Unexpected Christmas (2 page)

“Damien we need to be here at least another day, we have a meeting tomorrow with a customer who wants our guns, you know that business comes first, your mother is with Faith and we have upped security around the house. She is safe.” His tone is respectful but it still grates on me that he is reminding me that business come first.

“You’re right.” I say, I can’t tell him that I disagree and that I am flying home right now, to be with my wife for Christmas, he would say I have been well and truly pussy whipped, and he’s right but I don’t want to let my men know that.

So I go about my day like any other, not showing that I’m concerned with being away from home or having a brother thrust into my life. One that until a few months ago I didn’t even know existed.

Aleksander, is a little older than me, he seems quiet and just wants to better himself and leave Russia behind sooner rather than later. I think he is running from something or someone, but neither he nor his mother have said anything. His mother said that his fighting and drinking is beginning to cause her trouble and that he needs a stable family who can bring him under control. He reminds me of myself when I had no purpose in life when I was younger, thinking I could go around doing what ever the hell I wanted and be able to get away with it. I quickly learnt that life doesn’t work like that.

We sit down for a drink in their tiny apartment, they had to downsize when my father’s money stopped coming to them. I would say at least he was honorable in paying for his other child, but that was all he did for him. I can’t decide if that was a blessing or a curse for Aleksander. At least he never met him, never had to go through what we went through. When he did what he did to Bella, just so that he could make money I hated him. I made sure I was the one to end him.

The afternoon passes quite quickly as we talk about bringing him to England. What he will be expected to do for work with me. He can earn his keep.

We drive back to the hotel, I settle down eat some dinner and grab a shower so I can call Faith before she falls asleep. I need to hear her voice before I go to bed, I hate her not being in my arms every night when I fall asleep or her being the first thing I see when I open my arms. She is the light of my life and she keeps the darkness away.

I dry myself off wrapping the towel around my waist and sit on the bed, reaching across I grab my phone and dial the number, it just rings and rings with no answer.

I try again but still no answer. She must have just fallen asleep I will try again first thing. As I fall asleep, I have the feeling that something isn’t right, it’s unsettling.

“L
illy” I scream at the top of my voice, I don’t know what to do. I am sat on the bed with a puddle beneath me. I think my waters have broken. How can that be we have 3 weeks left and Damien, oh god Damien is not here with me I don’t want to do this without him.

Lilly rushes into the bedroom and looks down at my feet, to see the liquid gathering there, the quilt is soaking wet. Should there be that much?

“It’s time to get you to the hospital my sweet! This little one is coming.”  She says to me; how can she be so bloody calm? I’m hyperventilating over here, I thought nothing of the backache that kept ,e up all night I just thought it was normal with the extra weight gain, then when I tried to get up off the bed this morning and get my shower that’s when I felt the warm gush between my legs. I sat straight back down on the bed.

“It can’t be time Lilly! Damien’s not here. He can’t miss this Lilly I have to ring him, right now.”

She passes me my phone and I take it from her, all thoughts of moving off this bed vanish as the need to speak to Damien take over.

“You ring him, I will call the driver and let the hospital know you are coming straight across, is your bag packed?” she asks me, I don’t speak I just nod and point over to the walk in wardrobe where it has been packed for the last month. My stupid fingers are shaking as I try to swipe the screen to get to my last calls to ring Damien, I finally get his number and hit the screen to call him.

“Faith, can I call you back I am just in a meeting at the moment?” he says to me. I can tell by his tone and the way he answered that he is busy and I hate to ring him at work but this is important, I need to find my voice so I can tell him.

“Damien I need you to come home right now, the baby’s coming/ Please just hurry, I don’t want to do this without you.” I rush out the words as quick as I can, scared that my voice may disappear again. I feel a tight pull across my stomach and my backache intensives, as the tightness gets stronger, I moan and try to breathe through the pain.

The moan causes Damien to speak “I’m on my way, will be with you as soon as I can love.” I don’t even acknowledge that he has spoken, I drop the phone and try to get to my feet I want to move sitting here like this is making it worse I want to ease the feeling of pressure.

“Come on Faith, let’s get you down stairs to the car.” I just nod as I try to hold on to the wall to help me walk down the hallway to the car, it seems to go on forever.

Finally, I step out of the front door and see the car waiting. The door is open and I try my hardest to get into the car but I am stopped by another tightening pain. I grip onto the roof of the car to try to keep myself upright and not fall to the ground; this one is defiantly stronger than the last one. Shit I hope it doesn’t get much worse than this I don’t think I‘ll be able to cope.

When the pain passes I climb into the back of the car and Lilly follows me, shutting the door behind her.

The car pulls away from the house, and taking us to the hospital. I think to myself this will be the last time, we will just be Faith and Damien.

Next time we come home we will be a family.

I
’m sat in the meeting room with four Russian business men, looking dumbfounded at me.  I begin to tell them in Russian, that it was my wife on the phone, she has just gone into labor and that I need to reschedule the meeting so that I can fly home straight away.

They all nod, so I stand to shake all of their hands and bid them farewell.

As I head out of the meeting room, Anton is waiting just outside of the doors.

I am just about to tell him about the call when he speaks.

“The plane will be ready in thirty minutes to take off Sir, your mother has just phoned me to let me know I needed to get you on a plane as soon as possible. They don’t think it will be long before she gives birth.”

I nod at him and I make my way out of the building to the car that is waiting ready to take me to the airport where the plane is waiting. I do like having a private plane it makes spur of the moment flying so much easier than waiting for a commercial airline.

I just need her to hold on, I’m coming, the next four hours are going to drag, nothing will help until I touch down on UK soil again, even then I will be a nervous wreck until I see my girl.

I’m sat on the plush seating of the plane, my head buried in my hands I can’t even ring her to see how she is doing. Why did I come away so close to her due date? I knew there was a chance that she could deliver any day, but I never thought I might miss it. I thought I would be back with plenty of time, it’s Christmas eve and I am flying to London to try and make it in time to see my daughter being born. I just hope to god I make it. I want to make sure I never miss a moment of her life, unlike my father who missed most of mine. I am going to be the best father a child could ever want or need, I will never not show our child love or devotion, I will protect them until my dying breath, just like I do for Faith. That was my vow on our wedding day when she told me we were expecting a baby.

The seatbelt sign comes on and I fasten mine, just wanting the plane to land so I can get out of the airport and make my way to the private hospital were Faith is right now. I need to be with her, I want to be with her holding her hand every step of the way, telling her how great she is doing and that I love her so much.

An hour later I am in the car heading to the hospital. My nerves are shot to shit, the anticipation of not knowing what’s going on is driving me insane the need to be in control and have all the information is what drives me. But this is something I can’t control, I just have to let it play out and I hate it.

The car stops outside the doors to the hospital, I rush out through the door, and straight up to the lady sat at the desk.

“Can you tell me what room Mrs. Volkov is in please?” I am straight to the point no idle chit chat; I just want to get to my wife.

“Can I just ask you, if you’re a relative Sir? I can’t just hand out that information unless you’re family.” She says. Her tone is firm but kind, I don’t know why I am angry at least she is protecting her patients that’s good at least, but it is not helping speed up the process of getting to my bloody wife.

“I’m her Husband, Damien Volkov.” I tell her. Hoping that she tells me the information I need now.

“Oh, Mr. Volkov, if you would just follow me I will take you straight to her.” She jumps up from behind the desk and leads me down the hall, I will be with her really soon.

“I
can’t do it, please make it stop Lilly.” I beg her. The pain is too much, the gas and air only takes the edge off while I suck on it it makes me feel lightheaded and drunk, so I’m trying to avoid it as much as I can. My back feels like it has been split in two, my contractions are every couple of minutes apart and they seem to last for ever.

“Faith, on the next contraction I want you to push down as hard as you can for me, I hope you’re ready to say hello to your little girl.” The doctor tells me, I love his Scottish accent. He’s been amazing, not once has he left me since I came in, he has explained everything to me, even when I was a mass of tears, just wanting Damien with me, he told me he would be here as soon as he could. I know the Dr was only saying to keep me calm, so that the baby would not get distressed, and it helped. Lilly has been my rock, her hand never leaving mine. Not once did I think how hard this must be for her, she lost her daughter and here she is helping me bring mine into the world.

“Right Faith, here it comes I want you to push down now as hard as you can.” The doctor tells me, I feel the urge to push and it’s overwhelming. The dread I felt moments ago is still there but not as strong now, my body taking over and doing its job.

“Arrghhhhh.” I scream out, as I push down with everything I have. It seems to last forever, it feels like your pushing against a brick wall that you can’t break through no matter how hard you try.

“Come on Faith keep pushing sweetie you can do it.” Lilly’s’ sweet voice says, not a hint of disappointment just encouragement, trying to give me the strength I need to carry on, its just so hard, I am tired, I wish Damien was here with me, getting me through this he is my rock and I need him.

I give it everything I have on the next contraction.

“Right Faith, I need you to stop pushing, just breathe for a second until your little ones head is out.” The doctor says to me, I use the breathing technics that the antenatal classes taught me, time seems to slow down while I am waiting, my body wants to bear down, it is so hard to fight what your body wants but I do my best not to push until the doctors says.