The Thrill of You Read online

  Chapter 13

  What seemed like a million lifetimes in slow motion to Mikhail was merely a few seconds in reality. He watched the car continue straight as the driveway curved to the left. The majestic row of mahogany trees stood as the car’s sole deterrent. Without even realizing it, he exited his car and started to run to her as he called out her name. The car ran straight into a tree. The impact was instant, and the loud whining crackle of crumpled steel resounded in his ears. The tree shook. A branch several feet up tumbled down onto the windshield. The sickening sound of glass shattering stopped him. His heart fell. He looked up. Another branch, much thicker, swayed and hovered precariously above, threatening to fall. “Cyanna,” he whispered, then ran.

  He got to the driver’s side door and grabbed the handle. He yanked it hard, nearly lurching his shoulder out of the socket. It was locked from the inside. He could see that Cyanna was thankfully belted, but she was unconscious. There was blood on her forehead and on her hand. He called out to her repeatedly. She was breathing, but she didn’t move. Shattered, broken glass was everywhere.

  He tried all the doors as he called 911 and gave them his information. When they were on the way, he ran back to his car and got his window-breaking tool. He ran back to the rental car and smashed the passenger rear door window and unlocked the front seat door. Within seconds he was inside the car, sitting beside her. She was slumped forward and to the side. “Cyanna, sweetheart, can you hear me?” She didn’t answer.

  He reached down and unlatched her seat belt, then unlocked her door. He got back out, rushed around and opened her door. He eased her out of the car and carried her several yards away from the accident scene. He heard the faint sound of sirens coming closer. Then a sheriff’s car with lights flashing came barreling into his driveway. It barely stopped before his cousin Stephen got out and ran to his side. He was vehemently yelling at dispatch to send additional help.

  “Mikhail, what happened?” he asked as the sirens grew louder.

  Breathless, Mikhail looked at his cousin. “She missed the curve. The car went into the tree.”

  “Are you hurt? Were you in the car?” Stephen asked. Mikhail didn’t answer. “Mikhail, listen to me. Are you hurt?”

  Mikhail looked up at Stephen and shook his head. “No.”

  “Were you in the car?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, hold on, help is here,” he said as he stepped away to direct the fire truck and ambulance speeding toward them. An EMT got out with her bag and ran to Mikhail and Cyanna. Her partner hurried to the back of the ambulance and pulled out a stretcher and rolled it over. A fire truck arrived.

  “Okay, Mikhail, hold back and let the EMTs take care of her.”

  “No, I got her.”

  Stephen grabbed his cousin’s arm. “Listen to me. I know what she means to you. Trust us—we got this. Now let her go.”

  Mikhail released her slowly as Stephen gently eased her unconscious body down to the ground. Two EMTs and a fireman immediately surrounded her. Mikhail stepped away with Stephen at his side. “Stephen, she’s pregnant,” he said.

  Stephen looked at Mikhail, then at Cyanna and then back at Mikhail. The unmistakable look of fear and unconditional love in his eyes was heart wrenching. “Okay,” he said softly. “Okay.”

  Just then the hovering branch fell, slicing the front windshield in half, taking out the steering wheel and landing on the passenger seat. Everyone stopped and looked and then went back to what they were doing. A second later another car came to a sudden stop nearby. Dominik got out with his bag and ran over. “Are you hurt?” he called out to Mikhail.

  “No. Dom, help her. She’s pregnant.”

  Dominik looked at Mikhail and then at Stephen. Stephen nodded and motioned to Cyanna. Dominik ran to her as the EMTs parted for him. Shauna got out of the car and hurried to Stephen and Mikhail. “What can I do?” she asked anxiously.

  “Where are your keys?” Stephen asked Mikhail.

  He shook his head. “I think I dropped them by my car.”

  Shauna looked at his car still parked in front of the house. She nodded, knowing exactly what to do. “I’ll lock up the house and take care of everything here.” She turned and ran across the lawn to the house.

  Stephen and another officer walked Mikhail farther away from the scene. Mikhail gave them Cyanna’s name and other pertinent information. Stephen purposely maneuvered his cousin in the opposite direction as the EMTs put Cyanna on the stretcher. “Mikhail, let’s get in my car. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

  Mikhail shook his head. “No, I have to stay with her.” He turned around as the stretcher rounded the ambulance. Dominik was at Cyanna’s side.

  “She’s leaving now. Let’s go.” They hurried to Stephen’s car as the EMTs got into the ambulance.

  Stephen followed with his lights and siren on. Neither spoke as Stephen concentrated on driving and Mikhail focused on getting to Cyanna. They arrived at the hospital just as the ambulance pulled up. An emergency medical team was standing in the ambulance bay waiting. As soon as the ambulance stopped, they ascended.

  Mikhail and Stephen got out of the car and stood watching as Dominik and his E.R. team rolled Cyanna inside. Mikhail went to follow, but Stephen grabbed his arm. Mikhail looked at him threateningly. Stephen shook his head and gripped his arm tighter. “Mikhail, there’s nothing you can do right now. You know Dom is an exceptional doctor. Leave this to him and his team. Give them a few minutes to assess Cyanna’s condition.”

  Mikhail jerked his arm away and moved to follow them inside. “Cuz, I’ll have to beat you down, crack your head and break your legs if you go in there—and not necessarily in that order. Now I know you don’t want that, do you?”

  Mikhail stopped. His body jerked as his shoulders trembled. He shook his head and turned to his cousin. The hoped-for laughter in Mikhail’s eyes made Stephen smile. They chuckled, then laughed. Stephen knew that the biting tension and stress of the past few minutes needed an escape. He also hoped he wouldn’t have to follow through with his threat.

  Mikhail nodded. “Okay.” They walked off to the side. “I can’t lose her, Stephen.” He looked over at the closed bay doors.

  “I know. You won’t.”

  “I love her so much. I never thought...”

  “I know.”

  “And she drives me crazy, still I can barely breathe without her. I think about her every second of every day. She’s a part of me that I never knew I was missing. She’s in my heart, in my soul, in every breath I take. I love her.”

  “Yep, that’s what they do to us. Thank God, huh?”

  Mikhail nodded. “Yeah, thank God.”

  “Hey, congratulations, Dad,” Stephen added.

  Mikhail smiled and nodded. “She hasn’t seen a doctor yet. But she took three at-home tests and they were all positive.”

  “Like I said, congratulations, Dad,” Stephen said, then bumped Mikhail’s fist and patted his shoulder. Mikhail winced. Stephen looked at his hand and saw blood. He looked at Mikhail’s back, seeing a dark wetness on the shoulder and sleeve of his shirt. A thin crimson line trickled down. “You’re bleeding—let’s go.”

  Mikhail looked down at his arm. He didn’t feel a thing or realize he’d been cut.

  They went inside and one of the E.R. nurses met them. Mikhail and Stephen went with her. An anxious, apprehensive hour later, Mikhail and Stephen sat in Dominik’s office. The door opened. They turned. Shauna walked in. “Hey,” she said. “Any news?”

  “No,” Mikhail grumbled.

  “Soon, I’m sure Dominik is being very thorough.”

  “How’d you get to the house so fast?” Stephen asked Shauna.

  “We were on our way home then Dominik got a call from the E.R. after the ambulance went out. They told him there had been
an accident at Mikhail’s, so we went straight there.”

  “Thanks for taking care of the house, Shauna.”

  She hugged him warmly. “That’s what sisters do,” she said, knowing she had never been able to say that before. And now being married to Dominik and a member of the Coles family was her heart’s dream come true. “I heard you needed attention.”

  “Yeah, I guess I cut my shoulder after I broke the window and tried to get the door unlocked. I didn’t even know it.”

  “Adrenaline,” she surmised. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, fine, except for waiting for your husband to get in here and tell me something.”

  “Like I said, he’s very thorough.”

  There was a knock on the door. Shauna, nearest, opened it.

  Natalia, David, Tatiana and Spencer came in. The growing gathering of family hugged and kissed each other, happy to be together. “Hey, what happened to you?” Tatiana asked, seeing Mikhail in a hospital scrub shirt.

  “I cut my shoulder. I’m fine.”

  “How’s Cyanna?” Natalia asked.

  “We don’t know yet,” Mikhail said.

  “Wait, I just called you less than an hour ago, I thought you were on Cutter,” Stephen said.

  “We were,” David said.

  “Yeah, but you got here so fast—that’s impossible.”

  “Obviously you’ve never been in a speed boat with Spencer Cage behind the wheel,” David said.

  “That’s right. My hubby can seriously cut through water,” Tatiana said proudly.

  “Fast, like at warp speed,” Natalia chimed in. “Impressive.”

  “Ah, come on. We weren’t going that fast,” Spencer said.

  David chuckled. “I know daredevil stuntmen who could take a few lessons from this guy. Nice driving, my man,” David said as he and Spencer shook hands.

  “All right, all right, maybe we were going a little swift,” Spencer confessed.

  “Looks like I’m gonna have to give some waterway speeding tickets out,” Stephen joked. They all laughed, knowing they didn’t exist.

  The door opened. Dominik walked in and looked around. His not-so-small office was packed with family. “Hey, what are you all...”

  Everyone parted to let Mikhail step forward. Dominik went to his brother, smiling. “She’s fine. She has a few abrasions and some cuts, also a slightly sprained wrist and bruises, but she’s gonna be just fine. Her blood pressure is high, so we’re going to keep her for a few days for observation.”

  “Is she awake?”

  “Yes.”

  “In a lot of pain?” he asked.

  “No, nothing extreme. Of course, I’d rather not prescribe any type of strong pain medication.”

  “Can I see her?” Mikhail asked anxiously.

  “Give the staff a few minutes to get her into her room. They’re gonna call me when she’s settled. Also, I gave her a little something to help her relax and sleep. It’s very safe for her in her condition. And speaking of which, I did the official test and I’m delighted to be able to confirm.” Dominik shook Mikhail’s hand. “Congratulations.” Mikhail beamed.

  “Wait, congratulations for what?” Tatiana asked.

  Mikhail turned to his family. “Cyanna’s pregnant.”

  The room erupted in a joyous impromptu celebration, then just as quickly they all quieted down, realizing where they were. Hugs, kisses, handshakes and cheerful laughter still resounded. “Okay, okay, everybody out,” Dominik said. “We can take this celebration over to the house. By the way Mom and Dad called. They’re on the way.”

  “Why don’t you all come over to our house?” Stephen said. “Mia’s there with the baby and Brice and Jayden.”

  Dominik and Mikhail stayed behind, promising to catch up later. “Stephen,” Mikhail called out before he left. Stephen turned and hung back. Mikhail walked over to him. “Thanks for everything.” They shook hands and hugged.

  “It’s all about family,” Stephen said. “I’m just glad I didn’t have to beat you down.” He and Mikhail laughed. Then Stephen left.

  “Beat you down?” Dominik repeated.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I heard you needed a dressing.”

  “Yeah,” Mikhail said. “It’s all good.”

  “Okay, let me know if you have any problems.”

  “Dom, she’s gonna be okay, right?” Mikhail asked.

  Dominik smiled and nodded. “Yes, as a professional medical doctor and E.R. department head, Cyanna Dupres is going to be fine as long as she takes care of herself and the baby.”

  “So what caused the crash?” Mikhail asked.

  “She told me she’d been dizzy all day and nearly fainted a few times. She thinks she passed out behind the wheel.”

  “Passed out,” Mikhail repeated.

  Dominik nodded. “Yes, her blood pressure is high. We’re working to get it down now.”

  “How serious is that?”

  “I’m not going to lie to you, Mikhail. It can be very serious. Starting a pregnancy like this isn’t good. Cyanna has a mild case so far, but unchecked this can be very dangerous to both mother and fetus, particularly in early pregnancy. But right now the good thing is she’s in excellent health with no preexisting conditions.

  “She’ll be back to the house in a few days and she’s going to have to stay calm and completely stress-free. You need to make sure she stays that way.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good. So, ideally, I’d like her on bed rest for the next few weeks, but I’ll be happy with her staying in the house and staying calm. The last thing we want or need are complications.”

  “Complications,” Mikhail repeated and sighed heavily.

  “You want to tell me about it?” Dominik said.

  “Cyanna and I have an arrangement. We both wanted a child, so we agreed to have one together. That’s why she’s been staying at the house. But now that she’s pregnant, she’s leaving me.”

  “What do you mean leaving you?”

  “It was all part of the agreement we made. We weren’t supposed to get emotionally involved. But I can’t let her go.”

  “You’re in love with her,” Dominik stated.

  “Does it show that much?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “Does everybody know?”

  “I think maybe there are a few centuries-old mummies in the local museum who don’t know yet, but other than that...”

  Mikhail smiled. “Yes, I love her. Four months ago I was sent to her because she was beginning to endanger her brother’s job. When she opened the door, my heart jumped a beat. It’s been like that since then.” Dominik nodded. “I thought if I walked away that would be enough, but I kept thinking about her. And then she showed up with a proposal I couldn’t refuse. She wanted a baby, our baby.”

  “And you agreed.”

  “Yes, I agreed. I guess I hoped that maybe she’d feel—”

  “She called out for you as soon as she regained consciousness. I have a feeling she loves you, too. Have you told her you love her? I’m sure she won’t leave if she knows how you feel about her.”

  “I did. I told her. She was leaving me when she had the accident. Now, as soon as she gets better she’s gone.”

  “She lives in New York. Move there.”

  “It’s not that simple. Her brother is a friend, a coworker,” he specified pointedly.

  Dominik nodded. “Okay.” He immediately understood.

  “He’s unavailable, and she wants to go find him in Bogotá.”

  “Bogotá, Colombia?” Dominik clarified. Mikhail nodded. “No, no, that’s out of the question. With her high blood pressure, a trip like that could jeopardize her and the pr
egnancy. She can’t go. Do whatever you need to do.”

  “I intend to,” Mikhail assured him.

  Dominik’s phone rang. He answered, nodded and agreed a couple of times, then ended the call and turned to Mikhail. “Come on, I’ll walk you up to the room. She’s gonna be a little groggy.”

  Mikhail nodded silently as they headed out of the office and down the hall to the stairs. They walked up to the second floor in silence. When they got to the room, Dominik paused. “Okay, I’m gonna pop in for a few minutes first. I’ll be back to get you.”

  Mikhail agreed and leaned against the wall outside Cyanna’s room. He thought about what his brother had said: stress-free.

  “Mikhail, she’s half-asleep,” Dominik said.

  He walked in. The lights in the room were dimmed. Cyanna was lying in the hospital bed with monitors all around her. Her left hand and wrist was bandaged and she had a dressing on the side of her forehead.

  “Are you sure she’ll be—” Mikhail began.

  “Yes, she’ll be fine in a few days.”

  Cyanna opened her eyes slowly and looked at the two Coles brothers. Concern and worry scarred Mikhail’s face. “Hey, guys.” She smiled and held her hand out to Mikhail. He hurried to her side.

  Dominik followed. “Are you in any pain right now?” he asked Cyanna.

  “Just a little, but I think I’ll live,” she said.

  He smiled at her humor. “You will. If the pain gets worse tonight, let the nurse on duty know. I wrote a pain medication prescription in your chart if needed.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  “No problem, just no more scares. You had the whole family worried.” She nodded and jokingly crossed her heart and held up three fingers. “Good, I’ll let you two talk, but not too long. You need your rest.” She nodded. Dominik turned to Mikhail. “I’m out. Call me if you need me. Good night.”

  “I will. Thanks, Dom. Good night.”

  Mikhail leaned down and kissed Cyanna tenderly on the lips. “How are you?” he whispered.