"
She didn't know how to express herself and only cried harder. Where was Niko? All she wanted was to see him and have him destroy her fears with the loving look he gave her. She needed him to wipe away her tears and kiss her cheeks. Have him calm the storm that raged through her with his tender touches and quietly spoken words in a language she yearned to learn.
"Kate! It's okay! I can call the doctor!" Gordon went to press the call button on the side of her bed when her good hand landed on his wrist.
"I- I'm… it's okay. I woke up alone. I was scared." Partially true, but not what was eating her up alive. She yanked on his hand needing some kind of comfort. He resisted her and she rolled over to see him better in the darkened room. 'Since when does he refuse to help me?'
"I think I should get the doctor to make sure you really are okay." He weakly attempted to pull his wrist free from her grasp. Niko had tasked him with watching over her as they conducted a… interview with the captured assassins. Gordon wanted no part of what would take place. He still couldn't shake Robert's moans and cries of pain with whatever the interrogator was doing to him behind the closed door.
"Not yet. Please?" Kate tried to talk at a normal level, but the sandy texture of her mouth and throat forced her back to a whisper. Trying to not be suspicious or obvious, she shoved the papers under the wafer thin comforter to keep him from seeing it. The daunting thought of that information being out in the open, for however long, was searing a hole in her soul. Who all knew? Had they rerun the test since it wasn't a yes, or no?
"Kate… Don't do this to me." Gordon forced her hand off of him. Since finding her outside the cemetery he had been fighting off unresolved feelings and thoughts about her. For as long as he had known her, he held a fondness and adoration for her, but knew where the line was at. He fell in line with her brothers and climbed the ranks of the mob. Her harsh view of them and her belief that she could never love someone involved in crime had nearly snuffed out his feelings.
Then Niko shows up and she falls head over heels for the man. It had been easy to accept at first and since he was never around, for the most part, since Derrick's death, he had no reason to dwell on Kate. Kenny kept him busy, and he was thankful for the monotony his jobs provided. Once he caught wind of the attempt on her life and Ma's execution- the rawness returned full force.
"Sarge?" Her hurtful stare and the way her lip trembled had him relenting and lowered down to sit on the edge of the bed by her. She scooted back some to give him room and he shifted to rest more comfortably on the lumpy mattress.
"I'm sorry you woke up when I stepped out into the hall." He let her take his hand and thread their fingers together. The words of the man who killed Gerry echoed in his head and he wished he could forget them. He never once flirted with her. Hell before the last couple of days he had never done more than give her a hug here and there when she was sad. And it was always the side, church appropriate hug, under the watchful eye of Gerry or Packie.
'Aw shit! Gerry!'
"It's okay now," Her voice was returning to her now that she was no longer alone, "Where is everyone? I thought… I figured Niko would be here." Kate winced as she lifted her injured arm to brush away the last of her tears. Gordon was there. He would keep her safe from anyone that tried to barge into her room and finish her off.
Should he tell her? Was that even allowed? Could he consider himself close enough to be able to deliver that level of horrific news? Everyone had been attacked, himself included. Gerry was gone. Avia was on the brink of life and death. Bernie was still resting in a room down the hall after the successful surgery. The doc had been moved to the morgue and had been a tough hour as he said his goodbyes. Mallorie and Roman were in the room next door sleeping with one of Kenny's men standing guard.
So much had happened and he didn't feel adequate enough to tell her.
"Sarge? Is everything okay?" She watched as his face fell and his eyes held a level of pain she had not seen since her Ma… Since her Ma grieved over Derrick. 'No…'
"Kate. I- I have a ton of things to tell you. And I fear that once I start it's going to come out all wrong and I shouldn't even be the one to tell you these things. That's Niko's job… Or Francis. But if you really want me to tell you, I will. But I have to apologize now and tell you how sorry I am." Gordon turned on the bed and leaned into the raised up section, mirroring her position. He lifted their joined hands between them, kissed her knuckles softly, and closed his eyes. He did not want to witness her agony that was sure to come.
"Gordon, you are scaring me. Just tell me… Who…?" Kate scooted closer to him and rested her forehead to his. She could almost feel his sorrow coming off of him in waves. 'Please don't tell me Niko is dead…' The tears returned and she couldn't be bothered to remove them from her cheeks.
"Let me start at the beginning. You were attacked by a trained assassin. He injected you with a deadly poison during his attempt to kill you. You passed out from it before all hell broke loose." He tried to not let his want to hold her consume him. His hands tingled with the need to pull her close and hold her tight. If not for her, for him. He lost a good friend today…
"Am I going to be okay?" She had seen some of the items listed on her lab report and her fear grew. 'If I am pregnant… will that crap harm the baby?'
"The doctor said it should get out of your system within the next day or so. They originally said a couple of hours… But the antidote that Georgi gave you is taking longer to metabolize. He figured out you were poisoned before the doctor knew. We are all very thankful to him." 'Screw it… Niko can't see me anyway.' He pulled her close, untangling their hands, and pulled her to his chest. She immediately tucked herself under his chin and gripped his thick vest over his chest.
"Okay. So I won't be feeling like I'm on fire for much longer?" She murmured into his neck.
"You are fairly warm, but that's the fever running its course. You are going to be perfectly fine." He rubbed her back soothingly and sighed into her hair. This would have him killed instantly by Gerry if he could see them cuddled up on the bed.
"That's good news. But I feel like that is going to be the extent of anything positive you have to tell me." She moved her injured arm over her body and placed her hand over her abdomen. She couldn't be sure if it was her imagination or if she was actually feeling it- but there were small flutters growing in intensity just below her belly button.
"No… Once you were out of it… Francis was shot at during the press conference. Avia dove in front of him and was hit. There was an entire squad of Albanians there trying to kill your brother. Francis came away unharmed, but Avia is in bad shape." He felt her hand tighten in the material of his vest, "Another team shot up the house. The first floor is mostly destroyed. Gerry, myself, and Aleksei managed to fight them off for a time before…" He swallowed thickly.
"Please… Please- Don't tell me my brothers are dead." Kate lifted up off of him to be able to see his face. The hesitation. The regret that filled his eyes said more than if he had just come out and said it, "Gerry? Packie? They were both at the house…"
"I am so sorry Katie. Gerry is gone…" He caught her as she broke down in his arms. The tears soaked his clothing, but he didn't care. Her body rocking sobs forced him to pull her up his body to hold her firmly. To give comfort in a time of need. Her continuous question of why dissolved his own resolve and he had nothing to offer her.
Her soul was fracturing. Her brother was gone… First Derrick, then Ma, now Gerald. How much more loss was she going to withstand before she just gave out? And now that she could be growing life inside her- the next wave of insurmountable pain washed over her. Gerry would never know. Would never be able to hold his niece or nephew. Her own mother…
"Oh- Oh my God…" Her mind was spiraling, and she held on to Gordon to try and save herself.
"We can't find Patrick either. Same with Ally. They went off the grid shortly after I took Gerald to the hospital. Francis is having the LCPD look at his apartment security footage to see when they left. Bernie-"
"NO! No… not him too. I can't lose him." Kate buried her face into the crook of his neck. It wasn't the same feeling as when Niko held her, but it was doing what she needed right now. She braced for the final hit knowing that if he told her he was dead, she would never recover.
Everything was on absolute fire. Every time she moved something new started to hurt. The utter anguish wanted to claw its way out of her chest and shove her heart to the floor. How was she going to move on? They had all been so close as of late- she had finally gotten her family back, and now it was falling apart faster than she could grab the pieces.
"He is down the hall recovering. He was stabbed, shot, and nearly drowned. They found him at the docks in Middle Park West. He will make a full recovery." Gordon let her shift on his body and allowed her to do whatever it was she wanted. He was hurting her with what he needed to tell her, and he would endure his own torture and pain if it would help her.
"I need to see him. Sarge… He- He lost the love of his life earlier today- wait is it still today? Or is it tomorrow?" She pushed off his chest to find a clock and saw it was nearing midnight, "Okay well at least I haven't been out for too long- But can you take me to see him?" Kate looked down into Gordon's eyes and silently pleaded with him to do what she needed.
"I think you need to stay in bed and recover. Niko would skin me alive if you hurt yourself." He couldn't help himself, and he tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. Her cheek leaned into his hand as she searched his eyes. He had never been this close to her, or ever in a somewhat intimate position, and he was going to have to back away before his own desires broke every rule and guideline he followed.
"Niko is okay?" She breathed the words and closed her eyes, letting a few more tears fall. It would be a small comfort to know that he was alive and okay.
"He is at the Petrovic compound right now. With everything that happened, there is a lot of planning and things that are going on. We are not sure if we killed or caught everyone that was involved with the attempt on our lives. Georgi is going to replace me here soon. If the doctor gives you a good report when they come in for the next checkup, he might be convinced to let you sneak out to see Bernie." He brushed away a couple of tears from her face and hoped that Georgi would be able to force her to stay in her room where it was safe.
"Oh he will do what I say." Kate let out a watery sounding giggle. There was a zero chance Georgi wouldn't cave to her needs. The sadness returned as her thoughts went back to her brothers, "Hey Sarge?"
"Hm?" He kept up a slow and gentle stroking of her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"Does… Since Packie is missing- Are you? Um…?" She sat up fully on the bed taking his hand into her good one and running her finger over where she had seen her Pa wearing a large ring.
"I am now the leader of the Irish Mob." He nodded his head as he understood her unspoken question. He watched as she lifted his hand, turned it to tuck his fingers along the side of hers, and kissed his ring finger.
"Then long live the King." She smiled against his hand and couldn't believe how far he had risen within her family run mafia. She honestly could care less what happened to the mob but seeing how she knew just about every head of the powerful families in the city, there wouldn't be much she was denied. Her boyfriend ran the Petrovic Bratva, which kept in line the others who reported to him, and now her good friend was taking over for her late brother. While this whole scenario would have turned her off and made her sick six months ago, it was becoming less and less difficult to stomach.
"Thanks. I'm still not sure how to feel about it." Her kiss had seared into his skin and gave him goosebumps.
"Ask Niko. I'm sure he has insight. He wasn't exactly meant to take over. Hell, we were meant to just kind of fall off the map and live out our lives quietly. Now look at this mess." She rolled her eyes and leaned back into the bed, adjusting herself to get comfortable.
"What? Assassins, table meetings, alliances with the law and underground world, getting treated like royalty, having everyone fear you the second you enter a room? You didn't want any part of all that?" He out right laughed at her blank look.
"If you asked me that six months ago, I would have slapped you. I hate everything, well used to hate everything, that this view of the world offers. I would worry myself sick over all of you leaving the house. The damn bank heist? Yeah, I know." She watched him freeze when she brought up the bank job, "I got so mad and physically sick when I came home to find Derrick and Patrick stacking cash on the coffee table."
"Poor Saint Michael. God rest his soul." Gordon rubbed his eyes at the memory of going with Gerry to Michael's parents' house to give them his cut of the money.
"Exactly! I could not fathom why anyone in their right mind would willing commit crime after crime just to get by. Get a job! Go back to school and earn a degree! Or do what Roman did and create a business. Why risk your life and the lives of those around you for money? Do us bystanders mean so little that cash is more valuable than being with us?" She stared up at the ceiling as fresh tears rolled down her face.
"Now those crimes and involvement with mafias has killed two of my brothers and ran off the other. I am truly alone and the last standing McReary." She closed her eyes as the statement sank down into her soul. Her Pa blew his brains out. Derrick was shot in the head and had his funeral ambushed. Ma was killed for absolutely no reason. Gerald was gunned down for being the head of the Irish Mob and probably for being associated with her boyfriend. And Packie had left her to pick up the pieces. Just what was so wrong with her that she had to watch her beloved family crumble like this.
"When I was young, maybe like ten or eleven, I used to idolize your father and the power he wielded." Gordon matched her position on the bed and placed his shoulder up against hers, "I used to think 'wow! Look at that man and how people respect him and just do as he says.' It's probably why I used to come by the house so often to hang out with Gerry and Packie. I wanted to be around someone who took command of the world." He felt her lean her head on him and he returned the gesture.
"As the years kept flying by, I learned he wasn't someone to idolize. I watched people get shot and beat up. I helped run drugs and did so much stupid shit. But by the time I figured out how bad things were, I was in too deep. I was gambling away money I didn't have and being hunted down by loan sharks. Then one day I bump into Lenny Petrovic, and he offers to help me out if I help him." Her hand gripped his tightly and he squeezed it back to let her know it was okay.
"I helped him steal a couple of cars over in East Hook. I didn't know it at the time, but there was over ten million dollars within the lining of the cars, and they belonged to Ray Bulgarin. Kenny was so impressed by my ability to get myself and his son out of danger when we were spotted, that he paid off my entire debts and offered me dinner. Next thing I know I'm sitting between Kenny's son and daughter eating the finest food I have ever seen or smelled."
"I was not born thinking I was going to be the leader of a mafia- with people obeying my every command. I once wanted to grow up and play hockey. My own dad before he passed of cancer used to take me to the games all the time. But that was wishful thinking and a dream of a wide eyed hopeful kid. Now I have done and seen things I am not proud of but have to face myself in the mirror every day. But to say I do not care about the people around me- that I hold money in higher regard? That wounds me." He turned his head to be able to see her in the darkness.
"I care very much, Katie. I love so many people. This is not an easy life. And for some of us, we had no choice but to just trudge on and stay the course. I highly doubt Niko woke up one day and just made a snap decision to get involved in the criminal world. I know I didn't. I may have a title and power now, but I would gladly give that up if it gave me the chance to be that happy eight year old sitting by his dad, front row at a Rampage game."
Kate couldn't stop the crying even if she wanted to. She turned on the bed and cupped his face that was so close to her own. She had never known much of his past, having given up on getting to know any of her brothers friends. But there was always a soft spot for carefree Gordo. He had been around the longest with her family. They basically grew up together. Now she was seeing him in a completely new light.
Now he was a young man that was fighting battles on every front just to get by. Not the hardened idiot that chased after her older brothers on some job. She blinked rapidly to clear her tears to be able to read the emotion behind his warm brown eyes. He was staring into her eyes with such a level of devotion and… 'Is that love?'
"Gordon… I am sorry my family has brought you to this point…" She felt partially responsible for the flicker of hurt that formed on his face.
"I'm not. Your family filled the void of not having any parents or siblings. I was alone till Gerry found me." He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. He was still trying to process the loss of the great McReary brother. There was a void forming in his heart and it was like losing his dad all over again.
"I am going to miss his hugs… His booming laughter he'd do when he was drunk. The stupid stories from his failed marriages. Everyone feared him and hated him, but I loved the teddy bear that was below the façade he gave the world. He carried a weight with him his whole life. Some days it became hard to carry, while other's barely bothered him. But I could see the shadow in his eye when he and I would talk." Kate lowered down on the bed and tucked herself under his chin, her own pain at the loss taking over once more.
"He will get a proper send off. We will hold a traditional wake. All of Dukes will be involved. Everyone can share stories and memories. Steinway will have never seen such a large crowd. We will take care of him Kate." Gordon held her tightly as he envisioned throwing a giant party in Gerry's name. People from all over would attend to pay their respects and reminisce.
"Just so long as no one ambushes the actual funeral." She snorted at the absurd thought.
"Definitely not! No Albanians allowed. Unless they are redheaded imposters!" He loudly laughed when she started tickling his side, squirming to get away from her wiggling fingers.
She joined in his laughter and put more effort into her attack, "Oh is that so? I'm an Albanian imposter? Thought I did a damn fine job of sneaking around Liberty." She had to lean up on the bed when he jerked further from her body.
"I'm- I'm pretty sure- Stop it, Kate!" He was getting breathless with all the laughing and twisting around he was doing to get her to stop tickling him, "I'm pretty sure they would be terrified if you took over their gang!" He grabbed her wrist and jerked it up over his head. The move forced her body to roll on top of him and she fell forward to his face- stopping mere inches from his lips.
Her breath caught in her throat at the close proximity. She licked her suddenly dry lips and searched his eyes, "No one is scared of me. I am the one who is terrified of the world."
"You terrify me." He whispered the words and felt her injured hand bunch into his shirt, "You scared me so bad when I heard you had been attacked."
Kate was frozen in place, heart beating a million miles a second, "I'm sorry…"
"There is nothing to be sorry for." He trailed his hand up her back, trying to forget that she only had on the hospital gown, and shivered when his fingers brushed along her soft skin between the openings where the ties had come loose. He could feel her breath on his face and like waking from a dream, it dawned on him that he could kiss her and probably get away with it. Niko was preoccupied and she hadn't made a move to get away from him.
"Sarge… I um. My arm." It was getting uncomfortable being held in the position she was in, and it was giving her flashbacks to when Darko pinned her to the mattress. Gordon's hands on her were bringing back the fear and sickness that Bobby had produced in her when he touched her. While she knew he would never do something of an ill intended nature, she didn't want to give Niko any reason to doubt her love for him. She would never break her loyalty to him.
"Sorry!" He immediately released her wrist and removed his hand from her back. He had seen the fear seeping into her beautiful blue-green eyes.
Slowly Kate lifted up off of him and tucked her hair behind her ears several times. She thought she had seen him looking at her like he was going to kiss her, and it worried her already overworked heart. Would she have pushed him off of her? Slapped him? Given in? Her bottom lip disappeared into her mouth, and she bit it harshly. What would Niko think if he came into the room and saw them the way they were? 'And if he knows you might be pregnant it would break his heart…'
The door opened, spilling light into the room, and they both turned to see who was coming in.
"Niko asked that you meet him and Roy at the compound. There is an update and more information to be shared." Georgi leaned against the doorframe and studied how close Kate was sitting next to Gordon and how he was laid out on the bed next to her.
"I'll take that as my cue. Take care of yourself Kate and I am sorry for your loss… Our loss." Gordon awkwardly rolled off the bed to get to his feet. When she had tickled him, he had slid down the bed some and it was difficult to pull himself up. He didn't like parting ways the way they were, but in a way, it had saved him from having to endure more pain and conflict. Maybe the guy who killed Gerry was right… He needed to cut it out and distance himself before things got bad.
Georgi held the door open for him and felt his eye twitch when Gordon refused to look at him. They weren't as close, and he really only considered himself as an acquaintance of Gordon, since Kenny liked him, but he was learning how everyone interacted with each other. And he did not like the way he was on the bed next to Kate. It was none of his business who she was friends with, but he would not let someone betray his boss.
"Georgi… Is Niko okay?" Kate spoke up from her huddled position on the bed and wrapped the covers over her body. Her gown had opened some when she went after Gordon. The one snap that held together the sleeve over her bandages had come loose and the thin fabric was trying to fall down her chest. Pain lanced through her shoulder when she tried to lift it back up to snap it together.
"Here let me help. I should really be asking you if you're okay." Georgi flicked one of the overhead lights on as he entered the room and walked over to the left side of the bed. He had seen the fear, trepidation, and pain come and go when she moved her injured arm.
"My throat hurts, and my arm feels like someone is trying to rip it off and set it on fire all at the same time." She leaned back into the bed and did her best to hold up the front part of her hospital gown with her good arm.
"I do apologize about that… I tried to find a vein quickly so it would start working to keep the full effects of the poison from spreading. Here, lean forward some." Georgi took the front part of the undone sleeve and helped her shift forward so he could locate the other half.
"What do you mean find a vein?" She shivered and involuntarily flinched away from his fingertips when they connected with her bare skin. What had happened with Gordon was shoving darker memories to the forefront of her mind and her hand drifted down to her stomach as if to shield what could be her future child.
"My apologies!" He immediately let go of the cloth and took a step back, "I can have the nurse-"
"It's okay! It's okay! I just- I get these flashbacks that will not leave me alone when someone touches me. It's been a rough several months dealing with it, and once I feel like I'm moving on and doing good, something happens and I'm right back in my bedroom being groped and tortured." 'Just what is going on with you?! Get it together. Georgi and Gordon both would never hurt you!'
"Is it okay for me to put together your sleeve?" He stepped back up to the bed and held his hands out in a show of being nonthreatening. The few times he got details of what Natalya planned and had committed, he felt sick. There was never a reason to stoop that low just to get even. While he may have done his fair share of inflicting pain on other people, there would no chance he would or could do what had been done to her. "I am sorry you have suffered so much…"
"One of these days I am going to buy a pocket translator and have it constantly going just so I can understand everyone." She nodded to him and held up the snap in his direction. It was getting exhausting trying to pick out words or phrases she had heard before and figure them out.
"All I said was I'm sorry for what happened to you. I don't know why Natalya jumped off the deep end with her revenge. She was actually a very kind and soft spoken lady. At least when I interacted with her the few times I had to watch over Lenny. She would cook for us some days when she'd spend the night in the mansion. I got to watch her spar once with Aleksei. That's probably when I had my first hint that she was more than just a pretty face." Georgi snapped a couple of snaps together to hold the gown together and sat down heavily on the couch by her bed.
"Well I can tell you she was not kind." Kate felt the venom rise in her words and pulled the gown away from her collarbone, exposing the faint gunshot wound, "She shot me." She let go of the itchy fabric and trailed over where she knew her scar was at on her face, "Slapped me so hard with the ring Lenny was going to propose with-" Her breathing became uneven, and her hands shook uncontrollably.
"Kate, Kate?" Georgi stood up from the couch and cupped her face forcing her to look him in the eye, "I did not say all that to anger you or hurt you. She is dead now and can no longer hurt you." Her trembling bottom lip let him know she was seconds away from breaking down.
"And you call her pretty? She has left more scars and ugliness on me that I sometimes don't recognize myself in the mirror." She glared up at him with his assessment of the woman that had nearly destroyed everything in her life. Had nearly drove Niko to an early grave. Killed Darko. Blew up an entire city block and church killing who knows how many people.
"You are not ugly Kate." He ran his thumb over the faintest of white lines over her cheek, "You have the most forgiving soul and a smile that warms my heart." He dropped his hand to her collarbone and lowered the gown to see the bullet wound. He had not known about her injuries, "I was there that night with Kenny. The night Niko put a round through her skull. Niko was in bad shape. Once she was confirmed dead, I escorted Kenny back home. I am not the same man I was that night. You changed me, Kate."
"I… Спасибо (spasibo)." Kate whispered the phrase she knew in Russian. He had shifted her mood so rapidly that she almost forgot she was upset with him. No one had ever paid her such a heartfelt compliment before- well besides Niko, but here was someone she had just met telling her she is the reason they've changed. In what way she didn't know. 'Hopefully for the better…'
"You're welcome." He said it in Russian to maybe teach her something new, "How is your pain level? I know that stuff can cause extreme pain and most of the time the people who come out of it on the other side have to be on painkillers for a long time. Do you need the doctor to come back in? I think they should be by at some point to draw more blood and rerun your labs."
'The pregnancy test!'
"Do you know anything about… that?" She narrowed her eyes and lifted an eyebrow. She would hint at it and see what kind of reaction he gave her. If there was one thing she was desperately wanting to know was if Niko knew. And if Georgi knew, Niko definitely knew.
"Just that they wanted to- um rerun them?" He sat back down on the couch and met her stare. He kept his face as neutral as he could. After years of not being allowed to show emotion, he could play possum and keep her in the dark. This was not something he would tell her. Niko or the doctor could go over what could or could not be.
"Mmm. You'd be a really good poker player." She reached under the blankets and lifted the folded over lab results, "But I have all the cards. Now tell me. Does. Niko. Know?"
aaaaaa
"The bitch is holding out." Anton wiped his bloodied hands on the already saturated towel as he came to stand at Niko's side.
"She knows her value." Niko eyed the man that had been cutting away at the bound female before them. The sniper was hunched forward in much the same manner Kenny had been found in, unconscious and dripping blood on the tiled floor. So far all they had learned was that the new leader of Bulgarin's Bratva believe Niko had betrayed them all and they were hired to make him pay dearly. They had been given specific instructions on who to go after and that Robert was the scout.
"You could make it all stop if you tell me where the seventh person is. And if there is another attack planned." Niko leaned back into the sturdy wood table that has a smattering of various sharp objects and tools meant to inflict the upmost damage. His fingers drummed along the edge, and he looked over his shoulder at a pair of pliers.
"Go- Go fuck yourself." She panted out and spit some of the blood in her mouth on the ground.
Vanya backhanded her across the face, before fisting his hand into some of her long hair, forcing her to look in Niko's direction, "If you insult the boss one more time, I will start removing body parts."
"Careful now. I'm sure Alexi would be very upset if you mess her face up too much." Niko spoke sarcastically and tilted his head to the side as he was given a murderous look, "What? You his only piece of ass or do you just get certain days of the week?" Anton snorted next to him and picked up a cigar cutter, snapping it a couple of times in a menacing way.
"You mean- lik-like how Kate put out for Ivan a-and Vova?" She cackled then screamed as a knife sank down into her thigh.
Niko threw the knife and tried to still the shaking of his hands, "That's going to stay right there." He stalked up to her and grabbed the hilt of the throwing knife, slowly starting to twist it, "Now apologize."
"She had- a virgin sna- Vova got in a pretty good feel-" She screamed out again in agony as Niko twisted the knife in her leg, blood rolled in streams from the edge of the blade.
"I had been debating whether to keep you alive or send you back to your master in pieces. I think I'm leading more toward Bulgarin's style. I used to be very good at mastering how he liked to torture his enemies. You are my enemy, and you have single handedly pissed off the head of the Petrovic Family." Niko shoved upright, using the knife as leverage to hear her whimper out in pain.
"I'll let you decide." Niko backed away and took the clean towel from Anton when it was offered to him. Silently he wiped her blood off from his hand and in between his fingers. His rage simmered away in his veins, and he was falling back into the darkness willingly. These two had tried to kill people he cared for, and he held no care for how they died.
"We could inflict the same wounds on her that they had done to Kate?" Anton dropped the cigar cutter and picked up a run of the mill chef's knife, inspecting the edge. He knew some of Kate's injuries as Niko talked to him about how to get the female to spill her secrets.
"You mean hold her down on a bed and attempt to rape her?" Niko dropped the hand towel to the table and listened to the startled gasp of the woman who tried to kill his family.
"Ple-please… Don't. I- The handler. He lives in Hove Beach. The tower of apartments off of Shinnecock Avenue." She pulled on the wire that held her hands behind her back and hissed when it dug down into her skin.
"I may be cold and don't flinch at forms of torture, but I will not stoop to your people's level of evil. Cut her loose and tend to her wounds. Then handcuff her to the wall so she can reach the toilet. Do the same to him. They might be useful alive." Niko smirked at Anton at getting the information he needed. They had planned on dropping hints at doing what was done to Kate to her to try and freak the woman out.
"Yes boss. Shall I have someone scout the building?" Anton tossed a pair or wire cutters to Vanya so he could get started on patching up all the holes and cuts that littered her arms and legs.
"It'll be too obvious if we go in now. Call Georgi and have him send Gordon back here. He might be able to get one of his men to act like he wants to rent a unit and get us access. Or Roy. Either way both of them need to be told in person and I want to hear what they have found out about this kill squad." Niko jerked his head to the side to dismiss him. Anton saluted him and turned on his heel to leave the room.
"I ta-take it she is still alive?" The woman groaned when Vanya pulled the knife out of her leg. Blood oozed out of the stab wound and saturated her scrubs.
"You don't get to ask the questions." Niko glared over his shoulder at her. His demons were urging him to just silence her and get it over with. What was one more person? She wanted to harm Mallorie and her unborn child. Wanted to tear his family down. And with the comments about Kate and what had happened to her boiled his blood. He did not know Vova had felt her virgin barrier.
That knowledge would forever haunt him. Someone else had shoved their fingers-
He shook his head free of the mental image of the video and what his mind had conjured up with what the woman had said.
"If you don't get her the right treatment, she will not be able to have kids." Once her hands were free, she clutched them over her heart and rubbed at the indentions the wire had made.
"Why do you care?" That had caught his attention and he turned back around to face her. 'This could be a trick…'
"Alexi forces us- the women- to be injected with a nonlethal form. He does not want children. And it will abort anything that is living. He i-is ruthless. I have been shown mor-more kindness from you than he has dared to-to give." She let a couple of tears fall when Vanya cut away some of her wet scrubs to get a better look at the stab wound on her thigh. "He would have just let us die."
"And who is to say I am going to keep you alive forever? One of you killed someone close to me." Niko crossed his arms and felt the dread slid down his spine. 'Kate… I will get you whatever it is you need. If you are carrying my child, I… They will survive and make it.'
"I'd rather be dead then back at his home. She will need t-to have her system flushed and a blood transfusion to rid it of any trace amounts of the poison." Vanya handed her a clean cloth to hold over the wound so he could grab something to wrap it with.
"Had you been more forthcoming I might not have needed to stab you." Niko wished he hadn't sent Anton away yet. He could be calling Georgi and passing along the information. If he walked out of the room now that she was talking it would be obvious that he was truly worried about Kate and her possible condition.
"I needed to make sure he was dead. He stopped breathing a couple of minutes ago." Vanya paused in tending to her leg and twisted around to place his fingers on the pulse point. He looked back to his boss and shook his head negatively. He clearly bled out from the numerous cuts.
Niko only raised his eyebrow at her in a silent question as to why that mattered.
"Had I sa-said anything while he was alive, and you left us alone, he'd kill me for betraying Alexi." She wiped a tear from her face. It had been hard holding out for so long against the pain. The man tending to her leg tied off a long bandage and took one of her hands to see how badly they were hurt.
"Boss I can handle this if you need to step out and make a couple of calls. Send in Sergei to help." Vanya spoke to his boss in Russian and gave Niko the out to be able to check in on Kate. He would keep the woman alive and tend to her varying degrees of wounds.
"Keep the information coming and I won't send you back to Alexi." Niko narrowed his eyes in warning then marched out the door of the basement cellar. It was clearly a room they used often to torture people. There was a drain in the middle of the room and water hoses on the wall. It had given him the creeps when he first walked in. He pointed at Sergei and thumbed his hand toward the door to get him in there with Vanya. That woman was not to be trusted and he wasn't even sure about what she had told him.
Anton fell in stride at his side, "Roy and Gordon are on their way. Georgi said Kate was really shaken when he took over for Gordon. I believe she has been informed about her brothers." They climbed the stairs up to the main level of Kenny's compound.
"Damnit. I was going to force Francis to tell her." He was going to make the man pay for having him tell Gerry about what had happened that fateful night. It had been a difficult phone call sitting in the high end store of Clara Krow with Roman eavesdropping in on the whole conversation.
Anton held the door open for Niko and waited for him to enter first, "Aleksei said they heard back from Pavel. He agreed to meet with you… But we do not like the meeting place."
"Why?" Niko entered into the, what he assumed passed as a living room, to spot Aleksei typing on a laptop at one of the plastic folding tables. Plush couches and armchairs ringed the walls of the space, while several folding tables were placed in the middle of the room. A multitude of weapons graced the tops of some of the tables with matching magazines. Clearly it was a room used for planning out attacks and jobs.
"He wants you to meet him on his sub, he said his ground rules, or no meet." Aleksei looked up from the digital map he had of the docks in East Hook, "Apparently, he is in the area for some kind of job for the Governor or something. He said the only time he could squeeze us in would be around 0200. Which is in an hour."
"Then I guess get a team together and let's head out. I will want Sergei to come with me since he is friends with this man. We can pick up Georgi on our way." Niko scrubbed over his hair yearning for a minute to breathe and see Kate. He needed to talk to Georgi about what the woman had said about giving her a blood transfusion.
'And I need to see Kate… If she is with child, then I should be with her.'
"Anton will stay here and keep Roy and Gordon busy till you return. I have a car ready to go. Sergei will meet us there since we need to make a stop along the way." Aleksei closed the laptop and picked up his sniper and assault rifle. He had been trying to figure out the best place to set up shop should this be some kind of farce. He did not know Pavel at all and only heard storied through his friend Sergei. And the stories were wild in nature.
"Do we still have people protecting the hospital?" Niko followed after Aleksei toward the large garage at the back of the compound. The place was massive and tucked away within one of the garage facilities Niko had blown up on behalf of Mikhail Faustin. He had felt somewhat bad seeing the boarded up section of the compound knowing he had done the damage.
"Yes Pakhan. With Georgi leaving with us, I will have someone else guard your family. I'll wait in the car for you two and make the calls." Aleksei opened the trunk of one of the four door cars and carefully laid his weapons down on the felt carpet. Sergei exited from a side door and nodded to them as he unlocked his car.
"What can you tell me about this person that owes Kenny?" Niko lowered down into the passenger seat and felt weird not being the one to drive. They had insisted he be with someone at all times when they traveled for safety concerns. But with how late in the evening it was he doubted there would be anyone awake enough to want to attack them.
"Pavel was once very proud to be part of the Russian Navy in the nineties. At some point he retired or left. Sergei gives us the most bizarre tales from the man. I honestly have no clue how the two of them met. I want to say Sergei was part of the Navy or Army at some point. Possible Spetsnaz. Kenny was very thankful to have him added to our forces." Aleksei shoved the key into the ignition and got the car started. They had a decent drive from Broker to Holland then back to East Hook.
"Sergei sounds like he knows what he is doing. Natalya bragged about being in the KGB. Those branches that come out of Russia are not easy to fight." Niko watched the streets and buildings as they pulled out of the complex and off in the direction of Holland.
"I fought Natalya when she first showed up in Lenny's life. She claimed to be a better long distance shooter than me. Kenny took us out on his yacht and launched out buoys for us to hit. After we both reach twenty in a row without missing, he told us to find a different way to settle our differences. I think he was testing her to make sure she would be alright around his son. We learned some tactics from her and new disarming moves. And in return we showed her how to assassinate people silently and without detection." He glanced in Niko's direction before turning the car onto the main road into Holland.
"She was very skilled, bordering on unhinged at times. She made fake papers and passports for us to get people here. Her cousin had tried to align Faustin with us. But Kenny was not accepting of them. Probably what started the rift. And next thing we know you gun down Lenny on the subway station. The rest you know for the most part." Aleksei sighed heavily and gripped the steering wheel tightly.
"For the most part?" Niko crossed his arms and turned his head to regard one of Kenny's men. And who he was starting to wonder if he could out play in a shooting or knife throwing competition.
"She became obsessed with killing you. Took an undercover job at the apartment Roman bought. She followed you around town. Had some of our men who broke loyalty to Kenny to tail you. One of them, who I will be honest about, camped out at the normal hangout places you two frequented. He took photos of the two of you getting close. He tried to give this info to Kenny to get even and Kenny shot him in the head instantly. But he had already given it to Natalya."
"Kenny then instructed us to break all communication with her and shun her from our resources. He was so livid that she was going against his word. You had killed Faustin and that was retribution enough since we all knew you'd be sold out to Bulgarin. We… We know his ways and ruthlessness. What's the saying? Kill two birds with one stone?" Aleksei tried to keep his voice even and factual, but he was scared on the inside. This was his boss, and he was telling him everything from their end that took place.
"I am sorry for killing his son. I was trying to keep my cousin and myself from being killed. It is in the past. But I do know it must be difficult for everyone to just accept me as Kenny's replacement." Niko's mind was reeling with the new information he was learning.
"At some point Kenny wasn't as bitter. He planted Georgi in her inner circle for a time to find out what she was planning and if she was going to make moves against us. Georgi is very good at playing a role. He learned that she wanted to set you up somehow. He was given orders to find a man by the name of Darko Brevic by her. He did as asked, then walked away. He did not like where things were going."
"When Georgi told Kenny of what was to take place, he stormed out of the compound. We are not sure what he did or who he called- but next thing we know a street in Suffolk gets blown to hell and Kenny is so angry we avoid him. He demands we get him to the Holland Hospital. To have a ready batch of antidote for him and to locate where our debt burner is. We were all kept in the dark and made large assumptions."
"Georgi escorted Kenny that night. I was to guard the house and make sure we were not next. We got calls to start searching everywhere for Natalya- to flush her out by any means necessary. An order we have never been given. I was relieved of duty by Anton and given precise instruction to head to a warehouse on the East Docks on the West River- Menala Metal. We stormed the place and shot everyone on sight trying to get to the yacht before it disembarked."
"LCPD showed up too quickly and we had to pull back as to not get shot ourselves. But we found some of dead bodies were those associated with the old Faustin mafia. We have the hard drives and computers from the hideout stored at the compound. When you are ready, you can look through it all. But I will warn you… It's not easy to watch some of the videos." Aleksei pulled up in front of the Holland Hospital and refused to look at his new boss.
"What do you mean by that?" Niko turned fully in his seat as he undid his seatbelt.
"Natalya really wanted you to suffer. To make sure Kate would refuse to be with you once her plan was carried out. Kenny and I are the only ones to have seen the footage and documents. They um… practiced on young women what was going to happen to Kate in the cargo hold of the Platypus. To make sure it would be what broke her. To break you. They were going to let both of you go once- once it was done." He lost the ability to speak English as he put the car in park and kept his eyes firmly ahead of him and on the concrete of the driveway.
"I don't think I will be able to watch any of it. But if there is anything specific I should know…?" Niko swallowed hard and fisted his hands over his knees.
"Just be glad Natalya is dead and never got to meet with Alexi face to face." Aleksei darted his eyes to his boss to let him know, without vocalizing it, that things would have been much, much, worse had she been able to make deals with the new leader of the Albanians.
"Okay. I won't push now since we have places to get to and things to deal with. But maybe one day you will tell me what… Nevermind. Some things are better left to the unknown. I will be right back." Niko shoved open the car door and stepped out into the cold air of the early morning.
He had been part of some of those things that should never be known when he worked for Bulgarin. And it continued to give him nightmares on nights that he left his darker side to surface.
But no more. He was going to walk the higher path in life.
Kate waited for him inside the hospital, and he was determined to alleviate any doubts or pains she held about what could or could not be. They could be starting a family and there was no way he would leave her. She could be growing the most precious gift he could ever be offered. And to think it had nearly been stripped away from him…
Fear was a powerful emotion and he drowned it out with thoughts of holding his child in his arms and seeing the wonder cross their face at seeing the world for the first time.
A love so strong and powerful urged him through the sliding doors of the main lobby- directed him to the elevators, and up to the ICU floor. His feet hurried him down the bright hallway, counting down the doors to the one he was in search of.
Her laughter wafted from the other side of the door and nearly stilled his heart.
She was awake, alive, and well. And maybe he would get the news about being a father or not. But either way he would be getting to Roth and Son's soon to get her a ring made. She was his, and he was hers. And he would make it known to the world.
With a shove from his heart, he gripped the door handle and opened the door to greet the love of his life.
aaaaaa
I am ready for some fluffiness! I am still on the fence of making Niko a dad or not… yet. Need everyone's thoughts on it!
Also for those who don't play online for GTA V- Pavel is part of the mission/ update "The Cayo Perico Heist" I took a ton of liberties to connect him back to Kenny through one of his enforcers by a matching name Sergei. Not sure if it is the same one since I want to say Kenny had him killed in GTA IV online play for getting arrested. And it is spelled differently than the one Pavel knows. Eh. Make the connections where I can.
One Love!
