Her eyes fluttered open a few minutes later. "Arkasha?"

"It's all right, darling." He began to cover her face with kisses. "It's all over. You're safe now."

"The baby..."

"The baby's fine, too."

She continued to sob, and, mindful of the IV, he took her into his arms and held her. "He made me, Arkasha...he put something in my drink...and he made me..."

"I know, sweetheart. I know," he murmured as he continued to caress her. After about five minutes, she looked up at him. "Some people...a man and a woman...brought me to the hospital. They had a couple of kids..."

"Mark and Lisa. I've met them. But where's Max? How did you manage to get away from him?"

She frowned. "I don't remember."

So Max was still out there, on the loose, undoubtedly searching for Irina. Arkady knew he wouldn't be able to leave his wife's side until the brute was found and captured. "You're safe, sweetheart," he repeated. "I won't let him hurt you anymore. Just try to rest, darling. You and the baby need it."

Safe in his arms, she was soon asleep. He gently laid her back in the bed and returned to his vigil. When a nurse arrived to check on her, he asked to see the hospital's chief of security. "What' the problem?" she asked.

"There's a violent criminal running loose in the city," Arkady told her. "He kidnapped my wife in Moscow, brought her here, and raped her. I don't know how she ever got away from him, but I'm sure he's looking for her again."

"Oh, my!" She left and returned with a security officer, who asked Arkady what had happened. Arkady told him as much as he knew, and the officer promised that Irina would be provided with round-the-clock protection. The Russian remained at his wife's side until visiting hours were over, then rejoined Will and Deanna.

"Mark and Lisa stayed for as long as they could, but they had to go home for their kids," Deanna told him. "They said they're coming back tomorrow."

The trio checked into a motel for the night, but Arkady slept very poorly. Even though he knew Irina was safe, he couldn't rest knowing Max was free and just waiting for her to be released.

Arkady returned to the hospital just after sunrise the following morning and immediately asked to see the physician who was responsible for his wife's care. "She's had some bleeding, so I'd like to keep her here for a week, just as a precaution," the physician told him. "If there are no further complications, she can go home after that."

Irina was sitting up in bed when he entered her room. "Glad to see you're feeling better, sweetheart," he said.

"I still feel filthy after what he did to me." She shuddered.

"It wasn't your fault, darling," he told her. "I'm just so glad you got away from him."

"How did you find me so fast?"

Arkady told her about the shuttle craft. "Our visitors from the future came to our rescue once again."

"Are they still here?"

"Yes. The three of us stayed in a motel together last night."

Will and Deanna arrived a couple of hours later. "The love you have for one another is very strong, and your child is very strong as well," Deanna told Arkady and Irina.

"How can you tell?" asked Irina.

"I can sense it," Deanna replied. "Full Betazoids like my mother can read minds, but since I'm only half Betazoid, I can only sense strong emotion. Therefore, I can sense your child's strong determination to survive."

"What else can you sense?" Irina asked eagerly.

"At this stage, that's all," Deanna replied. "As time passes, I'll be able to sense more."

Mark and Lisa visited later. "You were trying to tell me about your father." Arkady sounded apologetic.

"His name's Illya Kuryakin, and he was recruited by the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement back in the sixties," said Mark. "He met my mother in Yugoslavia right after my grandfather was killed and helped her return to the United States. Later, they fell in love and married."

"So do they live around here?"

Mark nodded. "My father's been retired for over ten years. He owns the clothing store House of Vanya now."

"And what do you do?"

"I'm a biochemist. And you?"

"Chief investigator for the Moscow police. Although it seems there's an investigation job for me right here in New York now."

"I hope you find your man."

"So do I."