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“What sandwiches do you have?” I ask before Andrey can.
“Turkey, beef, cheese,” he starts to list them off.
“Can I have a turkey sandwich, please?”
“Make that two,” Andrey says, pulling out his wallet. “And two waters.”
The attendant gives us the sandwiches and water before striding off with the rattling trolley. I barely notice as I peel the bread from its cardboard box.
“Jesus, I can’t believe how hungry I’ve been feeling all day,” I say, biting into it.
“It’s normal, especially since you’re pregnant with twins,” Andrey explains. “Your body needs more energy and nutrients to support the babies’ growth.”
“That makes sense.”
“So our next stop is Ottawa,” Andrey says, pulling the table out and putting the water on it. “Have you decided whether we’re flying, driving, or catching a train from there?”
“I think maybe we should fly.” My eyes meet his. “The longer we take to get to our destination, wherever that is, the more likely we are to get caught before we get there.”
“I agree,” Andrey says, opening a bottle of water and taking a sip. “We’ll fly!”
Nodding, I continue to polish off my sandwich, wishing I’d bought two. I have some water, hoping that it will fill me up as I already feel like a pig with everything I’ve eaten so far on this journey. My eyes widen, and I realize that maybe drinking the water so fast was not the right thing to do. Next thing I know, I’m hopping over Andrey and heading back to the bathroom.
“Isabella?” Andrey’s eyes widen with concern.
“No time to talk.” My hand slaps over my mouth and I’ve barely made it into the small bathroom and lifted the toilet lid when my stomach rejects the sandwich.
“Isabella?” Andrey’s soft voice comes from behind me, and I feel him lifting my hair. “I brought you some water.”
I want to tell him to get out, but I can barely say a word before I vomit once again. Andrey gently rubs my bag, and to my surprise, he starts to hum a soft tune. One I recognize from somewhere—I think it’s a Russian lullaby.
It has an oddly soothing effect on me as the nausea starts to ease. Andrey helps me clean up the bathroom while I rinse my mouth and splash some of the bottled water on my face. I don’t even have to move from the sink, and some paper towel is handed to me.
“Feeling better?” Andrey asks, his eyes assessing me in the mirror.
Not trusting myself enough to speak in case I feel sick again, I just nod and wash my hands. We leave the bathroom, and Andrey disappears into another passenger car while we go back to our seats.
I pull the blanket over me, put the pillow on my lap, and lean forward, resting my head on it. ”I guess you didn’t like the turkey sandwiches then.“ I rub my stomach, talking to my little beans. “There must be another way to let me know you object to what I’m feeding you.”
Andrey comes back, takes his seat, and pulls my head onto his lap with the pillow. “I got you some mints and ginger cookies.”
I turn my head and see him put them on the table.
“Thank you.” My eyes drift shut. “I’ll have them in a bit. I’m just going to close my eyes for a little bit.”
“Okay.” Andrey’s voice is soft as he gently plays with my hair.
Yup! I’m falling for this version of Andrey. The Andrey I can envision as a young man about to begin medical school. Fuck! I still can’t believe he wanted to be a surgeon.
“Tell me about medical school,” I ask.
“I started college at sixteen,” Andrey starts to tell me.
My eyes widen, and I turn to look at him. “Really?”
“Yup!” He nods and gives a soft snort. “Believe it or not, I was a nerd who loved school, science, and medicine.”
“I can’t imagine you as a nerd!”
