Chapter 24

I know that during a state of semi-consciousness and discomfort I heard Sasha crying. It couldn’t be anyone other than her; she was the only baby I had heard in a long time.

When I finally woke up, I saw that the room where I was was dark, and Sasha’s bellowing filled the entire house with the intensity of a storm. What was happening? The room spun as I tried to get up, and I clung to the headboard with my good arm. My whole body jerked and I groaned, feeling hot with a slight fever, and dizzy. I had spent the entire night sleeping on my side, on that side of my body that didn’t feel numb.

Yes, it was the baby. Her screams sounded very loud.

The instinct to be with her suddenly came to me, and I fought the dizziness that threatened to knock me to the floor to get out of bed. As I crossed the doorway into the hallway, I realized I was barely dressed in jeans and tights, matted hair covering my breasts. That’s why I felt cold. I went to the guest bathroom, grabbed a