When I realized that they are arguing on how to transfer me from our car to theirs, seeing that I am bleeding and probably going into labor, I took the chance to grab the gun from Nikolai’s side and gathered enough strength and courage to shoot at them. A gasp escaped my mouth when the first shot went to the first guy’s head and the other two shots into the other man’s chest. They fell to the pavement, blood splattered around. My hands are still shaking in complete shock.
“Toss the gun.” Said someone from the side pushing something on my head. I did not have a choice but to oblige.
“The bitch killed them.” Said the guy who checked the pulse of the men I shot.
Despite them seeing that I am bleeding, the man still forced me out and dragged me to their vehicle. The next thing that happened however, shook me to my core.
“Nooooooo! No! Nikolai! Nikolai! Wake up Nikolai! Nooooooo!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I witness with my own two eyes how the man is about to shoot Nikolai on his head from the back.
My worse nightmare is about to happen right before my eyes. Nikolai having the same fate as his father Vyacheslav.
They wrapped a hanky around my mouth, tied my wrists together and put a cloth pouch over my head effectively preventing me to see anything. And then that sound. The sound of a muffled hiss of a gun silencer in three successive shots.
My body dropped as I feel my strength drain out of my system. It feels like my throat is being tied into a knot and slowly suffocating me. At this point, I have abandoned all hope. My mind drifted off in submission.
~
St. Michael Hospital
“Mrs. Volkov, can you hear me?” Said someone in white with that echoing deep and raspy voice. There are also people in white who are standing behind him. I could not see him clearly as my vision is still blurry like I’m in a dream. My eyes feel so heavy I am not sure if I want to stay awake or just go back into darkness. And then it dawned on me. Oh my goodness I’m dead.
“God?”
I try to reach for his face but he seems to be far away. Well at least I died not a virgin anymore.
What I heard next however, made my heart jump.
“Hey my princess.”
Slowly, a familiar face is staring straight at me. I forced myself to get up to embrace him tightly. “Alexei.”
“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe now. You did not see God yet. It was the doctor and you’re in the hospital. You underwent an emergency c-section. You were unconscious for four days princess. You need to lay back. You still need time to heal.”
“My babies. Where are my babies Alexei?! Those men-they killed Nikolai! They shot him! He promised me that he will come home to me. He promised me!” I’m already hysterical. I saw with my own two eyes how that man pointed a gun at Nikolai and how I heard the sound of gunshots thereafter. Those men killed my husband.
“Baby, you know that I am a man of my word. I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
I did not know what to think, let alone what to say the moment I saw Nikolai standing there wearing a hospital gown, a neck brace and holding two babies in both arms wrapped in white cloth with monogram V etched on them. The ray of sun is shining down their beautiful faces as he lets out a beaming smile like a proud father.
He slowly places in my arms the two little angels who are now asleep while their fingers are resting against their cute little chubby faces. They look so beautiful and so at peace. They have no idea how strong they are to have endured and pulled through so much.
“They just came from circumcision. My little Volkovs are now ready to face the world-and the girls.” Nikolai said as he places our babies in my arms.
Circumcision.
Boys.
Two more Nikolai Vyacheslav Volkov.
I don’t know if I’m crying because of pure joy, of panic or of horror knowing that I have in my arms, literally smaller versions of Nikolai. I can barely survive with one Nikolai, now I have two more of him.
Nikolai scooted over to my side and kisses me on my lips. “We need names for them.” He whispered.
“Hmm.. You once said regardless of sex, you’re going to name our baby Vyacheslav Nikolai Volkov. So I guess we only need one more name.”
“Right. So, what do you think?” Asked Nikolai, looking at his brother. It obviously touched Alexei’s manly heart. If I did not know any better I would think that his glistening eyes are not because of lack of sleep.
“Me?” He said, in obvious momentary panic.
“Well, uh, Roustam is a good name and Viktor would be a nice middle name.” He continued.
Roustam is Papa Vyacheslav’s middle name and Viktor is Alexei’s middle name and his father’s first name. It actually sounds good, not to mention, badass.
“I like it.” Said Nikolai, which made Alexei smile from ear to ear. “So, who’s Vyacheslav?”
The moment Nikolai asked the question, the identical twin on my right arm raised his hand while stretching and squirming. The three of us were so surprised, we burst into silent laughter.
“Well, I guess that’s settled.” Said Nikolai. “You, my boy, are Vyacheslav Nikolai Volkov. And you, young man, are Roustam Viktor Volkov. The future of the Volkov crime family and the new underbosses of the Russian Mafia. End of.”