Page 1 of King of my Heart
Chapter One
Yelena
Growlingas I reach for the fucking torture device that won’t fucking stop. I put my phone to my ear not saying a word. This call is one of three people, so they are used to my attitude at being woken up at this unholy hour. The person on the other end of the line stays quiet for just a moment.
“Hello?” the unfamiliar voice causes my eyes to pop open.
“Hi, who is this?”
“Ummmm. I just found this phone, and this is the only number on it. Is this your phone?” The voice sounds like a young child.
“No, it’s not mine. It is my sister's though. Do you know Sasha?” I ask, sitting up in bed.
“Sasha? No, I don’t know that name. I gotta go. Bye.” Is all that is said as the line goes dead.
Huffing, I crawl out of bed and get dressed. It’s been way too many days since I’ve talked to my sister and now, she doesn’t have a phone. This isn’t a good sign and the dread of what might have happened crawls through me.
I finally make it to the run-down shit box she has decided to stay in. I step out of my car, pulling on the hem of my shorts that in reality are long enough, but something about the eyes of the men sitting outside the building just makes me feel completely exposed.
Making it to my sister’s door I knock causing the door to pop open and letting me in. I stay at the door and call out to her, “Sasha, are you home?”
I’m met with nothing but silence. Taking a deep breath, I step into the apartment. I make it just past the entrance coming to a stop at the sight of dirty bare feet. I take a shuddering breath trying to hold myself together. As I get closer, I can't stop the sob that breaks through. I fall to my knees crawling towards Sasha lying on the floor. I pull her small frail body into my lap feeling for a pulse but knowing there won’t be one as she is ice cold and so stiff.
A small whimper snaps my head up and I can’t believe what I see. There is a tiny receiving blanket, the kind the hospital gives you, wiggling around. Reaching over I pulled the blanket away. Laying there looking at me with the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen is a tiny little baby.
“Oh, Sasha, what have you done?” I whispered, laying her to the side and reaching for the baby.
Picking up the baby, I pull them close to my chest as they begin to whimper. Looking around the apartment I see no signs that there was going to be or ever was a baby there. I stand, picking up the baby and holding them close. Bouncing the baby, I walk towards the open bedroom door and see afolder with the local hospital logo. I hear movement in the front room bringing me back to the reality that I am in my drug-addict sister’s apartment with no idea who is coming through the door.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Sasha, what have you gotten me into now?” I whisper as I move behind the door praying that whoever is out there doesn’t come in here.
The baby in my arms starts to get fussy and I bounce slightly, trying to keep the men just outside from hearing it. The words of the men catch my attention back to them.
“Fuck. She overdosed. Boss is going to be pissed. Do you believe what this whore said about being pregnant?”
“I don’t fucking know. What I do know is that at this point it’s handled. Let’s get out of here and we’ll call 911 as we leave.”
The front door slams closed, scaring the baby to the point where they start to scream. I stand there still just waiting for the men to come busting through the door. When they don’t I breathe for the first time since all this started. I grab the paperwork, take one long look at my sister before rushing out the door to my car. Jumping in my car I realize that I’ve nowhere to put the baby as I drive.
Laying the baby in my lap I try to come up with a plan. I look in my rearview mirror and see the laundry basket of my clean clothes. I dump it into the seat of my car grabbing my oversized sweater. Placing the basket in my front seat, I buckle the seatbelt the best I could before laying the very angry baby down in it and getting us both the fuck out of there.
About five minutes into the ride the baby stops screaming. “What the fuck am I going to do? I don’t know shit about raising a baby.”
A blaring ambulance blows by, and I sigh knowing whoever it was that was there really did call the cops. Pulling out my phone I call the only person I know that can help me and not ask too many questions.
“Well, well if it isn’t my long-lost best friend,” Lawson drawls, clicking her tongue.
“Yeah, yeah. Some of us haven’t found a man to take care of us and make all our dreams come true.”
“I mean there has to be someone there that has caught your eye. I mean, shit, you are in Las Vegas after all,” she laughs.
“Well, maybe one day. I do have a question and I need you to not ask questions right now,” I tell her getting to the point before the baby starts crying again.
“Yelena, What’s wrong? What happened?” Lawson asks, going serious at my tone.
“What do you need to take care of a baby that is maybe two-ish months old? Is a carseat necessary? I mean I know it is, but I only have like a hundred dollars,” I ramble to her, starting to really understand what I’ve gotten myself into.
“Hey, hey. Breathe, love! We have it all under control. I’ll send you some money. Before you say anything at all, you will pay it back every penny, I know I know,” Lawson starts. “Second, you know how to take care of babies. You were here and taking care of my kids when they were babies. Breathe and do what you already know to do. Bottles, diapers, wipes, blankets, clothes, and a car seat. You got this.”
