Chapter 296: Right Person, Right Place… Right Way?

[FROLO]

When Katya heard the elevator dinging and its door opening, he was ready.

He and Sergei needed to have a chat about how not to make him look like he was attacked by a bear. They needed to talk about lying to someone. He was beautiful when he looked like he’d been the victim of road rage.

Oh, he was ready.

And when the door opened, and Sergei stood there, eyes hazy and hands shaking, Katya paused.

He’d never seen Sergei like that.

"Sir, you shouldn’t be out of bed," one of the nurses Sergei had brought to fix him said, rushing to Katya.

But Katya didn’t even manage to get a response out before Sergei fell to the ground with a thud like a sack.

And Katya?

Screamed...

While rushing to the man on the ground.

"Nurse!!" he called out, not wasting time to linger in his own shock.

He’d been told by the nurses that Sergei hadn’t slept in four days. That the barbarian hadn’t eaten pretty much anything. They’d told him of the routine the barbarian had while Katya was unconscious, and Katya’s heart had broken for the man.

Of course, a part of him thought it was all a bluff because the nurses told him about it all while they were laughing.

But now...

It didn’t seem like a joke anymore.

"Please let us take care of him, Mr. Romanov," a doctor with Navarro written on his coat said, and Katya contemplated letting him take care of Sergei.

"Who are you? Who sent you?" was what Katya asked first.

He didn’t trust anyone with an unconscious Sergei, much less after the explosion. He knew Sergei had tons of enemies, and right now, being surrounded by nurses and one very conveniently appearing doctor, he refused to let go.

"You don’t get to touch him," Katya growled lowly, a first for him.

He sounded possessive, which was a trait even he wasn’t sure he’d ever had.

"You have to let us fix him," one of the nurses said, but Katya refused.

He wasn’t letting them close.

In fact, he put Sergei’s head on his lap while the apple knife he’d been holding earlier stayed tighter in his left hand.

"This will go in you if you touch him," Katya growled in warning, again.

He knew Sergei was too vulnerable to defend them both, let alone himself. If anyone were to come in here and start attacking them, Katya knew he stood no chance. But he had to try. There was no other way.

"You have to let us fix him," Doctor Navarro pleaded, but Katya wasn’t relenting.

And when a nurse rushed to the intercom, he watched, horrified but determined.

This was his alpha they were talking about.

The man who had enemies everywhere in Frolo.

He would not let them close. Not until he was sure he could trust them, which right now didn’t seem like the case.

"What are you doing?!" Katya shouted at the nurse, who just sighed, looking at him like this was not what she was getting paid for. Maybe she could ask for a raise, no?

"Calling someone you trust," the nurse said, and before Katya could think again, she spoke into the intercom.

"Mr. Moskowsky fell unconscious, but his husband won’t let us treat him. Please come up," the nurse said, as if this was a problem that needed to be fixed fast, and Katya stared, lost in time for a moment.

"Mr. Moskowsky’s WHAT now?" he asked, like he hadn’t heard the woman. But she didn’t say a word again. At least not to him.

"You have to wait a bit, Doctor," the nurse said to Doctor Navarro.

"He’s been running on fumes these past four days. If we wait longer, we don’t know what might happen," Doctor Navarro said, and Katya scoffed at him.

"Nice try, but step the fuck back if you don’t want me to push this in you," Katya warned. Then he grabbed his phone and dialed one of the few people he trusted with Sergei’s life.

Anya.

"Romanov? What did he do this time?" Anya asked tiredly, like she knew Sergei was always up to something.

"An... Anya... He fainted... And there’s a doctor here, but... But I don’t trust him. What if he hurts Vladimir? What if—" Katya rambled right as the elevator dinged again.

This time, his fruit knife was pointed toward the person who was coming out of the elevator.

But that only lasted a moment because he set it down willingly.

"Volkov..." Katya breathed.

"Sergei will be fine, Romanov. Let the doctor and the nurses do their job. They won’t hurt him, I can promise you that," Anya said over the phone while Katya looked at Volkov, who had arrived.

"But—"

"You trust Volkov, don’t you?" Anya asked.

"Yes."

"Is he there now?"

"Yeah..."

"He hasn’t killed the doctor, has he?"

"No..."

"Then you and Sergei are in safe hands."

"Any—"

"He’ll need you. So let them fix him and don’t leave his side. I have to go now," Anya said before hanging up. And Katya looked at the group of medics who were still staring at him as if asking him if it was all right for them to advance now.

He wanted to complain, but there was no need.

Volkov was here.

Sergei trusted Volkov.

That meant something, right?

"You won’t hurt him?" he asked, still, his hold on the fruit knife unyielding.

"No. We just need to keep him hydrated and give him nutrients, and he’ll be fine. May I come closer now?" Doctor Navarro said, and Katya looked up to Volkov, who still hadn’t said a word.

Maybe because he had never thought there would come a day when Katya Romanov would be protecting his huge, insane boss with a fruit knife.

The omega looked adorable, but his distressed scent was bound to be a death sentence for everyone here if they didn’t work on fixing the alpha soon enough.

"I’m here. No one will hurt him or you. Just let them do their jobs," Volkov said softly, and only then did Katya let go.

Only then did Katya let the medics do their work.

"Take him to the guest room on the left," Volkov said, and Katya had never countered a simple suggestion that fast.

"No. His bedroom. Take him to his bedroom."

And for thirty minutes, Katya watched the man he loved be hooked up to IVs like he really needed that help.

He was pissed, though, but he couldn’t even stay pissed because a part of him understood how helpless Sergei must have felt when he was unconscious. It was the same thing right now, and Katya absolutely did not like that feeling.

This shit sucked.

"He’ll be fine, Romanov," Volkov reassured once the doctor was done and they stepped out.

"I’m not leaving him alone," Katya insisted.

"I know," Volkov laughed before adding, "If you need anything, press one on the phone beside the bed, or just use the intercom. The staff will get you what you need. I will too."

"Okay," Katya said lowly, the horror in his voice still evident.

"Alright. You look like you need rest, too. That bed looks big enough to accommodate two," Volkov teased before leaving, closing the door behind him.

Then it was just Sergei and Katya.

Well... a pissed yet understanding Katya.

"Solny— shit, I have to make a check-in call," Sergei woke up moments later.

"Don’t you even think about it," Katya huffed from under the covers, making Sergei turn to his side.

He was in his bed...

With his Solnyshka?

"You... Here... Wh—"

"My family can wait," Katya said, like he was so done with the alpha beside him.

"You don’t unders—"

"Are you saying no to sleeping with your husband, Mr. Moskowsky?"

"My wh— husband?"

"The nurse called me your husband when I threatened her with a fruit knife," Katya pouted.

"You want to sleep with me?"

"In your arms, maybe, so I’ll know if you try to sneak out without resting."

"I should totally faint every time," Sergei chuckled happily as Katya snuggled in easily beside him.

"Don’t you dare... Now sleep, doctor’s orders."

"Bu—"

"I’ll be here when you wake up."

Sergei had never been that happy to go to sleep.

"Solny—"

"I’m not leaving... Not until you want me to," Katya promised quietly as he held Sergei’s hand under the covers.