Say my name

Chapter 17

"She didn't call Serg! It's been three days and she didn't call. I'm calling and calling, and she doesn't respond!" Maxim yelled into the receiver so loud and desperate that Sergey had to move the phone away from his ear. "Why is she doing this to me? She said she'd call me when she gets home. She didn't. I thought that she was tired after the trip, so I let her rest. I called her the next day, and yesterday and today and she isn't answering!" His voice broke down at the end. Sergey heard his brother wailing like a hurt animal and a sound of something smashing.

"Calm down Maxim, come on," Sergey stood up from his desk and ran his hand nervously through his hair. "I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation why she didn't call. Maybe something happened to her phone," he tried.

"No! No! It goes straight to her voicemail so the phone works," angry reply met his idea. "I'm going there Serg. This time I am going and will make her decide once and for all!" Sergey heard more crushing sounds and Maxim's hard breathing. "I can't take it anymore."

"Wait! Wait! Did you call Jessica?" Sergey waved his hand vigorously at Elena.

"I did!" Maxim groaned, "She didn't pick up either." Sergey felt Maxim's pain when he heard Maxim's voice filled with dismay. His brother had the worse luck in love. "I'm flying there today; I already rebooked the ticket." Maxim finished with the tinge of rage in his words.

"Maxim! Bro! Let's just find out what happened. You're going there next week anyway." While Sergey negotiated with Maxim, he mouthed to Elena standing next to him, to call Aleksey.

"I'm going!" Maxim exclaimed mad with conflicting emotions, "and I will come back married or... or..." Another smashing sound could be heard in the phone. Sergey could only imagine objects falling victims to Maxim's wrath.

"Maxim...please..." Sergey pleaded quietly, but his brother disconnected without a warning.

                                                                                                     *

"Damn hot-blooded idiot! He does everything so rushed. I don't think that he can love any other way but madly," Sergey complained to Elena who was on her phone with Aleksey. Sergey put out his hand and Elena passed him a phone.

"Dad?"

"Son."

"Dad, what is going on?"

"I don't think anything is going on, just some mishap. Your brother is going crazy again though. We couldn't reach Anabella or Jessica, so he assumed the worst of course. I tried to tell him that it must be an important reason not to call. Everything was arranged between them, but it's useless to stop your brother. I'll call you when I manage to reach either of them."

But it was not until midnight that he was able to reach Jessica. Maxim already left by the early evening flight to Portland.

"Aleksey? How are you? I finally looked at my phone," Jessica answered the call. "I'm sorry I haven't call earlier but we are all in crisis here." Her voice choked when she said that.

"Jessica? What is going on? Maxim hasn't heard from Anabella since she left. He's going out of his mind. Do you know why she doesn't call him back?"

"Aleksey!" Jessica gasped, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize Maxim doesn't know anything. I forgot completely about notifying him...Anabella is not well. Actually..." Jessica's voice trembled. Aleksey remembered her as a cool-headed person, so hearing her now terrified him.

"Jessica, tell me everything! I beg of you!" Aleksey commended.

"She's in bad shape," Jessica sobbed in the phone. "She's in the hospital with an advanced pneumonia. She lost consciousness when we got her home, and... and..." Jessica was losing control of her voice. "We took her straight to a hospital. She's been here ever since. The doctors put her in an induced coma to help her body fight. We're going out of our minds for her and the baby. Oh, Aleksey I guess it wasn't a good idea to let her go to Siberia in the winter. I'm sorry. The whole family is either praying for Bella or cursing Maxim, but it's not his fault, I feel for him too. Oh, Aleksey it's such a mess," Jessica blew her nose. "I apologize I hadn't even thought about calling you or Maxim, I was so absorbed by the whole situation. I'm sorry Aleksey."