Panthera Spelaea Ch. 11-20

Svetlana attracted many appreciative looks as she walked through the lounge area towards the back with me. It was easy to understand why; she was tall, blond, athletic, and wearing a little black dress and heels that hid little of her figure. Svetlana had a large handbag in her left hand, which she set down before sitting across from me. "You never called," she said in English as I slid in across from her.

"мне жаль (I'm sorry). I did not know if it would be appropriate to call the hospital, and yesterday was the first day I've left the hotel since my discharge."

"ты говоришь по-русски? (You speak Russian?)"

"маленький. (A little.) I'm trying to immerse myself in the language and culture so I can learn faster. As long as I am here, I need to keep busy. I was hoping to be more proficient than this. There's a beautiful woman I want to impress." I set my hand on the tablecloth, palm up and fingers reaching for hers. Svetlana reached her hand for mine, letting me hold it briefly as we both smiled.

"You're doing well after such a short time, and I am impressed. Russian is not an easy language to learn, but I will help you. Tonight, I will speak in Russian first, then give you the English translation. You speak in whatever is comfortable to you."

"как была работа (how was work?)" The pressure on me was building; not only was I chatting up the most beautiful woman in the room, but I was also doing it in a language I didn't know well yet.

"хорошо, очень занят сегодня (good, very busy today)." The waitress took our drink orders, and I asked her for a menu since Svetlana hadn't eaten dinner yet. She moved next to me to go through the menu together and stayed there for the meal. "What are you doing other than learning Russian?"

"Working out," I said. "Everything else has been taken from me."

She put her hand in mine under the table. "Why? What is happening?"

"I'm still a suspect, so the authorities won't let me leave the country. Although I'm innocent, it doesn't matter. When I called Harvard, they informed me I'm on academic suspension until further notice. A call to the University of Moscow was less pleasant; the department chair called me a 'murdering bastard' and hung up. I left messages for the people I worked with on the Siberian expedition and only got one response. He told me not to call again. My friends are running away from me, and even my father is looking to cut his losses." My shoulders slumped, and I started to tear up. "My Mom is the only one who hasn't abandoned me."

"That's not true," Svetlana said. "I'm here. I told you I believed you were innocent, and I still do." She turned my head toward her with her other hand and leaned in to give me a soft kiss. Her lips were soft and warm. With that kiss, she hooked me like a catfish on a trotline.

"I want so badly to spend time with you, but being around me could hurt you," I told her as she sat back. "My lawyer warned me I am under surveillance, they've probably bugged my room, and I should trust no one. If Viktor sees me with you, it could have repercussions for your career."

She rolled her eyes at that. "What could you tell them you haven't said already? I've seen your eyes, John, and I know you told me the truth about what happened. I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe you.

"I don't want you to get in trouble, even as I want to spend time with you more than anything."

"You should know something about the Central Clinical Hospital, John. It used to be called the Kremlyovka, the Kremlin Hospital. Other than a few rich, cash-paying patients like you, admittance is for the Russian elite. Politicians, senior government officials, diplomats, business tycoons, celebrities, and top scientists all come there. I graduated at the top of my nursing class and can speak four languages. Still, I know I was hired as much for looks as for competence."

"Does that make you mad?"

"It is the same everywhere," Svetlana told me. "The bartender here didn't get her job because she was better at mixing drinks. We nurses at Central get propositioned all the time, and some take them up on it. Marriages are the biggest source of nurse turnover."

"But you don't."

"No," she said with a smile. "I have no interest in men three times my age who want me as a trophy. Let Viktor report me; I've done nothing wrong, and they know it. I didn't look up your information in the hospital's computer system or ask someone to violate your privacy. I just happened to see you, and you invited me to join you for dinner."

"How did you find me?"

She blushed a little. "I figured you were staying with your mother, and your Mom's hotel wouldn't be too far from the hospital. For the last four days, I've put on this little black dress after work and headed to the hotel bars looking for you or someone who knew where you were. Tonight, I got lucky."

"No, I'm the lucky one," I said as I squeezed her hand. We talked through dinner, dessert, and a few drinks. She told me more about her home and her life here in Moscow, and I told her of my family and my adventures. At ten, she looked at her phone and excused herself to the restroom.

When she came out, the dress and heels were gone, replaced by scrubs and tennis shoes. She still looked hot. "I have work in the morning, so I need to get home," she told me.

"Can I see you again?"

"I'd like that." She gave me her phone number. "I get off work at four."

"I'll pick you up at the main entrance?"

"What should I wear?"

"Casual and comfortable. I'd like to see the city with you." I wanted that and so much more.

Ch. 12

"How far away is home," I asked her as I walked hand-in-hand with her out of the hotel bar.

"It's west of the hospital near the Mitino Landscape Park. It's a twenty-minute drive, but I have to make two bus changes to get there, and they don't run as often late at night."

"You don't have a car?"

She shook her head, no. "Having a car in this city is expensive, but the buses and subway are good. It only takes me thirty minutes to get to work."

We reached the entrance to the hotel. "And how long to get home by bus?"

"Fifty to seventy minutes with the route changes. That's why I need to leave now."

"That's not acceptable to me." I waved over one of the taxis waiting nearby, and when it stopped, I held the door open for her. She was hesitant. "Пожалуйста. Please."

She looked at my face and smiled. "спасибо, Джон (thank you, John)." When she got in, I followed behind her as she slid over on the seat. "What are you doing?"

"Seeing my date home safely while getting another twenty minutes with her," I told her quietly as I took her hand. "Give the driver your address."

She spoke in rapid-fire Russian, and the driver pulled into the street. "You didn't need to do this."

"I wanted to. Now, why don't you tell me about the town as we drive?" With the Moscow Canal and the park, there was no direct route back past the hospital. We drove south for a bit, then turned northwest and skirted the south end of the park and past her work. The taxi took us for another ten minutes along the highway, passing a big intersection before returning to a city street. "What is that," I said as I pointed at the dark expanse of trees and grass on the south side of the road.

"The Mitino Landscape Park," she told me. "It's a big park, close to my apartment building, with lots of trails and ponds. I run there, and I like to watch the swans and ducks." The taxi turned off the main road, stopping a minute later outside a ten-story, non-descript building. "This is it," she said.

I paid the driver, then opened the door and helped her out. We walked together to the entrance and went up the stairs to the second floor. "My roommate and I didn't have the money for the apartments with the views, but this is close enough and clean." She opened the door to 212 and walked in. "анна я дома (Anna, I'm home)." A beautiful brunette walked out of the bathroom wearing only a too-short towel. Anna yelped and ran through a door, yelling in Russian about something. I could only pick up a few words out of it. "I should have warned her I was bringing a man in."

"Tell me about your roommate," I said.

"I met Anna during the interviews, and we hit it off. When we both got hired, we agreed to be roommates. She works nights in the intensive care unit, and I work days, so it's almost like being alone here." We sat at the dining room table, talking for ten minutes while we waited for her.

Anna came out wearing a gold party dress and heels. She was what I called a "short stack," just over five feet tall with lots of curves. "мне жаль (I'm sorry). I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's all right. I wish Svetlana had warned me she was bringing the famous John Cantwell home. I recognize you from the news coverage." She extended her hand to me. "Anna Kovalenko."

"Pleased to meet you, Anna. I'm trying to learn Russian, but I'm not very good at it yet."

"You caught me just in time to see me before my friends arrive," she said. "Clubs await." Anna hugged Svetlana, then walked to the door. "I'll be back late unless I get lucky," she said. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Svetlana snorted, and I could imagine why. "Happy hunting," Svetlana replied as she watched her roommate leave. "Anna is a party girl. That's one reason she likes working the night shift. She can party until daylight, and it doesn't mess up her sleep."

"You don't go with her?"

"I'm quiet and romantic. I prefer to sit on the deck with a good book." She poured us each a glass of wine, then took my hand and led me through the small living room towards the sliding door to her small deck. There was a comfy-looking mesh lounger there, along with a folding chair. Svetlana had me sit in the lounger, then she sat between my legs and leaned back onto my chest. "Nice view, right?"

"If you look up high enough," I responded. The building was only twenty or so feet from a three-story retail space, and we were on the backside facing the loading docks. Looking up, I could see a three-quarter moon between high clouds. "Or down." Her scrub top was hanging loose, giving me a birds-eye view of her ample breasts in a black lace bra.

"Naughty boy," she said, but she didn't do anything to stop me from looking. Instead, she wiggled against me with a sigh. I'm sure she didn't miss the hard rod poking at her back.

We talked and finished our wine, and I caught her yawning. "When do you get up for work?"

"Four-forty-five," she said.

It was past eleven already. "I should be going, then."

She sat up, turning in the chair until she was straddling my waist. "I'm so glad I tracked you down," she told me as she leaned forward. Our lips touched, and my hands moved to her back and pulled her to my chest. She moaned as the kiss deepened. My hands moved down to the perfect spheres of her ass, and I could feel the heat from her core as she rubbed it along my rock-hard length. I could smell her arousal, and I wanted her, but she deserved more than tonight.

Keeping hold of her, I put my feet down and stood up, letting her wrap her legs around me as I stood. "If I don't leave now, you'll get no sleep at all, Svetlana."

"I can make do," she said softly.

"Tomorrow is another date, and you have four days off." I set her down by the sliding door, and she walked through it. "I want our first time to be as special as you are."

She pulled me into another kiss, then led me to the door. "You better go, then. Thank you for a wonderful evening."

"It was my pleasure. Sweet dreams, Svetlana." I kissed her soft lips again before walking out the door.

I knew I'd done the right thing, just as I knew Svetlana wouldn't be sleeping well tonight. My mind and heart were spinning, and I needed to take some time to think. I didn't head back to the bus stop or look for a cab. Instead, I went across the busy road and into the landscape park.

I picked a trail and started walking in the moonlight. Much of the park was open grass, with trees and shrubs along the many trails. I kept going towards the clumps of trees I could see in the distance. The smell of the pond and the birds got stronger. I'd noticed my hearing and smell seemed sharper than before but had no good way to test whether it was a result of my injuries. The woods were alive with the sounds of birds and animals.

I was starting to sweat, and I didn't know why. I made it to the pond and felt the need to hide. I walked off the trail, heading into a clump of trees and shrubbery. I was feeling hotter by the second, and my head started to hurt. I could feel something moving inside me, and I pulled off my shirt to look for it. The pain and the heat kept going as I stripped naked, then ran for the cool water of the pond.

The pain spiked as I hit the water, and the last thing I remembered was landing face-first in the shallow, muddy water.

Ch. 13

The cold woke me up. I was shivering, confused, and butt naked outside.

Everything hurt once again. My head felt like a spike went through it, and even my breathing hurt. I was lying on my side with a glass door in front of me. I blinked a few times to clear my eyes as a light came on inside. I relaxed as I saw Svetlana walk into the small apartment kitchen. My girl was wearing her scrubs, and she opened the refrigerator for something. I didn't have the energy to yell, but I was able to knock on the glass. It took a few times before I got her attention. Her eyes got wide when she saw me in the dim twilight. "JOHN!"

She rushed to the door and unlocked it while I struggled to push myself up to my hands and knees. She opened the door and put my arm around her shoulder. Working with me, she helped me to my knees, then to my feet. "You are freezing, and you smell like fish," she said as she guided me inside her apartment. "What happened?"

"I don't know," I whispered.

"Let's get you clean and warmed up." She kept one arm around my waist as her other held my arm on her shoulder. It was slow going, but eventually, she brought me into the bathroom and got me in the tub. It had a shower wand, so she got warm water going and started to rinse the mud and specks of blood off of me. She even picked a small white feather off my back. "Are you hurt?"

"I don't know. I'm sore all over again."

I'd dirtied up her scrubs, so she tossed them aside and worked on me in her underwear. She started washing my body as the warm spray helped my limbs warm up. She found no cuts or other injuries when she checked me out. I followed her instructions about my soreness, moving my arms and legs around to loosen them up. While I warmed up, I told her everything that happened after I said goodnight last night.

The soreness wasn't as bad as last time; the pain faded quickly with movement. She had just turned me over in the tub to get my backside when Anna walked into the apartment. "светлана? ты опоздаешь! (Svetlana? You're going to be late)!"

"я знаю (I know)," Svetlana replied.

Anna opened the bathroom door to talk, freezing when she saw what was going on. "У тебя была ночь лучше, чем у меня (you had a better night than me)."

"It's not what it looks like," Svetlana said, "and use English so John can follow along. He's had another blackout episode, and I found him a few minutes ago. He was freezing outside."

"You should take him to the hospital and get him checked out," Anna said as Svetlana stood up.

I turned over in the tub, hiding my privates with the small washcloth. "No, I can't do that," I told them. "The police already think I'm a killer. If I tell the doctors that I blacked out for five hours, the police will have me institutionalized. Any bad thing that happened within twenty kilometers of here will get blamed on me."

"We need to know what is causing these blackouts," Svetlana objected.

"The doctors found nothing before, and they'll find nothing now," I said. "I don't want to see them, and if you make me go, I'll never get out."

"I don't like it."

"Go to work, Svetlana. I'll borrow your couch and sleep for a week if it's all right with Anna."

She looked at her phone. "I can't make it to the bus stop in time now."

"Take a taxi on me, but you have to get my wallet first. Do you remember where I said I was?"

"The closest pond, up the hill on the left in the dense bushes."

"Yes. Go there and pick up my clothes and belongings before anyone else finds them, then catch a taxi to work."

"He showed up NAKED?" Anna couldn't believe it when we confirmed it.

Svetlana did some quick thinking. "I can't make it there and back and still get to work in time. I'll call in sick."

"No. Use the money in my wallet and take a taxi from the park to work. I'm not going anywhere, and I don't need anything before you return. I'll see you tonight." I ended that with a big yawn.

"Go," Anna told her. "I'll take care of your boyfriend for you."

Svetlana looked between the two of us before deciding. "Fine. Anna, you text me if anything changes. If he blacks out again, call an ambulance." I shot her a look, but she glared back at me with that uniquely female look that told me the argument was over and I'd lost. "If it happens again, you NEED to see the doctors."

"Fine." Svetlana leaned down and kissed me, then left the room. She passed by wearing fresh scrubs, and then the front door shut a few seconds later.

Anna hadn't left the bathroom yet, and I'd finished cleaning up. She gave me a towel from the cabinet, looking at me appreciatively as I reached for it. "I've only known Svetlana for a few months, but I can tell how much she likes you, John."

"I like her too. A lot."

Anna nodded, then turned to leave. "I think you are a nice guy because Svetlana doesn't date assholes. Still, something is going on with you, and it makes me nervous. Nice guys don't show up naked on their girlfriend's deck."

"I wish I knew how that happened. I'm not a peeping tom or a creep."

Anna just nodded at me. "You better not hurt her, John. The cops will be the least of your problems if you hurt my friend."

"I'd rather die than hurt her," I said as I looked straight into Anna's brown eyes.

"I believe you or the cops would already be here. I'll see if I can find some shorts or something for you to wear." She closed the door and left me to dry off. A minute later, she knocked on the door and handed me a T-shirt and running shorts. "Left behind by an old boyfriend," she said.

I dressed and opened the door to find Anna waiting for me. She turned away from the living room. "You should sleep in Svetlana's bed; I doubt you'd even fit on that couch."

"She won't mind?"

"I'm sure she won't." Svetlana's bedroom was plain, with a few pictures on the wall I'd have to look at later. I slid into the bed, falling asleep before Anna closed the door.

Ch. 14

I woke when I heard voices through the closed bedroom door. I didn't know whether it was the apartment construction or my improved hearing, but I could hear Anna and Svetlana talking like I was sitting next to them. Understanding their rapid-fire Russian was a whole other thing. I could pick up bits here and there, but not enough to make sense.

I sat up gingerly; luckily, the pain and soreness was much improved. I sounded a lot like my dad getting out of his chair when I stood up, bones cracking and muscles protesting. I raised my hands towards the ceiling, feeling my back crack as I stretched out. Much better.

The conversation stopped when I opened the bedroom door. "John?" Svetlana came running towards me, her eyes checking me from top to bottom.

"I'm good, Svetlana," I told her as I opened my arms to her.

She moved into my arms, wrapping her own around my waist and pressing her scrub-clad body tight to mine with her face pressed to my shoulder. "I was so worried."

I kissed her hair as I rubbed my hands up and down her back. "I slept the whole time, and I feel better now."