I'm Not the Only One

What He Did

-The Waiting Room-

"Meryl is doing great... she has the color back in her face and is talking nonstop" Maks texted to the group.

Everyone let out a deep breath in relief.

"You can all come see her... she wants to see Val alone first though" Maks texted.

"Oh shit I can't do this" Val said while burying his face into his hands.

He couldn't face her. He just couldn't. He ruined her ability to have children of her own, possibly the children of his brother.

"Valentin listen to me," Alex said, all while leading Val over to two chairs on the other side of the waiting room so they could talk in private. "What Alex, just what? I can't do this right now, I can't see her..." Val trailed off, his emerald green eyes brimming with tears.

"Valentin," Alex said once again, this time his voice dropping and his tone becoming serious. "Valentin, look at me. Look me in the eye and tell me that Meryl hates you. Because you know as well as I do and as well as the rest of us do that she doesn't hate you" Alex said while motioning his arm towards the group on the other side of the room.

"But Alex... I've ruined her. The one thing she wants most in life is to have children of her own... and I ruined it for her!" Val wailed.

"Dude if you saw yourself right now, you would want to kick your ass. Just sayin'" Alex said playfully. Val couldn't help but smile at that.

"So will you get up off of your lazy ass and walk down the hall to her room before I have to get Serge to videotape me kicking your ass to show you how you're acting right now?" Alex teased.

Val started laughing, and then Alex did too.

Val knew why Alex was his best friend. It was for moments like this.

Val remembered the day they met.

They were both eight years old and both lived in Brooklyn.

It happened by chance.

They just happened to go to the same dance studio.

They just happened to start talking.

They just happened to both be from Eastern Europe.

They just happened to both speak Russian.

They just happened to both love basketball and both happened to be dancers.

The list goes on.

Alex and Val were honestly like brothers.

They still are.

Val smiled at the memory.

"Bro, you need to get down to her room before they discharge her" Alex said, giving Val a nudge.

"Alright alright I'm going you asshole" Val teased back.

That was one of the things Val loved most about their friendship. They could tease each other and call each other horrible names and still laugh about it.

-Meryl's Hospital Room-

"Well, here it goes..." thought Val as he entered the room.

He saw Maks stroking Meryl's hair and whispering into her ear.

"Hey Val! Come on in!" Meryl said weakly.

"Well my queen, I shall leave you two alone" Maks said as he got up and walked out to the waiting room.

"Val, sit, please! Take a load off!" Meryl said to Val.

"Meryl... I... I can't even begin to express how sorry I am" Val said, his eyes once again brimming with tears.

"Val, it was a freak accident. Please don't be too hard on yourself. I don't hate you, I could never hate you. Look, we ALL will get through this, it just takes time" Meryl explained to Val.

-Maks In the Waiting Room-

"Hey bro, how are you holding up?" Teddy asked Maks as he walked in.

"Um, I'm doing ok I guess" Maks said sadly.

"What's wrong?" Asked Teddy.

"It's just so hard to see her this way. To see her in so much pain... and now her dreams of having children of her own are crushed" Maks said, his big brown eyes starting to fill with tears.

"Maks, Meryl told me that she loves you" Alex blurted out.

"She... dude, I already knew that" Maks said chuckling.

"Oh, well I just wanted to remind you" Alex said as he couldn't help but laugh.

"I know she does... that's why..." Maks trailed off again, rummaging around in his pocket for something.

He pulled out a little box.

Inside the box was a ring.

"That's why I'm going to ask her to marry me" Maks sobbed.

"And you didn't tell us?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well..." Maks said, but he was cut off by Val, who walked into the waiting room.

"She wants to see all of you" Val said while smiling from ear to ear.

-In Meryl's Hospital Room-

As Meryl was giving Nicole, the last person to enter the room, a hug, Maks pulled Val, Alex, Teddy and Serge into the hallway.

"Ok guys, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna ask the love of my life to marry me" Maks said nervously.

"Bro you got this" Val said.

"You know, we talked about many things while I was alone with her, and everything we discussed always went back to you. Her eyes lit up every time she talked about you. How she was so happy that you finally won, how proud she was of you, how much she was looking forward to the road that lied ahead for the both of you... she loves you man" Val explained to Maks.

They all went back into the room.

Meryl was laughing with Nicole about something.

"Um, can I have everyone's attention please?" Maks asked in his charming Russian accent.

Maks then walked to Meryl's bedside.

"Meryl, from the moment I heard your voice I was in love with you. We spent ten weeks together, and in those ten weeks, I realized that I have never loved or cared for anyone else as much as I love and care about you" Maks began.

Maks then got down on one knee, took out the box and opened it, revealing a beautiful diamond ring, which had "I would love to marry you" engraved into the band.

"Meryl Elizabeth Davis, will you marry me?" Maks asked, gazing into her eyes.

"Oh Maks!" Meryl exclaimed. "Yes, yes I would love to-"

Meryl got cut off because she soon started convulsing into seizures.

"Someone get the nurse!" Yelled Maks, who was whispering to Meryl.

"Shhhhhhh MerBear you're ok, you're ok" Maks whispered to Meryl, quietly sobbing.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THE DOCTOR?!" Yelled Maks once again.

"I'm right here!" Dr. Fast said rushing in.

"She's convulsing! Get an EKG in here STAT!" Dr. Fast yelled to his team.

"Sir, you and your party will need to wait in the waiting room" a nurse said to Maks.

"But... I can't leave her!" Maks wailed.

"Bro, come on" Val pleaded.

The last thing Maks heard while they were walking down the hall to the waiting room was "One, two, three... CLEAR!"

-To Be Continued-