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There’s no sweet smell on her clothes or her skin.
Irina straightens and catches me looking at her. “What?”
I shake my head and lean back.
She frowns. “You’re being strange.”
“I’m tired.”
“You’re always strange,” she mutters.
Anya watches us from the bed, her rabbit tucked under her chin.
“Do you want anything else, sweetheart?” Irina asks her.
Anya shakes her head and turns toward the wall. The nurse has told her to rest, and she is already closing her eyes.
I cannot ask her what she meant while Irina is standing there. I cannot ask whether she meant Irina’s perfume, her clothes, or something else entirely. The moment has passed and forcing it now would only make Anya anxious.
The door opens again.
Two doctors step inside, followed by the nurse. They check Anya’s pupils, ask her a few questions, and look over the stitches on her forehead. She answers them quietly, still holding the rabbit.
“She needs sleep,” one of the doctors says. “The scan was clear, but we want to keep her under observation for the rest of the day.”
“Can we stay with her?” Irina asks.
“One person at a time is best. Too many people will keep her awake,” he says.
The doctor looks at me. “She should rest now.”
I stand. “We’ll give her some space.”
Anya opens her eyes. “Papa?”
“I’ll come back soon,” he says.
“Elle too?” Anya says.
I look at her and smile. “I’ll see you later, baby.”
Anya settles back against the pillow, still holding the rabbit. The nurse lowers the lights, and we leave the room.
Viktor is waiting near the lifts. His coat is damp at the shoulders, and he looks as though he came straight from the car.
“I came as soon as I heard,” he says. “How is she?”
“Awake. The doctors stitched her forehead and want to keep her here for observation,” I say.
His face tightens. “Can I see her?”
“Later. They’ve asked us to give her some quiet,” Nikolai says.
He nods and looks toward the room.
“I’m staying here for the afternoon,” Nikolai says. “You can stay with me.”
Viktor glances at him. “Of course.”
