Russian Roulette

I wake up a couple hours late and Geno is just waking up.

“Счастливого Рождества красивая,(Merry Christmas beautiful)” he says while kissing my nose.

“Счастливого Рождества,” I tell him. I put my scrubs back on and brush out my hair.

“You okay?” he asks worriedly.

“Yeah just a tough shift,” I tell him. We go downstairs and his parents are already awake.

“Счастливого Рождества! (Merry Christmas!)” They yell in unison. I hug Natalia while Geno’s hugs his dad. I grab a cup of coffee and we sit around the tree.

“I go first,” Geno says smiling and picks up one the gifts I got him. He opens it and it’s gold chain with a cross. His other one broke and I knew he was sad about it so I bought an identical one.

“Is perfect. I need, thank you,” he says before kissing me. He puts the necklace on and passes me a gift from Natalia. I open it and it’s a beautiful knit scarf she made. I hug her and put the scarf on. Geno passes the gifts he got for parents to them. I had told Geno that I wasn’t really into gifts so we decided we would get each other one gift. He hands me a silver box and I open it slowly. Inside is a gold cartier bracelet. Audrina had raved about these bracelet’s all the time and I knew they cost more than our rent. I slide the bracelet on and stare at it.

“You like?” Geno asks me.

“Yes. I like it very much,” I smile. We finish opening presents and Natalia starts cooking. I help her in the kitchen and try to make small talk while Geno and his dad bond in the living room.

“Он другой. Он улыбается больше, и он загорается. Ваша хорошая для него (He’s different. He smiles more and he lights up. You’re good for him.)” Natalia says seriously.

“Он особенный. Мне повезло, что он выбрал меня (He’s special. I’m lucky he picked me)” I reply smiling. Dinner is finally ready and we all sit down at the table.

“Yevgeni сделать его кормить ее, она такая тощая. (Yevgeni do you feed her, she’s so skinny,)” Natalia says. I smile and remember when Geno said the same thing. We eat and talk about the rest of the season and then I leave for work. It had been so long since I was around a real family I almost forgot what it was like. I knew how important Geno’s family was to him so it meant a lot that they liked me. My mood suddenly drops when I remember Lyla. It was Christmas and her boyfriend was dead. I made a mental note to check on her during my shift.

I get to the nurse’s station where Elias and Matt are laughing about something.

“Merry Christmas Quinn!” they both say.

“Yeah you too.” I reply. I sit down and start going through charts.

“Did you get that for Christmas?” Matt says while pointing at my wrist.

“Cartier. Big deal. You’re totally a wag now,” Elias says smiling. I take the bracelet off and spin it on the desk.

“I was kind of surprised when he gave it to me. It’s beautiful but it’s really expensive. Am I like a trophy wife now?” I ask them.

“It’s just a bracelet. He makes a lot of money, so what if wants to spend it on you. You don’t have to feel guilty,” Matt tells me. I continue to spin the bracelet until I see something. I pick up the bracelet and I see something inscribed on it.

“я люблю тебя,” I whisper.

“Huh?” Elias asks.

“It’s I love you in Russian. He wrote I love you on my bracelet,” I say shocked.

“I can’t tell if you’re freaked out or excited,” Matt says trying to read me.

“He loves me.” I get up and start pacing.

“Are you having a breakdown because I don’t know what to do,” Elias tells me.

“I have rounds,” I say suddenly and leave. I was having an overload of emotions and I needed a distraction. I go up to Lyla’s room and she’s sitting on her bed staring out the window.

“Hey Lyla it’s me. I just wanted to check-up on you,” I say gently. She doesn’t say anything so I sit in the chair by the bed.

“Okay cool so you won’t mind if I do my charting here?” Again I get nothing so I start updating charts.

“She’s in Costa Rica,” she says after half an hour. “You’re wondering why no ones been here to visit me. My aunt’s in Costa Rica. She’s a freelance photographer and she’s in the rainforest taking pictures. I haven’t seen her in almost a year.”

“So you live alone?” I ask.

“Derek was emancipated and had his own apartment. I’ve been living there for awhile now.”

“I know that nothing I say is going to make you feel any better but I am here if you need someone to talk to.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” she asks.

“I do.” I reply.

“What’s he like?”

“He’s the exact opposite of me. He’s happy and funny and sees the world in colour. He’s a dreamer. He’s the kind of person you want to be around all the time.”

“So that makes you an unhappy downer who sees the world in black and white. You’re a realist and you’re the kind of person you don’t want to be around.”

“That pretty much sums it up.”

“How did you meet?”

“In a bar. It started off as a one night stand but we met a second time and well opposites attract apparently.”

“But you’re happy now? Being with him?”

“I am. For once in my life I see in colour.”

“Derek was like you. Always serious and pessimistic but I could have spent the rest of my life trying to make him smile. He hated Christmas. Now’s he’s not here to complain about how it’s all one big commercialized consumerist scam,” she laughs but there are tears running down her cheeks. “I still can’t believe he’s gone. I have to go back that apartment filled with all his stuff. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I know.” My pager goes off and I tell her I’ll check back on her later.
I get to Geno’s that night and he’s already asleep. I crawl into bed and wrap myself around him.

“я тоже тебя люблю, (I love you too)” I whisper.

Notes

Enjoy!