Page 69 of Drop Pass

A new group of people exited and he paused to scan their faces. When he didn’t see them, he resumed his path. I hoped no one around him understood Russian. I doubted he was saying nice things.

A young boy came down the escalator wearing a Utah Fury jersey and I smiled. I waited until he got closer to check the number. The second I saw seventy-one I cringed. It was Nikolay’s jersey and there was no way the kid or his parents wouldn’t see Nikolay stomping around.

I stood to intercept him. I didn’t want them catching his wrath just because they showed up at a stressful time. “Hey.”

He paused and looked up at me.

I nodded in the direction of his fan. “That little boy might want a signature, and I don’t want you to bite his head off.”

His eyes widened when he saw the jersey. “He’s wearing my number.”

I smiled. “Yeah, you have a fan.”

He seemed to relax. “I’ve only been here for a few months.”

“Yeah, and you’ve already made an impression.”

He softened and smiled. “That’s pretty cool.”

The boy turned and looked around. His eyes passed over us then he froze and turned back. His jaw dropped and he tugged on the coat of the man next to him. His dad turned and bent down to hear what the boy was saying. I laughed as he pointed to us. His dad smiled and said something back to him. The boy nodded and they took a few steps toward us, but the boy stopped.

The man noticed and turned around. The boy was shaking his head as his face reddened.

I smiled and looked up to Nikolay. “I think he’s scared. Maybe you can go talk to him?”

He nodded and walked to where the man was standing. They shook hands then he looked to the boy. He got down on his knee so they were eye level.

He said something that made the boy smile. They chatted back and forth then the boy’s mom handed Nikolay a marker. He signed the back of the jersey and gave the kid a high five. The mom took a few pictures then Nikolay made his way back to me. He was like a different person from a few minutes before.

“That was nice of you.”

He shrugged. “It felt good for me too.”

“Do I have competition for number one fan?”

He chuckled and put his hand on my hip, pulling me into him. “I don’t think so.”

I was relieved to hear him laugh and see his smile come back. I didn’t want his family to see the stress case he’d been. I wanted them to see him happy.

I scanned the area as another large group came out. The elevator doors opened and a woman stepped out next to a young girl in a wheel chair. An airport employee pushed her toward us as my heart started to race.

“They’re here.” I pointed across the room and Nikolay took off. He ran through the crowd while I hurried behind him. His mom saw him and rushed forward. He caught her in his arms wrapping her in a tight hug. I stopped next to them and smiled. She looked so much like him with dark hair and a gentle smile. She saw me and stepped out of his arms.

“Oh Elena.” She hugged me and I squeezed her back. After talking to her on the phone and video calls over the past couple of weeks it was good to finally have her here.

“Hi Mama.” After our first call she insisted I call her that and I wasn’t going to argue.

“Yula.” Nikolay bent down to hug his sister. He held her like she was fragile. She lifted her arms and hugged his waist.

“I’ve missed you.” She said through tears.

He kissed the top of her head and stepped back. I took my turn hugging her. I almost cried when I felt her bones through her jacket. She was tiny, and so weak.

“Elena. I’m so happy to see you.”

I smiled and nodded. “Me too.”

“Let’s get out of here.” Nikolay took over pushing Yula’s wheelchair. He sniffed a few times and I marveled at his strength. I was weepy and I’d just met them. I couldn’t imagine what was going through his head.