BANG!
I saw Seraphina pull out a small gun from the hidden silt at the side of her gown.
She pointed it directly at my chest. I froze.
Dmitri must have seen my face. He followed my gaze. And he shoved me aside so hard, I crashed into Adrien. We both went stumbling.
At the same time, Dmitri spun, putting his back between me and the gun. Then a second sound echoed through the room.
Dmitri jerked. He let out a painful gasp. He stood there for a moment, looking confused before his legs gave out. He hit the floor hard.
"DMITRI!"
I rushed over to him. My knees scraped the wine-soaked floor. He was on his side. I tried to roll him over and my hands slipped. The smell of iron hit me. My hands came back red.
"No, no, no…please no!" I screamed. "Help! Someone help me!"
I pressed my hands against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. But his blood leaked through my fingers. My body was trembling so badly that I couldn't keep the pressure on it.
I pulled his head into my lap. His face was so pale that the sight terrified me.
"Isa…belle…" He was trying to focus, but his pupils were dilating.
"Shut up! Don't talk. Just stay. Stay with me! The medics are right there!" I screamed for help but the sirens were still far away.
"I can't feel…" he whispered.
"Please… don't say anything… please," I sobbed, pressing my forehead against his.
His body shuddered once. A little blood came out from the corners of his mouth. Then he felt heavy. His head fell back. He stared at the ceiling with eyes that didn't see anything anymore.
"D…Dmitri?" I shook him. He didn't respond.
"Dmitri. Dmitri!" I was shaking him hard. His head just flopped.
I don't know what sound I made. Something raw and ugly came out of me, like an animal. I pulled him against my chest and held on. My whole body was shaking really hard, and I thought I'd break apart.
"Someone… please help… me… he's not breathing… anyone… please… help."
Adrien had pinned Seraphina against the wall. His gun was jammed under her chin. She looked surprised, almost as if she couldn't believe she'd actually do it.
Adrien looked like he wanted to pull the trigger. Honestly, I wished he'd do it.
Medics rushed in. They pushed me out of the way and lifted Dmitri's cold body onto the stretchers.
"I'm coming with him!" I tried to get back to him but someone helped me back.
"Isabelle, stop. You can't," Adrien grunted. "Let them work. You can't help him if you cause a delay!" He held me around my waist, dragging me back.
"Let go of me! He's dying. He's dying because of me!" I yelled, kicking and hitting his arms.
They wheeled him out. His head rolled to the side. His mouth was open a little. The sight stole the little energy I had. I slumped against Adrien. Grabbed his jacket and buried my face into his shoulders. A wail ripped out of my throat.
Adrien's shoulder was shaking. He was crying, quietly.
Behind us, I heard handcuffs click. Seraphina was being led away. She held her wrist out like she was showing off her bracelets.
She turned, looking right at me.
"He should have let you die!" She spat. "Now he's in there and you get to live with it. Everything you breathe, you'll remember that you are a burden to everyone who loves you."
She struggled as the officers forced her towards the car.
The Hospital
Adrien and I sat side by side in the waiting room, slumped into plastic chairs. The place smelled of disinfectant, the kind that clung to hospitals no matter how many windows they opened.
I stared down at my hands.
Dmitri's blood had dried under my nails. It had turned brown and crusty. I knew I should wash it off. But I couldn't. It felt as if I washed it off, he'd really be gone. Like that was all I had left of him.
Adrien sat across from me. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Stared at the vending machine like it had answers to everything. Neither of us had said anything since we got here.
What Augustin told me kept echoing in my mind, over and over again. I needed to tell Adrien. That we shared the same blood. That his name, his presence in my life, none of it had been a coincidence.
Every time I tried to speak, the words died in my throat.
How do you tell someone they have a sibling when both of you are sitting here waiting for someone else to die?
Time moved slowly. The clock on the wall ticked, each second sounding louder than the last. I kept watching the double doors at the end of the hallway, expecting someone to come out and tell us something…anything.
Hours seemed to pass like that. Then the elevator doors slid open. Footsteps came fast down the hall.
I looked up just in time to see Viktor Volkov rushing toward the nurses' station. His tie was gone, his shirt untucked, his hair completely out of place. I'd never seen him like that before.
He was speaking too fast for the nurse to follow, demanding answers, asking where his son was. His voice kept rising until it sounded like he might start tearing the place apart just to get someone to respond.
Before anyone could stop him, the double doors swung open and a doctor stepped out. Everything went still.
Adrien and I both stood up. Viktor turned around. The doctor looked tired.
The doctor cleared his throat before speaking, his voice calm but heavy in a way that made my stomach twist.
"The bullet fragmented near the T4 vertebra," his voice was flat. "We removed what we could. But there's a lot of swelling in the spinal cord."
I stopped breathing.
"We've put him in a medically induced coma. To reduce pressure. Give his body a chance," he continued.
My hands tightened in my lap.
"The next seventy-two hours are very important. If the swelling goes down, we'll know more. About the damage."
He looked at Viktor. Then at me before finishing.
"But even in the best case…" he said quietly, "…there's a strong possibility he may never walk again. If he wakes."
My throat felt dry.
"If?" My voice came out funny.
The doctor looked at me.
"It was a very serious injury," he said gently. "We're doing everything we can. But you should prepare yourselves… because there's a chance he may not wake up."
The words hung in the air.
My knees gave out. I hit the floor hard before Adrien tried to catch me.
Viktor took a step back like someone had just hit him. His shoulder hit the wall behind him and for a moment he looked completely lost.
My body moved before my mind could catch up. I staggered towards him. Slammed my hands into his chest. Hitting him again and again.
"This is your fault!" My voice was shaking. "It's all your fault! Are you happy now? Your son is lying in there because of your stupid war! Your stupid empire!"
Viktor didn't budge. He didn't even try to stop me. He just stood there. His expression was so empty.
"You killed him!" I screamed so hard, it made my throat hurt. "You killed him!"
"Isabelle," Adrien grabbed my arm. "Stop. That's enough."
I shook him off, still glaring at Viktor.
"No," I said. "He needs to hear it. He spent his whole life playing king. Let him hear what that makes him."
Footsteps approached from the far end of the hallway. Two police officers walked straight toward Viktor.
They didn't ask questions. One of them took Viktor's wrist and turned him around while the other snapped a pair of handcuffs into place.
Viktor stood there like a statue. He just stared down at the floor as the officers led him away, like a man who already knew it was over.