It's hard to say if Sonya dropped down to be close to Dmitri or collapsed because she simply couldn't stand up anymore. But in an instant, she was there beside him, on the floor, caressing his head as tenderly as a mother first touching her newborn in the hospital.
Except instead of welcoming a new life, she thought she was about to say goodbye to one.
“Dmitri...Dmitri...”
He didn't react. His skin felt clammy, even cold. Sonya knew she had to check… but she didn't want to. Still, she did it. She slid two fingers against his neck and pressed into the muscles, toward the carotid artery.
He has a pulse.
But it felt weak, and it was certainly slow. She timed it against her own, which was beating about three times as quickly. She had to help him, and fast.
Sonya searched his pockets and found a cell phone, flipped it open to call 911. The screen displayed the last number dialed. It was Halim's.
She remembered the comments Halim made about Dmitri evaluating girls for him.
He called Halim yesterday? Are they really working together? she thought as she began to panic. Maybe Halim had a problem with that gross guy he sold me to and sent Dmitri to get me back? To sell me again?
I don't want to believe that. But Halim said Dmitri knew about all this…
Dmitri awoke. He gasped for air as if he'd stopped breathing for a moment. Then he raised his head and opened his eyes wide when he saw the phone in Sonya's hands.
"What are you doing?" he said in a low, gasping voice.
"I was about to call for help."
"No."
Dmitri's mind told him to grab the phone out of her hand, but his body didn't listen. He couldn't move.
"They'll kill you. Both of us. They have too many connections. They'll be monitoring every hospital, every ambulance. I know a doctor here who works underground, he helps people like me, off the grid. But even that's too risky right now. Besides, I'm fine. I just need to get the bullet out."
"Dmitri, you're not fine. You've been shot, and your head… You're dying. You've lost so much blood."
"Even that phone could be tracked. Take out the battery right now. Take out the SIM card and break it in half. Toss it all in the sink and run water on it. My head? No, that's just a bump from when I lay down too fast. The bullet though, I need to…"
“But Dmitri…”
“Do what I said.”
Sonya did as she was told. When she looked back at Dmitri, he had passed out again.
She looked around the house for anything that might help her save him. Over the furnace, there was a shelf with a box of matches and a few candles. She lit a candle and brought it back to the bathroom.
Sonya tried to drag Dmitri so his neck wouldn't be at such an awkward angle, but she couldn't budge his massive body. So she grabbed a towel, rolled it up and stuck it under his head.
She opened the medicine cabinet behind the mirror. It was stocked. Vladimir was no fool, and he knew the one thing a mobster on the run usually needs is first aid. Dmitri had just been too delirious to even look for that stuff.
Sonya took out a bottle of iodine, another of rubbing alcohol, tweezers, and a roll of gauze. She paused for a moment to consider whether she was doing the right thing.
Maybe I should just let this bastard die. If he was involved in selling me to that monster, then he thinks I'm less than human. So why should I treat him any better?
I suppose I should take the high road. A nurse or doctor shouldn't judge their patient… And maybe, maybe there's an explanation for Dmitri's involvement in what happened.