Chapter 30

thirty

Avery – Four Days Later

I hear beeping and someone talking. It sounds like Ivan.

"Avery, can you hear me?"

I groan and slowly open my eyes, only to quickly shut them again because of the light.

"That's it, Avery, open your eyes, sweetheart."

I do, and yep, Ivan is standing over me.

I rasp, "The babies?"

He smiles and shines a light into my eyes, making me wince, but I know its protocol.

"Your babies are doing well."

Tears fill my eyes. "Natalia?"

I know she wasn't breathing when I lost consciousness.

"The little princess is off oxygen, and waiting for her mama to wake."

I let out a sob when I hear, "Avery?"

I look toward the door to see Sergi standing there with his tears running down his face. I lift my arm, and he drops the flowers in his hand and rushes to me.

He kisses me gently on the lips, his hands cradling my face as he rasps, "It's about time you woke up, dragotsennyy . Our twins want their mama."

I offer a wobbly smile. "How long was I out?"

Ivan answers, "Four days. You hemorrhaged, lost a lot of blood, but we managed to stop the bleeding, then give you a transfusion. We also managed to save your womb."

I sigh out in relief, then it hits me. "How on earth did I survive a hemorrhage?"

Ivan pales while Sergi snorts, and I narrow my eyes at the Bratva doctor, AKA my boss, and I gasp.

"You fisted me! Seriously?" I shout.

Sergi laughs and Ivan slowly walks backward.

"I saved you, Avs, and you know what? Your husband refused to see your twins."

I turn my glare to whose Sergi's eyes widen. I smack the back of his head.

He turns to Ivan. "Dude!"

Ivan just shrugs. "What? She might be shy, but, fuck, can she be scary sometimes." I roll my eyes, and he comes over and kisses my head. "I couldn't let you die, Avery; you're going to be my best resident."

I snort and smile at him, and he walks out, saying he'll come check on me later. He also tells me he'll call up to NICU to have the babies brought down, making my heart flutter.

I turn toward Sergi, and he sighs, and rasps, "It didn't feel right without you. I didn't know if you'd make it, and I thought our daughter was dead. I just couldn't without you." Tears fall down my cheeks and I grab a hold of him and hug him tight as he sobs in my neck. "You can't leave me, baby." I nod and my fingers through his hair.

"I love you," I whisper.

He pulls back a little and rasps, "I'm sorry, baby: this was all my fault."

I shake my head. "Vasiliki, I knew him when I was four years old."

He pales, then curses. "Your birth mother's druggie boyfriend."

I nod. "Only he'd worked up the ladder since then."

Sergi sighs and leans his forehead against mine. "They won't hurt you anymore." I nod against him, knowing what he means. They're gone.

The door opens and a woman comes in, wheeling in my babies. I grin while Sergi tenses. I look at him with a furrowed brow, but he just scowls at the woman as she rasps out, "Hi Sergi."

She's trying to be seductive, but it comes out whiny, and now I see his problem. I don't like causing drama, I prefer to stay in the shadows, but I've just woken up after nearly dying, and haven't even properly held my babies.

I take a deep breath, then I say calmly, "Instead of trying to seduce a married man in front of his wife, how about you bring me my babies, then get the hell out of my room."

The woman jumps and looks at me, paling, and I scowl at her. Sergi gets up and walks over to her. She smiles at him, and I shake my head.

Her smile soon disappears when he pulls the twins' bassinet out of her grip, and states, "I don't want you anywhere near my children or wife again, do I make myself clear?"

She pales again and nods, then looks at me.

She sneers at me.

Rolling my eyes, I state, "Did you know that I'm going to be doing my residency here under Ivan?" She gasps, and I smile. "Also, one of my closest friends is Sofia Volkov—I think you may know her. She's spoken about you before. Apparently, you have a thing for seducing married me. You look at my husband again, and I'll sic my best friend on you. She knows how to use a gun." Sergi snorts and wheels the babies toward me, and the nurse scampers out of my room. I say, "Sergi."

He already has his phone out. "I'm on it." He dials, waits for her to answer, then says, "Sofia, do it." She says something to him, and he smirks, then hangs up. "She'll be out of a job in the hour." I nod, a woman like that shouldn't be allowed around sick babies.

He kisses my forehead before picking up our daughter and placing her in the crook of my left arm. Then picks up my son and places him in my right. I look down at my twins, and my tears fall down my cheeks.

I choke out, "They're perfect."

Sergi nods as he runs his fingers through my hair. Anthony moves his head toward my chest, Natalia following her brother on the other side, and I grin and look at my husband. He smiles, then helps me take off my gown, then he helps the twins latch on. I wince at the initial contact. Geez, that hurts.

Sergi frowns. "You okay?"

I giggle a little. "It's normal for it to hurt at first."

He breathes a sigh of relief and I smile at him, then sob a little when they start suckling and my milk flows for them. I was worried that, after everything that happened, I wouldn't produce milk for them.

Sergi smiles, kissing my lips gently, and he teases, "I hope they know they'll be sharing." I snort and shake my head at him with a grin, my man.

"I love you." He smiles.

"Not as much as I love you, dragotsennyy ."

An hour later, I have Natalia on my chest while Sergi has Anthony on his, sitting next to me on the bed. The door opens and our family come in. They gasp when they see me awake. Phoebe sobs and walks over with Sofia right behind her.

Sofia says, "I thought Sergi wanted the babies with him, I had no idea you were awake."

Sergi smiles and remarks. "I just wanted some time with my little family; she's been awake for about an hour."

They nod, then hug me gently with my little one in between us. Juan and Dimitri rush over and kiss my head, as well as Maria, who has tears in her eyes.

I whisper, "I'm okay, I promise." She nods and wipes her tears, then runs her fingers through my hair. I look to the door and suck in a breath when I see Peter standing there with tears running down his face.

I tilt my head as he walks toward me as everyone moves back to give us space.

He grabs my hand and squeezes it tight before he murmurs, "I was told I couldn't have children." I instantly stop breathing.

What?

I look him in the eyes, and I see pain and guilt. "When your mother told me she was pregnant, I was in disbelief but also excited. I may never had loved her, but I wanted nothing more than to be a father. I spent every weekend with you until you were about three. I tried getting custody, but you see, before you were born, I was arrested with possession of a weapon that was used for a murder, and locked up for five months. They couldn't pin the murder on me because I had a solid alibi, but they managed to use the gun as an excuse to get me locked up. It was planted by the Romanians; they were trying to weaken our Mafia. I took your mother to court four times, and each time I was denied custody. I was only allowed weekend visitations, and then suddenly a new man comes into her life, and she says I'm not your father. Apparently, they fucked before we did. I didn't believe her, and I tried to take you with me, but she called the police and showed them the DNA test, and they confirmed it. I never saw the paperwork, and I thought she had used his DNA not mine. I'm sorry, so sorry for not…for not fighting harder. There's no excuse. I was just a broken man, heartbroken over the loss of his daughter." Tears run down my cheeks, and he wipes them for me and rasps, "Seeing you almost die in front of me…it was like I was losing you all over again." I let out a sob and wrap my arm around him, hugging him close as his tears fall against my cheek. He apologizes over and over.

I look toward Sergi, and he gives me a gentle smile, and I squeeze my father tighter. Guilt eats away at me for not giving him a chance to explain his side.

When he pulls away, he runs his fingers over my daughter's dark hair, just like her mama's, and rasps, "I know I have a lot to make up for. Please, I want to get to know my daughter. I want to see my grandchildren grow. Forgive me, please." I sniffle and nod my head. He smiles and kisses my forehead.

Suddenly, my door is slammed open and a very pissed off nurse, the same nurse from earlier, walks in. The men all stiffen while Phoebe snorts, making me and Sofia stifle our laughter.

"Lucy, what can we do for you?" Sofia asks.

"You cost me my fucking job," she sneers and my mama bear surfaces.

I snap, "Do not swear in front of my children."

She looks at me and points. "This is your fault."

Sergi stands, handing our son to his grandfather, Dimitri.

I snort. "I literally woke up an hour ago, how is it exactly my fault?"

Her face goes red, and I just raise a brow at her, and she charges for me, making my mouth hang open. Juan catches her and secures her arms behind her back as security arrives.

Lucy yells, "I didn't do anything."

Sergi snaps, "Flirting with grieving fathers who are worried about their children and wives is doing nothing? And let's not forget that you just tried to attack my wife, who's just come out of a fucking coma and has our newborn daughter on her chest."

Her eyes widen when she notices the baby, and she pales. "I'm sorry, s-so s-sorry."

I just shake my head as security drags her out of the room and snap at Sergi, "Language, Sergi."

He turns to look at me with a raised brow. Everyone in the room bursts out in laughter as he walks over to me.

He leans down, his nose touching mine, and he murmurs, "What was that, dragotsennyy ?"

I clear my throat, and whisper, "Nothing," making everyone laugh harder. Sergi hums, then gently kisses my lips, making me smile wide at him. And he returns it.

A week later, and I'm going crazy. I'm up walking, pacing my hospital room while my babies are asleep. I need out of this room. I want to go home; I'm fine, the babies are fine, this is ridiculous.

The door opens, and Peter walks in and smirks when he sees me pacing.

I point at him. "You need to get me out of here; my husband has gone crazy. I can't stay here any longer. Please, daddy," I beg, and he laughs when I call him daddy, knowing I'm trying to sweeten him up. He walks over and kisses my head, making me smile, then goes to check the babies. He's come round every day and everyday we've talked, a lot, about my birth mother, what I went through, and what he's been doing over the years. He knows that Tony was and always will be my dad, and he respects that. Tony saved me, but that doesn't mean Peter and I can't be close, like me and Dimitri are. Peter is my biological father. I'm just a lucky girl to have so many amazing father figures in her life.

"Can you please talk to Sergi? He won't answer my calls, and I can't stay here any longer. I should have been discharged two days ago." He looks at me and chuckles, then goes back out the door, leaving me standing here dumbfounded. Seriously.

Just as I'm about to scream, he returns with two car seats. I squeal, yes squeal, in delight. I run toward him, hugging him tightly around his waist.

He kisses my head chuckling. "Go pack your bag, sweetheart, I'm here to take you home."

I pump my fist in the air. "Yes!" He laughs and goes to put the twins in their car seats.

Once I've got everything ready, Peter takes my bags and grabs Anthony, while I go to get Natalia, but I'm stopped when Juan enters my room.

He grins at me. "Don't even think about picking up that car seat, darling. That's what I'm here for." I smile and walk over to him and kiss his cheek. He smiles and goes to grab my beautiful girl. Anthony has my violet eyes and his daddy's dark blond hair, while Natalie has my black hair and her daddy's green eyes. Little heartbreakers, the pair of them.

Once we get to the entrance of the hospital, I see Dimitri waiting in the SUV and I chuckle.

"What is this, the grandfather's outing?" They all chuckle but tense when someone clears their throat. I turn to see the nurse, Lucy. I nod for the men to go ahead, and they scowl at me, but do as I ask as I plead with my eyes. Dimitri gets out of the SUV and leans against the driver's door, watching me.

I turn to the nurse. "What can I do for you, Lucy?"

She clears her throat again. "I wanted to apologies to you. I took my anger out on an innocent woman when I was fired by my own actions. I never should have come to your room that day, and I certainly shouldn't have tried to attack you. Even if you didn't have that sweet girl on your chest, you'd just woken up from a coma after nearly dying. You didn't deserve it."

I tilt my head and ask, "Then why did you do it?"

She wipes away a tear. "Sergi and I went to school together, along with Alexandr and Damian. I didn't realize he was the father of the twins when he came in. I just saw an opportunity to finally talk to my high school crush, and when he snapped at me, I-I was a little taken back. He was nice in high school, and it stung, because he didn't recognize me when I brought the twins to your room. I thought I was bringing them to him. I never realized their mother was well alive. My sights were set on him, and when you snapped at me—rightly so—I was embarrassed. Then I was fired, and I decided to blame the wrong person. I was to blame."

I sigh and look toward the SUV, and shake my head when I notice all three men standing there with their arms across their chests.

I chuckle then look back to Lucy. "Do you know what happened to me, before the twins were born?" She shakes her head, so I give her the run down, from the time I found my mother dead, to the day I was kidnapped by Vasiliki and nearly died giving birth to the twins. By the time I'm done, we're both weeping.

She sobs. "I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry."

I grab her hand and squeeze it, and I whisper, "I'm not telling you this to gain sympathy or make you feel even more worse than you do, I'm telling you this because I want you to find your person. Don't settle for a taken man, or someone who doesn't know your worth. Find someone who will remember you and only want you."

She nods and hugs me, whispering, "Thank you."

I nod then let her go. I give her a smile, and head toward the SUV and climb in with three grinning men. I shake my head.

Half an hour later, we're pulling into our driveway, and I grin. I love this mansion, and I'm miffed that I've only spent a few hours here. When we pull up, Maria comes running down the steps.

Juan helps me out of the car just before she grabs me in a hug as Dimitri and Peter grab the twins. Juan gets my bags, and we all head inside.

When I walk through the door, I hear, "Surprise!" I nearly jump out of my skin.

Tears fill my eyes, and I look in the crowd for the only person I want. And there he is, green eyes sparkling, standing front and center in black jeans and a white Henley. His scruff is still on his face after I told him how much I loved it, his blond hair is slicked back and short on the sides. I run toward him, causing everyone to chuckle, and when he catches me, lifting my feet off the ground, I wrap them around his waist.

I lean my forehead against his and rasp, "I love you."

He smiles wide. "Not as much as I love you, dragotsennyy ."

When he places me on the ground, I'm tackled in a hug. Chanel perfume invades my nostrils and I grin, "Mel!"

She sniffles. "Missed you, girlie."

I nod, hugging her tightly. "Missed you, too."

A few minutes later, another four set of arms surround us, and I giggle as Phoebe states, "Don't forget about us."

When we all pull apart, Sergi passes me Natalia. I see Anthony with Dimitri, and grin wide. I kiss Natalia's head, and sit in my dad's chair, finally feeling at home.

About an hour later, people are mingling outside while I'm still in my dad's chair, only this time I have both my babies asleep on my chest. Mel left half an hour ago to catch her flight to Texas, meeting up with her parents, and Sergi is in the kitchen with Dimitri and Peter. I'm content and happy. Someone sits down near me. I turn to see a woman I haven't met. She smiles at me, but it doesn't reach her hazel eyes.

"I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Valerie."

My eyes widen. "Oh, Juan's wife. It's nice to meet you."

She smiles again but its forced, making me confused. "So, what made you choose their names?"

Okay, she's acting weird.

"Well, Anthony was my adoptive father, and Dimitri because of how amazing he's been to me and who he's been to Sergi. They're close."

Her eyes darken, making me furrow my brows.

"And the beautiful little girl there."

I raise a brow at her; she's angry but I just don't understand why.

"My adoptive mother was Natalie, I just wanted to add in Sergi's heritage, and Iris because Iris was his mother, so she deserved to be honored."

Anger covers her face, making me tense. Juan comes through the front door and sees my expression. His eyes darken when he sees his wife stand and tower over me.

She explodes just as Sergi enters the room. "She does not deserve to be honored, that is my granddaughter, not hers. She kept my son from me, like the selfish bitch she was— my son. If the cancer hadn't killed her, I would have."

My blood boils at the pain is see on Sergi's face at the horrendous crap that woman is spewing. I gently rise. Juan moves around his wife, not looking at her, and takes Natalia from me while Maria takes Anthony, glaring at Valerie.

I get in the bitch's face. Well, I come up to her shoulder, but I don't care.

How dare she?

I point at her. "How dare you? He is not your son; he is Juan's son. He is Dimitri and Maria's son. He was and will always be Iris's son. Not yours. She didn't keep your child from you because he was never yours. She was a loving and caring mother, who adored her son. She worked her butt off to provide for him when his biological father chose his deranged wife over him." I look over to Juan and wince at him, because I love the man dearly. He smirks and nods for me to continue.

Phoebe snorts. "I really like this side of my friend, Serg."

He smirks and I roll my eyes. Valerie is looking at me coldly, but I don't care, she's made me angry. "Just because your husband strayed and got that woman pregnant, doesn't mean that the baby is automatically yours. The baby was hers. She left him with a family when she died, she ensured he was going to be taken care of. As far as I'm concerned, you are not welcome near my children. They are Juan's grandchildren, not yours. You're a bitter, old woman, who needs to open her eyes and realize the damage she has done, because I can tell you, my husband will want nothing to do with you. Now leave!"

She goes to take a step toward me but stops when Sergi stands behind me, and both Damian and Alexandr stand on either side.

Damian sneers. "I believe moya sestra asked you to leave."

She looks at Sergi and I go to grab her, but he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my head.

In a cold voice, he states, "You think I haven't heard of the crap you've been saying about my mama? Even if Papa wanted something to do with me, you still wouldn't have been my mother. No one can replace her, and Maria is my close second. She took in an angry and confused teenager after he walked into his home to find his mother dead. You are nowhere close to them, and after this, I don't want you anywhere near me or my family." He looks to Juan. "You're always welcome, Papa, but not your wife."

Juan smiles and nods. "Of course, son."

Phoebe walks up to the woman. "I have never been more disappointed in you, Tia Valerie."

Valerie pales, then sneers at me, like it's my fault, and goes to open her mouth.

I twist to Sergi. "Why am I always getting the blame when women open their mouths?" He snorts and lightly kisses my lips.

Juan states, "Time for you to leave, Valerie. Go home and we'll talk when I get home later." She pales again, then storms out and Juan sighs.

I rasp, "I'm sorry, Juan."

He smiles at me and shakes his head. "She's been like this for months; I just didn't want to deal with it. I don't think she's even forgiven me for getting someone else pregnant." Sergi growls at the thought.

Dimitri kisses my head, then steals his grandson from his wife, making her scowl, so she goes over to Sofia, who is just standing there gaping at the drama, and takes Rora out of her mother's arms. We all laugh. Maksim is happy in his uncle Al's arms, while I notice Mila sulking, so I head over to her.

I lean down and whisper, "What's wrong, my little darling?" She smiles at the nickname as tears fall down her cheeks.

I wipe them away, as she sobs out, "I'm not the favorite anymore."

I can't help my grin. I pick her up, causing Sergi to growl, but I ignore him; I'm doing okay, and she's not that heavy.

I coo, "My little darling, you're the big sister, the big cousin. All these babies are going to look up to you as they grow. You're going to be everything to them, just like you're our everything. We don't have favorites because we love all of you dearly, but you, my sweet girl, will always have a special place in our hearts, because you are the glue that holds our family together. You brought your mama and papa together again. So, we may not have our favorites, but you will always be our glue." She smiles wide at that and hugs me tight.

I look around the room. The men are smiling, while the women have tears in their eyes.

Sergi walks over to me and wraps his arms around us. He kisses my forehead and rasps, "I love you, dragotsennyy ."

I am so grateful I gave him another chance.