Hey guys, my sincere apologies for the delay on this chapter. Life got super busy with several competing demands at work, between the regular outpatient work of seeing patients and writing reports, call shifts, and senior resident duties, and so this chapter kept getting pushed back. And I really did not want to edit this chapter at times, especially since I knew it'd be a difficult edit, with lots of cutting down to do. But it's finally here. Read on for some fan favourites, shenanigans, and throwback elements ;)
Gonna reply to reviews on the previous chapter, thanks so much for the love and to everyone who reviewed!
Guest: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter! That plot twist may have been somewhat non-canon but it fit with this fanfic and what I had planned. One of my favourite (and critical) parts of this story was getting to explore the relationship between Alexei and his father (and between his parents and their backstories) so I'm glad you've liked seeing that development
ggk: Yes, that absolutely was a plot twist ;) I hope this chapter finds you well!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Embassy Row series and all the characters (except for Tanner and Jordan and Alexei's Moscow friends, who are my own creations). They belong to Ally Carter. I am merely using her characters and plotline to create this fanfiction. I have no intention of profiting off the Embassy Row series in any way. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes and would not exist without Ally Carter's wonderful works.
The events that happen in this fanfiction are not meant to be representative of real life. Any similarities to any real-life events or fictional works is purely coincidental and not intentional (with the exception of the original Embassy Row books by Ally Carter since this fanfiction is literally Take the Key and Lock Her Up but from Alexei's, not Grace's, perspective). The character's actions may not always reflect my own opinions or views. Based on what happens or is mentioned in this chapter (spoiler alert), I do not condone physical or gun violence, murder, breaking and entering into institutions, arson, or skipping school.
Additionally, the medical recommendations made in this chapter are based off my own medical knowledge and clinical experiences and may differ from clinical practice guidelines in other parts of the world. They are evidence-based to my knowledge but may not reflect the latest updates to evidence-based medical practices. Please consult your local medical association for the most up-to-date, evidence-based medical practices in your jurisdiction.
Content warning: moderate to major
This fanfiction is rated M, for explicit and suggestive themes (such as mental health and abuse), language, and violence. This chapter contains mild to moderate language, graphic depictions of arson, near-death, and medical injuries secondary to trauma, explicit mentions of death and medical treatment, and mentions of gun violence, physical violence, murder, and breaking and entering into institutions. Please read at your own discretion.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Crazy Times
The recoil of the gun surprised me. I opened my eyes, flying backwards as the gunshot ricocheted around me. I landed on my side next to my father, hitting my head hard on the cobblestone floor as the ground rumbled with the gunshot. I lifted a hand to my face, a feeble attempt to shield myself as debris and glass shards rained down around me.
Pain shot through me as I coughed, smoke completely clouding the courtyard. Behind me, the old guardhouse was up in flames, as the fire raged bigger and brighter, the only thing visible in all directions.
I thought I saw my father clutching his arm, face contorted in agony. But that was impossible. He was an invincible military man. Surely, a mere arm injury wouldn't be enough to take him down. But there he was, deflecting the swarming paramedics all while clutching his arm.
More paramedics emerged, ushering out two figures. Then, a body was brought up on a stretcher.
"Dominic, no!" The scream echoed around me, the sound broken and haunted. It took a second to realize it came from me. But how could I not despair, when he was the man who had advised and guided me through the last couple months? Who had almost become a second father to me after Mikhail's passing? I took in Dominic's lifeless body, blood pouring out of a wound in his chest, his face ashen, his eyes closed. I couldn't lose Dominic, not after losing Mikhail and especially not after everything he'd done for me and the Blakely siblings. I should have known it would happen though. I always lost the people I loved. And Dominic's death wouldn't just devastate me, but Grace and Jamie too. He had bound us all together and if he died, it would shatter all three of us into pieces.
Another blast boomed, sending more flames and smoke into the air. A deafening roar rang throughout my ears as my vision went hazy, filling with black spots. Flashes of bright, red, vicious light alternated with cool, black darkness. A scorching heat, hotter than the bonfire I had grazed my arm against at the island party, filled my entire body, only to be replaced by a frigid cold, cooler and icier than Moscow winters. I lingered in the cool darkness, welcoming the chill after the raging heat of the fire, until I was suddenly pulled onto the beach in Valancia. When I turned, Mikhail was with my parents, gesturing towards the carousel with an encouraging smile.
Then, Mikhail became my father, a cruel, unforgiving look in his eyes as he pointed the gun at me. Yet, I blinked and it was no longer my father holding the gun but Prince Thomas, shaking as the gun dangled limply in his hand. Prince Thomas suddenly morphed into Jamie, daring me to climb the wall bordering our embassies, until we were outside the palace, on The Night of A Thousand Amelias, his body atop the stretcher that would take him to the American embassy. But Jamie's body on the stretcher suddenly became Dominic's, cold and lifeless, barely breathing. Then, I was in Paris, kissing Grace atop Pont Alexandre III, until it wasn't Grace standing in front of me but a paramedic. Then, I was in Moscow, hanging out with Roman, Eugene, and Josef, until Tanner and Jordan suddenly showed up, frantically waving and calling my name. The images kept coming, blurring and fading into one another, not making any sense. It was like I was in a crazy, vivid dream, simultaneously feeling everything yet also watching everything from the outside.
For a moment, I clearly saw the paramedic telling me to follow them. But then it morphed into my mother, telling me to come home, back to my old bedroom in the Russian embassy. And then finally, it became Mikhail, looking and feeling realer than I ever remembered, standing on the streets of Moscow. He looked otherworldly and so happy, so real, as he stepped closer, beckoning me towards him.
"Lyosha, wouldn't you like to join me?" His familiar, kind voice speaking to me in Russian, as well as the sound of my Russian nickname that I hadn't heard in so long and that Mikhail was always so fond of, tugged at my heart, making me eager to join him. I wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't anymore but one thing I knew for certain was that I would always find comfort in Mikhail. And so with that, I stepped closer and closer, until his image faded and my world went dark.
The next thing I knew, my head was pounding and my whole body was in pain. It was dark, but not pitch black like before, and a far cry from the blinding reds and oranges of the fire. I tried to move my hand over my eyes to block out the light but my hand felt heavy and leaden. The steady beeping wasn't helping either.
Ms. Chancellor's face appeared above me without warning. I expected her to fade away, like all the previous images. But she stayed there, solid, present, and very much alive.
"I see you're awake, Mr. Volkov." Her tone was diplomatic, her face firm and stone cold, as I always remembered it, but with a hint of a sparkle in her eyes.
"Where am I?" I croaked.
The slightest hint of a sly smile alighted Ms. Chancellor's face. "You're in the hospital."
"What happened to me?" I tried to sit up, but my entire body screamed in pain.
"You suffered some smoke inhalation, as well as many cuts and bruises. But aside from that, you made it out lucky, young man. The worst of it is the wound on your leg." Ms. Chancellor nodded at my left leg. It took all the energy in me to sit up and pull the blankets aside, revealing a large white bandage on my left calf.
"The doctors surmised it was from a bullet that scraped your leg. You're lucky it was just a superficial injury and it didn't penetrate deeper." So one of my father's bullets had made their mark on me after all. I hadn't felt it at the time though, as I was so caught up in the action.
"What about my father?" I was almost afraid to ask, knowing what I had done.
Ms. Chancellor looked at me, her face the epitome of diplomatic neutral. "Ambassador Volkov has been taken into emergency surgery. The embassy has been keeping an eye on him and will be providing updates as they are available." I nodded as Ms. Chancellor continued, a cunning look in her eyes.
"So far, it appears he has sustained a fractured humerus and a punctured lung secondary to a gunshot. The doctors are confident he will be alright, although he may have a prolonged recovery time." The heavy silence hung between us as her words sunk in. I had done that to my father. While there wasn't any blood on my hands, I wasn't entirely scot-free either, thanks to his significant injuries. Although I could have argued I had acted out of self-defence, had there been another part of me that had willingly chosen to inflict those injuries on him? I jolted wide awake as that realization hit me, this morning's events flashing through my head.
"How did I end up here?" I asked, suddenly very confused and afraid.
"There are some visitors who would be better able to explain this." Once again, that knowing smile alighted her face.
"Who?" Ms. Chancellor remained silent as she slipped out, that smile still on her face. I was mystified, until the curtain around my bed flung open moments later with a dramatic flair.
"BRO, you're ALIVE!" Tanner bounded to my side.
"How are you feeling?" Jordan came up next to me, squeezing my shoulder. I winced slightly. "Sorry." Jordan took his hand away, only to reach into his pocket to hand me a small rectangular object.
"By the way, you dropped this earlier," Jordan said, placing the object on the blankets. I stared at it, bewilderment kicking in when I realized it was my new phone.
"How did you get my phone?" I asked, extremely confused.
"You dropped it at the palace," Jordan said patiently. I stared at him, not understanding how he could have known that or gotten my phone in the first place.
"How did I end up here?" I repeated.
Tanner handed me his phone, which was opened to Snapchat. A familiar sense of dread and déjà vu set in as he winked at me. "Watch and learn."
"Seriously?" When would I stop learning about the ways I had messed up on Snapchat?
"Trust me, it's a good one," Jordan said, nudging me. Seeing as I had no way out of this, I clicked on Tanner's Snap story.
"waiting for go time" It started with a video of Tanner sitting in his homeroom, anxiously glancing back and forth between his phone and something off screen.
"made it out! Now we wait" A close-up selfie of Tanner followed, a tiled wall barely visible behind him. There were a few more selfies and videos of Tanner anxiously waiting, loud chatter in the background, until a bell rang, causing the chatter to quickly dissipate into silence. That was followed by a few more videos of Tanner waiting, carefully watching and listening.
"think im good" The next video showed Tanner slowly and quietly walking out of a bathroom stall, creeping his way towards the door. The pieces suddenly clicked in my head.
"Were you trying to ditch class by hiding in the bathroom?" I asked. Tanner didn't say anything but the guilty look on his face gave everything away.
"Bro, really?" I shook my head in disapproval.
"Look, that seemed as good a place as any," Tanner said sheepishly.
"Hey, at least it wasn't that sketchy closet in the palace that one time," Jordan quipped. Tanner just glared at him.
"Still, you were skipping class, for God's sake," I said, getting back to the main issue at hand.
"Hey, a new bubble tea shop near the palace was opening today and they were giving out free drinks to the first one-hundred customers. I obviously wasn't going to miss out on that," Tanner argued defiantly, a stark contrast to his earlier guilt. I just shook my head as I continued watching the Snap story.
The next few videos showed Tanner sneaking through the school hallways, before bursting into a run once he made it out the side door. I thought I heard someone yelling at him to get back inside in one of the videos but wasn't going to question it.
Once he was off school grounds and on the main roads, the videos turned into him walking at a more leisurely pace.
"made it and reunited with this guy" A selfie of Tanner and Jordan popped up on screen, the bright blue sky in the background. While Tanner was wearing his school uniform, Jordan was decked out in a hoodie and jeans.
"Bro, did you even go to school this morning?" I asked, turning towards Jordan.
"Didn't think it was worth it if Tanner and I were just going to head to the new boba shop right away," Jordan said, shrugging. That didn't surprise me. Trust Jordan to skip school entirely and not even bother showing up. I sighed, trying not to internally facepalm.
There were several videos and selfies of Tanner and Jordan talking, slowly making their way through the long line.
"free boba achieved!" A selfie of Tanner and Jordan clinking their drinks together popped up on screen.
"How's your drink?" Video Jordan asked video Tanner, who took a massive sip of his drink, letting out a moan that sounded way too sexual.
"So good. This is the best boba place that's opened up here," video Tanner said, taking another massive sip. More videos popped up of Tanner and Jordan walking the streets of downtown Valancia, sipping their drinks and comparing them to other bubble tea shops in the city.
"Yo, what's that?" The camera was pointed at a large plume of smoke filling the air.
"Shit, is that coming from the palace?" Video Jordan asked off-screen.
"Damn, I think we better investigate," Video Tanner said off-screen. The next few videos were full of shaky shots of Valancia's streets, as the two of them ran towards the palace.
When they got to the palace, it was absolute chaos, with the guards trying to herd tourists and locals alike away from the smoke and flames. It reminded me of The Night Of A Thousand Amelias, another smoke and fire-filled night where Adrian history had been rewritten and changed forever. Somehow, I felt like today was going to be one of those life-altering days, a pivotal moment in time that would permanently alter Adria's story.
The next few videos showed Tanner and Jordan watching and waiting silently by a tree near the gates, sipping their drinks on occasion. All of a sudden, they broke into a run through the gates, right into the main palace entrance, as guards yelled at them to get out.
"What were you guys thinking?" I asked, placing my finger on the screen to pause the story.
"We had to investigate," Jordan said, shrugging.
"You guys are nuts, you know that, right?" I muttered, shaking my head in disbelief.
"But that's why you love us," Tanner said, cheekily framing his face with his hands. I rolled my eyes as I continued watching the story.
The next few videos showed Tanner and Jordan making their way through the palace, stabbing guards with their bubble tea straws, their drinks long forgotten. Tanner also took the liberty of spraying them with a very familiar looking can.
"Bro, really?" I turned to look at Tanner.
"What? The pointy end of boba straws make for seriously good weapons. I mean, how else are you supposed to stab through the plastic film on top of the cup?" Tanner argued.
"No, the can. Is that your glitter hair spray?" I asked, although I was very certain what the answer would be.
"Yeah. It was still in my backpack from when we went over to your place to get ready for the party yesterday," Tanner said nonchalantly. "I figured it would also be a decent weapon."
"Bro, did you learn nothing from chemistry class?" I huffed, exasperated. "Hair spray is flammable, especially when it's in an aerosolized cannister like yours. You probably contributed to the palace fire and made it ten times worse."
"Geez, a little hair spray can isn't going to do much for a building the size of the palace," Tanner argued.
"You'd be surprised," I grumbled.
"Yo, it's fine, bro," Jordan added. "Tanner and I made it through the palace just fine and were able to rescue you."
"Armed with bubble tea straws and a can of glitter hair spray, nonetheless," I muttered.
"Hey, don't question the logistics. It did the trick," Jordan argued. I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't believe my friends had hacked their way through palace security using nothing but bubble tea straws and a can of glitter hair spray and it actually worked. Although I had to admire their ingenuity, it was seriously stupid, not to mention risky. Of course, only Tanner and Jordan would be crazy enough to try something like that and somehow pull it off.
Finally, the videos of them hacking their way through the palace turned into videos of the fire I had experienced firsthand. It was strange seeing it from an outside perspective. In the moment, I had been so focused on my own survival. But watching it now, I realized how chaotic it had been, with the shouting and bright, blazing flames. And to think I had lived through something like that.
I saw myself in a few of the videos, looking so confused and vulnerable as I laid on the floor, having just gone through hell and back. It was startling to see how close to the brink of death I had been. Just then, the wound in my leg flared slightly, a stark reminder of how lucky I was to be alive with minimal injuries.
Tanner and Jordan had indeed been shouting my name and trying to get my attention while I had been surrounded by the paramedics, barely able to answer their questions. I didn't even remember anything coherent from after that mind-numbing gunshot, until I had awoken in hospital.
The next videos depicted me being loaded onto a stretcher and carried out of the palace. Tanner and Jordan walked alongside the paramedics, asking about my condition. I was solidly unconscious, my body still and unmoving.
After, there were videos and selfies of Tanner and Jordan riding in the back of an ambulance next to my unconscious body, an oxygen mask on my face and an IV running fluids into my arm. They talked amongst themselves, occasionally checking in with the paramedics. I didn't recall any of that happening, especially since I wasn't getting any IV fluids now and didn't have an oxygen mask on.
"now we wait… I hope our bro will be ok" read the caption of the final clip, a selfie of Tanner and Jordan in the hospital waiting room, looking apprehensive and worried.
"So, what do you think?" Tanner asked with a cheeky grin, once his story finished. I glared at him, resisting the urge to let all sorts of curses in various languages fly out of my mouth.
"Good, right?" Jordan said, echoing his previous words with a smirk. I shook my head as I handed Tanner's phone back to him. The two of them were utterly and truly unbelievable. I seriously wondered how and why I was still friends with them.
But more than that, it made me realize just what I had gone through this morning and how lucky I was to be alive. The fight with my father was no laughing matter and the fire, that was something else, something far beyond anything I ever could have imagined.
The clicking of heels snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned towards the curtain, where a shadow was quickly approaching.
"Oh good, you've been informed." Lila strode in, pulling aside the curtain like she had every right to be here.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, stunned. However, I really shouldn't have been surprised that Lila would show up.
"Oh, you know, the usual embassy kid stuff. Showing my face, making the rounds." Lila tossed her hair, an airy tone to her voice. "In case you were wondering, the scarred dude will be fine. Still in surgery but it's looking good for him. He should be getting out any minute now. Grace and Thomas will be fine too. Shell-shocked, but otherwise fine." I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Yet, a part of me couldn't help but continue to worry.
"Where are Grace and Prince Thomas?" I asked.
"In an ultra-private area of the hospital," Lila said, giving me a knowing look. "You know, for royals and whatnot."
"Of course," I muttered, noting that I was in the main emergency room as I no longer had embassy status. After all, those who were high up enough in the embassies got special access to healthcare in private areas of the hospital.
"But either way, they're fine," Lila pressed on. "Don't worry about them, physically at least. Mentally, I can't say who's going to fare the best between the three of you. But enough about them." She sat down next to me. "How are you feeling, Alexei?"
"Sore. Confused," I answered honestly.
"But alive." Lila looked at me intently.
"Yeah, that too," I echoed. I just had yet another near-death experience but somehow, it felt like just another day. Clearly, I had gone through far too many traumatic experiences in my short time, enough that I had been jaded to my fragile, mortal humanity. When would I stop finding trouble and putting my life on the line?
"Alexei Volkov?" The curtain swung aside, revealing a middle-aged Afro-Adrian woman in scrubs. I nodded.
The woman smiled. "My name is Dr. Olatunji. I'm one of the physicians in the emergency department. I heard you were involved in quite the incident today. The report I got from the paramedics was that you had been in a physical scuffle." I nodded again.
"Because of the fire at the site, they were concerned about smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning and had started you on one-hundred percent oxygen and lactated Ringer's. However, I see that your vitals are perfect and you're not requiring any extra oxygen or fluids. Are you feeling any other symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, or dizziness?"
"My head still hurts and I feel a bit dizzy. But I feel fine otherwise," I said, ignoring the disapproving looks from Tanner, Jordan, and Lila.
"Hmm, I see." Dr. Olatunji nodded in understanding. "Perhaps you had some mild carbon monoxide poisoning. Are you having any difficulty breathing?" I shook my head.
"What about any changes to your voice?"
"Nope, his voice sounds just fine to me," Tanner interjected. I glared at him as Jordan hummed in agreement.
"Thank you, that's very helpful to know," Dr. Olatunji said, laughing. "I'm not seeing any burns on your face. Can I take a look at you?" I nodded my consent before she looked in my nose and my mouth then listened to my heart and my breathing.
"I didn't see or hear anything concerning that would suggest an inhalational injury," she said, looping her stethoscope back around her neck. "Let's take a look at the rest of your body. Any other cuts and bruises?"
"So I've been told." Dr. Olatunji nodded before taking a thorough look at my arms, chest, back, and legs.
"You have several small lacerations but nothing that won't heal on its own."
"What about the cut on my leg? I was told it was from a bullet scrape." Dr. Olatunji peeled aside the bandage.
"It already looks like it's healing well and it doesn't look like the bullet penetrated. A few sutures had been put in to help it heal faster." I bent over, taking a good, hard look at my leg, barely making out the stitches. I must have been out when that was done.
"If the wound starts turning red, swelling, leaking pus, or isn't closing as expected, or if you start getting a fever, then come back to the emergency department. You can check in with your family doctor in seven days to have it looked at and to have the sutures removed. Do you have a family doctor?" I shook my head. That was another thing I'd have to deal with in my new life, now that I no longer lived in the embassy with twenty-four-seven access to private doctors.
Dr. Olatunji hummed empathetically. "Okay, we can set you up with the wound care clinic here or give you the phone number for the family doctor finder line. Your nurse can set you up with either option."
"The family doctor finder line sounds great," I said.
"Excellent. I'll pass that onto your nurse. Otherwise, all your bloodwork looks great and doesn't show any signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. The CT of your head and neck was normal and didn't show any structural injuries." I didn't even remember going for the CT scan, yet another thing that likely happened when I was unconscious.
"But you still have a headache and some dizziness. Did you hit your head?"
I thought back through the fight with my father, particularly when I slammed my head on the palace gates and was knocked onto my back. "Maybe?"
Dr. Olatunji frowned. "Hmm, then perhaps a mild concussion would better explain your headache, more so than carbon monoxide poisoning, given you aren't showing any other symptoms of it." She then did a quick but detailed exam of my nerves, checking my movements and sensation, as well as asking questions to test my thinking. Those all went fine until I had to get up and walk, where I was initially a bit unsteady.
"Based on my exam, I'm inclined to think you had a minor concussion, Alexei," Dr. Olatunji stated. "You don't have many symptoms so you don't need to stay in the emergency department any longer for monitoring. However, I would advise you to take it easy over the next couple days, with no physical activity. After forty-eight hours, I would recommend a gradual return to light sport and activity, building up to your usual activity as tolerated. Same goes for any cognitive activity. I would also advise following up with your family doctor once you find one and that you return to the emergency department if your symptoms worsen. Any questions or concerns for me, Alexei?"
"Not that I can think of," I replied.
"Excellent. From my perspective, you are good to be discharged. I will let your nurse know and once he's done reviewing your paperwork with you, you are free to go. Take care, Alexei." With one last wave, Dr. Olatunji walked out, pulling the curtain closed behind her. Shortly after, my nurse returned with a business card for the family doctor finder phone line, some information sheets on concussions, and some extra bandages for my leg. He reviewed everything with me then took out my IV and disconnected me from all the monitors. With that, I was officially discharged from the emergency room.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride home." Jordan shook the car keys dangling from his hand. I was about to accept but then shook my head.
"There's still one thing I need to do. You guys go ahead. I'll walk home once I'm done." Three noises of disapproval sounded.
"There is no way you're walking home on that leg," Lila argued, glancing at my bandaged leg. "Tanner, Jordan, and I will wait for you in the hospital atrium. Then Jordan will give all of us a ride home. That includes you too, Alexei." Tanner and Jordan looked like they wanted to argue but once again, were stopped short by the resolute look on Lila's face.
"We care about you, Alexei. We'll be here for you," Lila said quietly, her face softening. I looked between her, Tanner, and Jordan, all concerned about me in their own ways.
"I know you care and I appreciate it. But this is something I need to do on my own. Don't wait for me. I'll be fine to get myself home," I said.
"Alexei, no –" Lila started, before I cut her off, nodding at the dark sky visible through the emergency room doors.
"It's already late. You guys head home. I'll be fine, I promise," I stated, looking at each of them in turn. With that, they gave in, but not without saying their goodbyes. Tanner and Jordan wrapped me in a massive guy hug. When they, or more like Tanner, finally released me, Lila stepped forward, hugging me as she pushed herself onto her toes to whisper into my ear.
"Promise you'll take care of yourself, Alexei. Text or call if you need anything." I squeezed her tight before letting her go. I nodded at them all before turning, heading deeper into the hospital. Thankfully, my nurse had helped me out with directions. I followed them to a tee, winding through the labyrinth of hallways until I found myself outside the trauma surgery unit. Visiting hours were just about to end so I didn't have much time. But a few moments were all I needed.
Once on the unit, it didn't take me long to find a nurse who pointed me towards a double room near the nursing desk. I was about to step inside when I suddenly stopped short, unable to cross the threshold of the door. Because my breath caught at what laid before me.
My father and Dominic, each in their own hospital bed. But lying side by side, hooked up to various monitors. Both sleeping soundly, oblivious to the other's presence. The curtain between them hadn't even been drawn.
It was completely ironic how my father and Dominic had been housed in the same hospital room for post-op recovery. One of them noble and selfless, sacrificing himself for those he cared about, doing everything for the greater good. The other cruel and heartless, hurting others to get what he desired, not caring about the consequences. Two powerful men in different ways, yet both of whom had easily been toppled. Two men who had been mortal enemies in life, not just in the military but in Adrian history, stationed on opposite sides of the same fight. Yet, here they were, both in the same fragile, critical condition, reduced to nothing but sleeping souls and motionless bodies after heavy anesthesia. Staring at them sleeping in adjacent beds, it was a stark reminder of how fragile human life was, of how breakable and easily destroyed one could be, despite all the airs put on to make it seem otherwise.
After this incident, would either of them be the same again? Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally? Something as big as this was bound to leave its scars, as if they weren't already scarred enough, after the years of trauma each of them had suffered. How much more could they possibly handle before it became too much?
I certainly wasn't going to wake either of them, not when they were still in fragile post-op states. They needed their rest, more than anyone. But that didn't stop me from lingering in the doorway for a few moments, taking in their peaceful, sleeping forms, knowing this was the most peace either one of them had felt in a long time.
"Rest easy," I whispered three times, first in Russian, then English, then Adrian. Once for each man, in their native tongue. Then a third time, in the language that united them both, a homage to how similar they were, regardless of their differences, and a reminder of how their fragile humanity was the biggest thing that united them both.
Song Inspo: Illenium – 'Crazy Times (feat. Said The Sky & Rock Mafia)'
Genre/ subgenre: EDM/ Future Bass
This song wasn't one of my favourites on Illenium's 'Fallen Embers' album but it actually grew on me, particularly as I was listening to it and realized the lyrics and melancholy, nostalgic vibes fit quite well with the dream sequence at the start, where Alexei is drifting in and out of consciousness and isn't sure what's real and what isn't. As I continued with writing this chapter, I realized the song also fits quite well with the last few paragraphs, when Alexei is reflecting on the significance and sheer plethora of everything that happened and particularly on the fragility of humanity relating to that, feeling a sense of nostalgia and melancholia that fits with the song's vibes.
The song's title also inspired the title of this chapter. Feel free to give this song a listen while reading this chapter!
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be up between Mar. 29 and Apr. 1. I've got many call shifts coming up in mid-March and will be fairly busy in early April but I have that weekend off so I think it'll be a reasonable time for me to edit and post the next chapter, especially since it's shorter and shouldn't be too difficult of an edit.
I had to throw one last Snap story from Tanner in there for pure throwback elements, even though I felt like it was kinda cringe (which is part of what made editing this chapter so difficult). What do you think happens next?