Receiving an ominous text vaguely suggesting Sasha’s life was in danger.
Driving down the freeway toward his house, only to come upon a crash site.
Discovering the crumpled mess of metal they’d somehow dragged his body out of alive.
Arriving at the hospital, only to be told I couldn’t see him, and my mind immediately assuming he’d died from his injuries.
My world going black.
An accelerated beeping sound grated on my nerves, and suddenly, the curtain was pushed aside, and a smiling woman in blue scrubs chirped, “Looks like someone’s awake.”
How could she be so happy when my world was falling apart?
Peeking down, I found the source of the beeping. A monitor had been affixed to my chest, measuring my heart rate. I ripped it off, hissing at the adhesive’s resistance to leave my skin.
Shifting my legs over the side of the gurney, I declared, “I need to get out of here.”
My toes had barely touched the ground when the woman asked, “Are you a friend or family of Mr. Gusev’s?”
I froze, my head snapping up to stare at her. Very quickly, I noticed that she was speaking in the present tense when referring to Sasha. That meant he was still alive.
When I remained mute, she shot me a pointed look. “I’ll ask again. Are you a friend orfamily?”
Her emphasis on that second option flipped a switch in my brain, and I understood the assignment.
Without hesitation, I declared, “I’m his wife.”
A smile crept onto her face, and she nodded. “That’s what I thought. If you can promise to sit tight, I’ll see what I can do about tracking down the doctor in charge of his care.”
Swallowing, I pulled my legs back onto the gurney, hugging them to my chest. “Thank you.”
She gave my knee a squeeze and disappeared. What felt like an eternity later, she returned, this time with a man with graying hair and a white coat, signifying he was a doctor.
“Mrs. Gusev?” he asked.
Wetting my lips, I lifted my chin. “That’s me.”
“I’m Dr. Vance. I’m heading up the team that’s taking care of your husband after his accident.”
“Is he—” I took a steadying breath. “Is he going to be okay?”
“Right now, he’s in critical condition but stable. When he first arrived, we performed a CT scan that revealed a brain bleed, which required a procedure to relieve the pressure beneath his skull.”
I merely blinked at him, trying to process this information.
“Beyond the head injury, he has several cracked ribs, a broken arm, and is pretty banged up. I’ll be honest with you, having heard accounts from the EMTs about the extent of the damage to his vehicle, it’s a miracle he’s alive.”
The mental image of the wreckage had me shivering. I still didn’t know how they’d gotten him out of the car.
“C-can I see him?”
“Of course. I can take you to him now.”
The nurse offered me her hand as I eased off the gurney. “You hit the deck pretty hard out there. Just want to make sure you’re steady enough to make it upstairs without needing a wheelchair.”
I appreciated her kindness, but hearing Sasha would survive gave me strength. “I’m good.” Taking a few steps, I showed off my ability to walk.
“That’s what we like to see.” She smiled warmly. “Take care, you hear?”
