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Tatiana was dragging her feet She was hanging around her last patients even though it was long past her sign-out ti for herself was such a displeasure, she wished she could nourish her body intravenously, like so with critically injuredin her roo her head, sloalked hoh the co on the couch in the hallway and casually drinking tea Why was she in Tatiana’s horuous that she and Stan should rea," said Tatiana tiredly as she took off her coat

"Hmm Someone was here for you"

She squared her shoulders "Did you do as I asked and not let anyone in?"

"Yes, I did as you asked," Inga replied shortly "He wasn’t too pleased, though Another soldier--"

"What soldier?"

"I don’t know"

Co her voice, Tatiana whispered, "Who was it? It wasn’t the same soldier, was it--"

"No Different Tall"

Tatiana’s heart juo?"

"I don’t know I told hi after that You have quite a contingent of soldiers following you around, don’t you?"

Without even grabbing her coat, Tatiana swirled around the s open the door, and there in front of her stood Alexander

"Oh," she gasped, her knees buckling "Oh, God" Seeing the expression in his darkened eyes, she knehat he was feeling She didn’t care Her eyes filling with tears, she leaned her head into his coat

He didn’t even put his ar her by the ara said, "Tania toldto introduce us?" She had put down her cup

"No," said Alexander, pushing Tatiana into the roo the door shut behind hi aret his name out of her emotional mouth "Shura"

He put his pal, Tatiana came to him, and said, "Shura, I am so happy to see you How are your hands?"

He pushed her hard away, saying loudly, "No, Tatiana! Stay away froh the room to theIt was cold by theTatiana followed him Her need to lay her hands on hiot the pain left by Di five thousand dollars, by her oisted feelings "Shura," Tatiana said, her voice breaking "Why are you pushing me?"

"What have you done?" Alexander’s eyes were bitter and angry "Why are you here?"

"You knohy I’m here," Tatiana said to him "You needed me I came"

"I don’t need you here!" he yelled Tatiana flinched but did not move away "I don’t need you here," he repeated "I need you safe!"

"I know," she said "Please let me touch you"

"Stay away from me"

"Shura, I told you, I cannot be away from you I didn’t think you could feel me all the way in Lazarevo You need me close to you"

"Close to ainst the sill It was dark in the roo from the street Alexander’s face was dark, his eyes were dark

"What are you talking about?" Her voice was tre in supplication "Of course, close to you Close to who?"

"What the fck were you thinking," he yelled, "going to the barracks and asking for Dimitri?"

"I didn’t ask for Dimitri!" she exclaimed faintly "I went to find you I didn’t knohat happened to you You stopped writing to me"

"You didn’t write to me for six months!" he said loudly "You could have waited teeks, no?"

"It was over a month, and I couldn’t have, no," she said "Shura, I’m here for you" Tatiana came a step closer "For you You told me never to look away from you Here I aly she opened her hands to him "What do I feel, Shura?" she whispered

Alexander blinked, his teeth grinding "Look into my eyes and tell ether

"You proave me your word!"

Tatiana remembered She looked into his face She was so weak and wanted hi, even er Like always "Alexander, husband, it’s me It’s your Tania" She almost cried as she opened her palms to him "Shura, please"

When he didn’t reply, Tatiana took off her shoes and came to stand in front of hi in her white uniform in front of him, with his black hair, black boots, and black trench coat looht I am so happy to see you I just want" She would not lower her eyes fro, "don’tpush me away"

He turned his face from her Tatiana unbuttoned the front of her uniform and took hold of Alexander’s hand "Kiss the palainst your heart, you wrote tothe pale, warm, dark hand, the hand that had carried her and caressed her, and she closed her eyes andher to hi her body He pushed her down on the couch, his incensed lips not leaving her mouth, his hands in her hair "What do you want fro her naked except for her garters Gripping her bare thighs above the stockings, he whispered, "Tania, God, what do you want from me?"

Tatiana couldn’t even answer His body on hers washer speechless

"I’ "You don’t care I’er out on roaned "Go ahead, take it out on me, Shuranow"

He was inside her in seconds

Her hands clutching his head, Tatiana whispered, "Cover my mouth," ready to scream

Alexander hadn’t taken off his coat, nor his boots

There was a knock on the door "Tania, are you all right?" Inga’s voice sounded

His hand over Tatiana’s mouth, Alexander yelled, "Get the hell away from the door!"

"Coverfroet offon to his coat, to his head, grasping on to any part of him "How are your hands?" In the dark, she couldn’t see the his lips, his chin, his stubble, his eyes -- she couldn’t take her lips away fro, don’t get off ht here Stay where you are" For a few dark ainst Alexander "Don’t pull away from me, feel hoarm I am? Don’t pull out into the cold" She lay underneath him and tried not to cry And failed "Is that why you hadn’t written to me? Because of your hands?"

"Yes," Alexander said "I didn’t want you to worry"

"You didn’t think the absence of your letters wouldoff her, "I had hoped you would just wait"

"Darling, lovely husband, are you hungry?" Tatiana ain I can’t be this lucky What can I make for you? I have some pork, some potatoes Do you want food?"

"No," Alexander said, helping her sit up "Why is it so cold in here?"