IVAN

The next few days were a haze of pain meds and sleep. Every time I woke up, there was a different person next to my bed. They'd always say something to me and then run out. The room changed too. At first, it was a stark white room with fluorescent lights. One time I woke up to Anya crying silently before she noticed that I was awake. Another time I saw Dimitri silently sitting in a chair and playing his violin for me. Most of the faces were a blur, I wasn't sure if I imagined them or if they were there.

At one point, when I felt like I was losing my mind, I saw dad. He was sitting next to me dressed in a black suit, smoking his pipe and just staring at me. Dad didn't say a word but his eyes said everything, I'd never seen them so sad before. Even as a ghost, he still looked at me the same way.

The face I remember the most was of the woman. I didn't know her name or who she was. At that moment, I thought she was an angel sent down to take me to heaven. Even though she had a bit of blood staining the collar of her lab coat, I couldn't shake the feeling of relief I felt when she wrapped her arm around me. I remember her calling my name in a gentle tone between the flashes of light and the ringing in my ear. Her hands were always gentle, warm, and cautious. I saw her several times after the first time. Sometimes she talked to me and I answer back in grunts of pain, other times she was next to my bed, writing something down on her clipboard. Long dark hair, warm brown eyes, and a soft smile. She looked concerned, gnawing at her bottom lip or sighing in frustration.

Or maybe that was just the same fluorescent lights in the room and the mess my brain had become. Everything felt like I was wading through the snow in a blizzard, hazy and slow. I couldn't grasp what was real or not.

I woke up again, slowly coming through the fog. My head felt as if someone had unscrewed it, shaken it up violently and placed it back on. I didn't know what time it was when I woke up. It was dark, the last rays of twilight caught onto the curtains. In total, I felt like absolute and utter shit. The pain came in waves. At first, it was a burning sensation and it suddenly progressed to a sharp tearing feeling. I let out a sound, trying to roll onto my side. The slightest movement of my arm felt like claws being dug into my flesh. I must've groaned too loudly because the door opened. Light spilt in from my room, illuminating my surroundings with a hazy glow.

I squinted at the feminine silhouette in the doorway.

"Anya?" I croaked out, narrowing my eyes. "Is...is that you?"

"Afraid not, Mr Farewell." The person came into view, standing next to my bed. "It's been an eventful few days but I'm glad that you're lucid."

I flinched away when she tried to touch me. She gave me a concerned look, her brown eyes scanning me over. I felt exposed in a thin hospital gown and a thin, itchy blanket. "Sorry," She said, pulling her hands away and stuffing them in the pockets of her white coat. "How are you feeling, Mr Farewell."

"Like shit," I croaked out. My vocal cords felt like they weren't working. My tongue was dry, leaving me parched. I could've drunk an entire ocean.

She smiled sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Mr Farewell. Is there anything I can do to help?"

I groaned as I tried to sit up. Felix came into view, wrapped an arm around me as he propped me up. "I don't think they're much you can do."

"Unless you can find the bastard who did this to my boss," Felix said.

"I'm afraid that's not one of my capabilities."

"I wouldn't expect it to be."

The doctor nodded her head at my shoulder. "I need to check your bandages. Normally the nurses would do it but they're all busy at the moment. May I?"

Felix stayed in the room with us. He was dressed in more casual clothes than I was used to, his gray hoodie pulled over his head as he leaned against the wall. His eyes were on the doctor, regarding her with suspicion. I felt a little more at ease that Felix was there. His hands were quick with a gun. I took a shallow breath in and nodded, feeling a little bit safer. I didn't like being so vulnerable in front of someone I didn't know——even if they were responsible for my care.

"Thank you, Mr Farewell." The doctor gave me a small smile in gratitude. "You'll need to sit up."

She placed her hand on my good shoulder, gently guiding me into an upright position. The doctor lifted the bright blue stethoscope from her neck and placed the bell against my chest and listened, her eyes furrowed in concentration. I took a deep breath in when she told me to even though it hurt to breathe. I clamped my jaw shut, my hands turning into fists underneath the blanket. It felt like forever until she was satisfied.

She sat back, her stethoscope in her hand. "Your breathing is better," she informed me. "Much better than five days ago."

"What happened five days ago?" I asked, leaning back into the pillows. She gave me a hesitant look. "Come on, Doc. It can't be that bad."

"There was a lot of fluid in your lungs," she said, stuffing her hands back in her pockets. "Mostly blood. Thankfully we were able to drain most of it out."

She pulled back the dressing over my wound. The skin was slightly depressed as the stitches crisscrossed my skin, sealing up the hole. It was small, only a few millimetres. The entry shot. Her fingers skimmed along my shoulders, brushing across the length of the stitches on my back. The exit wound must've been bigger. I wondered just how much blood I must've lost.

"So I'm in the clear?" I asked, hoping that I'd be able to recover from this. I've been shot before, I got better then and I would again.

"Not yet." The doctor nodded at my vitals. I was starting to get annoyed by the sudden rise of the beeping of the machine behind me. At least it meant that I was alive even if I wanted to take my gun and shoot the damn thing to pieces. "You'll need to rest."

"How long?" I asked, a bit irritated by the answer.

She looked up, her brown eyes searching my face before giving me an answer. "Three weeks. Maybe four, but that depends."

"On what?"

"Complications."

"Three weeks?" Felix exclaimed. She shot him a warning look as if to tell him to lower his voice. "We don't have three weeks to sit around and——"

"I'm sorry, Mr Smith." The doctor stopped what she was doing and turned around, her hair whipping over her shoulder. "Of all three of us in this room, who has a medical degree?"

Felix looked as if he wanted to argue further but wisely chose to shut his mouth and scowl instead. It was pretty impressive to see someone shut Felix up that quick. I liked her. I didn't know who she was or where she came from, but she had a shiny steel spine. She gave him a look as if to say that's what I thought. I hid my laugh away with a cough which turned into a barely muffled groan of pain.

"As I was saying, you'll need about three weeks of rest." She smiled, returning to my side. "At a minimum, Mr Farewell."

"No negotiation?" I asked. "I'm a busy man."

"Sadly, no." The doctor said without sympathy. "I'll be dressing your wound now."

I stared at the ceiling as she did the dressing, her hands working nimbly. I didn't have anything to ask except for her name. I glanced at her, getting a good look at her. She had a heart-shaped face with a pair of warm brown eyes, a narrow, sharp nose and her skin was tanned. She looked Indian or middle eastern, I wasn't quite sure. I didn't want to assume. On the bridge of her nose was a pair of square-shaped glasses that look old fashioned. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail that ran down her back, stands falling onto her forehead like drops of ink.

The doctor was pretty, those glasses on just made her prettier. I didn't think it was possible. I hated wearing my glasses, Nik always called me an old man when I pulled them out. I guess some people are well suited to glasses than others. She looked young as if she was fresh out of school. But that wasn't a reason to judge her. Age didn't automatically mean experience and wisdom, sometimes it was the opposite.

"Anya picked you, didn't she?" I asked, looking for an ID badge or a name tag.

She looked up, giving me a bemused look. "Yes. She did."

"That would make you the newest doctor," I concluded, silently thanking Anya for choosing someone competent. "You're not quite what I was expecting."

"Newest, yes." She gave me a warning grin. "Incompetent, no."

"That's not what I meant," I said quickly, blood rising to my cheeks.

"No worries. I'm used to it." She gave me a small smile but her eyes remained hard. "I assure you that I'm quite good at my job. Your stitches can speak for themselves."

"No, I mean....." I sighed deeply. "You saved me. I owe you my life. "

"Yes and so did the rest of my colleagues and staff. That's my job, but thank you anyway, Mr Farewell."

I wanted to bury myself in the covers and just shrivel up into a ball. What the fuck was I doing?! I'm making a fool of myself and I nearly died!

"I'm alive. You must be one hell of a surgeon."

"That's very kind of you, Mr Farewell." she beamed. "The credit isn't entirely mine. Dr Carlson and Dr Franz helped as well."

"I remember you the most though," I said, feeling a bit drowsy again. I didn't want to sleep again, I wanted to stay up a bit longer and ask her more questions. She had a pleasant and soft voice, for some reason I wanted to hear more of it. "You were the first person I saw."

"You were bleeding out." She said in a matter of fact voice. "Bullet wounds can be tricky. Blood loss, delirium, shock. You're lucky, Mr Farewell. A few more minutes and you'd be dead." She pulled the dressing away from the wound, her brows furrowed in concentration as she picked up the disinfectant from the steel pan. "This may sting," she informed me. "Sorry in advance, Mr Farewell."

I turned my head, staring out the window. "I just got shot," I reminded her.

"Doesn't mean it won't hurt any less." She gently dabbed the iodide around the area.

It only took five minutes and that was five minutes too long. The doctor fluttered around me, asking me questions and checking the stitches.

"Any pain here?" She asked, palpating along my ribs.

"Yeah," I winced. "A bit."

She gave me an unconvincing look, reaching over to Mark something down on her clipboard. "I'll make sure to get you some morphine. Anything else? Discomfort? Difficulty in breathing? Tightness in your chest?"

"Nothing else. Just tired."

"That's normal, Mr Farewell."

"Is it because of the tube that it hurts?" I winced.

"That's normal too." The doctor said. "It'll disappear on its own. Just rest for some time."

"The wound on my scalp hurts a bit?" I  pointed towards my head.

"Oh?" She tilted her head in confusion, causing her black hair to land on her shoulder. "I thought we had it numbed. That's strange. Please tilt your head forward."

I did as she asked, watching intently as she gently cupped my face, her thumb pressing down on the area around the wound asking if I felt anything. Her face was close to mine. I watched her face intently. Her eyes were focused and her brows were furrowed in concentration. She was saying something to me but I didn't pay attention. She had inquisitive eyes. From far away they were boring, barely noticeable but when they were this close, I could see how warm and gentle they were. I wondered who this woman was? Where was she from? What she was doing here? And—

The door swung open making both me and her jump. The doctor dropped her hands to her lap as Anya came into the room. Her dusty pink coat draped over her arm and her black driving gloves were held tightly in her other hand.

Her hair was a mess and her make up a bit smudged as if she put it on in a hurry. I've never seen Anya look so messy before.

"Ivan." She gasped when she saw me, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. My sister entered the room with Nikolai in tow. She looked tired as if she hadn't slept properly in a few days. I know she had been crying, I could see the slight tinge of red around her eyes. She sat down on my side of the bed, mindful of my arm and shoulder.

My hand immediately found hers. Anya held on as tightly as she could, her wedding ring digging into my skin.

"I guess that's my cue to leave. That'll conclude the examination.," the doctor said, standing up. She tucked the paperwork underneath her arm. Anya reached out to grab her hand, stopping her from leaving. A strange look flashed across the doctor's face, her eyes widening behind her frames. "Please tell me if you need anything else."

"Thank you," Anya said in a strangled voice. "Thank you for saving him. You and your team."

The doctor smiled gently, her eyes softening. "I was just doing my duty, Ms Farewell."

"Anya. We've already established this. You can call me Anya, please."

"Of course, Anya." The doctor only nodded her head and grabbed her clipboard before leaving the room. I watched from the corner of my eye. She quietly left. Felix opened the door for her and escorted her out.

"What happened?" I croaked once the fort had closed. My voice sounded rough to my ears. I sat up and hissed as the pain in my shoulder doubled. Nikolai laid a gentle yet firm hand on my shoulder and pushed me back down. He didn't say anything but the expression on his face was enough. There were bandages on his forehead that looked fresh. Nik's face looked busted up as if he had been in a brutal fistfight.

Nik looked like he wanted to tear out the room and kill someone. I wondered who stopped him from going on a maniacal rage of carnage and destruction. Probably, Anya, she was the most level headed out of all of us. Natalia would have eagerly encouraged him. Did I wonder where the hell she was?

Her older brother gets shot and I haven't seen her face in days. Anya gave me a watery smile. "You're alive. That's all that matters." Nikolai looked like he wanted to protest but a stern glare from Anya made him shut his mouth. "We can focus on everything after you've recovered."

I shook my head and pulled my hand out of hers. "No."

I'm going to kill Zoya if Nikolai didn't kill him first. I'm going to make his death as slow and excruciating as possible. If he wasn't screaming or begging me for mercy by the end of the day, then I'd consider myself a failure.

I couldn't fail.

I wouldn't.

"Ivan!" Anya's cheeks turned red in anger. She tried to push me back down but I brushed her off.

"I can't stay in here." I groaned as I sat up. Fuck, getting shot hurt like a bitch. "Get me that Doctor or some really strong pain meds. I have to get back up."

"No. No, you don't." Nikolai growled. He crossed his arms, glaring at me. "Getting shot is one thing and being in an accident is another."

"Nik—-"

"Oh, shut up. You nearly fucking died!"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Zoya's set us up. And then he tried to kill me. How can I let him live after this?!"

"We don't have proof of that yet. I want to kill that bastard just as much as you do. You can't just barge into his building like this!" Nik pointed out. "You'll come back to us in a body bag."

"We need proof. We can't let him get away with this."

"Okay, genius." He scoffed at me. "Where are you going to get proof from? His men won't say a word no matter how much you torture them!"

"Men will always talk, Nik. Doesn't matter if you have to use a gun or a knife to make it happen."

Nikolai glared at me. "You sound like Natalia." He said.

"Don't talk to me about Nat!" I yelled.

"That's enough!" Anya snapped at the both of us. Nik and I automatically closed our mouths. "You!" She pointed at me. "You're going to stay in bed and so help me god if you get out of it, I'll chain you to the frame myself!"

"And you!" She turned towards Nik who flinched at the sudden movement. "You're going to make sure that you don't cause any trouble. I'm not bailing you out of jail again!"

Oh fuck. What did Nik do while I was passed out? Never mind. I don't want to know. My head already hurt too much to even try to process that thought.

"Cmon, Anya. It's not the first time I've been shot!" I swear if looks could kill, I'd be dead. She got up from her chair and pushed me back into bed.

"Yes, but this is the first time I thought you and Nikolai were going to die," she said through gritted teeth. "Your lucky backup came in time or I'd be preparing for both of your funerals."

"Anya—-"

She looked at me with glassy eyes. Anya was trying her best to hold back tears. "I've lost enough family. I'm not ready to lose anymore. So take a fucking break, Ivan. The company isn't going to die just because you're gone for a day!"

I felt my anger simmer down a little. I opened my mouth to say something but I didn't want to make Anya cry. From the corner of my eye, I could see Nik deflate a little, he hunched his shoulder and lowered his head whenever he felt guilty. Anya didn't deserve this. She didn't have to worry about her brothers and their stupid family business.

I sighed deeply, feeling my lung the air and tension in me. The pain was still there, I could feel it every time I moved. I've been shot before. I have grazes and burns and scars all over my body. Most of them are from the past five years. Every single one hurt like a bitch, I was just good at now showing pain. It's something I've perfected.

"What's the plan?" Nikolai asked from the corner of the room. He wasn't looking at me or Anya, he was staring out the window. "We need a plan. A really good, solid plan."

No shit. I rolled my head over to the side, staring at my gun. The metal was polished and sleek, ready to go. It had been a gift from my father. Everyone in this family had a weapon gifted to them from dad. But you see, mine was special. I customized it further. The hilt had my initials and our group's symbol on it. It was my gun, anyone would recognize it and the authority that it carried.

Anya was right. I needed to rest a few more days before I could face my men. Going out in this state would only shake the brittle morale and faith that we had in us.

I sighed, knowing what I had to do. I wouldn't be able to take down Zoya half dead. I needed all my strength.

"Anya, take my gun."

She looked puzzled. "Ivan?"

"Look, you're right," I said begrudgingly. "Takeover for a few days. Keep Nik by your side. Don't go anywhere alone." I winced when I tried to move my shoulder. "You're right. I'm in no shape to move and Zoya can't think that he's won that easily.

Anya and Nik exchanged shocked glances. Why are they so overdramatic? "Did he just agree with you?" Nik asked, reaching out to feel my head. "Should I call Dr Saravana to take a look at his head?"

"My Head is fine." I swatted his hand away. "Just look after Anya, okay?"

"Don't worry." He said. He pulled out his knife from his sleeve and brandished it. "Nobody is getting to her unless I have something to say about it."

"Wait. Who's Dr Saravana?" I asked curiously.

Nik smiled, the little quirk of his lips meant mischief. "Oh, she was the good doctor who took care of you earlier. Don't you remember her?"

"Ah," I said stupidly. "She seems nice."

Dr Saravana, huh? I wondered what her first name was.

"Just nice?" Anya scowled. "You're right. She's nice but I suggest you leave it there."

"She's cute isn't she?" Nik had a shit-eating grin on his face, ignoring the obvious threat Anya just made. "Hey, Felix! What was it that he called her?"

"Why, Nik. I believe he called her an angel." Felix smirked. "I don't think I've seen boss ever compliment anyone like that."

I did what? I snapped my head up, eyes shifting back and forth between them. "You're shitting me." I deadpanned. "When they fuck did I say that?!"

"When you were delirious with blood loss," Felix said, leaning against the wall.

"You also called her your ideal woman." Nik brought it up. "I didn't know you still had it after all these years. You absolute flirt!"

I groaned into my hands. "Tell me I didn't."

Felix smirked. "You also said she was beautiful."

"Dear God."

"Curious, boss?" Felix asked, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "I got her number from one of the nurses."

I scoffed, leaning back against the pillows. "No."

"Not even a little bit?" Nik raised his brow. He looked insufferably smug. "Not even a teensy weensy bit?"

"Why would I care?"

Nik poked my cheek. "You're blushing."

"Asshole!" I growled and kicked him. He laughed and limped away. Felix tried to hold his laughter in but a snicker escaped from his mouth. "I'll tell Meera you said thank you for saving your life then."

Meera Huh. Not bad. It suited her well. I wondered when I could meet her again. It would be impolite to not thank her for saving my life. Maybe I should bring her flowers as a thank you gift. Or take her out to dinner. Maybe that was a bit too forward——wait! What the fuck was I thinking?!

It must've been the pain meds messing with my brain.

"Lost in space there?" Anya asked. Unlike Nik and Felix, she looked unamused.

"What?"

"She's good, isn't she?"

"And what about it?" I asked. "She is good at her job. Look at my shoulder."

"Yes, Ivan. She's quite skilled and she's useful to us." She narrowed her eyes at me. "I suggest you keep it that way. Dr Saravana doesn't need our issues complicating her life."

I rolled my eyes, scoffing. "Just because I called her beautiful doesn't mean I'm going to ask her out on a date."

"Sure about that?" Nik asked from across the room.

"Fuck off." I rolled over onto my good side, careful not to disturb the dressing Dr Saravana places and closed my eyes.

God. They could be so annoying sometimes.

I could hear Anya get up, the familiar clicks of her heels echoing across the room. "Sweet dreams, Ivan. We'll be back soon."

"Yeah. Sweet dreams, lover boy!" Nik called out and closed the door.

"You're the absolute worst."

God, they were such insufferable little shits.

They'd be fine.