32. Chapter 32

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Hidden Empire

K.L Mann

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Jade

Acting normal for classes the next day is not easy. I feel like everyone is looking at me, and everyone knows my secret. Ivan helps me through it, showing up even more than usual to offer a supportive look when he can. The only thing that really gets me through is that Dmitri is taking me to a doctor tonight.

After Deception Class, Remo and I grab a quick snack before heading back to our rooms. Since Matteo informed all my brothers about my time of the month happening, none of them expect me to sleep over tonight. They don't expect me to sneak out either, but it can't exactly be helped this time.

I have to see a doctor, and it has to be soon. Today, I was able to just exercise for fight class, but I won't be able to get away with that for long. Not to mention, I think there's medicine I have to take now, isn't there? Vitamins maybe.

Whether it's because I'm likely pregnant or just because they know they can pull it off a different way, Dmitri and Ivan don't have me go through the window this time. Instead, Ivan meets me on the floor below and walks me out to meet Dmitri. Ivan is better at going unnoticed in smaller spaces since he doesn't tower over door frames or take up too much space in the halls.

It's dark but Dmitri and Ivan aren't fazed by using the stars and the moon to light the ground for them, confidently striding while I cautiously mimic their path. We aren't heading to the same medical building Matteo has pointed out before, but I don't question it. It makes sense that the Morozovs would have a different doctor.

When our steps slow, I look up to see more light. A small bulb attached to a house-like structure is lighting up the space around it like a beacon, shining down on where we're headed.

The small stone building is mostly hidden behind hauntingly tall trees, the surrounding ground littered with bumpy tree roots. It's like an old fairy tale cottage with moss covering the walls and some of the roof. I half expect a chimney to be pumping out comically perfect swells of smoke, but there isn't one.

"I've never seen this place before," I mention quietly, twigs snapping beneath our feet as we approach the door. I don't think I even knew it existed. How could I be here for so many weeks and still have parts of the island to explore?

"There are a few different spots to find doctors here," Ivan reports diplomatically. "This one is just ours."

Without knocking, Dmitri pulls on the door handle, opening it for all of us to squeeze through. While the outside of this place has some serious cozy cabin vibes, the inside is sterile and white. It's like a vet clinic or a tiny little hospital.

"Preyemnik," an unfamiliar voice says, catching my ear. "Is everything alright?"

The older man who's speaking has gray hair and thin glasses, but he's still tall and sturdy-looking. He looks like a grandpa who can still run on the beach but needs to have a nap at 2 p.m. to function for the rest of the day. He's standing behind a low counter, waiting for a reply.

"No one is hurt," Dmitri reports. "Is anyone else here today?"

"We're alone," the man answers firmly.

Nodding, my boyfriend informs him, "We need an ultrasound."

If the man—who must be the doctor—is thrown off by Dmitri's request, he doesn"t show it. He doesn't really react at all emotionally, only vocally.

"Of course," he says, willing to comply. "Come this way."

Dmitri, still holding my hand, guides me to follow while Ivan walks alongside my stride. Curious about so many things, I lean closer to my friend.

"What did he call him?" I ask lowly. "Prey—something?"

"Preyemnik, it means successor," Ivan whispers back. "It's just what some of the older men call Dmitri. They're looking forward to him taking on the role of Pakhan."

So this guy doesn't just respect Dmitri, he likes him. That's good. I'm much more comfortable trusting him if he has a vested interest in Dmitri's well-being.

"Take a seat, Miss," the doctor pauses, waiting for someone to say my name.

"Moretti," Dmitri fills in.

"Jade is fine," I protest lightly. "You're about to look inside my stomach, I think you can call me by my first name."

As I climb up to sit on the padded leather table, I watch the doctor glancing at Dmitri for permission. He won't even use my first name unless he approves it. Kind of badass, if I'm honest. But come on, it's just a name.

Thankfully, Dmitri agrees that it"s fine.

"Jade then," he agrees. "I'm Dr. Petrov. You think you're pregnant?"

"She took a test," Dmitri answers. "She's pregnant with my child."

First of all, damn, way to just throw that out there.

Second, oh lord, why is that so hot?

"As long as the test wasn't wrong," I add, feeling the need to.

Dmitri is so confident, and he doesn't hesitate to show it.

"It wasn't."

The cushioned little table is cold, but I ignore the chills running up my arm in favor of tugging at the ends of my shirt. "I can just roll this up, right?"

"Correct," the doctor agrees, picking up a clear bottle with blue gel inside. "We don't have a full ultrasound machine here, but I have a smaller one that's portable. It'll do."

"Do you want me to wait outside?" Ivan asks, and I scoff, pulling up my shirt and tucking it under my bra so it stays up.

"Don't you dare leave," I bark, reaching for him with a grabby hand. "I've got two hands, and you're each holding one."

Ivan blinks but smiles. "Yes, ma'am."

"I'm already pregnant. Don't make me feel old, too," I gripe, snatching his outstretched hand up.

"We're the same age."

Yeah, and only one of us has a bun in the oven.

"You too, mister," I tell Dmitri, grabbing his hand just as greedily.

He presses a kiss to my knuckles, and I squeeze him in return.

"This will be a little cold." The warning comes just before ice-cold gel is applied to my stomach, and I wince. "It'll warm up soon."

Jeez, it would be nice if it came out warm to begin with.

Using a small white wand, he smears the gel around, watching a tablet-sized screen. Gliding it around, he finds a spot that he likes and manipulates the tool much slower, pushing into my belly deeper.

When a whooshing sound starts to pulse through the speakers, I gasp. It's a wild beat, drumming heavily. I can't make out anything but black and gray blobs on the screen. Even without being able to make out the image, the sound tells me all we need to know. That's a baby.

"Well, you're definitely pregnant," Dr. Petrov reports. "Congratulations."

My heart swells at the word. He's happy for us. Unmarried and accidentally pregnant, and he's still wishing us congratulations. I decide I like Dr. Petrov.

Dmitri was right, and I don't think I'm upset about it. I'm nervous as hell because I have no idea what I'm doing, but not sad.

"That's the heartbeat, right? So the baby is okay?" I ask, biting my lip.

"Both babies are fin?—"

"Both?" I gasp, shaking my head. There's no way he just said that.

"Yes—"

"There's two?" I squeak, leaning forward to squint at the blurry screen. I'm crushing Ivan and Dmitri's hands, squeezing so hard, but I can't let go. "Is this some kind of old Russian humor I don't understand? There's not two, right?"

Dr. Petrov doesn't laugh. No one does.

"Dmitri?" I turn to him, eyes wide with worry.

"It's okay, Krasotka, but he isn't joking."

How is he not freaking out? Is he in shock? I wish I was in shock, but I'm all too aware of what"s happening. I'm not just knocked up, I'm double knocked up.

Looking back at the doctor, I wince. "Are you sure?"

His nod confirms it.

"You see here," he points to the little blobs, dragging his finger along the line that separates them. "Two sacks, both growing fetuses. You're having fraternal twins."

"Oh my god," I whisper, blinking rapidly. "How did this happen?"

"Well," he clears his throat. "Do fraternal twins run in your family?"

Nico and Remo.

"Sort of?" I rub the back of my neck, finding it suddenly sore. "Four of my brothers are twins, but two are identical."

Elio and Emilio aren't remarkably hard to tell apart, mostly because I see Emilio less. But they style their hair differently, and Emilio keeps his face clean-shaven while Elio lets his stubble grow. Nico and Remo, though, they look more like regular brothers than twins.

"Having fraternal twins in the family makes your likelihood of having them yourself higher," Dr. Petrov explains. "Being a twin yourself would raise that even higher but it's not unheard of for the siblings of twins to have multiples of their own."

Well, Sex Ed did not cover this.

Lip wobbling, I look up at Dmitri while he rubs his thumb on my shoulder. "I'm sorry," I whisper.

"Don't apologize," he reprimands. "Nothing has changed since last night. It's still going to be okay, and I'm still not upset."

Something has most definitely changed since last night.

One possible baby turned into two for sure babies.

I have to believe that he's being honest when he says that he's okay with it. I can't afford to be scared of becoming a mom and how he feels about becoming a dad.

The sound of pills rattling around in a bottle draws my eyes back to the doctor.

"You'll need to take these once a day. They're prenatal vitamins. You don't have any allergies, and you're not currently taking any medications, correct?"

"Right," I agree, taking the small bottle from him.

"The fact that I can even see that it's twins means you're at least six weeks along. I'm not a pregnancy expert, but we can try to narrow a due date down if you know when you conceived. When did you engage in unprotected sex?"

"When didn't they?" Ivan chuckles.

Dmitri gives him a stern look with narrowed eyes, but it dies down when I bubble with laughter too. It shouldn't be so funny, but it is.

"Sorry, I like sarcastic Ivan," I profess, giggling through the words.

"It's been a little over six weeks since our first time," Dmitri tells him, softly squeezing my hand. "Could be closer to seven."

Dr. Petrov nods. "Due date estimations are never exact, a week off won't matter in the long run. We'll keep an eye on you and monitor your progress. If anything is uncomfortable in a way that makes you nervous, come see me. Morning sickness is bound to happen anywhere from four to fifteen weeks, so unless you're throwing up so much that you can't keep yourself hydrated or nourished, you won't need me."

Does that happen? Am I going to throw up so much that I get dehydrated? Armani is going to be pissed if I'm walking around not pumped full of electrolyte juice.

"That sounds awful," I whine.

"Yes," the doctor agrees sympathetically. "Well, unfortunately, I don't have any pregnancy-safe nausea medication here, but there are some natural remedies to help alleviate the worst bits of it. The kitchens should have ginger, and dry foods like bread and crackers can help as well."

Well, that's good to know, at least.

"Jade's in a fighting class, we'll need a note for her?—"

"What if the instructor tells people," I burst out nervously. "Are they allowed to do that?"

"No," Dr. Petrov says immediately. "Instructors are bound by the same confidentiality as all of the staff. They like to gossip amongst themselves, of course. But anything medical being leaked would be a huge issue with the Lord."

The man tasked with enforcing Empire rules and policies, formally known as the Lord. He has a table of lesser Lords that back him up and entire systems in place to keep his power strong, but I've never seen him. He lives here during the semester like the rest of us, I just have no idea where. I don't know his name or what he looks like, but if he's a threat to the instructors if they spill the beans, then I think they won't.

Worst case, the fighting teacher gives me a hard time and I drop the course.

As he starts penning me a note, the doctor throws out the names of foods I can't eat and things to avoid. Most of them aren't a problem. I haven't been brave enough to try raw fish yet, the texture of raw meat is terrifying to me, and unpasteurized cheese is too sophisticated for my taste buds. Plus, I already don't drink alcohol or coffee.

I will remember not to eat grapes with my breakfast, though, because apparently, there are potentially poisonous compounds in them that can cause complications with pregnancies. But hey, at least they aren't my favorite.

Note and vitamins secured, we head back to Dmitri's place to crash for the night. We don't have sex, but he holds me for hours, sleeping with me until he has to bring me back to my room.

Even though I could, I don't go back to bed immediately. If I can't tell my brothers here because they'll tell Dad. I only have one person who might be able to help. Grabbing my emailer, I sit on the edge of my bed and start to type.

If I needed you on my side for something, would you break my trust?

Like if I wanted to tell you something before I told Dad, could you do that for me? Without telling him?

Thankfully, it seems he's already awake, even with the time difference.

Apollo

Are you asking the second in command of The Outfit? Or are you asking your brother?

Maybe both?

But mostly my brother.

Apollo

Is everyone in this piece of news alive?

Omg yes! Are you crazy?

Apollo

Don't text lingo me, it's disgusting.

Apollo

Tell me what you need.

Can you promise to not tell Dad until we can do it together?

Apollo

A promise from a made man should mean nothing to you.

A promise from my brother could never mean nothing.

It takes a minute for him to reply, the heavy silence of waiting builds the tension inside of me even more.

Apollo

You have my word.

I exhale and type.

I'm pregnant.

It's better to rip off the bandaid this way, right?

He replies before I can add more.

Apollo

Jade.

It's okay! I mean, it wasn't planned obviously. But I'm okay, really.

Apollo

Remind me to take your promise privileges away.

I let out a nervous laugh. I don't know whether he's upset about the pregnancy, but I know he's definitely kicking himself for this secret.

Apollo

Does anyone know?

Just the father, and um, his brother.

Apollo

And who, pray tell, is the father? I have a ledger to draft his name into.

I suck back a gasp, not knowing whether he's being serious.

Absolutely not!

No way, you're on my side, you promised! My side very much wants him alive.

Apollo

I can maim him without ending his life. It's quite easy, I assure you.

I let out a frustrated growl, wishing he could hear it.

Seriously, Apollo. I love him, and we're going to get married. We'll go through all the proper steps. I just need you on my side, I don't want any of our family to hurt Dmitri.

Apollo

Dmitri Morozov?

Shit.

Promise me again.

Apollo

The Russians are really floundering if the future Pakhan has a tiny woman fighting his battles for him.

I frown. ‘Tiny woman' is a little harsh.

He isn't asking me to do this. He could handle whatever you throw at him. I just don't want you to throw it. I love him. I don't want him to associate me with pain in any way.

Don't scare away the only man who's ever looked at me the way he does.

I bite my lip, typing another message.

Don't take away the father of my future children.

Apollo

Children, plural?

You can thank Dad for that. Apparently, twins are a familial trait.

Apollo

My promise can only extend so far. When are you planning to tell him?

My cheeks lift with a smile.

Right when I get home.

Apollo

Jade, that's not soon enough.