When I walked into my apartment, I let out a loud sigh of relief. We just finished the international leg of the tour, and we were taking three weeks before starting the portion in Canada and the US.
I didn't realize how long it would take for the international portion, but four months felt like ten. The last few days were awkward at times. I felt hurt by Dimitri; I had practically made a declaration of love, and all he did was gape at me. I had hoped that maybe in the morning he would have said something, but he went about it like it never happened.
I was happily surprised that there was food in the fridge and in the cupboard. When I opened the fridge, there was a Tupperware container of cookies in the front and a note written on top.
Welcome home baby!
I smiled and pulled the tub out, prying the lid off and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, squatting down to grab my bag as I headed towards the bedroom. I lay down and smiled again. Mildred had clearly been here to fill my fridge, but she also washed the sheets and duvet cover on my bed recently.
I sighed quietly as I flopped onto my stomach. I bit into one of my cookies and chewed, making a face at the taste. They didn't taste right, but I also had been drinking so much coffee today that my tastebuds were screwed.
I got comfortable in my bed and closed my eyes, groaning loudly when my phone rang.
"Hello?" I grumbled.
"Hi, is this Rose Hathaway?"
"Speaking?"
"It's Tina from Dr. Kressleys' office. I'm just calling to reschedule the appointment that you missed this morning for your injection. I know that you've been travelling the last few months," the woman said and I groaned.
"I'm so sorry. I just got back to the States, and when I made that appointment, I was in a completely different time zone," I explained.
"That's okay. Unfortunately, we can't get you in for another two weeks. Is that going to be a problem?"
"No, I'm already behind on the injection to begin with. It's not a big deal. I've been debating coming off of it," I explained.
"If you would like to go off it, we can put a note in your file and reschedule you if you decide you want to continue," she explained, "You are due to go off it soon regardless."
I licked my lips. I knew I wasn't able to go on it for long periods of time, and I was on it longer than I should have been.
"You know, I'll go off it now and then we can revisit the options after a bit of time," I said.
"Okay, that's fine. I'll put a note in your file so you don't lose your place with the clinic," Tina said before hanging up. I licked my lips and rolled onto my side to go shower. I was excited to sleep in my own bed, and I was looking forward to wearing the clothes that I left here. I was just excited to have my own space again.
Not that living the tour life wasn't interesting, but it was nice to be in my own space with my things.
When I got out of the shower, I heard shuffling in the living room and I tightened my towel around me. It wasn't one of the girls because they would have texted before they came over. I crept quietly from the bathroom, grabbed the old field hockey stick I had just inside my room and walked down the hallway. As I rounded the corner, I raised the stick but stopped and lowered it.
"Hi, what are you doing? I didn't hear you come in," I said.
Dimitri looked up at me and gave me a tired smile.
"I grabbed your laptop by accident when we sorted our bags," he said as he gestured to my bag now on the couch.
"Oh," I said quietly and nodded to myself. Dimitri nodded too and licked his lips.
"I do want to talk to you before we start the last bit of the tour," he said. I nodded and gestured for him to wait, and I slipped back into my room, throwing on some clothes and coming back out.
"Can I get you anything?"
"I can smell your mother's cookies in the air," he joked and I rolled my eyes with a smile, heading back to my room and retrieving the cookies.
"I don't know what she did to them, they don't taste the same," I complained as I set the container on the coffee table. Dimitri sat down and grabbed one out of the container, biting into it and shrugging.
"They taste fine to me. Maybe you just got a bad cookie," he said. I shrugged and sat on the couch.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Dimitri pulled something out of the laptop bag and set it on the couch between us. It wasn't the original contract, but an updated one that we worked up during the tour.
"I know that you and I have had a few rough patches and that there is some tension. If you wanted out of the contract before the end of it, I'm fine with releasing you from it," he explained, "I don't want you to be forced to work with me if you don't want to."
I pulled my knees up and rested my chin on my knees.
"Do you want me to? To stay, I mean?"
Dimitri's eyes moved up to mine. "Of course, I do," he whispered and reached for my hand, "I know that I've hurt you. And I know that you are validated in your feelings. Our relationship has been complicated, to say the least."
I looked at his hand that held mine, dwarfed mine.
"I just feel like the tour ruined our relationship. With what happened with Abe, and then Spain... I felt like you didn't trust me, even when you knew that I was working with you. There was no way for me to break the first contract without having legal implications. It was even stated in that contract that I couldn't search for other work during that time. And then that night…"
"I know," he whispered. I swallowed and licked my lips. I knew that he was sorry, but I still felt off. I felt like my emotions were all over the place the last few weeks. Dimitri squeezed my hand, and I squeezed it back. Even with being hurt, he still was one of my closest friends. Even with my current hurt and rejection, he was the one I wanted to go to for comfort. It seemed twisted.
"Thank God we're starting in L.A. I missed my place," I mused quietly.
Dimitri smirked. "I got booked for a private venue in two days, but it's more of an anniversary thing for my first album. I'd love it if you were there. I'd like to hear you perform solo."
My eyes widened. "What?"
Dimitri smirked. "I would love it if you would perform Whispers. We've teased it so many times, but I think it would be a great way to end the show. Plus, it would be good for publicity," he explained. I bit my lip.
"I don't know…"
"It's not the first time you've sung solo," Dimitri pointed out.
"Put that was a spur-of-the-moment thing!"
"I still think that you would do amazing," Dimitri said leadingly.
"I would definitely need to do a run-through before I do that live," I chuckled quietly. I instantly felt nervous.
"We can do that, but I know you will do perfectly," he said before standing up, "Now, I'm going to head to my place because I also miss my own bed."
I snorted a laugh. "I miss the quilt."
Dimitri shook his head slightly. "I'll lend it to you before we go back on the road."
I smiled at him and stood up to follow him out. When he got to the door, he turned to face me and slipped his arms around my waist. I raised up on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head against his. It was the first bit of natural contact we'd had since we were in Russia. Not for the cameras and for the fans.
It felt good.
He pulled back and cupped my cheeks, looking into my eyes as he stood there. Again, there was a moment where he looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words.
"Try and get a good sleep," he whispered. I nodded and smiled at him.
"You too, comrade," I whispered with a smirk. He shook his head and kissed my forehead before closing the door behind him.
The rehearsals I had done still didn't make me feel confident enough to perform on my own, but it was a little too late. Today along with a sweet montage post he made, he teased a video of me practicing the song.
365 days of you. I love you.
It was an array of photos, the first being of me in New York lying across the end of the bed with the scrabble board in front of me. The next was of me in Scotland on one of our hikes, one of the two of us out for dinner in Paris, a few others from our travels, one of me cuddling Zoya, and the last one was a copy of the photo from his very first concert. He had had the photo printed as a Polaroid and wrote the date on the bottom of it.
I rushed to get ready, but I kept stopping because I felt sick. I had daringly ordered from an Indian restaurant I liked down the street, but sometimes it was hit-and miss. Apparently tonight it was a miss. When I finally finished, I made it outside the building when my Uber pulled up, I ducked my head into the rolled-down window.
"Is it okay if I sit in the front with you? I have a bit of anxiety in the backseat."
The woman grinned at me and tucked her purse into the glove box.
"Sure. It's stated on your profile that you have backseat anxiety," she said and brushed her micro-braids behind her shoulder. I smiled and climbed in, putting my seatbelt on with a sigh.
"Big night tonight," she joked. I laughed and nodded.
"Yes, and I'm super late. But he'll just have to deal with it," I said with a small shrug. The woman nodded and started driving, making light chit-chat with me.
"I love your hair, by the way, the gold hoops really make it pop," I mentioned as we pulled up to the intersection, moving through the green light.
"Thanks. It gets heavy, but I love how it looks," she said as she tapped her nails on the steering wheel. I had to say that she was gorgeous. Skin that looked like fresh coca powder and her eyes were as dark as her skin, but her hair was a few shades lighter with blonde highlights.
I smiled and rested my head against the window, twisting my fingers into the chain of my necklace. The streets were packed, and the closer we got to the venue, the busier it was.
"Can I get a hint of what you're going to sing tonight with Dimitri?" the driver asked with a smirk. I laughed and looked at her, wincing against the bright lights that were shining into her side of the car.
I didn't have a chance to warn her. I tried not to tense up, but it was like everything slowed down. I could hear my own gasp as the sound of grinding metal met my ears. The impact was something I couldn't explain. The shattering glass and being thrashed around, all I could do was close my eyes as we rolled.
All I could remember was my physical therapist's words just days after my first accident. That the crash itself wasn't what caused the most damage, but our organs shaking against our skeletons.
I counted four rolls before we stopped, the vehicle that hit us rolling onto its side with a loud bang. I blinked a few times before feet appeared beside the driver's license window. My ears rang as I hung upside down, and I could see someone kneeling down.
For a split second, I thought it was Andre.
I was disoriented when I opened my eyes. There were doctors around me, and it took a moment for one of them to notice, but one of them did notice and notified everyone else that I was awake.
"My name is Dr. Dowler; do you remember what happened?"
I blinked up at him and thought for a moment.
"I was in an Uber," I whispered. As I spoke it was as if someone had pulled a blindfold off of me, and my body felt like it had been through the worst workout ever, and like I had fallen down the stairs, but worse.
"Do you remember the accident?"
I started to shake my head and hissed. The doctor told me not to move my head, that I was injured in the accident.
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Rose Hathaway," I said after a minute.
"Is there anything that you can think of that we need to know? Are you allergic to anything?" he asked, checking my eyes.
I tried to think of anything that was important, but another voice called out, almost panicked.
"She has arthritis in her lumbar spine, she's also allergic to penicillin and sulfa drugs," Tasha said, slipping into the room. I looked for her with my eyes and I found her, my hand flaying until she gripped it.
"Tash?" I asked, the adrenaline wearing off and hysteria was taking over.
"Shh, it's okay, I'm here," she whispered, brushing a hand over my hair. "She has no spleen or appendix. She was in an accident when she was a teenager. It damaged her pelvic region and reproductive organs."
Dr. Dowler thanked her and moved a stool over so that she could sit when I wouldn't let go of her hand.
"She has severe anxiety with hospitals," she whispered to the doctor. Once she finished giving him all the information she knew, some I never remembered telling her, she turned her attention to me.
"How did you know I was here?" I asked quietly.
"It was on the news, Dimitri found out before I could tell him, and he tried to leave the gig. I told him that he needed to stay, and I would come and keep him updated," she explained. I scoffed and winced at the pain in my stomach as the doctor palpated it. The one doctor moved over with a portable ultrasound.
"Why would he try to leave?" I grunted.
"Why wouldn't he, dummy?! He loves you, and the two of you can't grow up enough to see you love each other and admit it!" Tasha snapped and then her face softened.
I bit my lip and tried to pretend that her words weren't true, while the doctor doing my ultrasound asked for them to page O.B. I tried to lift my head, but Tasha looked confused. She heard him too.
The one doctor asked for Tasha to step out of the room, but I said I wanted her to stay.
"Are you aware that you're pregnant?" the doctor asked.
Tasha's head snapped up. "That's not funny."
The doctor looked at Tasha but turned the monitor towards us.
"It's not a joke; you are pregnant," the doctor said. I tried to lift my head but I couldn't because of the brace. Tasha stood up beside me and looked at the screen, a look of pure shock on her face as she shook her head.
"It's impossible," she whispered and looked down at me, "There is a baby in there."
I licked my lips and my eyes flicked to the doctor. "Are they okay?"
The doctor did a bit more looking but nodded his head. "I'm going to page OB to come and check you, but it looks okay to me," he said and then went to check my legs when I complained about numbness.
"Can you wiggle your toes?"
I tried to wiggle my toes and the doctor nodded with a small smile. "It's most likely nerve aggravation. With the previous damage, it's probably inflamed your spinal nerves. Can you feel them?"
"Kind of. They feel like they're asleep," I said. The doctor nodded and I let go of Tasha's hand so she could step out when the doctors needed more room. The doctors told me they were going to give me something for the pain and the anxiety, and that it would make me sleepy. The feeling of sleep made me panic, but I guess it was some form of sedative because I felt like I was floating, not feeling pain, but not feeling myself either.
Seven Years Ago
I felt fuzzy when I opened my eyes and I blinked again. I could hear a consistent beeping and I turned my head, wincing as I moved. I licked my lips and tried to stretch out, but I couldn't. I whimpered and took in a deep breath, wincing again.
There was movement next to me and I turned my head slowly, finding long black hair sprawled on the small bit of bed beside me.
"Hi?" I whispered roughly. I reached out and touched their head, making them stir from sleep. Tasha lifted her head and blinked at me, her eyes barely open as she looked at me. When she realized that I was awake, she sat up and sniffed, running her hand over my hair.
"Hey," she whispered, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm not really sure. Where am I?"
"Do you remember what happened?" she asked softly.
I took in another slow breath, trying to think how I got here. But slowly it came back to me, and I felt my throat become tight. I looked at her again and nodded slowly.
"Is everyone okay?"
Tasha frowned and moved, sitting on the edge of my bed and taking my hand.
"Rhea died at the scene. Right on impact. It was quick. Eric arrived here but died due to his injuries," she explained quietly, rubbing her hand over mine.
"And Lissa and Andre?"
"Lissa's asleep," she said pointing across the room.
"And Andre?" I asked. Tasha shook her head.
"We thought he was fine, but he had a brain bleed. He died a few hours ago," she whispered. My lip started to quiver and I tilted my head back, hot tears rolling down my face. Tasha held my hand as I cried quietly.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered and I nodded the best that I could. There was movement on the other side of me and I looked over, finding another face I didn't expect.
"Eddie?"
He looked exhausted as well but gave me a small smile.
"Hey," he said, moving closer to the bed.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
He looked puzzled for a moment. "You called me."
"I did?"
He nodded. "Yeah. It was really early in the morning. You sounded off, and you were crying. All you would say was that you were in the hospital. You don't remember?"
"No," I whispered, "Did I call anyone else?"
"Mason. But he's four states over. I told him I'd update him when I knew something. Mom was here when you came in in the ambulance. She was one of your doctors for a bit," he said quietly. I looked across the room and found Lissa in a bed. She didn't look hurt, and Christian was lying in a similar position that Tasha had been in.
I tried to shift in bed again and I winced.
"How bad was I injured?"
Eddie and Tasha shared a glance.
"You were injured pretty badly. You're on some heavy medications right now so you don't feel the extent of them," Eddie explained.
"How bad?"
"You fractured your pelvis in a few spots I think. They had to remove your spleen and appendix. You have some nasty cuts on your body from the road. I didn't hear all of them, but those are the ones I know," Eddie said.
"You had some internal bleeding too. The nurse should be by shortly and I'm sure there will be a doctor who will come by and explain everything to you," Tasha soothed. I nodded and closed my eyes.
"I'm kind of tired. Can I go back to sleep for a bit?"
"Of course, you can," Tasha whispered, wiping a few tears from my cheek as the medication pulled me back under.
Present
The first fully aware memory I had after being in the E.R was Andrew sitting beside me. He looked exhausted, but he was reading beside me. His hair was a mess, his curls sticking out in every direction and his glasses perched almost crookedly on his nose.
"When did you get here?" I asked.
My voice startled him, and he closed his book, turning to look at me with a tired smile.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, gripping my hand gently.
"Like I got hit by a truck," I deadpanned.
I half expected him to laugh, but considering I was hit by a truck, he didn't.
"I don't feel as bad as I did with the last accident," I said after and squeezed his hand, "Where's Mom?"
"Mom's at home, she wanted to make you some of those cookies you like so much before she came. She was here for a bit before I arrived, and Lissa was here for a bit in the waiting room."
I nodded and hissed at the pounding in my head. "Mm. Concussed?"
"Yes. You have a lot of swelling in your back, so your toes may tingle a bit. You fractured your shoulder, but luckily, you made it out okay," he said.
"And the driver?" I asked, thinking about the nice woman who was in the front seat.
"She needed brain surgery," he said, "But I can get an update for you."
I smiled tightly and sighed, rubbing my hands over my stomach before stilling, remembering what was said in the E.R.
"Has Dimitri been here?" I asked.
Andrew shrugged. "I don't know. I slept for a bit when I got here, plus with visiting hours being over when I got here, I was lucky to be allowed to stay," he said and looked up, "Never mind. He's here."
I looked at the doorway and smiled softly. Dimitri had his hand raised to knock on the door frame but stopped when he realized we saw him.
"Hey, comrade," I whispered.
Dimitri looked as exhausted as Andrew did. Andrew stood up and shook Dimitri's hand. Dimitri was polite in his greeting, but I could see in his eyes that he was agitated. Andrew whispered that he was going to call Mildred and let her know I was awake, leaving the two of us alone.
Dimitri sat in Andrew's chair and took my hand, his lips twitching as he sat.
"How did your show go?" I asked, hoping that news of me being hurt didn't completely tank his show.
"It went okay, all things considered. I ended up cutting it short, but everyone there was understanding" he whispered, and his hand shook that held mine. I looked at it and then looked at him, reaching over with my other hand and stroking his cheek. I knew that I didn't look great. I had caught a glimpse of myself in the ER. I had some bruising and cuts on my face.
"I'm okay," I whispered. It seemed like it was the wrong thing to say because he broke, pulling out intertwined hands up to his face and he sobbed. It startled me, seeing such an abrupt emotion come from him, but I comforted him, pulling him towards me. It was an awkward embrace, but he moved to sit on the edge of the bed, holding me gently to him as he sobbed into my shoulder.
I didn't say anything, just letting him get it all out. The body would do strange things in moments of stress, and this reaction could be caused by any number of things. I rubbed my fingers against the back of his neck gently, resting my forehead against his head as his tears started to taper off.
He lifted his head and I met his bloodshot eyes, shushing him soothingly and I rubbed his neck.
"I'm okay," I whispered again, but it was cut off with a kiss. It was gentle but poured so much emotion into it that it made my heart leap. I could taste his tears on his lips, and when he pulled away, he simply rested his forehead against mine.
"When I saw that you were in an accident, my heart felt like it fell to my stomach. The panic I felt," he whispered, "The only thing I could think of was that I could say that I love you out loud. I've known I was in love with you for weeks."
I smiled at him softly. "It's okay," I whispered, knowing that all the tension that was between us had dissipated for now.
"There's something I need to tell you before Andy gets back, or someone on the staff says something," I said gently but urgently.
Dimitri nodded and I wiped the tears from his cheeks.
"I'm pregnant," I said, deciding just getting it out in the open was better than not. Dimitri didn't say anything, just blinked at me a few times and gaped.
"I'm not expecting anything out of you," I said right away, "We were having fun, and if a baby isn't something you want to take on, I get that. Now, I may need a little help with the hospital costs, considering I'm wracking up a bill for right now-"
Dimitri stopped me by pulling me in for another kiss, this one not so gentle but more passionate.
When he pulled away I licked my lips, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Are you happy about this?" he asked. I blinked at him.
"I mean, I've only known about it for a few hours, but yeah. I never thought I'd be able to get pregnant and sort of gave up on the idea," I said and then smiled at him. "Holy shit, I'm going to have a baby!"
"You're having a what?!"
Dimitri and I both looked at the doorway, Lissa standing there with balloons and a grocery bag with things that were probably from my apartment.
"Surprise?" I said with a small chuckle, looking at Dimitri again, "We literally haven't told anyone!"
Lissa dropped the things in her arms and squealed as she all but ran to the bed, wrapping her arms around the two of us. I tried to hold back my squawk of pain, but it still made its way out.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm just so happy for you!" Lissa squealed before her face became serious, "Wait, you're happy right?! Or are you feeling conflicted, because I can support your confliction," she said but I waved her off.
"Very happy," I whispered. She squealed again and hugged me gently before moving around the bed to give Dimitri a proper hug. I heard the clip of shoes and saw Tasha standing in the door, a small smile on her face.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, setting down an iced coffee that made a smile cross my face.
"I'm feeling okay, riding the high of the good news," I said. Tasha raised a perfectly groomed brow at me as Dimitri looked at her with a grin.
"Roza is pregnant," Dimitri said, gripping my hand gently.
"Oh, thank God. If I had to sit through a whole visit and keep that from him any longer, I was going to burst," she said as she pulled up two chairs to my bed.
"She knew?" Dimitri asked.
"I found out when she found out, which was when she was admitted," Tasha said and smoothed the blanket over my legs, "How are you feeling that way? Any nausea?"
I shook my head. "No, not really. I mean, my chest hurt a little, but nothing else. I think the meds they gave me are hiding all the problems."
"That's good. The doctor said that you were roughly in your second trimester already," Tasha said and I raised my brows at her and then looked at Dimitri. I tried to do the math but Dimitri beat me to it.
"Scotland. Or maybe Paris," he said with a small smile, "I guess all that really expensive cheese and meats paid off."
I snorted a laugh and then winced, clutching at my side.
"Did they say anything about my ribs?"
"Bruised. Your sternum has a gorgeous bruise from the seatbelt. But other than that, you got out relatively unscathed."
"And the driver that hit us?" I asked, picking at the blanket.
"Heart attack," Tasha said sadly. I frowned and picked at the blanket again. I couldn't exactly be mad at them, they weren't being careless or reckless, it was a freak event.
"Did they make it?" I asked.
Tasha looked at Dimitri first. "He did. He's asked to speak with you and the driver. Alana, the Uber driver, isn't awake yet. I said that I would bring the topic up, but that it was ultimately up to you. He's an older man, I think he just wants to apologize," Tasha explained.
Dimitri shook his head but I spoke. "It's okay. I'll let him say his peace."
"Are you sure?" Lissa asked, "You're not obligated to hear him out."
"But I know that it wasn't his fault, and I knew that the guilt he has is probably eating him alive. It's not like it was with Nathan. He didn't cause the accident on purpose; he had a heart attack."
Lissa nodded and smiled at me before going to pick up the bag of things she brought from my apartment, setting them up around the room. I wasn't sure why I was still here, but I was sure someone would tell me eventually.
Dimitri helped me sit up comfortably on the bed, fluffing the pillows behind me and making sure my lower back was supported.
"Can I get you anything? Do you need another painkiller?"
"I don't want to overdo it with the baby," I said quietly.
"They won't harm the baby. I already checked with your doctor and the nurses."
I nodded and asked for one quietly, not wanting to fight the pain that was running through my body. Dimitri came back after speaking with a nurse and slipped the socks Lissa brought me, dotting over me nervously.
"Dimitri?"
"Yes?"
"Sit down, please. You're making me dizzy," I said softly and reached for his hand. He sat on the edge of my bed and kissed my hand, sighing as his other one moved to my stomach. Now that I knew I was pregnant, a lot of things made sense. I had put on weight, but I had tossed it off to stress and a less active work life. My pants felt a little tighter, and my stomach was softer, all things that I brushed off.
My face was fuller, my skin had a bit of a glow to it. I was hungry, but when wasn't I? All of the food I had tossed out because it tasted funny, the intense craving for soft pretzels and beer cheese, the constant need to go to the bathroom. It all made sense now.
"It's so weird to think that there is a person inside of me," I mused, "I mean, we both saw the ultrasound, but it's crazy. It's not even like I could have figured it out with a missed period, because I'm lucky if I get a period four times a year."
Dimitri smiled softly and rubbed his hand over my stomach. "I'm very happy about the little person growing in here," he chuckled, "It'll take time for us to wrap our minds around."
I nodded and straightened up when there was a tentative knock on the door. Dimitri took his hand off my stomach as an older woman wheeled a graying man into the room.
"Rose?" she asked. I nodded and cleared my throat.
"I'm Jacklyn and this is my husband, Brandon," Jacklyn explained, gesturing to her husband.
"Hello, this is Dimitri," I said with a tilt of my head towards Dimitri. It seemed to make them both nervous when I introduced them, but Dimitri extended his hand towards him. Brandon's shook as he lifted it, and I bit my lip.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Brandon. He looked surprised at my question.
"I should be asking you that," he said quietly.
"A little bit of spinal strain and bruises, but otherwise, I'm doing okay," I said.
"I want to know how you are feeling. A heart attack wouldn't feel good to anyone, especially when you wake up to find out you were in an accident."
Brandon looked ashamed but I leaned forward on the bed, resting my hand on his.
"I'm not angry, nor do I blame you. I've been in an accident where someone drank three times the legal limit and killed my family. You had a medical episode. I'm alive, and from what I heard, Alana is pulling through. I hold no ill will against you. So please, don't let your guilt consume you. Because I don't want it to," I whispered, squeezing his hand. His eyes watered as he looked at me, a small nod of his head.
I looked at him and then at his wife. "Please, I mean it, I don't hold any of this against you. Yes, you caused an accident, but you couldn't have helped it. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even if we don't know why."
Dimitri rubbed his hand over my leg and smiled softly at me. Brandon made his apologies, despite not really needing to make them, and after that, he was brought back to his room. From what the nurses could tell me, the heart attack showed some hidden concerns.
Once we were alone Dimitri kissed my head.
"You're too good for the world, you know that?" Dimitri said.
I chuckled lightly and slipped my hand into his. "No, I'm just myself."
Dimitri smiled but turned to something that we did need to talk about.
"With finding out you're pregnant, we'll want to stay on top of it. We don't know if the staff will uphold their oaths and regulations. One of us will need to announce it sooner rather than later," he said with a frown.
"That's okay. As long as we tell our mothers first, I don't care when," I said with a tired smile.
