Alina was summoned to the chief physician. She looked at the head nurse in astonishment.
— Alina, I don’t know what could have happened to get you called in, — said Irina Petrovna, shaking her head. — But the fact remains.
— What?
— It’s like this… I just realized what the phrase “eyes popped out” really means.
— And you don’t know what happened?
— No, Alina, I’m not aware. But before you were called in, the chief had Lida. Well, that gynecologist from the third floor… although it might not be related.
A thought flashed through Alina’s mind that it was indeed connected somehow. She quickly entered the nurses’ station and pressed her back against the door, pondering the situation.
“Could it be? No, it can’t be. Just a coincidence.”
The events were unfolding strangely. Pavel Viktorovich, the head of the department, had suddenly disappeared. They said he had urgently left on a business trip, but he hadn’t informed anyone. Although, on reflection, that could also be explained. Pavel, though young, was renowned for his skills. He wasn’t afraid to take on hopeless cases that other surgeons deemed lost causes. He saved those patients no one else would dare to treat. Of course, not always, but in most cases, the patients recovered.
Alina fell in love with Pavel at first sight. It happened when he was running after a stretcher toward the operating room, taking off his jacket on the go. She had heard rumors that a young surgeon—the chief’s son—had appeared in the hospital. She was prepared to meet someone who had only gotten into medicine thanks to his father.
But Pavel turned out to be quite different. He argued with his father when the latter didn’t want to begin an operation. In the end, the chief, grumbling, would stand by him and say he was proud of his son.
Pavel didn’t notice Alina right away. She tried to avoid his gaze, afraid he would notice her interest, feeling shy. Their first encounter happened by chance in the treatment room. Pavel came to check on how his patient was responding to the treatment. Alina, trying not to look at him, was comforting the patient.
— Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before.
— I’ve been working here for three years already, — replied Alina. — Excuse me, I have to go; the patients are waiting.
Pavel nodded and left, but then he peeked through the door again. Alina felt her hands beginning to tremble.
That evening, as she was walking home, a car pulled over beside her. Pavel stepped out.
— Excuse me, Alina. I tried to drive past, but it seems the car decided to stop on its own.
Alina laughed. From that moment, their story began. At first, their relationship was built on cautious glances and brief smiles, but soon they became inseparable. Pavel and Alina could hardly imagine how they had ever managed without each other.
— You understand that now we’ll always be together? And I’ll never let you go, — he said.
— I understand. And I like it. But it’s still a bit scary.
She was an ordinary girl, raised in an orphanage. Her only inheritance was an old house and a small room in a dormitory. Pavel, on the other hand, the chief physician’s son, had grown up in a well-off family where career success and money played a significant role. Alina often thought that his parents wouldn’t accept her.
— They’ll get used to it, — Pavel said confidently. — Just give them time. Gradually, they’ll understand that I’ve found my love. They’ll come to terms with the fact that I’m no longer alone.
They decided not to rush things, so as to avoid unnecessary negativity. Just two days ago, Pavel had planned to talk to his parents about his plans.
And yesterday evening, Alina learned that she was expecting a child. She couldn’t wait for the moment to tell him. They had long discussed having children, and the news was sure to delight him. But Pavel’s phone was off, and today he didn’t show up at work at all. Later, Alina learned that he had left on an urgent business trip. She was a bit upset, but understood that Pavel always rushed to help when needed.
The next day, Alina found herself in front of the chief physician’s office.
— Come in.
She had only seen the chief a couple of times, and never up close.
— Have a seat, Alina, — invited Viktor Ivanovich. — We need to have a serious talk.
Her heart skipped a beat. He sat opposite her, hands folded on the table, and began:
— You know, Alina, my wife and I struggled for a long time to have children. We had nearly given up hope, but then a miracle happened—we had Pasha. From that moment on, everything we did was for him. We wanted him to become a decent person, to succeed. But, of course, we knew that one day a girl would come into his life.
Alina, trying not to look at him, listened intently, anxiously awaiting his next words.
— And when we learned that you were that girl, we were truly happy. Do you know why?
Alina shook her head. Her hands trembled, but she listened carefully for him to continue.
When Alina heard Viktor Ivanovich’s words, she felt as though her entire world had collapsed.
— You are the perfect choice, Alina. Very soon, you’ll become boring to our Pavel. You have neither education, nor support, nor any achievements. You are completely ordinary, to put it mildly. Pavel needs a strong, worthy woman, not you. But you turned out to be craftier than I expected, deciding that your pregnancy would keep him by your side. However, you seem to have overlooked one thing. Pavel has parents who will never allow him to make such a mistake.
Those words cut like knives.
— You have exactly three days until Pavel returns from his business trip. By the way, I arranged the business trip. Lidiya Sergeevna already knows everything. So you can go straight to her.
— To Lidiya? Why?
— Of course, to terminate the pregnancy. Lidiya is an excellent doctor; there’s nothing to be afraid of.
— I won’t go to Lidiya. Pavel is an adult. If he himself says that he doesn’t need me or the child, I won’t force him. But you have no right to decide for him. And certainly not to decide for me.
The chief physician squinted, studying her expression.
— You’re mistaken, Alina. You don’t understand who you’ve gotten involved with. Everything will go as I’ve said. Either you go to Lidiya yourself, or we’ll find another way to solve this problem.
Grabbing her bag, Alina rushed out of the office. She had never before imagined that she could find herself in a situation resembling scenes from a soap opera.
— Alina, you nearly knocked me over! — exclaimed Irina Petrovna.
Alina suddenly stopped, not even noticing the head nurse.
— Excuse me, Irina Petrovna. I urgently need to leave. My only beloved aunt has serious health problems. I simply must go to her, — blurted out Alina.
— What aunt? You’ve never mentioned her.
— I didn’t even know— they just called. Please, let me go.
— And who will take your place?
— Katya. She owes me two shifts. Let her work instead.
— Fine, go.
Alina hurried home. She quickly gathered her things into her bag and called a taxi. Everything had to be done quickly before anyone found out about her escape.
At the train station, she approached the ticket office.
— When is the next train to Sosnovka?
— There’s one right now, and the next one isn’t for another week. But you could take one with transfers, although that would take about three days, — replied the ticket clerk.
— Then one ticket for me. I’m leaving now.
Only when the train started moving did Alina manage to relax a bit. But thoughts about the future still tormented her. Her modest savings wouldn’t last long. She was heading to her grandfather’s house, which she had inherited. After the documents were processed, she never went there. Alina realized that finding a job in the village would be difficult, but it was her only way out.
When Alina arrived in the village, it immediately became clear that people were leaving this place—and they were doing so very quickly. There was no longer any prospect here.
The house turned out to be larger than she had imagined. Not long ago, she had thought about selling it and moving somewhere far away, where no one would know her. Once, together with Pavel, they had dreamed of turning the house into a cozy summer cottage for vacations. But all those plans collapsed. Perhaps Pavel’s father was right. Without her, he could achieve much more.
Alina approached the porch. She noticed that there was no lock on the door. A delicious smell of food wafted from inside. It seemed strange to her. A thought flashed that someone might have moved into the house. But it was her house!
Alina pulled the handle and entered. She was so exhausted that the idea of running to the police didn’t even occur to her.
Inside, Pavel was waiting for her!
He stood behind a set table, on which two plates gleamed. A fire burned in the stove, even though it wasn’t winter outside. He looked at her and, smiling, said:
— I’m reheating lunch for the second time already. Where have you been for so long?
— You… How did you get here?
— Where else could I be? I realized you would head this way. Although I did have some trouble with the address—you never clearly said where this house was. But the world isn’t without kind people.
— And your parents?
— Parents… Of course, I love them. They’re my mom and dad. But how should I feel about what they did? You know, everything will be fine. I’ve been here for two days already and have managed to meet everyone in the village. Everything is coming together.
— That won’t do. You have a bright future ahead. We’ll return to the city, and everything will go back to normal. And what about your father? He…?
— Father? He’s not involved. I am an adult and have the right to decide how to live my life. If you spend your whole life fearing your parents, you might never leave home. My dad was wrong, Alina. First, when he said I wouldn’t become a good doctor, and then when he claimed that you would ruin my life. He was wrong. This village isn’t enough to break me. Nothing can break me as long as you’re by my side.
A year passed. Alina was walking down the street, pushing a stroller. Pavel stepped away briefly to buy some ice cream. Yesterday, he had been appointed head of the department, and they also offered him a position to supervise young specialists. For Pavel, it was a small but significant victory.
They had stayed in the village for a week and got married immediately after returning, and now their life was proceeding as usual. Pavel found a job at another clinic, Alina also found work, and later she went on maternity leave.
Pavel no longer communicated with his father. He only once told his father that he could not forgive what had happened. And that was the end of their communication.
Lost in her thoughts, Alina didn’t notice that she had nearly run over a passerby with the stroller.
— Oh, sorry… — She looked up and stepped back.
Standing before her was her father-in-law, Viktor Ivanovich.
— Alina… I’m sorry if I startled you. And where’s Pasha?
— He… went to get ice cream.
Alina looked at him carefully. The once strong and authoritative man she had known now seemed like a pale shadow of his former self.
— Alina, I wanted… to ask for forgiveness. I don’t even know how to do it. All that happened was just a terrible mistake. I don’t need anything now… Pasha’s mother… she’s seriously ill. She really wants to see her grandson. I blame myself for everything… Alina, could you at least send a photo of the little one? I beg you.
Viktor Ivanovich looked exhausted and lost. Alina noticed how much he had changed over time. She saw genuine remorse in his eyes. Meanwhile, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Pavel running toward them, clutching an ice cream. Alina quickly signaled with a gesture for him to slow down and keep his distance. Stepping slightly aside from the stroller, she allowed the man to come closer.
— Why do you need a photo? Come in. I’ll introduce you to your grandson. He, by the way, very much resembles you. And then, I think, we can visit grandma together.
— Thank you, Alina. I can’t even imagine how everything can be fixed.
— It’s nothing; we’ll all do our best…
