Saving Katya (12 page)

Kate began shaking her head erratically. A panicked feeling knotted in her chest. No money meant no surgery. “I’m gonna go blind.” The panic dropped, full throttle, into her gut.

“With a little luck, you won’t.” Debra’s voice was calm, soothing. Kate looked up at her friend letting her curiosity fuel her expression. “We’re on our way to L.A.,” she said. “You’re going to have the surgery.”

She eyed Debra. “But I didn’t get the money.”

“You don’t need money. Not when you have friends in high places.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means it’s all taken care of. The doctors, the surgery, the hospital...they’re all waiting on us.”

“How is that possible?” As she asked the question, the answer wrapped around her like an electric blanket—it was warm at first, but just like a blanket with a short in the wiring it was prone to shock—Alexei was Kate’s only hope. And that zapped Kate.

Kate didn’t want to be beholden to Alexei. But there were far worse things—like ending up blind.

CHAPTER 11

ONCE KATE WAS
settled into her hospital room and had fallen asleep, Debra slipped out into the waiting room where she expected to find Alexei, his friend Sergio, Katya and Angeline. To her surprise, Alexei was the only one there.

“Where is everyone?” Debra asked, easing into the chair behind him.

“I had Serge take Katya and Angeline to a nearby hotel.” He looked at Debra. “He’ll secure suites for us all.”

He got up and went to the windows on the far side of the room and fixed his gaze on the scene before him. Debra followed him, and gave the park across the street far less attention than Alexei had. The sun was giving way to the pink and purple hues of a Pacific skyline.

From the look of despondence he wore, Debra would guess that Alexei Petrova was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Do you intend to stay here until Kate’s released from the hospital?” she asked.

“That is my intention. Yes.”

“Trying to make up for the past?”

“Something like that.” There was a sharp disappointment in his voice. Alexei folded his arms across his chest.

“Something like that?” Debra asked. “Or something like you don’t want to make the same mistake twice?”

“I didn’t have a choice back then.” Alexei tossed her a grief-stricken glare. “And I can assure you that I won’t willingly walk away from Katya or our daughter this time.”

Willingly
? What an odd thing to say. Alexei Petrova was no longer underage and at the mercy of others. Now he was a wealthy, powerful man. Who could
make
him walk away from Kate and Katya? “Is that why you’re holding back?”

Alexei looked at Debra. “Holding back?”

“Even a fool can see that you’ve got it bad for Kate Peterson.”

Alexei almost laughed, but caught it quickly and shoved it back down inside. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about her.” He shook his head. “I’ve already hurt her once. I won’t do it again.”

“That wasn’t your fault. And I don’t see how or why you should be worried about something like that happening again.” Debra’s tone took on a know-it-all quality. “You’re an adult now. No one can
make
you do anything.”

“You’d be surprised.” The words escaped before Alexei could stop them.

“Well, by all means…” Debra raised an eyebrow. “Enlighten me.”

Alexei knew it wasn’t a good idea, but he also saw the benefits of having someone close to Kate understanding and knowing why, if he suddenly disappeared. “You’re right,” he said in a bit of a defeated tone. “They say, time heals all wounds.” He shook his head and laughed. “But that’s not true...at least in my case.”

“They also say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, which we’ve already established is the case with you.” She stuck her head around so she was in his peripheral vision. “So how does you being
forced
away from Kate, again, enter the picture?”

“Well, let’s just say that I’ve made a United States senator very unhappy.”

Debra stuck her hand in the air. “You didn’t do anything illegal, did you?”

“No. I can assure you it wasn’t illegal.” Alexei shrugged. “Even so, she is determined to have me deported...as soon as the Winter Games are over, I will be escorted out of the United States.”

“Can she do that?”

“Apparently so. A judge has signed the order.”

“You have to tell Kate.”

“What?” Alexei’s heartbeat kicked into overdrive, like it did when he was setting up for a Triple Lutz. “That’ll just give her one more thing to worry about. I don’t want that.”

“Trust me here,” she said. “I know a thing or two about what makes Kate tick. You tell her what’s going on. She’s got enough on her plate without being faced with having you disappear on her again, and not hearing
why
from you.”

Well, when she put it like that
.... “I did not want to add to her burden.”

“Honey...” Debra’s hands were on her hips now. “As long as you have each other, you put forth a united front...there’s no mountain you two can’t conquer.”

K
ate opened her eyes to a hospital room. Alexei was sitting at her bedside, arms folded across his chest, a stoic look on his face.

“Where is everybody?” she asked, just above a whisper.

He didn’t say anything right away, and it took him a second or two longer to lift his gaze to look at her. “I secured a suite in a nearby hotel,” he said. “Under the circumstances Debra thought it might be best if she and Katya waited there.”

Kate felt alone. More alone than she’d felt in a long time. The feeling of helplessness swelled inside her.

As if sensing her weakness, Alexei leaned toward her and caressed his hand over hers. “I can promise you this,” he said as if choosing his words wisely. “I will be here when you wake up from the surgery.”

That sounded temporary. Kate’s heart pounded against her chest. “You said you wouldn’t abandon Katya.”

“And I won’t.” He entwined his fingers with hers. “I’ll never turn my back on either of you.” Bleak lines showed on his face. “They can force me out, but I’ll never leave you to fend for yourself again.”

Force you out?
Kate tried to sit up, but her head felt like a wrecking ball. She winced and sank back down into the bed.

“I knew this was a bad idea.” Alexei encased his hands around hers. “I didn’t want to give you anything else to worry about.”

“Alexei, you’re scaring me. What aren’t you telling me?”

“I’d given up hope, a long time ago, of ever seeing you again.” His face exposed his vulnerability.
“But I never stopped loving you, Katya.”

Whoa. Okay, so she wasn’t expecting that. She may have wished for it, but she wasn’t expecting it. Kate drew a breath, readying to put her heart out there on her sleeve when Alexei saved her.

“Please, let me finish.” He gave a crooked half-smile. “Then you can tell me where to go.”

That made Kate smile. She used to say that all the time, back in the day.
When we’re old enough, we’ll them all
where to go!

“I may have given up hope of reconciling with you, but I never deluded myself that I could ever love any woman more than I loved you.” He shrugged. “You may not find the particulars particularly interesting, but let’s suffice it to say that I’ve gotten myself in a bit of jam.” His eyes lit for a split-second, the way they used to when he applied her euphemisms correctly.

“What kind of a jam?” All sorts of emotions, worries, and hopes flooded her thoughts. A mixture of distress, fear, apprehension and trust filled her up until finally sadness wiped them all away. Sadness over the thought of never seeing him—her first love, her last love, the father of her child—ever again.

Kate wasn’t ready to see Alexei walk away. Not when they’d just found each other again. Not when he’d just told her he loved her.

The pain inside Kate head swelled. The last thing she remembered before slipping into oblivion was Alexei’s terrified face.

A
lexei had been sitting at Kate’s bedside ever since they’d brought her back into her room after the surgery. He’d fallen asleep twice that he recalled. He checked his watch. Two hours since she’d come back to the room. When was she going to awaken?

He took her hand loosely in his. “Katya...” He called her name barely above a whisper. “I’m being deported. There’s no way I’d ever leave you otherwise.”

CHAPTER 12

KATE WANTED THE
bandages covering her eyes gone in the worst way. She’d never be able to open her eyes as long as they were weighting them down. Wading through the fog filling her brain, she presumed she must have had the surgery and that’s why the bandages were there. In that case, her fate was close at hand. She was going to win or lose. And the way her luck ran, the outcome wasn’t likely to end well.

Amid her sleepy stupor, she thought she heard Alexei’s voice, but it sounded miles away.

“...the thought of walking out of your life again is tearing me apart.”

Why again was he going to leave her? Kate tried to swipe away the cobwebs of confusion. The answer was there, somewhere, inside her brain.

“I can’t worry about what happens to me though,” he said. “I have to make sure that you and our daughter are okay.”

If he was so worried about them, why was he talking about leaving? The reason was there, right next to her yet out of her grasp.
Grab it, Kate
. Get it....

Deportation? She swore somewhere along the way she’d heard Alexei say something about being deported. But when was that?

Before the surgery? She wanted to ask him when that might have been. “Alexei....?”

“Katya?” His tone was anxious, and distant. She felt his hand encasing hers; she knew it was him. Nobody’s touch had ever affected her like his. “Is the surgery over?”

“Yes.” His voice relaxed a little. “Two days ago.”

“Two days?” Had she heard that right? “Have I been asleep all this time?”

“Mostly.” He leaned closer to her; she could tell by the motion of the bed. “How are you feeling? Does your head hurt much?”

“No.” She tried to shake her head but wasn’t sure if she had. “I’m not feeling any pain.” She wanted to ask him about the deportation. “Is Katya here?”

“She was earlier. She’s gone back to the hotel with Debra.”

The clouds in Kate’s head had begun to clear, and she was glad of it. “We’re alone. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Am I losing my mind, or did you say something to me about being deported?”

“You heard that?” He let out a stifled laugh. “I thought you were sleeping.”

“I probably was.” She gave in to a moment of silence, to let him get comfortable with the idea of telling her more. “So, it’s true then? I wasn’t dreaming it?”

“No. Unfortunately not.”

“Is there anything that can be done to stop it?”

“Afraid not.” The sound of Alexei sucking in a deep sigh filled the quiet, and then it was followed by a slight chuckle. “At least nothing realistic.”

“What if you got married?”

“Well that would be a solution now wouldn’t it?” His tone played with laughter. “Problem is, I’m short one bride.”

Reasons why this was a bad idea, danced inside Kate’s head. She pushed them all aside. “I’ll do it. No strings attached, save one.” She wished she could see him. “Katya. You don’t have to be my husband, but you have to be her father.” The thought that she might never
see
him again crossed her mind.

He reinforced his hold on her hand. “What if I want both?”

Kate almost got lost in his touch. But reality was there looming like a dark thunderhead. “If this surgery doesn’t work in my favor, Alexei…the last thing in the world I want to be for you is a burden.”

“Let’s not go crossing bridges before we get to them.”

“Sage advice...even if it is a bit useless.”

“Useless.” He outright laughed. “How do you figure?”

“Considering we’re about ten paces from that bridge, it’s probably time to stop avoiding it.”

“I want to make sure you understand that I could never willingly leave you and Katya.” Alexei climbed onto the bed with Kate and wrapped her in his arms. “They’ll have to drag me away,” he whispered against her ear.

Kate nestled close to Alexei, enjoying the feel of him. “Are you sure?” she asked, her voice soft and low.

“Absolutely.” His lips brushed against hers as he spoke.

She kissed him, lingering, savoring every second of it. “Alexei…”

“Don’t worry.” He raked his fingers through her hair. “I’ll find a way to fix it.”

“If you have to leave the US…” Kate sucked in a deep breath, still feeling a drunken sensation from his kiss. “I’d go with you...if you asked me to.”

EPILOGUE

One year later....

Champions on Ice ~ US Tour

Dallas, Texas

INSIDE THE PRIVATE
dressing room, Alexei worked at lacing up Katya’s skates. “Remember your cue?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said softly.

“You nervous?”

“A little.”

“Don’t be. Everyone’s here to see you.”

“I know.”

He tied the final knot on her boot and tapped her nose affectionately before pushing himself up from the floor.

She giggled. “Oh, Daddy!”

An inner door opened and Kate walked out, fully dressed and ready for the show. “How’s my girl?” Moving to Katya’s side, she claimed the seat next to her and wrapped her arm around Katya’s shoulders.

“I’m fine, Mommy.” Exasperation showed in Katya’s tone, telling Alexei they were crowding. In the past year he’d learned his daughter didn’t like being crowded.