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When I was first introduced to Lera, I thought I'd be leaving Rainbow. She was everything Gustav could want in an assistant and comrade. She was smart, quit witted, and knew how to treat a patient. The last thing I expected? To have been watching her walk down the isle only five years after meeting her.
We'd been married for two years now. I had moved on from being an assistant to Gustav to working as SWAT paramedic. Lera had decided to stay with Rainbow, even though she very much knew the risk. Because of this, she was awya quite a bit. It left me with our two kids, both of whom were adopted as Lera didn't want them getting the same disorder she had. They were old enough to understand their mother's line work was dangerous and she'd be gone for long epriods of time. They even knew there was a chance she'd never come back.
(Finka has a condition that causes loss of feeling in the muscle, which slowly deteriorates the body)
Right now, she was home, having just gotten done with a mission in her home counter of Belarus only a few days prior. Lera was also on the phone, her face scrunched with concern as she talked to who I assumed with Six judging by the formal way she spoke.
Hanging up, Lera rubbed her temples because quickly moving to our room and coming back down with her bag.
"Being called back in. There's an emergency only 100 miles away and they need my unit. Where are the boys? I wanna say goodbye before I leave," Lera murmured. She hated leaving, especially on short notice. I frowned, calling down the kids. They came barrelling down the stairs, hearing the tension in my voice. Immediately, they spotted their mom's bag and got teary-eyed.
"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Tyler asked quietly. Lera nodded and that was all it took for him to break down and throw himself into her arms. She held him tight, reaching out for Julien too. He came running, quietly crying too. They looked so defeated, knowing their mother was leaving again after just getting here.
Standing up, she glanced at me, holding her arms open. I gave her a weak smile, holding her close and giving her a light kiss on the head.
"Be safe out there, please. Come back to us, even just one more time. You come back, promise me that."
"I promise you. I promise it on my life."
I wish I knew that it was a lie
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A mere five hours later, I was called into the station for an emergency. A hundred or so miles out there was something huge going on. A terrorist attack, from what I'd heard. There was already a high body count and team Rainbow was still recovering more. It was then I realized this was the same job Lera went on and immediately started panicking.
We got their as quickly as we could, helping the injured and getting those still alive out of the collapsing building.
I wasn't ready to see my own wife grasping at her abdomen, laying in a pool of sticky blood. I ran over to her, already feeling the tears running down my face as I checked her vitals. She was barely hanging on.
"Come on Lera don't do this to me. You promised you'd come home to the boys and I. You can't go back on it. Come on just hold on a little longer we can get you fixed up," I pleaded, picking her up bridal style. She let out a weak, pained laugh, cupping my face her free hand.
"You take care of them. Tell them that I love them and I'll always be there to keep them safe. Tell them, Y/n. Tell them and don't let them forget. Nad don't you forget... Don't you ever forget how.. how much I... I.. I lo... Love y... Love you.." she rattled, barely getting the words out as I felt her hand slip off my face. She went still in my arms, her face almost peaceful.
"No, no, no, no, no! Come on get up we're right there. Get up Lera come on!" I cried, carrying her out of the rubble. Tears made tracks on my dirtied face as I fell down, clutching her lifeless body. I couldn't hear, couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I could only see red. The crimson anger filling my veins. My only thoughts were to get whoever did this. I knew they were still in there. But I couldn't move and I realized I was being restrained. I had lost everything. I lost the one thing in life I could count on.
But I knew I couldn't lose myself. The boys still needed me. If Lera can't be there for them I have to be. I have to be strong.
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It hurt, but we recovered over the years. But I never really got over it. I stillvhad reoccurring nightmares, always ending with Lera dying. I was restless and on edge all the time. So when I got to my deathbed, my family around me, I knew I'd alright. I was peaceful. I could hear Lera on the other side.
Who knew death was so nice?
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