Page 101 of Toxic Salvation
There will only be consequences.
35
VESPER
My life has become a series of extremes.
The pendulum swings from one end of the spectrum to the other, never pausing in the middle where normal people live.
Congrats, Vesper, you’ve got a promotion.
ThenBOOM—shootout at the hospital.
Lucky you, Vesper! You might have just met a hot guy and found a way to stick it to the hospital board all in one fell swoop!
ThenBOOM—hot guy turns out to be a Bratvapakhanwho reveals all sorts of unsavory details about your late father who, contrary to popular opinion, wasn’t the selfless healer he pretended to be.
Things are looking up, Vesper—you’re pregnant.
ThenBOOM—your mother has cancer.
Kovan and I have been back on semi-solid ground for weeks now. Work has been relatively calm, and even my mom’s spiritshave been high. She’s actively participating in her treatment, and it seems the trial I snuck her into might actually be working.
All that means is that I’m waiting in terror for the nextBOOM.
Which is why my heart sinks when I come home one evening after a long shift to find three huge bags packed and piled next to the front door.
Pavel turns the corner a second later, looking innocent as he types into his phone.
“What’s all this?” I ask without preamble. “Is he kicking me out?”
He scrunches his nose in confusion. “You see bags and you think you’re getting kicked out?”
“What’s the alternative?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” He pretends to think. “Maybe a little weekend getaway? Might that also be a reasonable interpretation of things?”
“Not in my experience, no.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Are all doctors so neurotic?”
“Only the ones involved with big, bad Bratvapakhans.”
“Someone talking about me?” My own personal big, bad Bratvapakhanturns the corner looking unfairly attractive in a beige cardigan and dark jeans. The casual look makes him seem almost normal. Almost.
“Did you already fill her in?” he asks Pavel.
“Sorry, I was gonna wait for you, but she seemed to think you were kicking her out of the house.”
Kovan raises an eyebrow and looks at me. “That was your first thought?”
I drop my gaze. “Life has been a little unpredictable lately. And not always in a good way.”
“That’s about to change.” Kovan takes my hand and spins me into his arms. “We’re going away together, just you and me. Consider this a little babymoon.”
“Seriously?”
“You have this weekend off, don’t you?” he asks. “I double-checked your schedule before I booked.”
