Domino Effect

BBC News

NEWS ANCHOR: St. Mary's Hospital spokesman confirmed the news that a member of the former royal family was indeed taken to their emergency department just an hour ago. While we still don't know who is the person in question, several witnesses claim to have seen her former majesty, Queen Helena and her new husband leaving Heathrow Airport in a hurry. I give the floor to our correspondent, Peter Browning, who is standing in front of the hospital.

CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Molly. I saw Helena arriving just a few moments ago with her husband, Alistair Lacey. It's a hell of a honeymoon. They were not willing to comment the news, however, Helena's assistant, Rachel Moore, who was with the couple, promised to release a statement shortly.

St. Mary's Hospital

Helena and Alistair still had their suitcases dragging behind them when they entered the hospital.

Simon was sitting on a plastic chair in the waiting room. His son's girlfriend, Amelia was crouching by the window with her back against the wall. They stood up immediately when they saw the former queen with her assistant and her new husband.

"How is he?" – Helena asked worriedly.

"He is still in surgery." – Simon replied.

His ex-wife let out a nervous sigh. Alistair put his arms around her from behind and asked the other man:

"What happened?"

The former king looked from one to the other before he answered:

"He was stabbed."

Amelia winced as she relieved the terrible news. Helena looked at her, then she turned back to her ex-husband:

"How… how could someone stab him?"

No one answered. The former queen leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.

"It can't be happening. Not again." – she mumbled to herself.

Her ex-husband walked over to her and took both hands in his.

"It won't. He's going to be fine."

Helena jerked away her hands.

"It'd better be." – she hissed angrily. – "Because if I lose another son, it will be on you. Your reckless and irresponsible idea to abolish the monarchy..."

Simon backed away from her. He was thunderstruck.

"You are calling me reckless and irresponsible?" – he asked in shock. – "You should look into a mirror. I'm sure you did it quite a few times on your big day yesterday."

He wanted to continue, but Alistair interrupted him.

"Stop this. Neither one of you is right. And hurting each other will definitely not help Liam."

Simon was about to say something, but he realized he was right. He sank helplessly into a chair and bowed his head. Helena buried her face in Alistair's chest and let him calm her down with his caresses.

They were silent for a while until Eleanor stormed into the waiting room.

"Sending Jasper to fetch me? That's a new low, even for you." – she shouted at her mother.

"I had my reasons." – Helena replied firmly, still in her husband's arms. – "Where is he?"

Eleanor folded her arms in front of her chest.

"As usual, he was very eager to please you, but I told him to piss off."

Amelia stepped forward to prevent another family fight.

"Len, this is not the time, nor the place for arguing."

Eleanor looked at her in surprise. It was clear that she didn't notice her until now.

"What's going on?" – she asked her with a worried look.

The red-haired girl did not answer, but instead she looked helplessly at the former queen. Helena cleared her throat and looked her daughter in the eye:

"Your brother was attacked."

Eleanor had a million questions, but an approaching doctor interrupted them.

"Mrs. Lacey?" – he addressed the former queen.

Helena didn't move at the mention of her new name, Eleanor had to poke her to pay attention.

"Mom! He is talking to you."

Her mother finally looked up to the doctor and apologized:

"I'm sorry."

"My name is Dr. Morel. I did the surgery on Liam." – the doctor began.

Simon and Alistair stood a few meters away, but they gathered around the doctor to hear him speak.

"He lost a great amount of blood, but we managed to stabilize him." – Dr. Morel continued. – "Unfortunately, the stab was too deep and it penetrated his liver. He will need a transplant. I need your authorization to put him on the waiting list."

Helena and Simon exchanged a quick look, then she nodded.

"Yes, of course."

The doctor gave her a small smile, then he added:

"Also, I have to tell you that in these cases the time is critical. A direct donation from a family member or friend could significantly increase his chances."

The members of the little company looked at each other. They all wanted to help Liam.

After he made sure that they were aware of the risks and consequences, Dr. Morel informed them about the following steps:

"In case you are all willing to be potential donors, I will need a simple blood test first. There is a higher probability to find a match among the family members, but sometimes unrelated donors are proven to be more compatibles."

After giving their blood, they all sat silently in the waiting room, pressing a cloth on their wound.

Rachel discreetly walked over to the former queen and whispered into her ears:

"I just got a message from Samantha Cook."

"Samantha Who?" – her boss asked, uninterested.

"Samantha Cook. Eleanor's girl… ex-girlfriend? She is threatening to expose some secret love affair of yours."

Helena nervously looked around, then she pulled her assistant aside.

"What does she want?"

Rachel showed her the message in question and resumed its content:

"10 million pounds. Or else she will expose you for the cheater slut you are. Her words, not mine."

"My secret love affair… Can't she be more specific?" – Helena asked, annoyed. – "Tell her, I don't pay a penny until she gives me some proof."

Not much later, a young nurse appeared in the waiting room. She seemed very embarrassed. At first, the former royals thought that their famous personality was the cause of her strange behaviour, but they were wrong.

"We have the results. Mr. Alistair Lacey, could you come with me, please?" – the girl stammered in a small voice.

They all stared at her in astonishment, then they turned to the former queen. Helena became whiter than the wall behind her. She seemed as shocked as everybody else, but she couldn't fool them. They were not stupid.

Finally, Eleanor was the first to be able to speak:

"Alistair? How is this possible? What about us?"

The young nurse lowered her eyes and pretended to be very busy staring at her shoes. Then she took a deep breath and looked at the former princess:

"You were a match. But because of your former drug addiction, you are not an eligible donor." – she sputtered as if it was a memorized text. – "As for your parents, family members don't necessarily have the same blood type."

Helena couldn't hold back a sigh which didn't escape her daughter's attention. Eleanor was still looking at the nurse, but she was speaking to her mother:

"Yes, but if Alistair is a match… I mean… Mom, tell me it's just a coincidence."

Finally, she forced herself to turn to her mother and look her in the eye. Helena couldn't bring herself to answer, but her silence meant more than any word she could have said.

"It's not a coincidence." – Eleanor heard Alistair's voice behind her back.

"Did you know about it?" – the former princess asked in a trembling voice.

Her stepfather shook his head.

The young nurse cleared her throat.

"Mr. Lacey?"

Alistair looked up, ready to follow her, but the nurse turned back to the others:

"Dr. Morel says that you can now see Liam, but only one at a time."

"Hi, darling! How are you feeling?" – Helena asked immediately as she sat on the edge of her son's bed.

Liam eyed his mother up and down and he replied with a smile:

"Seeing you so worried kind of freaks me out. Other than that, oh, and the fact that I was stabbed, I'm okay."

His mother let out a soft chuckle and pulled closer to him. She gently caressed his face and adjusted the blanket on him.

"The doctor said I would need a liver transplant. Did you find a match yet?" – Liam asked curiously.

Helena silently nodded.

"And? Who is it?" – her son asked impatiently. – "It's not like a big secret or anything."

His mother hesitated for a moment before she replied:

"It's your father."

Liam couldn't understand his mother's strange behaviour. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but Helena was quicker than him.

"Listen, darling. Do you remember anything about the attack?"

The former prince shook his head.

"It happened so fast. The only thing I know is this." – he said and picked up a necklace from his nightstand. – "The paramedics found it on me."

Helena took the pendant from him and carefully looked at it. It had the same domino symbol on it as the black cards she was kept getting over the years.

"Does it say anything to you?" – Liam asked eagerly.

"No." – his mother lied. – "Do you mind if I keep it?"

His son shrugged. He didn't care much, but then he changed his mind:

"I think we should show it to the police."

Helena gave him a reassuring smile and said:

"Sure. I'll have Jasper take a look at it."

She got up from the bed. She was about to leave, but she turned back from the door.

"Do you remember when you lost your first baby tooth? You were terrified that all your teeth would fall out at once."

Liam frowned. He didn't know why his mother was bringing up this.

"Yeah. Robert and Eleanor laughed at me. Even Dad didn't take me seriously. But you told them that there is nothing funny about fear."

Helena glanced at the necklace in her hand, then she looked at her son:

"I still think that." – she remarked with a nostalgic smile. –"I made so many mistakes, but I hope you know that I love you."

Before Liam could have answered, his mother stepped out of the room and disappeared behind the door.

By the time Helena left her son's room, Alistair was already waiting for her.

"Come on, Helena, we are leaving." – he said in a commanding voice.

The former queen was about to follow him without a word, but her assistant stopped her.

"What should we do about Samantha Cook?"

Helena looked at her with a bitter smile and said:

"Samantha Cook hardly matters anymore."

Alistair's cottage, East London

"Are you going to say something?" – Helena asked her husband when they got home.

Alistair took their suitcases inside and tossed one of them to his wife. Then, he hurriedly opened the other, his own, and he shook its contents on the floor. Helena looked at the scattered shirts and jeans in horror.

"Here." – her husband said and pushed the empty suitcase to her too. – "Knowing you, one bag won't be enough. Now, get your stuff and get out."

"Alistair, please. You can't do this to me. Just listen to me." – Helena pleaded him in a trembling voice.

"You can talk while you are packing." – her husband remarked bluntly.

The former queen didn't protest anymore. She went to their bedroom and returned with a pile of clothes. She knelt beside the empty suitcase and slowly she began to fold her dresses, then put them in the bag.

"I was in an impossible situation. What should I have done?" – she asked weakly and looked up at her husband.

"Tell the truth. The moment you got pregnant, you should have told me the truth." – Alistair replied, raising his voice.

Helena winced.

"I couldn't do that." – she mumbled. – "I couldn't do it because then you would have wanted them. And you would have wanted me."

"Of course I would have." – Alistair lashed out angrily.

His wife lowered her eyes and continued packing.

"I couldn't risk that. I had a son. Simon and his mother would have never let me see Robert again."

Alistair shook his head and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Bullshit. You were his mother."

"And they were the Royal Family. You still don't understand it, do you? The only reason I was part of that family because I had a ring on my finger." – Helena cried out in despair.

Her husband didn't answer. Helena glanced anxiously at him.

"Will you have the surgery?"

Alistair rolled his eyes.

"You didn't leave me much choice. He is my son. Of course I'll have the surgery." – he replied flatly.

He walked over to her and looked at the suitcase which was now almost full.

"Are you finished?"

Helena put the last one of her clothes in the bag and closed it. She got up and looked her husband in the eye:

"Please, Alistair, don't throw away thirty years." – she whispered softly.

Her husband looked at her hesitantly, then he remarked quietly:

"You were the one who threw away thirty years when you decided to lie to me."

"I was thinking about my son." – Helena mumbled in defence while a few teardrops escaped her eyes.

"You were thinking about yourself. As always." – Alistair said bitterly, then he pointed at the suitcases. – "Do you need help with them?"

Helena shook her head. She took a deep breath and wiped off the fresh tears that were rolling down her face.

"I will be fine." – she said and grabbed the two suitcases.

The Lanesborough Hotel, London

Helena was sitting alone on the edge of the bed in her giant hotel room, with her face buried in her hands. She couldn't remember when was the last time she was alone or in a hotel.

She got up to reach for her purse. She was looking for her phone when her fingers suddenly touched the necklace with the domino symbol on it. She quickly put it back, then she grabbed her phone. She called a number, but only the answering machine replied. Helena waited a moment before she spoke:

"Hi, Rachel, it's me. I need you to track down someone for me. His name is Jeffrey Stewart. Please, tell him that I'm ready to meet."