Claiming The Prize (30 page)

Turning off the faucet, he reached to
the hook only to discover that he had forgotten to grab a
towel.

“
Carson,” he called, “Are
you still here?”

“
Yep.
What do you
need?”

“
Can you grab me a
towel?”

“
Sure thing,” Carson
called back.

One, then two minutes passed, and
Drago wondered if Khaler had forgotten him.
He heard the door open,
and Carson appeared with a stack of towels.

“
Sorry about that.
The
shelf was bare.
That Aiden fellow forgot to stock the towels
up.”

“
Aiden forgets a great
deal of his responsibilities,” Drago noted dryly.
“It causes me to
wonder how long the man will remain in Anto's employ.”

Carson roared with
laughter.

“
Be careful.
If Anto cans
him, he'll be offering Grace her old job back.
Then he'll be
running a daycare instead of a mixed martial arts gym.”

Drago laughed at the spectacle his
mind envisioned.

“
Perhaps you are right,
Carson.
I'll keep quiet.”

Strangely, Drago found himself
appreciating Carson's presence as of late.

“
Carson, what will you be
doing for the holiday?”

Carson cast his glance off to the
side.

“
Well, I've got everything
ready for Christmas morning.
It'll just be Kady and me.”

“
You have no family
nearby?”
Drago asked in surprise.

The snort of mock laughter tumbled
from Carson.

“
My parents are spending
Christmas with friends in St.
Croix.
They're not exactly, let us
say, baby oriented people.”

Drago truly felt sorry for the
man.

“
Why don't you spend the
holiday with us?
I know Guy would be glad to have you with
us.”

“
Thank you.
Really.
It
would be nice to spend Christmas day with friends.”

Drago could see that his offer
affected the man greatly.

“
Church service is at ten
o'clock in the morning, and from there we will go to Guy's home.
I
guess we'll see you there?”

A sheepish grin lit Carson's
face.

“
Me?
In a church?
The
walls may fall in.
Are you sure about this?”

“
Without a doubt,
Khaler.”

Drago grinned and slapped Carson on
the back.

* * *

The sky had been bright, the air cold
and crisp through the afternoon, but as evening wore on, low, gray
clouds began to cover the stars.

“
There!”
Grace exclaimed
with a smug smile.
“The tree is perfect.”

Drago, reclining on the sofa,
appraised the tree and its trimmings.

“
It looks good...even for
an artificial tree,” he admitted.

“
I knew it would!
I wanted
to get it up before the baby comes, but a real tree may not have
lasted until Orthodox Christmas,” she beamed.

A few raps on the door preceded Guy's
entering the house.

“
Is anybody in there?”
Guy
called from the foyer.

The thud of his boots hitting the tile
floor reached Grace's ears, and she called back to him.

“
You're staying awhile
then?”

“
Do you have something hot
for an old man's insides?”

“
Of course,” she
returned.

“
Then, yes,” he
laughed.

“
What brings you out at
this time of night?”
Drago asked.

It was after nine o'clock, and it was
odd for him to come at such an hour.
Guy sat on the edge of the
sofa beside Drago.

“
Have you heard the
weather forecast?”

Drago rarely turned on the television,
believing that in staring at it, one wasted precious time, a
conviction shared by his wife.
Other than to occasionally get the
news, the sleek, black box remained hidden behind the doors of the
cherry-stained cabinet in the corner.

“
I have not.”

“
Put the television on.
The news will be on soon,” Guy stated.
“I heard snow, lots of it,
is coming our way.”

The band of blue at the bottom of the
screen announced the winter weather advisory, and the men read with
interest as Grace returned with steaming mugs.

“
An ice storm tonight,
then heavy snow beginning tomorrow.
Looks like I've got my work cut
out for me when I finish this,” Guy said seriously, taking up the
mug.
“I'll have to get the barn set for the animals before the bad
weather sets in.”

“
I'll give you a hand,”
Drago offered.

“
Thanks.
I'll need it.
With ice coming, we'd better get the kerosene heaters ready.
Likely, if it's as bad as they're predicting, the power will be
knocked out.
You can light the gas fireplaces manually, but the
kitchen doesn't have one.”

“
Isn't there a generator
in the garage also?”
Drago wondered, thinking that he had seen one
before.

“
There is.
We'll need to
pick up some gasoline.
Better to be safe than sorry.
With the heat
taken care of and the gas stove, we'll be fine even without power.
Grace, do you need anything from the store while we go for kerosene
and gasoline?”

“
No, Dad.
Drago and I went
earlier.
Now I see why the shelves were so bare!”

They finished their drinks in the cozy
guest house before Guy and Drago headed out.

“
I'll be back after we
finish the barn, Grace,” Drago told her.
“If you're tired, don't
wait up for me.”

“
Wake me when you get in,
okay?”
she requested, knowing she would be in bed long before he
returned.

“
I will,
ž
ena.”

* * *

Rain pelted the windows and roof
relentlessly as the night passed, turning to icy pellets in the
early morning hours.
Drago had returned, wet and frozen to the
bone, but satisfied.

They were prepared to weather the
winter storm.

After a scalding shower, he slipped
into bed and wrapped himself around his wife.

“
Milovany, I am home,” he
whispered into the darkness, but Grace was sound asleep.

Shortly afterward, Drago was as
well.

Hours later, Drago awakened to find
himself alone in the bed.
Donning a thermal shirt and sweatpants,
he went in search of Grace, the aroma of bacon leading him to the
kitchen.

“
I cannot believe I'm up
before the alarm this morning,” he said in astonishment.

“
You're not,” Grace
quipped.
“There's no gym for you or anybody today.
Actually,
there's no anything.
My Dad called earlier.
I thought I'd let you
sleep.”

“
Anto
canceled?”

His brow arched in
disbelief.

“
Take a look outside, if
you can.
I couldn't get the storm door open.
There must be two
inches of ice on everything,” she laughed.
“I can't believe the
power is still on.”

The news droned from the television in
the living room, drawing Drago to learn what was to come as Grace
continued to prepare breakfast.

“
Grace!”
he beckoned her,
“Come in, hurry!”

The weatherman gravely advised that no
one go out as a State of Emergency had been declared.
Many homes
had lost power, and roads were impassable, iced over.
Sleet rained
over the Atlantic coast, effectively shutting down much of New
Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, and would continue a few hours
more.
But the real problem was that behind this storm was another.
Blizzard conditions were predicted to assault the area by early
afternoon, and snow fall totals were expected to reach well over
twenty-four inches by Monday morning, forty-eight hours
away.

Drago sat, stunned, as reports of
Philadelphia's devastation under the heavy ice flashed across the
screen.
Much of the city was without power, leaving over half a
million people without heat.

Thank you, God, for watching over us.
Please help those people, he prayed.

The sobering reality of how blessed he
was to be warm, dry, and safe, prompted him to pull Grace close as
they waited for more information.
Her face was ashen as she saw the
reality of the storm's devastation.

After a few minutes, she urged, “Come
on.
Let's eat.
I don't want to watch anymore.”

They lost power an hour later, the
wind screeching around the house and across the fields in a violent
wail, driving the snow in its gusting path.
From the warmth of the
log home nestled well within the boundaries of Antolini property,
Drago stared out the kitchen window in awe of nature's power.
Not
able to see the treeline in the distance through the whirling
frenzy, he simply watched the white curtain of snow shift direction
in the wild wind for a time.

Pushing his chair back from the table,
he stretched.

“
I'm going to fill the
generator in case we need it later.”

“
While you do that, I
think I'll take a nap,” Grace said.
“After all that work last
night, I'm beat today.”

He kissed the top of her
head.

“
I won't be
long.”

Chapter 20

From the sofa, Drago followed the news
updates on the storm from his phone, which was half dead.
Tucking
it away to save the battery, he noticed his wife shuffling out from
the bedroom.

“
Did you sleep
well?”

She yawned.

“
Yes.
But I don't think I
moved the entire time.
My back is killing me.”

“
Come over here,
moja
ž
ena.
I'll
massage it.”

He patted the sofa in front of him,
widening his legs to accommodate her between them.

“
That would be great,
love,” she smiled, easing down into the cushion.

“
Tell me where it
hurts.”

He smoothed his hands over her back in
circular patterns until he found what gave her relief.

“
There,” she told
him.

Honing on her lower back, he applied
pressure alternately with each hand, and after a few moments, she
relaxed.

“
That feels fantastic,”
she sighed.
“Thank you.”

Drago continued to lightly rub
her.

“
Are you hungry?
There is
dinner in the kitchen.”

“
I'm not really hungry.
I'll just grab a drink or something,” she answered, shifting her
body to the side.

“
Are you warm
enough?”

“
It's plenty warm in here.
Did you light the heater in the kitchen?”

“
I just lit it, but I can
turn it off if you're too warm.”

“
No.
Leave it on.
The heat
feels good.”

She shifted again between his
legs.

“
I wish that wind would
quiet down.
It sounds so eerie.
It's making me nervous – like it's
going to pick up the house and blow us away.”

She shivered as the shrieking grew
louder, and rose to pace the floor.

Drago chuckled, “Relax, milovany, the
house will stand.
Come to me.”

A smile spread on his face.

“
It is not often we have
days to ourselves like this.
Let's not look the gift horse in the
mouth.”

A faint smile touched her
eyes.

“
I will in a minute.
I
just can't seem to get comfortable.
Let me walk a bit.”

Twenty minutes later, she continued to
pace, and Drago was becoming rattled.

“
Let me stretch your
back,
ž
ena.
Do
you think it's a pinched nerve?”

“
I don't know what it is.
It just aches.”

Her forehead wrinkled in
puzzlement.

“
Maybe stretching it will
help,” she conceded, willing to try anything.

Positioning himself in front of her,
Drago bore her weight as she draped over his body, leaning from
side to side, easing into each stretch.

“
Lie down,” he said
gently, helping her to her side.

Slowly, he rotated her hip up and over
to effect a deep stretch of her lower back, but the pain was still
evident on her face.

“
Will you rub it again?
That seemed to help the most.”

She turned over and rested in the
modified child's pose, a yoga position her instructor had told her
may be helpful for backache.

“
Okay,
ž
ena,” he soothed.

His large palms covered the small of
her back, and he pressed the heels of his hands into her, kneading
her flesh slowly and intensely.

“
How's that?”

“
Mmm, that's good.
Don't
stop.”

The tension faded as her posture
relaxed, and Drago was beginning to think Grace had found
relief.

“
I really don't want to
move.
I feel so comfortable right now,” she confessed, “But I have
to go to the bathroom.”

“
I'll continue when you
come back,” he laughed.
“Let's get you up.”

“
I'm almost afraid to
move.
I hope it doesn't come back.”

Grace had not complained throughout
the pregnancy, and the edge to her voice made him uneasy.
She sat
up, taking his hand, and Drago lifted her to her feet.

“
Oh!”
she startled.
“Oh-Oh!”

“
Grace?”

She was staring at herself, a look of
disbelief on her face.

“
Help me to the bedroom,”
she laughed aloud.

At least she's laughing, he thought
hopefully.
But the laughter died away, and Drago regarded his
wife's face, not liking what he saw.
She was afraid.

“
Drago, either I waited
too long to get to the bathroom, or my water just
broke.”

In that moment, Drago wanted to hold
her and kiss her for being brave enough to joke when she was
obviously scared out of her wits.
He also wanted to
panic.

“
Are you certain?”
he
choked out.

“
I'm pretty certain,” she
laughed softly.
“Look at me!”

Drago dialed Guy, explaining the
situation rapidly.

“
I cannot even see the
drive in front of the house.
I do not think it is wise to drive.
I
would be more likely to drive off the road than to find the
hospital.”

“
You're right, Drago,” Guy
affirmed Drago's assessment.
“Call for an ambulance, but know, son,
that they may not be able to get to you.
A man could be lost a few
feet from the house.”

“
That's what I'm afraid
of,” Drago replied.

“
Call me when you know
anything, Drago.
I'll pray for you both.”

God help us, he thought.

After a few attempts, his call went
through to emergency services.
They confirmed his fears.
Help would
not be able to get to them.
The dispatcher explained what he would
need to do and the items to gather and wished him luck.
Disconnected from the line, Drago felt the weight of the situation
firmly settle upon his shoulders.
He would deliver his own son into
the world.
Knowing that Grace needed him, he made up his mind to
remain calm.
They could do this.
They didn't have a
choice.

Drago returned to the bedroom, finding
Grace leaning on the bed.
She had changed into a nightshirt, but
the laughter was gone from her face.
Moving behind her, he resumed
the kneading pressure to her back.
They worked in tandem for the
next hours, changing positions as one after another failed at last
to be satisfactory until Drago sensed the time was short.
Her
breathing came in short pants now during her contractions, and he
felt her tense as another approached.

“
Try to remain loose,
milovany.
It will help your pain.”

Unable to speak, she nodded against
his chest.

“
That's it, Gracie,” he
encouraged as she went limp in his arms.

Thankful that they had taken classes
to prepare for the birth, Drago used every technique he could
recall to keep his wife focused and calm.

“
I want to lie down,” she
said shakily.

Everything was ready.
At least as
ready as he could make it.
Guiding her to the soft blankets before
the fireplace, he helped her gently to the floor as the storm raged
violently just outside the sturdy home's walls.
He settled behind
her, putting her back against his chest, his legs cradling her on
either side.
He had moved quickly, for her pangs were coming closer
together.

“
Take a sip of ginger
ale,” he prompted, more to keep her occupied on something besides
waiting for the next pain to begin.

“
I don't want anything,
love.”

Her voice was tired, but she held up.
Another contraction began its torturous onset, wracking her body.
Her muscles shook with exhaustion, and a whimper escaped her
throat.
Drago gripped her thighs, holding her as she rode the wave,
more intense than any before it.

“
Help me!”
she pleaded in
a pitiful cry.

“
It's all right,
ž
ena.
You're all right,”
he assured her, desperate to believe it himself.

He could not cave in to panic, but
watching her suffer was tearing him apart.
Wiping her forehead with
a cool cloth, he moved her nightgown out of the way.
Again the pain
seized her, tearing a low sound from deep within her before she
became eerily quiet.
Her legs fell to the sides as she bore down,
and time slowed as Drago understood that their child was about to
enter the world.

God, please let Grace and the baby
make it through this safe and healthy, he begged in his
mind.

She released her breath with a cry
only to draw in another and begin anew.
He marveled at her strength
and courage.

“
I can see him!
Keep
going,
ž
ena; he's
coming.”

Nothing had prepared him for the
emotion that flooded him as he watched his child being born.
Reaching down, he took hold of his son as he emerged into their
lives.
He lifted the tiny boy to Grace's chest, covering him with
the towels warmed from the heat of the fireplace.
The little,
wrinkled face peered up at them with large, murky, newborn eyes a
moment, blinking slowly before scrunching into a grimace and
letting loose a lusty wail.
His wife cooed softly at the bundle in
her arms, relaxing against his chest, wrapped within his
embrace.

“
Dali ste mi syna,
You have given me a son
,” he husked, voice full of tenderness.
“He's
beautiful.”

Grace sighed contentedly.

“
Yes, he is,” she
murmured.
“But you ruined my surprise,” she teased
softly.

“
When did I do such a
thing, moja
ž
ena?”

“
When you claimed you
could see
him
,”
she enlightened.

Remembering his words – words of
anxious excitement – he conceded the point.

“
So I did, Gracie.
Will
you forgive me?
I was beside myself.”

His low chuckle drew a long stare from
the infant.

“
See, he knows my voice
already,” he pointed out proudly.

“
So he does...and yes,
love, you are forgiven.”

“
I cannot believe you
remember what I was saying,” he whispered next to her ear.
“You
were amazing.”