UNLEASHED

That phone call struck him like a thunderbolt. Out of the blue, hitting him where it hurts the most. He had been trying to call Nadja Ivanov for the past thirty minutes, since she was supposed to come back home after work. Those minutes seemed like hours, all those unanswered calls growing a bad feeling deep inside his guts.

Then she finally called back. Or so he thought. The voice on the other hand wasn't hers. A deep almost guttural voice. Clearly a male, a heavy smoker, most likely in his fifties. His tone was very detached, despite he was trying to show some sympathy. Clearly this was usual routine for him, just another day at the job.

"Nadja Ivanov was involved in a car accident. I can't tell you much on the phone, but you should come to the Presbyterian as soon as possible. They are in critical conditions, but stable."

"They?"

"Yes, Nadja and the baby..."

The doctor kept talking for a while, but Ethan wasn't listening anymore. Three words kept echoing in his mind, in a endless loop.

Critical.

Nadja.

Baby.

"Sir? Sir?"

He could have kept calling Ethan for hours. The phone was laying on the floor, and Ethan was already driving to the hospital.



It was impossible to tell when she had felt that bad the last time, if ever. Ever since they had been in Serbia that sickness didn't leave her. It was a constant guest in the morning and was present during the day. Every now and then she was able to have light food. And tea. Alcohol was making her sick, from the smell alone. A lot of things didn't fit together for Nadja Ivanov.

First things first, she didn't get sick. Ever. Second, she was used to drinking. And third, she was a complete fool. That was what she thought to herself when standing in front of the pharmacy. Waiting for the small line in front of her to move further. It wasn't till a few hours ago that a certain idea manifested inside of her mind. And that only because Lara had made a joke about it.

Maybe you are pregnant.

She would laugh. Both of them actually, because the idea alone was rather absurd. Both, Ethan and Nadja, played it safe. Her being on birth control was good enough. But little by little everything made sense. The unsteady lifestyle, the pills she had been taking for so long. They obviously had messed with her injections.

"Miss?"

The small cashier girl called for her, but seeing the look on her face she had done so for a while. Nadja was so caught in her own thoughts that she had shut the world out. She didn't even look up when telling her what she wanted, waited for the small package before hiding it in her bag. Putting more money on the table than necessary before getting out. Almost feeling like a thief in the night.

There was one question though, where to take it? Certainly not at home. She didn't wanna alarm him for nothing. At Lara's? Maybe but that would have been too far. So Nadja decided to get back at work, locking herself in the ladies room.


She had gotten a call from an unknown number. Despite her usual nature she picked up, hearing the rough voice of Ethan Thompson. He was short worded and out of breath. All he said was, Nadja and hospital. Leaving in a hurry she was going way over the speed limit, almost driving an old lady down. Shrugging her shoulders before parking her car. It was one of those calls you hoped to never get. Both, Nadja and Ethan were close to her. Family and friends. When stepping out of the car she grabbed her bag, rushing towards the entrance.

"Ma'am you can't park your car here... it's for doctors only... ."

She whirled around. Those huge blue eyes giving the young man a deadly glare.

"And what you gonna do about it? Call the cops? Try me boy."

Lara was not in the mood to play around, so without giving him another look she had made it inside. Pushing some people aside to reach the information counter. They would give her the information she needed, even if they reacted a little hesitant. Her way did lead her to the second stage, which was reserved for emergency clients. A lot of busy staff running around, here and there beeping noises from monitors. From afar she spotted Ethan on one of the chairs, his eyes focusing on the floor.

He looks like dead, she whispered to herself when walking closer. In a gentle manner she put her hand on his shoulder, waiting for him to recognise her.

He was staring at his right hand, shaking uncontrollably. He was slowing moving his fingers, the busted knuckle and the red mark on the hospital wall clearing every doubt on what happened. But it wasn't the pain keeping him from raising his eyes.

FEAR.

A subconscious, irrational, paralyzing sensation. And new. Not once in his life he felt something quite like this. And he  had been in Afghanistan, twice.
He ventured himself in dangerous situations with and against shady people, the type of guys who usually shoot before asking questions.
He never hesitated putting his life in danger for those he cared about, Nadja in first place.

But today, for the first time, he was scared. Scared to raise his eyes and see that the hand on his shoulder belonged to one of the doctor who was treating Nadja. Scared to hear those words coming from his mouth: "Sir, Nadja Ivanov came here in critical conditions. We did all we could, but it wasn't enough.The injuries were too extensive and we couldn't save her."

Scared of how he would react.

It took him some time, way more than usual, to recognize Lara's unmistakable perfume. That soft floral fragrance that somewhat clashed with her aggressive look.

Slowly, he tilted his head, looking up at her. His green eyes looked so empty, that sparkle seemingly lost, as if that dark spot in his right eyes swallowed it, absorbing all his vitality.


It was like running a marathon, or away from an hungry animal. She couldn't enter the Four Seasons without being greeted. Stopped. Or drawn into a pointless conversation. Nadja smiled. Played her part while the test weighed heavy in her bag.

After several encounters she had finally made it towards the changing room. Opening the door quietly, she knew that no one was there. A few moments later she found herself on the toilet, reading the description. It was easy.

"You can do that... ."

Her voice nothing more than a whisper while running through all the steps, only to find herself leaning against the cold wall shortly after. Sweat was forming on her forehead, while those big eyes were glued onto the small piece of plastic. Minutes seemed like hours. Running through every kind of emotion. Seeing the little timer on her phone, it was counting down. Zero.

With shaking hands and a dry mouth Nadja took it. Looking at it for a very long moment. As if she was either blind, slow or unable to read. 1 - 2 weeks.

Congratulations. You are pregnant.


It was hard to see him like that. Almost like somebody had ripped a piece of her out. She knew Ethan Thompson. He was strong. Wild. And unable to let his guard down. Walls that were not existing anymore. Broken down by something he couldn't control.

Lara made no quick moves. Carefully putting her bag down, kneeling down on the hospital floor. Her tiny hands wrapping around his. Covering his new bruises and kept him steady. For a long while nothing was said. People passed them by, but no one really paid attention. Too absorbed in their own stuff. It was Lara's voice that broke the silence.

"What happened to... Nadja... ."

He shook his head. "She took a Taxi to come back home. There was an accident..."

His voice sounded so distant, just like the look in his eyes. Ethan Thompson wasn't here. There was this empty shell in his place, something that really looked like the man Lara used to call her friend. But she could tell that his mind, his soul, was already gone. Lost, in God only knows what kind of heavy thoughts.

"Lara..." He whispered. "She was... is. She is pregnant."

Lara took a moment to proceed. Hearing him say those words and making sense to it was almost impossible. Nadja was none of these girls that forced things like that. So if she was indeed pregnant, it had just happened. Fate doing whatever it pleased.

"Have you seen her yet?" She asked, feeling like a fool.

He shook his head and kept looking at her. A moment later she got up, letting go off his hands. Grabbing one of the walking by doctors. She seemed furious, but the truth was -- Lara was scared as fuck.

"Nadja Ivanov... which room."


Nadja had been sitting in that small cabin for at least thirty minutes. The test in her hand. It felt like she had forgotten how to move. Speak. Or anything else. The only thing left functioning was breathing.

Almost in trance she took the phone out, pressing the one. It didn't take long for the other person to pick up.

"I will be home on time. What you want for dinner."

Small break. Obviously the other person was answering. A little smile on her face.

"Okay, pizza once again. See you later."

She hung up, using the wall to get up. For whatever reason putting the test in her back. When stepping out her eyes met the image in the mirror. Messy hair. Pale skin. And an expression that was impossible to read. She was by no means prepared for this.

But I have to be.


The door finally opened. They have been waiting for that moment for hours, or at least that's what looked like. The wall clock wasn't lying though, only thirty minutes passed since Lara reached him at NYC Presbyterian Hospital. Half an hour of an heavy silence and avoided glances.

They both sprang on their feet and headed towards the door.

"She's sedated now." The doctor said with his professional and aloof tone. "We can only let one person enter at a time."

Once again, words were unnecessary. Lara squeezed his shoulder lightly, nodding her head. Almost pushing the doctor aside, he rushed into the room. Nadja was there, laying on bed in the aseptic white room, wires connecting her motionless body to the machineries. She looks like  she's sleeping. She looks like she's dead. The constant beep of the heart rate monitor became the soundtrack of his thoughts.

Accident my ass. He overheard the cops classifying it as an hit and run. Someone stole an SUV a couple of blocks away and crashed against the cab she was travelling on at the intersection. But they didn't know who Nadja Ivanov is. They didn't know who was after her.

A deadman.

Dimitri Ivanov. Her father.

After faking his death seventeen years ago, he recently reappeared. And that's when Nadja's life turned into a nightmare. Dimitri wanted something from her, something she kept hidden for all this time. And nothing, not even his daughter's life, could stand on his way to get what he wanted.

"She suffered a subdural hematoma, consequence of the massive head trauma. We proceeded with emergency surgery to reduce pressure within the brain. She is still in critical conditions, but we were able to stabilize her."

Nadja's head was wrapped in a heavy bandage, but that white turban wasn't undermining her beauty. Unconsciously, almost in trance, he ran his hand from her cheek down her side, resting it on her belly.

You aren't born yet and already neck deep into shit.

"On a bright side, the baby wasn't harmed at all" The doctor gave a hint of a smile, no matter how good his intentions were, no matter how encouraging those good news were meant to sound, those  words fell unnoticed by Ethan. The next though, they surely caught his attention. "I can't promise you Nadja will ever recover. This situation may be permanent, but..."

"What the fuck are you trying to say?"

This wasn't the usual staid Ethan Thompson. Emotions seemed to be overwhelming, those green eyes burning with such anger that, for a moment, the doctor feared for his own safety, to the point that he took a few steps back. "I... I am saying that we can't be sure she ever wakes up. Or if she's going to have some sort of brain injury. But we can keep her in an induced coma and..."

"I can't legally make that decision. I am not her husband, just..." The one who knocked her up? A lover? The boyfriend? "The baby's father."

"I see? Does she have any family? The woman who's standing there in the waiting room..."

Sure. A piece of shit dad who just tried to murder her and a twenty years old girl who lives on the other side if the world. "No.. She has no family." He mumbled. "Do what you have to do to save them both doc. And you better not fail.. Now, if you would excuse us, you can get the fuck out of here."

Cold. Harsh. Somewhat scary. And pretty damn convincing. The doctor took his cue and left the room, giving one last look at Ethan, sitting on a chair next to her bed, taking her hand in his.


"Cool. I can call and get some pizza delivered at home."

Nadja tried to hide it, but he could tell she wasn't thrilled by the idea of eating pizza. Again.
No harm done, since Ethan had something else planned for the night. Pizza was just a white lie to hide his true intentions.

"And when all this shit is over, you still owe me a date. A real one. Even if it eeks you." She said a couple of weeks earlier, during their holiday in Hawaii. Right after she dropped those three words that they always avoided until that moment.

Shit was far from over. Truth being told, they were still neck deep into it. And after what he learned from Leila's boyfriend during their trip to London, the tide was just about to rise. But a lot changed in those two weeks, both in his personal life and between him and Nadja. So this was as good of a moment as any other to take her out on a date. This sounds a lot like commitment.
Those were the words he said the first time she asked for it. And he almost lost her there.

But nonetheless, that girl stuck around, becoming day after day, Ethan's safe place.Someone, the one, who could actually understand him.

If life was a fairytale, this would be my happy ending. That sudden thought crossed his mind while petting Luther, the puppy they found a couple of weeks ago. A gorgeous woman at his side, a nice apartment in New York and four dogs. A normal life.

But he learned on his skin that things never go as planned, that his life was not a fairy tale, and it was far from normal. Paradoxically, every step he made in the right direction in his attempt to save Nadja, the farthest the light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be. Careful when you dig in someone's past. You may as well get buried by it. That's what a guy he met once, a ghost from his past, told him once. And this seemed to be that case.

Finding and stopping a man who had been able to stay off the grid for seventeen years, running his business under the nose of police and criminals, always staying two steps ahead of them, was quite the challenge. But there was no turning back at this point.
Nadja Ivanov, her smile every time she could be with her sister, were all he needed to keep going, despite the odds were seemingly stacking against him, despite the happy ending started looking more and more like a mirage.

She was giving him hope.

She became his hope for a better tomorrow.




"Why the fuck are you doing this to me Nadja?" He muttered those words while holding her lifeless hand, squeezing it in hope to get some sort of reaction from her. "Why did you do this to yourself?"

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes. If Ethan Thompson could actually remember how to cry, this would be the perfect moment to start. But the only emotions he ever allowed himself were anger and grief. His fuel. All the empathy he kept showing, that constant need to carry everyone else's problem on his back was just his way to escape that sense of guilt for what happened to Heidi  that was devouring him from inside. Push it deep down under a pile of sorrow, hoping it would never re-emerge.

"I warned you. I told you I was cursed. I fucking told you how everyone I love, how everyone who ever loved him ended up hurt. But no, you didn't listen, you stubborn..." He swallowed whatever word he was thinking to add. Realizing he wasn't really talking to her. He wasn't putting the blame on that strong woman who was lying on a hospital bed, fighting for her life and their baby's.

"I am sorry Nadja. I failed you. I let my guard down, and now you are here, in a coma. Without knowing that it was your father who wanted to get you killed. Without knowing that I..." Time seemed to freeze. Even now that she couldn't hear him, he hesitated.

"That I love you."

No miracles happened. Nadja didn't wake up smiling. Truth being told, there was not even the slightest reaction in her heartbeat.Not that he was really expecting it. Life isn't a fairy tale.

He carefully rested his head on her stomach, moving his lips as if he was whispering something to the baby. Before standing up from the chair, he kissed her belly.

"You two keep fighting here. Don't give up on me."

Keeping his head down, he left the room.




How to tell him? Him out of all people. The person that had lost so much in his life. The one that always felt obliged to safe everyone. Everyone but himself. The same man that not only couldn't give into commitment, but feared nothing more. There was a time where she wanted to push him there. Telling him that everything was gonna be alright.

But she wasn't that girl anymore. The naivety was gone, because deep inside she wasn't sure if things ever would be alright or at least somewhat bearable. But despite every odd in their way she knew one thing for sure, she loved Ethan Thompson. Which was scary enough itself. Nadja didn't just love people. She didn't even trust anyone. But for whatever reason he walked into her life, without knowing it, turning it upside down.

A little smile crossed her face while she sat in the cab. The driver was a nice fellah that tried a little small talk, but gave up when she took out her phone. She started to write a text to Ethan.

"No pizza tonight. I will cook."

A small smile spread on her face when she leaned back relaxed. For a moment she would close her eyes and shut the world out. And then she heard the awful noise. Metal scratchin against metal. But more important she felt it. The last thing she saw when looking to the right was the smile of a man. Then the cab was turned upside down. The last thing Nadja Ivanov did was resting both her hands over her tummy. Protective.

My baby. No. Our baby.

Then the world turned black. And all that was left was silence.




She sat outside on the hospital hallway for quite a while, alone with her thoughts and fears. Lara Chambers never let people close, at least not emotionally. It was moments like this that reminded her of the why. She loved Nadja to a degree that made her family. Same with Ethan. For the longest time she had been watching those two together. Picking on each other. Denying what was going on between them, when a blind man was able to see it. But she wouldn't comment on it. Everyone moved in their own speed.

Every now and then a nurse passed her by, giving here one of those warm smiles. The ones you receive when someone you cared about was not doing well. They had those antics perfected. Yet nothing could make her feel better. She felt guilty. A bitter taste in her mouth that was impossible to kill. Caught in her own thoughts she hardly noticed when the door opened and Ethan stepped out. He didn't look good. Pale and somehow thin.

"You can go in now Lara." He said quietly, sitting down on one of the chairs.

Her eyes remained on him a little longer before she nodded, sliding inside the hospital room. That smell alone was making her shudder. When putting her focus on the female locked to the bed, her heart dropped. She looked peaceful, but not like Nadja. They had arranged her body so that it looked like she was sleeping. For a moment her mind was playing tricks on her, it looked like Nadja Ivanov was smiling.

"That is one way to get time off of work."

Her tone was light when she ran her small fingers over the girl's cheek. It was horrible to not see that big, blue eyes looking back at her. It was unnatural and hurt her.

If it feels like that for you, imagine how it feels for him.

"I always thought trouble is my second name, but I guess I have to hand over the name. You stubborn... lovable woman. By now I think you are unbreakable, despite seeing you laying here."

A small pause. A little smile. Her hand rubbing over Nadja's stomach.

"Even in times like these you manage to kick us all in the butt with a surprise like this. A little you and him. A mini troublemaker. You gotta wake up Nadja and you gotta do it quick. He doesn't know it, or maybe it is dawning on him slowly. But our Mister Thompson needs you more than he ever imagined to need anyone. Plus, I don't wanna annoy him on my own."

Lara slowly rose from the chair, again slowly stroking her friend's cheek. Leaning down giving her two kisses, one on each cheek.

"I will come back here daily and annoy you to the point you wake up. But for now rest, I will take care of your machoman."

Little did she know when saying those words.

When Lara came out of the room, Ethan was nowhere to be seen. And Lady Chambers didn't seem too surprised. "Ma'am?" Lara quickly turned, finding the source of that shrill voice. A young nurse, a cute smiling brunette. "Your friend left this."

She was holding a folded piece of paper, handing it towards her. Lara took it, reading the note.


It didn't take long for her to figure out the meaning of those apparently cryptic words. Nadja once told her how Ethan kept telling her, through her darkest days, that she should never forget that the pot of gold was always buried at the end of the rainbow.
She knew what Ethan was going to do.
She understood why he was doing so, and there was no way to stop him.
She learned from experience that trying to find him would have been a waste of time and resources.
She could be sure he will come back one day.

By that time, Ethan was already on his bike, driving North. The fresh air hitting his face waking him up from the entrancement he seemed to be earlier. He was starting to think straight once again.

He failed to protect Nadja Ivanov. Just like he failed Josie Barnes. Just like he failed his own sister, Heidi.  No one else was to blame but him.

He said he was going to take care and protect them, but he couldn't. He had never been good at avoiding disaster. But he knew how to fix shit.

If there's anything Ethan Thompson was good at, that would be revenge.