Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or anything surrounding it (but I do own this plot :D)
DPOV
In-two-three-four, out-two-three-four, in-two-three-four, out-two-three-four…
It was all I could to suppress my uneasy and trembling breathing that the repetitive, subconscious chanting was having no effect on. I could feel the band of sickly, terrified sweat lathering on my forehead and trickling down, leaving a trail in the wake: a subtle reminder of reality. My heart, I could feel, was in my ears – thundering like the drums of war – but all I could hear was the high-pitched wail, the cold, dead siren that told me my best friend's current status.
The sight that lay before me was just as indecisive: a pallet of different colours, swirling together into an ambiguous void of nonsense. Through the glass, I could see streaks of blue coats running back and forth in a manic desperation; flashes of silver as the brightening white lights bounced off the metallic surfaces, and an abundance of screens all showing the same dead line.
I had kicked up a fuss on my arrival; hearing that your best friend's heart has stopped tends to do that to you. After snapping out of my initial shock when I first heard the news, I shakily stumbled into my Jag, ignited the engine and sped from my office. Well, I had fallen into an almost paralytic state, only vaguely aware that Viktor (and the rest of the office) were staring at me in their own shock, but it was Alberta who dragged me from the glass sombre of my office, all but punched Tasha out the way and forced me into the elevator before my senses kicked back in and I leapt into my car like the cat of its namesake.
My brain had turned completely to mush – any chance of a rational thought was wiped clean away – but someone, deep down, I knew I needed help. I needed someone who knew, someone who could understand, listen and try and bring me some, any, comfort.
And so, for the first time in half a decade, I called my mother.
I don't quite know what had possessed me to call her. After all, why would she want to speak to me after all this time? What was I thinking? I shouldn't have been surprised when it went to voicemail. Watching her caller ID slide from the screen, it sobered me a little but only made the ache in my heart bigger.
My hands gripped the steering wheel harder and it was a shock that the thing didn't snap. Focusing on the road for a bit gave me little in the way of distraction so I desperately dialled the one thing I could rely on being constant.
I won't lie, listening to the fourth ring go by had me a little worried, but when Rose eventually answered the phone I was relieved to know that I wasn't alone. It took everything I was not to cry down the line. Instead I opted for the broken voice and trembling limbs combination which worked wonders for driving.
Rose promised she would get to the hospital and, after I had shaken my head and informed her that the Inn was miles from where the hospital was, she said she had a pretty good method sitting at her bar. I did not dwell on it for my destination had come into view.
Not bothering to park properly, or really hang up properly, I sprinted into the building and demanded that the receptionist take me to Ivan. The spotty, young teen looked absolutely terrified but I saw Ivan's doctor walk briskly past. She caught my eyes and gave me a pitied glance, tilting her head and ushering me to follow her.
With respect to her, she took my ranting, angry abuse in her stride: not interrupting and not even sparing the nosey individuals looking at me in disgust a glance.
"Dimitri," she interrupted gently and I bit back any more of my rage leaking out, "we will do everything for your friend."
"You said he was fine; that he would wake up." I snapped bitterly.
She gave me another pitied look and sighed, continuing to speak softly. "He won't wake up if I continue to argue with you, Dimitri." I could see there irritation in her eyes, "Please, wait outside and we will call you to come in."
My anger boiled again and I opened my mouth to speak. "No, I will-"
"Dimitri!" she interrupted again. "Let me help your friend." And with that, I clamped my mouth shut. The doctor gave me a gentle nod before striding into the room. I could feel myself trembling again and I glanced around for any way to know what was going on with Ivan. I approached the glass window of Ivan's room and watched as the actions fell into blurred mess. I saw the desperation in each one of their eyes as the tried every way possible to restart his heart.
And through it all, I just stood there, frozen in fear. I was powerless – my best friend was all but dead.
And all I could do was watch…
RPOV
I ran into through the hospital doors and straight to reception. A young, spotted teenager sat there and I groaned inwardly, knowing full well that he was probably on work experience so would be doing bugger all for me today.
That didn't stop me trying.
"Ivan Zeklos, ward number, now!" I ordered and the guy glanced up warily.
"Ummm, a-are you family?" he stuttered. "Only family may enter the ward-"
"Pardon me." I hadn't even noticed that Abe had come in. After the catastrophic bombshell had been dropped, I had promised Dimitri I would come and pried my father away from his brandy and towards the door, not even bothering to tell Stan where I was going. To be fair to the guy, Abe worked fast. How we got here in under an hour, I will never know, but I can imagine it wasn't remotely legal.
Speaking of not remotely legal, Abe had wandered round the desk, shoved the prepubescent boy out of his way and began fumbling on the computer.
"Sir, you cannot do that-"
"Ward 54," Abe said completely ignoring the protests of the receptionist, who was now calling for security.
I tore off towards the ward with a plethora of people looking at me worriedly, but I was too intently focused on my task to care.
"47…48…51…52…53…54…" Upon reading the sign, I contemplated bolting into the room but I did not want to aggravate the situation any further. And so, I calmed myself enough to open the door gently. The sight that lay before was one that brought me very close to tears. Ivan lay motionless on the bed, his eyes closed and head propped up on a number of pillows. He was lying on his back with his right arm by his side and his left shakily clasped by the other man in the room.
Dimitri.
The only reason I wasn't crying was because I wanted to be strong for him, but that was very difficult when his lean body cowered by Ivan's side, his head hanging between his arms as he clutched Ivan's hand in a trembling grasp. As I stepped into the room, he lifted his head, his loose hair covering most of his face but it was obvious enough to see he was crying. I bit my lip and ran to him, smothering him in my embrace.
"Dimitri, I am so sorry." He buried his face into my hair but did not let go of Ivan's hand.
"Dimit-oh, my apologies." A female doctor walked in holding a clipboard. I glanced over to her but Dimitri only buried his head further, as though he did not want to hear anything. I didn't blame him but he needed the truth.
"Rose Hathaway." I introduced and the doctor smiled softly.
"Dr. Samantha Olendzki," she nodded and I looked back at Dimitri, then to Ivan and finally back to her.
"Is he okay?" I asked swallowing nervously.
"His heart is beating perfectly but we are going to keep a close eye on him in case of a relapse." I felt Dimitri tense and I tightened my grip. Dr. Olendzki smiled softly but with a hint of pity that came compulsory with the medical profession. "I'll leave you two alone." She said placing the clipboard on the table and walking out the room, gently shutting the door behind her.
I bit my lip before whispering to Dimitri, "He's going to be okay. The doctor said his heart in beating perfectly. Perfectly, Dimitri. Perfectly." I could feel some of the tension leave Dimitri's body and he pulled back enough to glance at his best friend.
"I should have been there…" he murmured ashamedly, "I should have been there for him. I shouldn't have let him leave. If I had just stopped him leaving that day, he wouldn't have even been shot and we wouldn't even be here. It is all my faul-"
"Dimitri Belikov, look at me." I interrupted firmly and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Look at me." I said again and he slowly turned his head, opening his eyes and revealing the iris' that held my heart in their depths. "You are not to blame for this. Don't you dare think that this is your fault. Ever. You hear me, Belikov?" I said pointedly to which he gave me a sad smile. "I mean it, Comrade: this is not your fault. People make bad decisions all the time – it is part of being human. Without our mistakes, we cannot learn but it is no-one's fault that we make them." I concluded firmly before reconsidering, "Well, perhaps the dick that put him in hospital should damn well be feeling weight of responsibility, but not you, Dimitri. It is not your fault."
He remained silent for a moment, just looking at me in a flaring intensity: almost as though he was assessing me, making sure I was real. "Where did I find you?" he asked, accent strong but laced in wonder.
I smiled and shook my head, running a hand through his loose hair. "I believe it was in an under-run pub whilst we were both in the middle of one crisis or another." I mused and he gave me a small smile. I decided that wasn't good enough so leaned closer to him, and murmured into his ear: "And I believe you told me to piss off."
He let loose a light chuckle and I pulled back and grinned. "I don't recall saying that."
I rolled my eyes. "Well, you may as well have." He smiled again before glancing back at Ivan.
"He'll be alright," his accent was rough but there was definitely hope layering it, which was a good improvement over earlier.
"Yeah, he's fighter: he wouldn't go without making fun of you one last time." I grinned and Dimitri laughed softly still looking at his best friend.
"You hear that, Ive?" he said leaning towards him, "She knows you so well; no longer can you call yourself 'The Unsolvable Lover'."
This time I was laughing, "Did he seriously call himself that?" I asked, keeping the mood light.
Dimitri turned back to face me, chuckling, "It was his rule: never let a woman know more than a name and a phone number otherwise you will end up with a wife."
I hummed thoughtfully and tapped my finger against my lips, "So by that logic, does that make me your wife, comrade?"
Dimitri shook his head and laughed too, playing along with the joke which I could see was doing him a lot of good, "Yes Roza, you are now officially my wife."
"Not without my permission, she isn't."
I rolled my eyes and turned to face the new entry to the room, sensing a great opportunity. "Old man, why'd you have to be so rude? Don't you know he's human too?" I said as seriously as I could, pouting a little to add to the effect. I saw Dimitri stifle his chuckle and Abe roll his eyes as he pushed himself from leaning on the doorframe and into the ward room. "What are you doing here? I thought you were getting arrested?" I asked as Dimitri raised an eyebrow. I waved it off.
Abe, on the other hand, sniggered whilst picking up a plastic chair and sitting on the other side of the bed where Ivan lay still asleep. "Nah, just a minor hold up." He winked and I rolled my eyes again, readjusting myself on Dimitri's lap so that I was facing Abe.
"Well, I would introduce you, but apparently you guys already know each other." I flashed Dimitri a smile and got a playful glare in return.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Mazur." Dimitri nodded towards Abe.
"Come now, Dimitri, no need to be so formal." Abe grinned and I glared at him. "Oh, Rose, I have been trying for years to get this young man to call me Abe. Perhaps, you could persuade him?"
I narrowed my eyes and frowned. "Are you implying what I think you are implying?"
Abe's brow's furrowed before realisation fell upon him. "Not even slightly, little girl," he chastised but only to my further amusement. Dimitri just looked confused but a quick glance to his nether region had him understanding and blinking, flustered in seconds.
Abe sighed at our antics and leaned back in his seat, glancing over to Ivan. "Poor soul," he murmured before looking over to Dimitri. "Do they know what happened?" indicating to Ivan.
"Yeah," Dimitri nodded, swallowing shakily before continuing, "He was shot by the Sarcozy brothers."
Understanding filled Abe's eyes and I frowned. "You know them?"
Abe looked at me slightly confused but he seemed to sort himself out and I could swear I saw a ghost of a smirk on his face. "Vaguely. Have they managed to catch them yet?"
"No." Dimitri said solemnly.
Abe shook his head. "Typical." He sighed before cracking his neck and looking back at Dimitri. "Who's the leading detective?"
"Sonya Karp."
"Oh." Abe said, genuinely surprised.
"You know her too?" I asked raising both my eyebrows.
Abe smiled. "Yes, we went to school together. She married Mikhail Tanner a little over ten years ago; I was invited, but I couldn't go." He sighed. "It was a shame, but she is a great detective. Ivan is very lucky to have her working on his case." He stated, looking over at Ivan.
"Mikhail Tanner?" I asked.
"Yes, Mikhail Tanner. You know him?" he mused, mimicking my earlier tone.
"Does he do parachute jumps?"
Abe grinned. "He does indeed."
"Adrian?" Dimitri guessed and I shrugged.
"Well, I have to make a phone call; I trust the two of you will be okay?" he said, rising to his feet.
"Yeah, we'll be fine, Zmey." I said in a monotone and he grinned.
"Ah, definitely my kiz," he mused and I rolled my eyes. "I wish you luck with her, Belikov. As ever, a pleasure to speak to you again." He smiled before leaving the room. Watching the door close, I turned my attention back to Dimitri, reshuffling my body (again) on his lap.
He was looking at me softly and offered me a smile before glancing back to Ivan. I could hear the steady beat of the heart monitor and see the gentle rise of his chest as he lay on his back on the bed. Both those things reassured me that he was okay but I knew did little to comfort Dimitri. After what Abe had told me, and added to what I already knew, I knew that Dimitri was no side-line guy – he was a man who liked to be in control; part of the action, but with knowledge on how to move through his life in an almost strict progression of cause to consequence with little deviation.
So simply watching must have been tearing him up.
"Hey, Comrade." I said, grabbing his attention again as I started to see his eyes turn sad and his mood defeatist. I knew what it was like to sit by and just watch – I knew how desperately I needed that distraction. He looked at me, catching my eyes with his own. "You know, since Ivan is out for a bit, he won't be able to stop you telling me the most embarrassing thing that has happened to him…" I trailed off, smiling slyly and Dimitri's lips curled upward. "Come on," I encouraged, "I want to hear the most embarrassing story, ever." I said flashing my man-eater smile in the hopes that it would further my cause.
Dimitri was now fully smiling, his brilliantly white teeth glistening in the sterile hospital light. He brought his lips together and his face contorted into one of concentration, his brown iris' rolling upward as he racked through his brain. "Well, there was this time, when we were living back in Russia…"
"Oh, this sounds good." I was genuinely the most excited I had ever been in my life. When Dimitri and I had talked before, I loved hearing stories about his past – especially when they were set in his hometown. It seemed that Dimitri was softer, freer, when he talked about his childhood in Baia. It was as if he held no regrets about that time – almost as if he wanted to go back. I don't know what it was, but I loved it nonetheless.
Dimitri smiled and shook his head, seemingly unbelieving that he was about to tell me this. Clearly, it was probably a pact made immediately after the event had happened and he was about to break it. Oh well, I thought. This was helping him. I gave him an encouraging smile and he began, "We must have been about…eighteen, maybe? I don't know, but we had all gone out to a wedding reception for one of our neighbours who had just tied the knot. Ivan and I, well…we got pretty drunk and decided to come back to the house early with a few other guys." He paused, smiling, and shook his head. "In our drunken state, we thought it would be a good idea to climb in through the window, rather than walk in through the front door. Anyway, the window we ended up climbing in was Babushka's and Ivan stumbled and fell head first into her closet." I chuckled at the scene and Dimitri continued, "We laughed too before Nick pulled him out and found some rather…delicate pieces of clothing." I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing.
"In your grandmother's closet!?" I exclaimed laughing so hard it was giving me a stitch.
"I was scarred for life, Roza!" Dimitri cried and I laughed, if possible, harder.
I calmed myself down, enough to breathe properly and manage a coherent sentence. "I hate to tell you, comrade, but this story seems more embarrassing for you than Ivan."
Dimitri shook his head again and smiled, "Well, after they were done laughing at me, Lev dared Ivan to put some on and Ivan never shies away from a dare so, he did." My eyes widened and I was forcefully suppressing another laugh in case I missed anything. "He stripped down and redressed himself. Nick pulled out his camera and shoved Ivan into the hallway to use it as a make-shift catwalk. Ivan began prancing about but tripped and fell down the stairs, right into the living room where the entire wedding reception had gathered for an after-party."
"No!" I gasped.
Dimitri nodded, resisting the urge to laugh, "Babushka beat him with her walking stick out the house and for three blocks."
No longer could I fight it; my laughter ran deep and loud, causing Dimitri to join in. I found it very difficult to breathe and I could tell Dimitri was having the same problem too. Our laughter died down together, each of us slowly bringing it down to heavy breaths but smiling like idiots at the same time. As our laughter became nothing more than grinning pants, a mumble was heard. It was quiet, croaky and forced but we knew who had said it nonetheless:
"Dimitri Alekseievich Belikov, I am going to kill you…"