– Doctor, tell me straight! – Irina’s voice was shaking, and her fingers were gripping the edge of the table so tightly that her knuckles were white. – I can’t wait any longer!
The man at the table slowly raised his head. The light from the table lamp was reflected in his glasses, hiding the expression in his eyes. He put his pen down and took a deep breath.
– Fourteen weeks pregnant, – he said calmly, as if reporting the weather forecast.
Irina froze. It seemed as if the air had escaped from her lungs. Her lips moved, but no sound followed.
– How… – she finally whispered, feeling a lump rising in her throat. – It’s impossible…
– Perhaps, – the doctor covered the chart with his palm, looking at it carefully. – You really didn’t guess?
Irina Sokolova, a slender 45-year-old woman with a short chestnut haircut and tired but still bright green eyes, never thought she would end up in the gynecologist’s office at the Health+ clinic. She had always had a deep aversion to hospitals. The sharp smell of antiseptics, the cold metal of the stethoscope, the dazzling white coats of the doctors – all this evoked memories of motherhood, which she thought she was never destined to know. However, the therapist from the clinic on Yablonevoy Street was adamant:
– An examination is mandatory, Irina Viktorovna. At your age, you can’t neglect your health.
And here she was. In a stuffy office with posters about women’s health, where every rustle of paper sounded like a death sentence.
– But… how? – Irina squeezed her temples, trying to collect her thoughts. – My husband and I… we…
The doctor leaned forward, folding his hands on the table.
— It happens. Congratulations, — a barely noticeable smile flashed in his voice.
Irina closed her eyes. The thought flashed through her head: “I’m forty-five. I’m almost a grandmother. And now…” She exhaled, feeling tears roll down her cheeks.
— What choice?! — Irina stood up abruptly, clutching her bag so tightly that the leather strap dug into her palm. Her voice trembled, but not from fear, but from anger. — Are you suggesting that I… get rid of it?
The doctor leaned back in his chair, as if he had flinched from her tone.
— I simply have to voice all the options, — he muttered, quickly leafing through her chart. — Medical indications, age-related risks…
— My child is not a “medical indicator”! — Irina abruptly yanked the door of the closet where her coat was hanging. — And another doctor will be observing me. Someone who doesn’t see this as a… mistake.
His eyebrows went up, but he only handed her the sheet of paper with the tests.
– As you wish. But take the vitamins anyway, for…
– Thank you, – she threw the paper into her bag without looking. – Twenty-five years of waiting would be enough for me instead of your pills.
The door slammed shut with such a loud click that the nurses in the hallway shuddered…
The phone d-ied at the very moment when Irina dialed her husband’s number. “Symbolic,” she smiled bitterly, looking at the dim screen.
“The silver wedding is in a month… and now this. How can I tell him?”
She closed her eyes, remembering their long years of trying: endless hospitals, trips to the Sosnovy Bor sanatorium, which smelled of resin and hope, even that absurd visit to a deaf old healer on the outskirts of Medvezhyegorsk. She then, chewing some roots, muttered: “The child will come when you stop waiting.” She and Seryozha laughed in the car then – and now…
“Oh, my God,” Irina suddenly laughed through her tears, pressing her palms to her stomach. “But we already bought tickets to Greece for the anniversary…”
The rules for visiting were broadcast from the speaker above her head. Somewhere, water was dripping from a tap. And in her chest, along with the long-forgotten fear, something warm and wild suddenly began to beat.
“Seryozha… he’ll go crazy with happiness.” She straightened the folds of her coat and resolutely walked towards the exit.
“I need to charge my phone urgently. And buy a test. Ten of them. And also…”
Her thoughts were confused.
The same thing was spinning in her head: “Sergey… He will be so happy!”
She and her husband had long since stopped hoping. Ten years ago, after endless trips to doctors, clinics, and even to that very witch that Uncle Petya had once recommended, they had given up. “God didn’t give it to me – and I don’t need it,” Sergey said then, and Irina just nodded silently, hiding her tears.
But now… Now everything has changed. She pressed her palm to her stomach, and smiled. “He’ll definitely be happy,” Irina thought, remembering how just a couple of weeks ago Sergey, sitting in the kitchen, enviously told about his neighbor.
And now… Suddenly it dawned on her. “Surprise!” They’re celebrating their anniversary soon! Twenty-five years together. They’ve already booked the restaurant, the cake… “Cake!”
She imagined how a cake with teddy bears and bunnies would appear at the party, how Sergey would look at her in bewilderment, and she would smile and say…
But dreams are so fragile.
Irina didn’t notice that Sergey had become thoughtful, was often late at work, and his phone was always lying face down.
— Something happened? You’ve been different lately, — she asked her husband Sergey.
— Just tired, — he muttered.
— Maybe I should go to the doctor? — Irina sat down next to him, put her hand on his shoulder.
— No, everything is fine, — he stood up abruptly. — I’ll go take a shower.
She did not attach any importance to it. “He’s worried about me,” she thought. “He’ll find out soon. Everything will change soon,” Irina thought dreamily, not suspecting that fate was preparing a completely different turn…
The next day, Sergey entered home with a bouquet of white chrysanthemums.
“These flowers again…” she whispered, but her lips stretched into a smile.
She took the bouquet, and memories came flooding back.
“Do you like them?” he came closer, and his eyes shone with the same warmth as thirty years ago.
— I like it, — Irina shrugged.
Sergey did not remain silent for long.
– Ira, the celebration will have to be cancelled. Will you call the restaurant yourself?
– Why? What happened?
Ira could not understand what could have happened to cancel such an important event. The restaurant had been paid for, the guests had been invited…
– You see, Ira, we had lived together for many years, and I considered myself happy. But a couple of months ago I met another woman and… – he fell silent – fell in love with her.
Now I understand that grandma was right when she said that my brides were still playing in the sandbox, and I was courting you. Ira, you were older than me, and now you’ve become older.
Although only by a couple of years, but still… older. And I met a young, beautiful, slender woman. – He scratched the back of his head. – God, what am I saying… I’m sorry, that’s not the main thing. In short, Dasha will have a child. I can finally become a father, and this was the main reason for my choice. I thought about it for a long time, but the decision was made. Let’s part without quarrels. I am grateful to you for all the years, but our paths are diverging. Forgive me.
Ira was suffocating from the pain that was tearing her apart from within.
– Go away, – she whispered. – Go away, I don’t want to see you. I’ll pack my things myself.
– Go away! – she almost screamed, clutching her stomach.
Sergey left without turning around. And Ira immediately called an ambulance.
It was hard to imagine how a person could betray so easily. Betray the one with whom he had experienced joys and sorrows, with whom he had shared his most intimate thoughts, with whom he had felt warmth in any cold.
It seems that nothing in this world lasts forever – even love sooner or later goes away. But be that as it may, all these years she had been truly happy. Many can only imagine husbands like hers… Apparently, her happiness was measured out for a time.
And she decided not to blame her ex-husband. Ex… How painfully this word cut.
Let him be happy with another – you can’t command the heart. And Ira will find her happiness in the child that God sent her, as if for consolation…
But the betrayal still burned her soul.
The doctors did everything possible to save the pregnancy. They succeeded, but Ira had to stay in the hospital until the very birth. She did not want anyone to find out about her late pregnancy.
Of her relatives, only her mother visited her, who had long dreamed of grandchildren. She supported her daughter in everything: she brought home-cooked food, fruit, walked with her in the hospital yard. And she believed that Ira would still be happy.
Seryozha asked Ira not to hold a grudge, begged her to meet him to “explain.” But she only calmly replied that everything was fine and wished him happiness. He sent a message: “You were and remain the best. It’s a pity that this happened. Forgive me.”
And she forgave. Holding a grudge is only hurting yourself. The heart must remain open, otherwise there will be no room for joy.
She often talked to the baby, promised that they would cope. After all, he would have a loving mother and grandmother. It’s just a pity that his grandfather did not live to see this happiness…
The day when her son was born finally came.
As Ira settled into her new role as a mother, she marveled at the quiet miracle of her baby sleeping peacefully through the night.
But the calm was pierced by tragic news: another mother, brought in after an accident, hadn’t survived. Her newborn daughter was left orphaned and without nourishment.
When the nurse asked if Ira might share her abundance of milk, she hesitated—feeding another woman’s child felt overwhelming. Yet compassion won out. As she considered nursing the baby herself, Ira realized that opening her heart to another child in need wasn’t something to fear—it might even be a quiet act of love.
Soon they brought her the baby.
As Ira got ready to leave the hospital with her son, her heart remained heavy. She had grown attached to the baby girl she’d been helping to feed, and the thought of the child being sent to an orphanage filled her with sorrow. “I just want to take her,” she whispered, unable to hold back her feelings. The nurse’s quiet confirmation that some mothers had done so before lit a fragile spark of hope. The next day, moved by love and instinct, Ira asked the doctor the question that had taken root in her heart: “Can I adopt this girl?”
“No,” she answered. “She has a grandfather. He’s processing the guardianship.”
– Ah… – Ira lowered her eyes. – It’s good that she has relatives.
Returning home
Ira returned with her son to her home. Her mom cleaned up, prepared the nursery and invited her close friends. How Ira missed this house… Although it still bore traces of Seryozha. Her heart sank at the thought of him.
The guests left.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
“Hello, Irina. My name is Evgeny Igorevich…” he began. “They gave me your address at the maternity hospital.”
“The doctors said that you were breastfeeding my granddaughter. I am infinitely grateful… And I want to ask: could you continue?”
“But… how?”
– I suggest you live in my house with your son. I have already found a nanny for my granddaughter, you will not be burdened – only to feed her. My daughter died… My granddaughter is all that I have left. If you want, the nanny will help with your baby too.
– No, I’m sorry… – Ira shook her head.
The man left his business card and left.
Ira stood by the window for a long time, looking at the business card.
And in her head the question sounded: What if this is fate?
– What an impudent man! – Mom’s indignant voice suddenly rang out. She left the room, her voice trembling with anger. – I heard everything!
– Mom, I can’t just forget about this girl… – Ira brushed away a tear, but instead of sadness, a strong determination lit up her eyes. – I was ready to become her mother! Do you understand? To take her away so that no one could hurt her again!
Maria Petrovna hugged her daughter tightly, her hands shaking slightly.
– Darling, don’t cry, or the milk will go bad, – she said quietly, but her voice sounded not only concerned for Ira. – Right now, you should only think about our boy. Only about him.
– Mom… – Ira suddenly perked up, as if it had just dawned on her. – What if I agree? She squeezed her mother’s hands, her eyes shining. – It won’t be for long! Just a few months… But only if you’re with us. I can’t cope without you.
– Lord, when will you grow up? — Maria Petrovna rolled her eyes, but her gaze was filled with anxiety. — I don’t even know what to say…
— Mom, I feel it — this is fate! Something inside tells me that I should help this little girl. You’re with me, right?
— Where would I go?! — Mom’s voice was already resigned.
Ira dialed Evgeny Igorevich’s number. She clearly voiced her conditions, and to her surprise, he agreed almost immediately.
Two hours later, she was holding little Vika in her arms again. And again, that strange resemblance… With Volodya.
Evgeny’s house turned out to be spacious and cozy, without pretentiousness, but warm, as if fate itself had brought her here.
One day, while the children were sleeping, Ira accidentally came across a photo album. Leafing through the pages, she froze at the last one.
Seryozha. Her ex-husband was hugging a young, dazzlingly beautiful girl who could have been his daughter.
At that moment, Evgeny’s voice was heard, and Ira shuddered, almost dropping the album.
“Who is this?” her voice sounded sharp, almost like an accusation. She pointed her finger at Seryozha.
Evgeny’s expression darkened.
“Dasha. My daughter,” he sighed heavily.
Ira felt as if the ground was slipping out from under her feet.
“I was against it,” Evgeny clenched his fists. — She threatened to break off all relations with me if I didn’t accept him. I felt sick that she chose a man my age! And a married one at that!
Ira closed her eyes.
— I tried to reason with them… But they wouldn’t listen, — Evgeny’s voice wavered. — Then he got divorced, swore that he would carry her in his arms… But the irreparable happened.
— So… Volodya and Vika… brother and sister? — Ira said it out loud, not realizing how the words had escaped her lips.
— What?! — Evgeny was dumbfounded.
And then Ira told him the whole truth.
— I… I can’t believe it, — he looked at her with admiration. — You… you blessed them?
— I didn’t know that he died… — Ira clenched her fists. — But there’s no point in arguing with fate. May the earth rest softly upon them…
A year passed.
Ira and Volodya stayed to live in Evgeny’s house.
And then… One morning changed everything.
Evgeny quietly knocked on her bedroom door and entered with a basket of snowdrops. He sat on the edge of the bed, nervously fingering the stems.
“The children are growing up. Soon they will start asking questions…” He took a deep breath. “Isn’t it time for us to become a real family?”
She knew this moment would come.
“You’re right,” she smiled through her tears. “We all deserve happiness.”
Zhenya took out the ring. The diamond sparkled in the morning light.
“It’s trite, but…” he put it on her finger. “I want everyone to know that you are mine.”
“At my age…” she laughed.
“Age is in the head,” he pulled her close. – And you are the mother of two beautiful children. So, you are the youngest, the most beautiful and…
– The happiest, – she finished for him.
Their lips met. And in the next room, the children laughed.
