Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Dimitri

" You are progressing very well, Dimitri Yaroslavovich."

Dr. Pavlova complimented me after she finished examining me this morning. It was already the third day since the accident, and as I told Blair the day before, I was tired of being in that room alone.

" Well enough to get out of isolation? " I tried, getting a laugh in return.

The woman, who looked about my age, flipped through my exams again, analyzing every point.

" Maybe," she winked, making me smile.

" You don't know how good it is to hear that," I sighed.

" After yesterday, I can imagine your desire to stay with Miss Ozkan. She is a unique piece."

My smile was instantaneous at the mention of Blair. After fearing so much that I would never meet her again, she was there. Not that I was surprised that she had gone, her attitude was not strange at all, I would have done the same for her, but after spending so much time without seeing anyone but hospital staff, I began to suspect that no one knew where I was, which was ridiculous.

" She indeed is."

" We had no peace until we allowed her to stay with you for a few minutes," the woman continued as she jotted down a few things on the chart, "I'm going to prescribe some more medication, how's the pain?"

A different feeling began to grow inside me as I learned about all that Blair had done to be close to me. She has certainly followed her mother's example, and if it means that she feels for me at least a little of what her mother feels for her father, then we will surely overcome our problems.

" It's better than yesterday. And Blair is amazing, I'm lucky to have her by my side " technically we hadn't gotten back together yet, but I considered it safe to take our relationship for granted. Especially after everything she said to me yesterday.

" Have you already chosen a date? Spring is the best choice, it has the best flowers," she chattered, "but I haven't congratulated you yet."

I didn't know exactly how to react to the direction this conversation was taking, but before I could answer, a tapping on the glass caught our attention. I looked over to find Blair standing on the other side, a smile plastered on her face.

" She's looking forward to seeing you," the doctor commented as Blair wrote something on a piece of paper.

"Good morning, Commander" she wrote in Turkish.

I smiled, nodding in response. She had found a way to lessen my loneliness, it was a shame I had no way to respond.

" What language is that? " the doctor asked.

" Turkish, she likes to speak it for me to practice, it means good morning," I explained.

"I thought you might like to know that we are engaged."

I frowned as I read the sentence a second time. It didn't make any sense!

" Do you speak Turkish too? " she started to get ready to leave, putting her notebook aside.

" Not as much as I thought I did. Can you ask her to write in English? I couldn't understand."

" I can do better, I can let her stay here with you while I instruct them to transfer you to a room. What do you say? " she blinked at me.

" That means…"

" The treatment was effective and you are out of danger," she assured me.

My only reaction was a smile, followed immediately by a relieved sigh. I couldn't believe that part of this nightmare was finally ending.

" I'm going to ask her to come in," the doctor warned, noticing that Blair had been typing non-stop for the last minute.

I watched as she approached my girlfriend, already outside, wondering how agitated Blair was.

When she entered the room, my suspicion was confirmed. Blair looked like she had had a liter of energy Drink for breakfast, she practically ran to my bed, grabbing my hand and bringing it to her lips, holding herself together to keep from jumping.

" Blair, are you okay? " I looked at her suspiciously.

" I'm fine, I tried to strangle your sister before breakfast, I resigned, your closet definitely doesn't have room for my clothes, you're going to have to fix that, by the way, we're engaged, you owe me a ring."

" You resig... engaged? " I stammered, not knowing which information to focus on first.

For a moment I forced myself to remember our last conversation before the accident.

" Did I have some kind of amnesia and not get told? " I frowned, staring into the void.

She groaned, sitting on the edge of the bed before hiding her face with her hands, looking exhausted.

" I'm sorry, this is all a mess."

" Let's go in parts, you say I owe you a ring? " I stroked her arm.

She took a deep breath, shifting into a more comfortable position in the small space beside me.

" When I got here, you were fresh out of surgery. No one wanted to let me in or give me any information about you because they thought I was press," she stroked my hand, not looking directly at me as she told her story, "so your sister came in and told them that I was your fiancée, that you would give me the ring on the day of the accident."

" And so we got engaged," I concluded.

She shook her head affirmatively before speaking again.

" But that's not all."

" Isn't it? What else? We have a fake son too?" I couldn't help but tease her.

" Yesterday your plane's black box was leaked, and you became a national hero and wanted to know every detail of your life," she narrated, "and today I woke up with this engagement story splashed across the TV screen."

I absorbed this information, understanding her desperation to tell me.

" So the whole country knew about our engagement before I did?"

" Everyone has been stopping to congratulate me and everything, and I panicked, because if they did the same to you, you might deny it, since you were the only one who didn't know, so I thought I'd better tell you," she concluded with a pout.

" Thanks for your consideration," I scoffed.

Blair looked mortified by the overall situation, but I didn't care one bit about the whole thing, until something crossed my mind.

" Blair, about this crazy plan of yours, have you by any chance told my mother? Or is she going to find out from the rest of Russia that you and I are supposedly engaged?"

My girlfriend, or rather, fiancée, widened her eyes, only then seeming to remember the rest of my family.

" BLAIR!"

" In my defense, your mother came to see you very few times because she fainted during your rescue and your siblings were afraid that the environment would harm her!

I blinked in a daze. How could I explain this to my family? I got on that plane thinking that we would resume our relationship the next time we saw each other and not get engaged.

But then again, what's the big deal? It's not like it's a bad thing, I love her, and after what I've been through, I'm sure I don't want to live apart from her anymore.

" You were angry," Blair remarked gloomily.

" I could never be angry with you," I assured her, interlacing our fingers, "I may help you choke my sister later, but I have no reason to be angry."

She gave me an uncertain look, and I quickly brought her hand to my lips, kissing the back of it.

" Actually, if the big issue is the lack of a ring, I can take care of that," I proposed.

Blair stared at me dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond.

" Are you serious?"

" Blair, this time apart has only made me realize that I don't want to be away from you anymore. I don't have a ring right now, but I can get one if you'd like."

She leaned in, pressing our lips together in a tender kiss. I brought one hand to the back of her neck and the other to her waist, pulling her closer to me in an attempt to increase the intensity of the kiss. It had been six months since I had kissed her and it was as if I was in the middle of a withdrawal crisis. I tried to ignore the pain that surged through my abdomen, but Blair pulled away, with some effort, letting out a restrained laugh.

" Easy there, Commander, you just had a plane crash, had surgery, and spent days in isolation, I don't even know if I could have kissed you," she laughed, getting up so I couldn't reach her.

" I feel great, come here and I'll show you."

" I'm sure it will take a little longer before you can return to active duty, Commander Voitovich," she shook her head.

Even though I urged her to come back, I couldn't ignore the discomfort caused by the effort. Maybe she was right.

She sat down next to me again, ready to run away at any attempt I made. But I kept still, trying not to show her the pain I was feeling.

" So let's stick to Masha's story?"

" Ask her not to tell anyone the truth, and if they ask you about the ring, tell them it was with me in the accident and I lost it," I shrugged.

She nodded in understanding, intertwining our fingers again.

" Engaged then," she sighed.

" Yes, engaged. I should have known you wouldn't let me get away since that day you called me in my wedding dress," I teased her.

" Quiet before I smother you with my pillow," she laughed.

Engaged. We're engaged!

That realization brought a smile to my face. We spent a few seconds in silence until I remembered something she had said before the whole engagement thing."

" You said you quit?"

She let out a long sigh before she straightened to look at me.

" Yes, they called me this morning and I told them I wouldn't be back," she forced a smile.

" But why?"

" They called to let me know that my leave was over and I needed to return to the country immediately. I tried to argue about our situation, but they gave me no choice."

I stared at her shocked, that had never been my wish, she shouldn't have made that decision!

" Blair, I would never make you choose between your career and me!"

" But you didn't," she frowned, "they put me up against a wall and made me choose between the person I love and a job."

" But…"

" You are my priority now. I've made up my mind, I'll need to go back for my things, I'll rent my apartment, and I can get another job," she explained her plan.

" So when you said you were looking for space in my closet, you meant you were moving to Russia? " I looked at her suspiciously.

" Yes, I thought I could live with you, but if you think it's too soon, I can try to rent a place of my own," she shifted uncomfortably, causing me to widen my eyes at her conclusion.

" No, that's not the problem!"

" And we have a problem? " Blair looked confused.

" Yes, you're giving up everything, not what I want!"

Blair straightened up, looking even more confused by everything that was happening.

" I thought you wanted us to be together. That's what I'm doing," she stammered.

" Not like this, I…"

I didn't know what else to say to her. I just didn't think that she would take such an extreme attitude.

" Are you giving up? " she stood up.

" No," I raised my voice, sitting up in a leap, feeling a stab in my abdomen.

" Careful," she drew back before my grimace of pain.

" What I meant was that I hoped the two of us could choose a place together. I mean, in a few months, when I can travel," I explained. "We can start over in any country!"

She sat back down, holding my hand before bringing it to her lips.

" I don't think it's necessary, but we can talk about it another time," she assured me.

I was about to shoot back, when one of the nurses came in.

" Dimitri Yaroslavovich, ready to go to your room? Your family is already waiting for you," she smiled.

My smile was complete, I couldn't stand standing there alone any longer, I couldn't wait to see everyone again.

" Ms. Ozkan, why don't you go get something to eat while I prepare everything? I didn't see you come by the cafeteria today," the woman asked.

I frowned when Blair agreed, leaning over and kissing my forehead before leaving.

This reminded me of her mother. Is she eating well? Maybe I should check later, but right now my only wish is to be reunited with my family!