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River was not lucky. The bullet had pierced straight into her liver, a huge portion of which was now being removed.

What started out as a lazy afternoon had taken a turn for the worst when little Mia ran out into the yard and following her, River stepped out. Her first instinct when the first bullet hit the window a storey above was to sprint to where the petrified child was, throwing herself at the kid while making sure that the least of her weight were on the little one.

But the dull pain hit her the next second and when her arms suddenly buckled due to weakness, she knew that she was in trouble.

Of course the security and the rest of the residents had sprung to action immediately.

Between losing her consciousness, she remembered two of the guards hauling her off the ground and taking her to the car while another followed with a crying Mia in her arms. And all the doctor could think about was the other three children in the house, her own little ones and the baby who was only a couple of months old.

"The kids? Are they safe?" Those were the words that came out of her lips when she regained her consciousness for some fleeting moments, while being wheeled into the ER. She had asked her best friend this question, grabbing his hand while he yelled for a doctor.

"They are fine." Sebastian said and added. "All four of them. They are all fine. And all the rest of us are fine too." He knew his best friend way too well, and he knew that even the most critical moments, his best friend would not just care for her own kids, she would be worried about them all.

His words were a source of relief to her, a promise that she could embrace the darkness for a while and they all would be able to get by without her.

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Fifteen minutes into River's surgery... Fifteen minutes into her surgery, the Boss of the Russian Mafia was at the waiting room.

"Petrov." Michelia stood up from her seat, turning to Victor to hand him her son while Adam spun on his heels, from where he stood near the window, his grip on his phone strong enough that if he put any more strength into it, the gadget would crack.

"Who are these?" Sebastian asked, rocking a sleeping Kiara in his arms – the little girl had cried herself to sleep, exhausted from the scary events and then the sight of her mother drenched in blood.

"There are children in this room, Petrov." Michelia stated.

"He doesn't seem to care." Adam growled out as he charged at him, two of Sergey's henchmen blocking him immediately.

"Calm down, Smith." Sergey spoke, his voice as deep and authoritative as ever. "We had no part in this."

"Then why are you here?" Michelia asked. "How did you know we are here?"

"I have been keeping an eye on the house." Sergey confessed. Adam struggled in their grip as soon as he heard that. He knew from the beginning that with River going to work, and the children to school, there was no way that their location could be discreet but his brain was not ready for reason, his friend and the mother of his niece and nephew was being operated on, a house with women and children in it had been attacked. There was no way he could stay calm.

Adam grabbed one of the men by the neck and raised him up in the air.

"Uncle Adam!" Lucas exclaimed in shock, jumping to his feet from where he sat next to Jacqueline, who had a sleeping Mia in her arms. Jacqueline grabbed Lucas by the back of his head and pulled him to her side so that he did not have to see what was going on.

George and Davis sprung to action – River had always told them that if some fight was ever to break out, take the children away from there. She did not want the kids to ever have to watch fights. George and Davis went for the twins while signaling Steve and Robin, the newbies, to grab Mia and Lorenzo.

The other men also jumped in to fight Sergey's men.

"Stop it!" Michelia yelled and turned to Sebastian and Jacqueline. "Go with the kids."

Sebastian and Jacqueline didn't know what exactly was going on, but they did know that they didn't want themselves or the kids to be part of it so they followed the bodyguards out of the waiting room. Somehow Mia and Kiara had slept through it all, but Lorenzo was getting cranky and Lucas was scared, having witnessed it all.

"Will they hurt them?" He asked his Uncle George.

"Nah." He said though he did not know himself what was going to happen. "They will probably talk it out."

"I think we will go to River's cabin." Jacqueline said. It was the most private space she could think of at the hospital.

"Can we sit down and talk?" Sergey asked Michelia. "For old times' sake?"

"Yes." Michelia didn't think for even a second. She knew that she wanted to hear what Sergey had to say, that there was something fishy in all of what was happening and it could be dealt with if they simply sat down and talked.

She looked over at Adam, who looked red with anger, and nodded at him, urging him to keep his anger under control and see this conversation through.

"Fine." He huffed out and sat down. "You go talk to him. I will wait here for River." Of course it was dangerous, but he knew that Sergey wouldn't hurt Michelia, 'for old times' sake'.

Michelia and Sergey made their way to the cafeteria and on their way, Michelia saw Detective Sanders and a few officers but she did not make much of it because she didn't know the face of the detective everyone in the family were so suspicious of, but he noticed the woman with the brother of Dmitri Petrov, and he wondered what was going on.

"I believe you." Sergey said as he sat down.

Michelia raised a brow. "Shouldn't I be the one doing the believing or doubting? Considering it is my sister in law who is on the operating table right now?"

Sergey shook his head. "About Mona. I believe that Mateo didn't kill her.

It would be a lie if Michelia said she wasn't surprised. She knew that Mateo didn't kill Mona and wanted Sergey to believe it too but did not expect him to – after all, he had all the right to doubt Mateo given where they all stood in the Mafia.

"May I ask what brought about this change in mind?" She wasn't ready to fully trust him. After all, he could be lying thinking that they were hiding Alessia and she would come back if he said he didn't want revenge anymore.

"First off, the more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that Mateo is not behind Mona's death, because he is not the kind of person who would pretend not to do something that he has done. He might be an asshole but he is a man of honour, and got the biggest ego." Michelia rolled her eyes. Of course, the men and their stupid ego.

"And also, Dmitri was shot yesterday." Sergey said.

Michelia nodded. River had filled her in on that the first thing she was out of the OR.

"The man who shot him – I felt as if he wanted to show so badly that he was a man of the Italian Mafia..." Sergey said, scratching the back of his neck. "But since I have been extra careful with Dmitri, it wasn't hard for me to figure out he was a rat from the Mexicans."

Ah the Mexicans, they were a completely different breed.

"But why would he attack Dmitri?" It was not the smartest thing to do – attacking the brother of the Boss of the Russian Mafia.

"He was paid to do it." Sergey explained. "Paid to pretend to be a part of the Italian Mafia. Someone wants us to fight."

Michelia sat back in her chair. "They wanted you to think that Mateo killed Mona and shot Dmitri and us to think that you ordered the accident and the shootout."

Sergey nodded, happy that Michelia was ready to hear him out.

"I don't want a fight that would cost me Dmitri, Lia." Sergey said. He hadn't called her Lia in years but it felt right. "Mona was one crazy bitch but she still was my baby sister, and now that she is gone, I only have Dmitri and I do not want anything happening to him no matter how much of an annoying brat he is."

Michelia did not particularly like Sergey – he was an asshole, but she knew that he loved his brother and sister a lot even though he was always hard on them. Their father was an unfaithful man who ruined his family and their mother had taken her life, so Sergey had been the parent figure to his siblings, and so it was understandable how much worried he must be for Dmitri after Mona dying a month ago.

"I just hope we find the culprit soon." Michelia sighed. "This cat and mouse game is taking a toll on everyone."

"Oh, I will find whoever it is." The dangerous tone was back. "And they will pay for taking my Mona from me."

Michelia shook her head. "You will have to fight Mateo for that after what happened to Kiara in the accident, and River today."

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Kiara and Lucas broke down crying as they ran into the arms of their father. They had not really liked the fact that their father was gone for a week, but what happened to their mother scared the shit out of the little ones.

"Papa, I am so scared." It was not everyday that River and Mateo's brave little boy admitted to being scared. "Mommy is hurt."

"I know buddy." Mateo had to calm his nerves and hide his fear as soon as his eyes fell on his little ones. They needed him and they needed him to be there to tell them that their mother will be fine. "But you know what?" He pulled away and looked at the both of them, wiping their tears away. "You know your Mommy, right? She is so strong. She will be fine."

He didn't know for sure if the love of his life would be fine, but it was what he so desperately hoped for... prayed for. He didn't know what he would do with himself if something happened to River. That woman was the most important thing in his life – sometimes he felt guilty that she came before even the twins, his own flesh and blood, and sometimes he was jealous that River would always love the twins more than she would ever love him. He had planned a whole life with her and she could not leave them.

Adam had kept him informed of what was happening, and he had also told him that after having a talk with Michelia, he also believed Sergey's claim to having nothing to do with the shootout.

Though it was only normal to doubt him, it made sense that a Mafia Boss would not order a shootout at a place which had women and children in it. Sergey might be a piece of shit but he had just enough honour not to do that.

"But there was so much blood..." Kiara's voice broke as she said it. "And she was in pain..." She broke out crying again and so did Lucas. The two babies were extremely strong and brave but to see their superwoman of a mother like that was extremely traumatizing for them, more traumatizing than being kidnapped or being in an accident.

"I know I know." Mateo hugged them again. "But I promise you, she will be fine."

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"Wakey wakey sleepy head." Dr. Natasha Fick, a general surgeon and friend of River, smiled as she scribbled on the case sheet, watching River squint as the bright lights hit her face.

"Where am I?" She spoke, her voice croaky.

"Post Op, ICU." Natasha sighed and then passed the case sheet to her intern. "I just spent four hours in the OR doing a partial hepatectomy on you. I had to remove one third of your liver. I guess it's safe to say that I saved your life?"

"The kids?"

"Everyone's outside. Security will have to kick them out soon, but for now everyone's there. Your boyfriend, Mateo, he is hawt! He is the baby daddy, isn't he? Hey, that dude Adam, is he single?"

River wanted to roll her eyes but she simply groaned.

"Alright alright." Natasha laughed. "I won't annoy you. I will see you in rounds tomorrow."

She turned to her intern. "Rogers, the patient is one of the best surgeons in the hospital. If something happens to her on your watch, you can kiss your career good bye. Watch her tonight and if everything stays normal, we will shift her to the rooms tomorrow afternoon."

River blinked as she tried to remember what happened. The intern, Dr. Tina Rogers, took a seat on the chair that she had dragged there for herself. She planned to spend the whole night right beside the orthopaedic surgeon who her friends spoke so highly of though she didn't have a chance of her own to interact with.

"Do you feel any pain? Should I administer some morphine?" She asked.

River shook her head, groaning. "Can you tell my boyfriend to take the kids home?"

Tina blinked. "Sure." She said slowly. "I will do that." She got up from her chair.

"Thanks Rogers." River muttered out.

Tina smiled and made her way out, finding the big group of people outside.

"Um... Mr. Mateo?" She asked, remembering Natasha calling him the baby daddy.

He got up at once, both his children asleep on his either arms.

"Is she alright? Does she want to meet me?" He whispered.

"No. You can't see her yet." Tina said. "But she is fine, as of now... Just groggy from the surgery."

Mateo nodded. Of course she would be tired and groggy from the anesthesia.

"She wants you to go home with the kids." She passed on what River told her to.

"Sure, that's happening." Leonardo chuckled dryly.

"Ask her to ask for something else because we are not leaving." Sebastian said.

Tina looked between the three men who looked so intimidating even though they were standing or sitting there holding their children.

"It's hospital policy. You will have to go." Jacqueline came to Tina's rescue. "Mateo, the children need rest. You can stay here. Ask the rest to go home."

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