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She doesn’t speak, but I can tell that she’s grateful for this gesture of affection, even if she’s still a little confused about it.
Her skin is so soft and warm that it almost feels impossible to have come from this awful planet. She’s like an angel that got lost and ended up in my care. It’s my duty to protect her.
When I’m done rubbing River’s legs, I scoop her up and place her gently in the wheelchair. “You can play around with the wheels if you want. You’ll be in it for a while, so you’ll want to learn how to navigate with it. There’s an elevator here at the estate, but I’ll have to make some arrangements for your accessibility.”
Instead of experimenting with her wheelchair, she slumps down a little and gazes out the window.
“River, if you want to get better, you have to try,” I say in a stern voice.
“I’ve been awake for what, two hours? Please just give me some time to adjust to all this before you start making demands of me,” she snaps in a labored, weak voice.
I sigh heavily, but I don’t respond. If she needs more time to settle in, fine. But I won’t let her rot in a hospital bed.
“We’re going to take a walk around the estate now. Let me know if you have questions about something. It’ll be a lot to take in,” I say as I take the handles of her wheelchair and push her forward.
As soon as we’re in the hallway, her eyes light up. “Oh my god, this isn’t anything like what I imagined it would be like out here. Damn, how much did we pay for all this? Can we afford this?” she asks, both excited and nervous.
“Of course, we can. I was actually considering having some remodeling done, but if you like it as it is, I’ll keep it,” I reply. “We have more than enough. You never need to worry about money.”
She glances back at me with a gleam of light in her eye, something I haven’t seen since she woke up. Seeing her so excited about our home puts me at ease. At least I know she won’t be hard to impress.
I take her into the elevator down to the ground floor. “Just outside those glass patio doors is the courtyard. I wanted to show you this first, just to see if anything comes back to you.”
She eagerly looks through the glass before I open the doors, craning her neck to see past the koi pond into the greenery. “Oh wow, this is beautiful. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, just enjoy it. It’s all yours,” I reply, putting my hand on her shoulder to gauge her reaction. She doesn’t shy away from me, which is a good sign. She doesn’t lean into me either, but I figure with enough time, she’ll warm up to me.
I push her out into the courtyard, and she closes her eyes and exhales deeply as soon as the sun hits her face. She has a lot of pain medications in her system, but I figure there has to be a biological drive toward sunlight, even for people. She’s been in the dark for the better part of two weeks.
Whatever it is, she’s in heaven.
“Could you maybe lift me a bit so I can see into the koi pond better? They’re so beautiful,” she chirps warmly.
She isn’t as wary of me as I expected her to be, which I take as a good sign. I lean down to her level and carefully work my hands under her body in order to support her properly. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I’m shocked at how quickly she’s taken to me, considering she quite literally has no idea who I am.
Maybe it’s the money. People often conflate wealth with moral superiority.
I lean over a little to give her a better look into the pond.
“Wow, I could watch them swim all day. There are so many. How do you take care of them?” she asks, turning her face towards mine.
I’m tempted to kiss her, but I know the timing would be wrong. I need to be patient.
“I don’t. I have people for that. The only interaction I have with anything on this property is that I enjoy it. That’s all you have to do as well. No work, just relaxing,” I reply, gently setting her back into her wheelchair.
She pauses for a moment before responding, and her expression is unreadable. “Was I ever involved in your work? Did I play a part?”
I hesitate to answer. Obviously, it would be too difficult to keep her completely out of the Bratva if she were truly my wife, but I don’t want her to seek involvement. Not yet.
“Only sometimes, but you don’t need to worry yourself with that right now. Just focus on getting better, and once you’re stronger, we can talk about your role,” I reply.
Just as I’m about to bring her back inside, Leo, the gardener, emerges from behind some bushes he was previously trimming.
“Dobroye utro, Adas!”he says cheerfully, waving with his free hand.
“What did he say?” River asks, waving back at him awkwardly.
“Oh, he said ‘good morning’ in Russian. He only speaks Russian, but I can assure you he’s a great guy. He’s been with my family since we immigrated to the United States,” I reply, also waving back to him.
