The Lives Of The Romanovs

The Smallest Angel

Olga

There was much work to be done. I had decided that I was going to set up another charity. A soup kitchen in Saint Petersburg. There would be free food for those who could not afford it. I wished to contribute more to society. I had been in the background for quite awhile now and I needed to go in public more often.

I was using Igor's desk to write a letter so the realtor who was going to let me buy a building. Igor was at the zoo for the day and the boys were playing with Stephanie. I had time to work and devote my time to the soup kitchen. However, the boys were making much noise in the hallways by shrieking and yelling. Their little feet were stomping around while Stephanie shushed them.

"Stephanie, quiet down the boys! I cannot focus!" I yelled, hoping she would hear me. Just moments later, there was a huge thudding on the stairs. The screams and cries from Ivan were clear to me now. In just a moment, Oleg swung the door open.

"Mama! Ivan fell down the stairs!" Oleg shouted. Without hesitation, I jumped up from the desk and ran as fast as I could to Ivan. I went around the corner and saw Stephanie holding him in her arms. He was screaming and screaming, as if he had just witnessed murder. I went down the stairs to him and immediately snatched him from her.

"Why weren't you watching him, Stephanie? What is wrong with you?" I shouted at her. There were tears in Stephanie's eyes.

"I-I am so sorry, ma'am."

"You should be! He could be seriously hurt and have a bleed. Oh God, are you alright, my dear?" I rubbed little Ivan's head. But his screams and cries remained. I took him upstairs and took him all the way to his nursery. I set Ivan in his crib and attempted to calm him down. I shushed him and tried to sing to him, but he did not calm. Stephanie came to my side.

"What are you doing, Stephanie?! Telephone for Doctor Derevenko and Prince Igor Konstantinovich! Hurry!"

Doctor Derevenko arrived to our mansion about an hour later. He had been living in a small home just down the street from us. I needed him for my boys, and he helped Alexei so much. Doctor Derevenko claimed that there was a swollen-bump on Ivan's head, which was serious. He was going to prescribe Ivan's some crushed-up aspirin along with some morphine for the pain. Igor arrived about ten-minutes after Doctor Derevenko.

"Olga! Olishka!" I heard Igor shout from down the hall. I turned around to see Igor. He was panting as he ran into the room. I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly to my chest. Igor hugged me back, tightly holding me as well. We let go of each other and looked back at the crib. Ivan had calmed down a bit, but his eyes were so puffy from crying so much. Perhaps the morphine had calmed him down.

Doctor Derevenko turned around to look at Igor. "Prince Ivan is having a bleed, your highness."

"How bad is it, Doctor?" Igor sighed, putting his hand over his fist up to his mouth.

"To tell you both the honest truth, it seems very bad. Not only are his feet swollen, but there is a large bump on his head. I believe that is causing him the most pain. I will continue to give him medication and check on him."

I gave a wan smile. "Thank you, Doctor Derevenko. I will have them bring your belongings to the bedroom closest to Ivan's. That way, you can have a close eye on him. I want there to be consistent watching over my son."

"Of course, Olga Nikolaevna. I will give a prayer to your son."

Igor and I left the nursery to leave Ivan and Doctor Derevenko. As we started walking around the mansion, I explained to Igor what all had happened. He was frustrated with Stephanie, but less than I was. Igor sympathized with her, saying it was difficult to handle four-boys. I wanted to be as forgiving as Igor, but I was simply too angry. How could she not have been watching Ivan? I always told Stephanie that Ivan came first in her watch because of how ill he was. My son could die because of her.