A Son For A King
A Mother's Heart Part Three
As he looked over at his wife, he could see that she was already gazing back at him, and ready for answers.
He licked his lips and rolled on his side. "I apologize for the way I behaved in the boardroom."
Tiana remained quiet. She knew he meant his apology, but she was confused as to why he lashed out that way.
"There is something you're not tellin' me Naveen." She said, "Why did you attack Jasper?"
"I didn't attack Jasper-" He stopped himself and sighed. "Jasper is in love with you, Tiana. He is in another level with his feelings."
Tiana frowned. "But I already told him where we stood…he's like a brother to me."
"Yes, I know you explained this to him, but he isn't the type to actually follow and move on." He shook his head. "I don't know what the hell was wrong with me for letting him stay in my palace. The man had photos of you, a pair of your panties…There is even a helper I have here who looks somewhat like you and…why didn't I put all of this together before?"
Tiana was starting to get scared for herself and Naveen. "He's that crazy?"
"Yes." Naveen answered, sitting up. "When he falls in love he falls hard. Damn the people who stand in his way."
"I honestly do not know what to say." Tiana sat up, covering herself.
"You thought Jasper was a good guy, I mean he is, but he still has a lot of growing up to do." Naveen said, rubbing her back. "And I know my reaction wasn't the best way of handling someone like him, but Tiana…I cannot stand to see another man touch you the way he did."
She looked back at him. "He called himself helping me write in Maldonian."
"Didn't you notice how close he was to you? The way he looked at you?"
"He was a little close, but I told him to back up" Tiana said, remembering back in the room. "I didn't notice him looking at me, but I can see why you didn't like the way he was holding my hand."
"So you felt nothing?" He asked.
Tiana shrugged. "No. I guess that shows how much love I have for you."
Naveen smiled. "So, are we on good terms?"
"Yeah, we are." Tiana wrapped her arms over her husband's shoulders and gave him a loving hug. "But you need to conrtrol your jealousy.
Naveen snorted. "I am not jealous. I just hate seeing other men trying to take what's mine."
Just then, they both felt movement coming from Tiana's growing tummy.
They both looked at each other in awe.
"I see that I woke up our little one." He put his hand on her tummy. "We should stay in here until the rain ends."
"And put on some dry clothes" Tiana added.
Naveen raised an eyebrow. "Hmm…I think we should do another session." He started kissing her on the neck.
"Ah-chu!" Tiana sneezed.
Naveen stopped kissing her. "Someone is catching a little cold."
Tiana rolled her eyes. "It was just a little…ah-chu!"
Naveen laughed, getting off the bed. "Sounds like you are coming down. Let me go get us some clothes to wear." He opened the door to a closet and pulled out a green shirt for her and a white shirt with blue slacks for him.
Tiana put on the shirt and slipped back under the covers with Naveen joining her.
Tiana then let out a cough, covering her mouth with her hand.
"See, you are getting sick. Now you lay your pretty head on my chest and relax. Both you and the baby."
Tiana rolled her eyes again. "Yes, doctor Naveen."
"I am serious. I do not want you getting worse. I already blame myself for getting you sick."
Tiana groaned. She was coming down with a cold but now her whole body was starting to ache. "Mmm…I usually don't get sick when I get wet."
Naveen noticed how warm her head was getting and grew concern. "I'm going to ask for someone to bring you back into the palace. You have a slight fever."
Tiana shivered. Never in her life has a cold ever came over her this quickly.
()()()()
The next couple of days Tiana's cold got worse, but thanks to her doctor he was able to keep her fever down without hurting the baby.
"Like I already explained to you and his highness, with you being pregnant you can easily catch the influenza. I'm going to need you to stay in that bed until that baby is out of you, or until I can see that you are well enough to move around." He ordered.
Tiana sighed. "How is that possible? I have a restaurant to finish preparing; my son James may need me at night sometimes."
"If you want you and your baby to remain healthy, then you will have to listen to me." The doctor said, closing his bag.
"Could I at least walk around the room? I'm used to movement." The young queen asked.
"Stay in the bed…no more debating on this." The doctor said. "Unless you need a bathroom break such as bathing and such."
Tiana sighed out loud.
"You have a good day." He said, leaving the room.
Tiana looked down at her stomach, rubbing it as Naveen, Eudora and James walked into the room.
"Hey." Naveen gave his wife a kiss on the forehead. "I just saw the doctor leave the room. What did he say?"
"He said that I have to stay in bed for the remaining of my pregnancy, or until he says it's okay for me to get around."
"Oh babycakes." Eudora said. "I know how horrible that is."
Tiana groaned.
"Mama, why do you have to stay in bed for so long? The baby won't be here for another four and a half months." James said.
"He's concerned about me getting sicker. When mamas are expecting their immune system lowers its abilities to fight off infection and viruses, in other words, I can easily catch them."
James gave his mother a loving hug. "I'll take care of you mama."
Tiana smiled. "I'm fine…just not looking forward to sitting on my behind-
"Tiana." Eudora said.
"Sorry mama. I'm just not excited about staying in bed."
Naveen laughed. "There are plenty of things you can do while you're bedridden. I could arrange for some entertainment for you when your mother, James or myself aren't around."
"Or you could start writing again." Eudora suggested. "Remember when you were about nine you broke your both legs falling off a tree?"
Tiana nodded her head.
"Do you also remember when Charlotte visited you everyday and even gave you a diary because she had one, too?"
"Yes, I remember." Tiana smiled. "She made sure that it was exactly like hers, with flowers, hearts, butterflies. And of course pink."
"From the day she gave you that diary to the day you could safely walk you wrote everyday. I remember you writing cute little stories about how you and your daddy would be co-owners of that sugar mill and turned it into a restaurant."
Naveen rubbed his wife's tummy. "That is very cute, and a good idea. I could get you a journal to write in."
"Yeah mama! And you could read whatever you wrote to me!" James said, climbing on the bed.
Eudora leaned over to kiss her daughter's forehead.
She looked up at her mother. "Thank you mama."
Eudora gave her a wink. "Anytime babycakes. Now if ya'll excuse me, I have a book to read myself."
"What's it call?" Naveen asked.
"A Broken Heart Mended Again. It's about a woman who lost it all and is able to find love again." Eudora opened the doors. "Take care of my baby, James and Naveen."
"We will!" They both said in unison.
Tiana laughed. "Mama's boys." She teased.
A knock was heard at the door.
"Come in!" Naveen said.
A helper opened the door. "Your highness, the Duke is here to see you in your office."
Naveen sighed in annoyance. He knew why his uncle was here. So he gave Tiana another kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back." And pat his son on the head. "Look after your mother."
"I will!" James said.
()()()()
Naveen exited the room and went down to his office, where he saw the man standing there with an angry expression on his face. Naveen noticed, and he didn't care. Crossing his arms he asked, "Can I help you?"
"Can I help you?" The duke repeated. "No, how about giving me an explanation as to why you banished my son from the palace and country?"
"I don't have to explain anything to you." Naveen spat back.
The Duke shook his head. "Okay, why did you banish my son from the palace?"
"Because I saw that he haven't changed one bit." Naveen answered. "He's still falling hard for women who doesn't feel the same way."
"It's Tiana, isn't it?" He asked.
"Who else could it be?" Naveen said.
The Duke sighed and took a seat. "I do not know what to do with this boy. I told him time and time again that she will never feel the same way." He then looked at his nephew with worried eyes. "He didn't attempt to ra-
"No. But I found some of my wife's personal items in his room. I should've kicked him out then."
The duke stood back up, feeling embarrassed. "I will talk to him. Perhaps he isn't taking his medications properly again." Opening the office door.
Naveen felt bad for his uncle and knew his cousin always had problems. He even forgot about him having to take meds for his behavior. "Uncle Jasper." He called out.
The middle aged man looked his way.
"Tell your son that he is no longer banished, but it will be a while before I welcome him back here."
The Duke nodded his head. "Thank you, Naveen."
Naveen nodded back.
()()()()
"Mama do you think that the baby is also sick?" James asked, feeling the baby moving under his hand.
"The baby is just fine. You don't need to worry." Tiana reassured her son.
A knock was heard at Tiana and Naveen's suite and in came Nagina.
"Hello Tiana and James." She greeted.
Tiana and James both responded, "Hello."
"I see that you are getting better, yes?" Nagina asked.
"I am, but the doctor wants me to stay bedridden until he believes that I'm fine." Tiana explained.
Nagina smiled, sitting on the bed. "He is a very good doctor. He also helped me with both my pregnancies." She placed a hand on Tiana's tummy. "Do you want to have a boy or a girl?"
"It doesn't matter, as long as it's healthy."
"Naveen told me he wants a girl, a little princes." Nagina shared.
"I would rather have a little brother. That way I could teach him how to play baseball and football." James said.
Tiana and Nagina laughed.
"You could teach your lil sister that, if I end up having a girl." Tiana said.
He looked up at Nagina and remembered the tomboy story she shared with him. "I guess I could teach her some tricks…"
"Good." Tiana smiled and looked at the clock on her nightstand. "It's almost time for your studies. You know how Madam Gia is with time."
"Aw." James whined. "She's always giving me tons of work!"
"You're the one who wants to graduate by age twelve." Tiana joked. "Now scat! Go!"
James gave his mother a kiss and his grandmother a hug before dragging his way to the door.
"Pick up your feet!" Tiana ordered.
James did just that before leaving the room.
"Ah memories. Naveen was that way when he was a child." Nagina laughed. "So, how are you really feeling?"
"My cold is gone, but I'm still a little weak…I'll live." Tiana shrugged her shoulders. "I thought you had to go to some charities."
"I was but they canceled. So I decided to come see you." Nagina smiled. "Naveen has been so worried about you since you caught the influenza. I was worried as well and then it occurred to me that I never really gave you a real apology."
"Your apology at the wedding was enough for me Nagina." Tiana said.
"Please, call me mother." Nagina took Tiana's hand. "And I do apologize for my cruelness toward you and James. For the past several years I've been angry with the world, including my own husband for no particular reason. But then it occurred to me again that I've been making everyone but myself happy. I married Kabir at fifteen, he was twenty-five at the time. If that were the case nowadays, he would be arrested, even if he was king. But thank the heavens he was…still is attractive and very witty, that's what made me fall in love with him."
"You were fifteen when you married?" Tiana asked, with her mouth open.
Nagina nodded her head. "Our marriage was arranged, but like I've told you, his personality and good looks made it easy to love him."
"He is charming." Tiana agreed.
"Naveen gets it from him." Nagina said.
"He may get his daddy's charm, but he gets his smile from you." Tiana smiled.
Nagina couldn't help but to smile at that. "Yes, he is VERY good at getting what he wants with his smile. It was a very good and bad aspect for his father and myself."
Tiana and Nagina talked more about the men in their lives, but moved on to other topics such as fashion, politics, to even music.
"I love the classical music, but Naveen has got me into jazz. I remember him getting a ukulele and playing his tunes down the halls, this was before you two even knew each other. The female help would swoon over him, as well as the women out on the streets."
Tiana laughed. "He still played that thing in the restaurant and I have never seen so many women in my life. I had to remind them that he's a married man."
"Oh women do not care about if a man like Naveen is married or not. They would sacrifice their own dignity just to touch his hand."
"That I know." Tiana said.
Nagina laughed. "But do not worry, Naveen is nuts about you. He's a one woman man. And I will admit, it took me a while to stomach that in after he married you because he's had so many girlfriends and would date them for two to three days and never see them again."
"I was shocked that I even fell in love with him. I was so focused on getting my restaurant that I could careless about getting a husband."
"Well, it's like that saying goes, 'When you least expect it, something great will come along. Something better than you ever planned for.'"
"That is so true." Tiana said, and yawned.
"Looks like you are getting tired."
"Yes, it's this lil one." Tiana said, feeling the baby move.
Nagina put her hand on her daughter-in-law's tummy and felt movement. "Oh my goodness...that is my grandchild." Then she thought about missing out on James' babyhood. "If I could turn back the hands of time, I wouldn't have had my writer-
"All is forgiven Nagina. We are taking small steps, but we'll get there." Tiana said, with a supportive smile.
Nagina leaned over to give Tiana a hug. "You are a magnificent woman Tiana. I wish I was like you."
She then pulled back from the hug, now standing. "Now you try to get as much sleep as possible. My grandchild is growing in there."
"I'll try." Tiana laughed.
"I will talk to you later?"
Tiana nodded her head, closing her eyes.
Nagina stepped out of the room, closing the door. As she turned around she saw a beautiful black haired woman walking over to her. Her happy mood was now a sour one. "What are you doing here?"
The woman smiled. "It's nice to see you, too Nagina." She looked at the suite doors. "Is Naveen in?"
"No, but his wife is."
She rolled her eyes and kept walking.
"Why are you here?" Nagina asked.
"To see Naveen. I have a business meeting with him."
Nagina raised an eyebrow. What ever the black-haired woman was up to was bound to be no good.