Hotel Six: A Call of Duty Fanfiction

Chapter 35: Numb

Vladimir returned that evening, sending staff away to their own places so he had the house alone with Sasha. He closed the door behind him and undid the top button on his shirt. "Honey, I'm home," he called. He rounded the corner toward the bedroom and heard her reply.

"Vladimir?" came her weak response.

"I'm sorry, the interview went a little longer than expected. But I brought home some chocolate for repentance." He chuckled. "How was your-" He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes round.

Jessica was standing in the doorway, hunched over, and clutching her belly. At her feet was a pool of blood. 

"Oh, shit," he muttered. His eyes darted back and forth, and he collected himself. "Come here, we're going to get Kiev."

"Kiev?" she asked, groaning as he helped her into the bedroom. "Your head-of-staff?"

Vladimir eased her onto the bed and started toward the bathroom. "He used to be a field medic, he can help," he said, returning with a towel. He lifted her just enough to out the towel under her and she winced painfully. "Easy," he murmured. "It's alright, just breathe. I'll be back, okay?" She nodded and he kissed her head. "I love you."

Kiev came out of the room later, rubbing his forehead. Vladimir had been waiting out in the dining room, reading a book in hopes that it would calm his racing mind. Upon seeing the former medic he straightened, setting the book on the table. "How is she?" he asked.

"She's fine," said Kiev. "She's resting now, but she'll need some time to recover."

"And the baby?"

Kieve sat down, his hands folded and head bowed solemnly. "... I'm sorry, Makarov. There's nothing that can be done for a miscarriage."

Vladimir's eyes rounded sadly and he slowly turned his head to look toward the bedroom. "... Oh, God..."

"I know this is going to take some time, but please let me know if there is anything I can do for you and Sasha."

"I will... Thank you, Kiev." As the medic left, he strode quietly to the door and peered in at his woman lying on her side facing away from him. He closed the door behind him, and very, very carefully lowered himself to the bed and reached out to touch her.

"I'm fine."

He started, thinking she was asleep. Vladimir swallowed and inched closer, letting his hand rest on the bed beside her. "... Is it okay if I'm not?" he asked.

Sasha rolled over to look at him and could see a weary, heavy expression on his face. She sighed, looking down and away from him. "Why would that bother me? It was your child, too."

Vladimir laid down, still in his clothes, and laid a hand on her devastatingly empty womb. Briefly, his eyes glinted with tears, only to be blinked away and he closed his eyes. "What happened?"

"I just felt a cramp, and then later I noticed I was bleeding. Before I could get anyone to help, I felt, like, a pop, and I couldn't move."

He groaned and pulled her close. Though she wanted to close out the world at the moment, somehow, she drew comfort from his presence. He took in a slow breath, but there was a shake in it, like it was painful to breathe in. 

Sasha rested her head on his chest, and she felt a deep crack in her heart as she broke into sobs. It felt like she had been cut open, like she couldn't breathe. Her lungs burned at each inhale, only to force the air out in another agonized cry.

Vladimir held her tighter. He wished he could say something to comfort her, but in spite of his broad vocabulary and multi-lingual knowledge, there were no words. Hell, he could barely comprehend the situation himself, how could he possibly relieve her pain? He hushed her and rest his cheek on her head. "I'm sorry, honey... I'm so sorry, I know..."

"It's not fair," she cried. "It's not fair..."

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I know it's not... I hate this, too..." Vladimir breathed in another shaky breath. "I'm sorry, I don't even know what to say..."

"Then don't say anything," she said, trying to control the tremble in her voice. "I don't need words, just..." She frowned, unable to say more, and hugged him tighter, her tears falling on his shirt. 

They cried in the dark, silent room into the early hours of the morning. By the time they finally began to fall asleep, the soft gold beams of dawn drifted in through the window, kissing their faces. Jessica opened an eye to look at the unfortunately cheery morning and raised herself enough to close the curtains and block out the light. 

Vladimir huffed at the movement and pulled the covers over his head. Even with the curtains closed, the room felt too bright. His body still ached with misery, and each movement fatigued him further. The usually warm, soft woman beside him felt cold and nearly lifeless; he could have sworn a few times she wasn't breathing until she sighed quietly again.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

They both grumbled at the sound, and Vladimir got up, letting Sasha sleep a little longer. He jerked open the door just enough to reveal his tired face. "What?" he growled at the man on the other side of the door.

Yuri cleared his throat. "Kiev told me about Sasha, I was just coming to see if there was anything you needed me to do," he replied, a growl of his own rattling in his chest.

Makarov closed his eyes with a disgruntled exhale. "I don't need anything from you. Just make sure Borodin is adjusting and getting along with the team."

"Alright. Keep me updated, Makarov."

"I'll call you if anything changes." He meant to close the door softly, but it still thudded shut heavily. 

"You and Yuri not getting along?" asked Sasha wearily.

 Vladimir came back to bed, this time taking off this shirt and slacks. "Just not in the mood to talk to him..."

She nodded quietly and rolled over to face away from him. "He seems like a good man... I wouldn't take him for granted if I were you."

"You don't know him like I do," he said, touching his forehead to her shoulder. "... I'll apologize to him later if it'll make you feel better."

Sasha hummed and reached down to hold his hands. As wrapped as she was in her depression, something about the sudden rift between Makarov and Alexiyev made her curious, and she silently filed it away to tell MacTavish later.