at directions.
“Oh, not long.” She leaned down to pet Babushka as we passed the cat. Babushka moved her head out the way, giving Danika a foul look for even daring to try and touch her. That was a reaction I understood. “About a week.”
A week? “Where were you beforehand?”
“Here and there. Kostya separated us to keep us safe. I was with Roksana in—” She caught herself suddenly, giving me an uncertain look.
I tried to look nonthreatening, but I doubted my oddly shaped features allowed my expression to convey that.
Danika recovered quickly. “You don’t want to hear all that.” She stopped suddenly at a pair of double doors, one slightly cracked open. “Oh, we’re here.”
Babushka had followed us, stalking us through the hallways. Now, she leaped onto a hallway table, her tail swinging over the edge, and eyed me.
“She’s like that with everyone,” Danika assured me, like I was worried.
“Babushka is queen around here,” came a soft voice from inside the room.
Danika pushed the door open gently. “You’re awake, Tati?” She poked her head into the room before glancing back at me. “Just stay here for a sec. I’m going to ask Tati for directions—in my own home!”
She entered the room, pushing the door open. Danika had told me to stay put, but she hadn’t said I couldn’t peer into the room.
Unable to help my curiosity, I pushed closer, taking in the space. Unlike the rest of the house, this room was filled with furniture, but not stylish couches and tables. Instead, hospital machines lined up, beeping softly.
In the middle of the room and machines, a large bed sat, with a thin figure tucked beneath the covers. A pale woman peered back at me, dark patches beneath her grey-blue eyes and oily hair hanging limply around her. Despite her obvious illness, the woman held her chin high as she took me in.
“You must be Elena Falcone,” the woman said, voice weak but clear.
Danika nodded, coming up to the woman. She smoothed the blanket, despite its being already seamless. “Yes, this is Elena. I’m just trying to help her find the guest room so she can change and rest. But I can’t find it…”
“My toddler has a better lay of the land than you, Danika,” mused the sick woman.
“I know,” Danika agreed with a laugh. “I bet even Elena has a better idea than me.” She peered at me and smiled. “That’s okay. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it.”
“Me too,” the woman said kindly.
Danika popped up. “Oh, how rude! Elena, meet Tatiana Gribkov.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Tatiana said to me, her eyelids drooping slightly. She reached out with a delicate hand and rubbed her stomach. It was then I noticed the slight swelling to it. She’s pregnant, I realized. “I hope the boys haven’t been cruel to you.”
“They killed her husband,” Danika pointed out.
“There are worse things in the world,” was the other woman’s reply. She turned her head to the side suddenly, coughing loudly.
“Oh, Tati, let me get you some water.” Danika scurried to the corner of the room, finding a pitcher and glass. She hadn’t even taken a step before the glass slipped out of the grip, shattering against the ground. “Oh, shit!”
I stepped into the room. Tatiana was still coughing. “Let me do it.”
Danika looked at me gratefully.
I ignored the look, silently pouring some water in a second glass and hovering by Tatiana with it. As I got closer, the rising smell of disinfectant and medicine became nearly overwhelming.
Tatiana’s coughing smoothed and she gratefully took the water from me. As her fingers wrapped around the glass, I caught sight of her fingernails.
Near the beds, the nail had darkened into a cloudy gray color.
“What’s the matter with you?” The words came out harsher than I had intended, making me sound like some rude child on the playground. “I meant—”
“I know what you meant.” Tatiana took a sip of water. “They’re not really sure. They just know the treatment is keeping both the baby and I alive.” She flickered her eyes around the room, past the machines. “Well, keeping us both surviving.”
Danika shifted on her feet, eyes wide with concern. “You’re doing really well today,” she said. “I bet the new medication is working.”
“Me too.” Tatiana didn’t sound as convinced. “Thank you for the water, Elena.”
I stepped back, eyeing her nails, and muttered something polite. My brain was having trouble forming words when all its attention was on her nails. I took in her appearance, cataloguing the other