Beeping sounds was all he heard in the room. What was that beeping? And where was he, he wondered. Confusion and pain; is what he felt. Pain everywhere, he thought as he grimaced, his eyes glancing around the room. The doctor stood before him. Yes. His doctor, he thought relieved as he watched him listening to his heartbeat with a stethoscope.
"Nice and strong, Your Majesty" The doctor said with a smile as he looked at his King.
He tried to speak but he could not. Panicking at the realization that he could not speak the beeping got louder and an alarm began to blare.
"Your Majesty, please, calm down. It will be alright. You must give it time. You have been through a severe trauma" The doctor tried to explain to him.
It was as if he could not hear anything coming out of the doctor mouth. He could feel his eyes rolling to the back of his head as his eyes closed. Clarisse, he thought…but the only thing he could hear was that insistent beeping.
Moments later, the doctor turned and looked at Shades, his eyes full of worry.
"Is it bad" Shades asked as he held his cell phone out so that Joseph and Clarisse could hear?
"I fear that the King condition will get worse if he does not remain calm. His heart could stop…" The doctor explained to his Queen.
"We will be there by tonight" Clarisse replied before Joseph could say a word.
"Very well, I will give him a full exam" The doctor replied.
"Thank you for calling" Joseph said to Shades. He truly valued his loyalty.
"Of-course boss. I will keep an eye on the King personally until your arrival" Shades assured him.
Cabin….
Joseph watched Clarisse as she sat silently.
"Are you alright" He asked her concerned?
She looked into his eyes with tear filled eyes and stated, "he is awake, and I wasn't there…" Her voice faltered, his heart broke, her heart broke.
"It's not your fault" He replied sympathetically.
"Isn't it" She asked as tears slipped down her cheeks?
"No. Clarisse…you did not leave him by choice. It was for your safety. This is not your fault" He reiterated.
"We have to get back" She said as she stood up and wiped at her eyes.
"I understand why you want to go back but this does not eliminate the threat you are facing. We need to consider your safety" He replied trying desperately to separate his emotions from his duty.
"You do what you must, but I need to be there for him. He needs me" She said leaving no room for compromise.
"As you wish" He replied as he walked away not wanting to make the situation worse.
Palace….
"I'm sorry" Pierre replied as he stepped away from Antoinette.
"Don't be. I understand" She replied.
"You do? I thought your father was supportive" He said wanting to avoid what had just occurred.
"He is but, parents can be disappointing. My mother, well our relationship is like how your relationship is with Rupert" She said honestly.
"Your mother would never do what my father has done" He said the hurt flooding to the surface.
"We never meant to hurt you" She tried to explain.
"Well, you did" He spat angrily. He felt his chest tighten.
"I know that and we're sorry. Truly. This was not something we wanted to do. It was not intentional" She tried to explain again.
"It wasn't" He stated as he looked at her. He was not asking after all, he already knew the answer. Did she truly, believe him to be so naïve as to believe her lies?
The look unsettled her. It was the first time she ever felt unsure of Pierre reaction.
"We…" She tried to explain.
"You, the both of you, snuck around my back and my mother's back for who knows how long" He said cutting her off and not letting her speak.
"Pierre…it truly was not like that" She tried to convince him, but she knew instantly that she would not convince him from what he believed had been happening.
"Then how was it" He asked as he looked her in the eyes?
"Don't do this…" She begged him. She did not want to hurt him with the details. Even if by chance he believed her version, she knew it would devastate him more than he already was.
"No worries, you can spare me the details of how in love you both were and how unfair it was that you were both stuck in relationships you did not want to be in" Pierre snapped allowing his anger to surface. He was tired of pretending.
"You were stuck too, so was she" Antoinette snapped back. She was not going to be the only one to get blamed for this mess. She refused to be the only one any longer.
"Yes, I was and maybe, she was too. But that was not an excuse to do what you did and for him to do what he did. What you both continue to do. You lie to suit your agendas. You two really are perfect for one another" He said disgusted by the whole thing.
"What do you want me to say Pierre? I have tried apologizing but, I know that it will never be enough for you. Do you think I do not know that my part in this was wrong? Do you think I wanted to get pregnant? I was young and stupid. I let my emotions control my actions and I was wrong. But you know what, I am not going to take the blame for this myself anymore. There were three of us to blame. How about you share some of this anger with your mother" She spat back?
"My mother was trying to protect me" He defended her. How dare Antoinette try and turn this around?
"Your mother was protecting herself. I said it before, and I will say it every time. She knew what she was doing, protecting the throne for her son's and exiling mine" She said wanting him for once to see that his mother was not innocent in all of this.
"Well, apparently Father agrees with her" He said knowing it would hurt her and it did. He saw it in her eyes.
"Let's see if Genovia does" She said using the hurt he just inflicted on her back at him.
"You know what, I don't care. If you want to tell the world go ahead. As a matter of fact, why haven't you? Or maybe that is not your true intention. You do not want the world to know what you did. You just want to sit on that throne, be Queen, be admired and loved. Isn't that right" He asked already knowing the answer?
Antoinette remained silent as she looked at him with hate in her eyes.
Pierre walked out leaving her alone. He knew his parents would not have been happy with the way he just handled things but, he honestly was tired of caring about what other people might think. If she wanted to tell the world, let her. At least, she would not be able to hold them hostage any longer. And yes, it would be a scandal and her son, Alex, would be an heir but did it truly matter. The line of succession…it would be almost impossible for Alex to ever become King. Pierre steps faltered. What was she really, up to, he thought?
Pyrus…
Motaz was about to go to sleep when his phone rang. He sighed heavily as he knew he could not avoid the call. It was his personal phone that only the Palace called.
"Hello" He answered unsure of who was on the other end of this call. After all, the King was in a coma and the Queen had gone into hiding.
"I know it's late, but I thought you should know that Rupert is awake" Clarisse whispered into the phone as she sat on the bed.
Motaz was silent for a long moment. The shock finally wearing off he replied, "how is he?"
"Agitated. The doctor is worried about his heart. We are going back to the Palace" She replied honestly.
"Is that safe" He asked concerned? He was surprised Joseph would go along with this.
"Maybe not but I must be with him. Joseph is making the arrangements" She replied.
Motaz realized Joseph had no choice in the matter. He sighed deeply.
"I don't need a lecture Sebastian" She snapped upset taking him by surprise.
"He would want you to be safe" He replied although he knew she would not take it well.
"Yes well, I am certain he would expect to see me when he opens his eyes again" She said as tears formed in her eyes again. She was upset with herself she should have been there…
"Not just when he opens his eyes, he would want to see you every day, safe and…" he tried to reason.
"I asked you to please not lecture me" She reiterated, her words sounding harsh until she began to cry.
"Clarisse…I am not lecturing you. Listen, Shelia and I are here for the both of you. I would not be a good friend if I did not express how dangerous this is. I think we need to discuss this with Joseph" He said softly not wanting to upset her anymore.
Shelia looked at Sebastian with sadness. She reached out and held her husband hand tight.
"No. I already told Joseph I am going back. No one is talking me out of it" She replied stubbornly.
Sebastian looked at his wife with a shake of his head.
Shelia lowered her eyes. She agreed with her husband it was not safe for Clarisse to return.
"There might be someone who can" He said making his wife look up in surprise.
"Do not involve my son's" She said getting angry.
"I'm not. Helena was here. James is involved with Mabrey and she believes that they are responsible for what happened and will make another attempt on your life. I must say, I believe her Clarisse, Shelia does too. You cannot go back to the Palace. Not yet" He shared honestly.
Palace….
"How is he, doctor" Shades asked as he stood near the door- way?
"He is asleep. His vitals are good" The doctor reassured him.
"Good" Shades replied relieved.
The doctor smiled at him.
As he stood guard, his mind kept reminding him that just because the King was awake it did not mean they were out of danger. Someone or several people wanted the Queen either dead or out of commission. The King had not been the intended target. He hoped Joseph kept Clarisse away although he doubted anyone could make her do something she did not want to do. The Crown Prince entering made both men look at one another. Neither knew if they should say anything yet.
"How is he, doctor" Pierre asked as he approached his father?
"His vitals are good" The doctor said simply. He decided it was best not to share anything without permission from Her Majesty.
Pierre looked down at his father. His color seemed better, he noticed.
The doctor left the room clearly not wanting to have to answer any more questions.
Shades stayed by the door.
Pierre sat beside the bed in silence.
Shades felt bad not sharing the great news but, he learned a long time ago not to get involved in things above his position and this was above his position.
"Could you please give me a few moments alone"' Pierre asked without looking back?
"Of-course Your Highness" Shades replied as he stepped out of the room.
Cabin…
After hearing the same thing Clarisse had Joseph felt an unease go through his body. Clarisse was in more danger now than before. He looked at her and she knew what he was going to say.
"Thank you, Sebastian, for everything" Clarisse said knowing it was no use in arguing.
"I'm sorry Clarisse. I do hope you really think about this. Take care" Motaz replied before hanging up.
"Don't say it" Clarisse said before Joseph could speak. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to pace.
"He will understand why you are not there once you explain it to him" Joseph reassured her.
"He will understand why I am here with only you" She replied as he looked at him knowingly.
"Alright maybe not that part" He smiled trying to help her relax.
"He will think the worse. And I can't blame him because he would be right" She admitted as she looked away not being able to look into the eyes of the man she loved.
"It's no one's fault. We love each other and, Rupert…he is in no position to judge quite frankly" He said not wanting her to feel so much guilt. After all, Rupert had long since broken their vows.
"I know you are right. Why does it make me feel so terrible" She asked quietly?
"Because you don't want to hurt him" He replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close.
"This will hurt him Joseph" She whispered.
"I know it will" He said since denying it would be useless.
"He already believes we are having an affair" She said as she placed her hands over his.
"It's not an affair. That is not what this is" He said refusing to call it that.
"I don't know what to do Joseph. Part of me wants to tell him but the other part of me is afraid. Afraid of what he will do. What if he sends you away" She asked worried?
He sighed knowing it was a real possibility.
"I don't want to be unfair to you" She said feeling guilty for the situation they were all in.
"You're not. I told you before, I want to be here with you" He reassured her.
"What if this is all we can ever be" She said heart broken. She wanted to be with him in every way, but she knew that it would only complicate things. That was the last thing they needed.
"I am okay with that, for now" He said wanting to be clear that if their situation ever changed, he would want more.
"I don't know what to do" She reiterated.
"You don't have to decide anything right now" He reassured her as she held her tighter wanting her to feel his love.
Palace…
Hans was walking around the halls trying his best to distract himself from thinking of Helena. He missed her terribly. Their last conversation had not been the best. He wanted to talk to her again. To see her. To tell her how much he still loved her. If only…a movement caught his attention from across the hall. Slowly he began to make his way over towards the end of the hall to get a better look. It was dark and very, quiet. He tried his best to not make any noise. Reaching the end of the hall, he looked around but saw no one. Thinking it was odd and something could be wrong he reached for his comm device, but a noise prevented him. He turned to get a better look when he suddenly felt pain shoot through his head, his hand reaching up as he fell to his knees. As he looked at his hand, his ears ringing and his vision blurred, he saw blood right before his knees gave out.
