The next day Jeffrey snuck out of the hospital wing, which was no easy feat. He was tired of being constantly monitored and babied by the hospital staff. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he just wanted out of there. He sighed as he walked through the halls of the palace, he was wearing white scrubs, as his clothing had been taken away from him. He wanted to change but he figured that his room was the first place that the guards would look for him.
"What are you doing out of the hospital wing?" A male voice asked.
Jeffrey spun around and saw Greg standing in the hallway. Shit, he thought. "Nothing…" he trailed off quietly. He felt awkward being around the man who had apparently saved his life.
"I get it, cooped up in the hospital wing for two days would be enough to make anyone go stir crazy." Greg said with an understanding look.
"Yeah…" Jeffrey trailed off.
"I'm sure the guards are looking for you," Greg said.
Jeffrey shrugged and glanced around nervously, "Probably."
"Come on, let's get some ice cream," Greg said as he motioned towards the kitchen.
"You're not sending me back?" Jeffrey asked, shocked.
Greg shook his head, "You've been through enough."
Jeffrey reluctantly followed Greg to the kitchen, his plan was to get his hands on some pot, but this worked too he supposed. Once in the kitchen the duo made their way to the freezer, Greg grabbed himself a mini tub of chocolate ice cream, while Jeffrey grabbed strawberry. Greg made his way to the drawer and grabbed two spoons, one of which he handed to Jeffrey. He eyed the knives as Jeffrey sat on the counter and opened his container. Greg quickly closed the drawer and leaned against it for good measure.
"So, what were you planning on doing?" Greg questioned.
Jeffrey shrugged, "Nothing, I just wanted to go for a walk." He lied quietly.
Greg nodded, he could sense the kid was lying but didn't want to say anything, "You know, you stick out like a sore thumb." He said motioning to the white scrubs the kid was wearing.
"My room is the first place the guards would look," Jeffrey explained as he ate a spoonful of ice cream.
"You're a smart kid," Greg said.
Jeffrey shrugged, remembering the list of insults Rupert had hurled at him, "Not really."
Greg sighed, "Look, I get the attitude, your mom's remarrying and you're not happy about it. I'd probably be pissed too if my mom was marrying another guy. But that's no excuse to treat us like crap."
"Whatever," Jeffrey mumbled.
"Your attitude isn't going to change things, Jeffrey, it's just going to make you and everyone around you miserable." Greg lectured.
"I don't care," Jeffrey said with a hint of anger to his voice. "Did you really just bring me here to lecture me? Cause I'm not exactly in the mood to hear it."
"Look, kid, I'm getting tired of the emotional rollercoaster, your mother's a wonderful woman and if she selects me, I'll be the happiest man on earth. But, if she eliminated me, I won't cry over it. Your suicide attempt has shaken me because it made me realize how destroyed I'd be if my own daughter died." Greg said.
"Glad to know that my mother means that little to you. If you're not gonna be upset over it then why are you even here?" Jeffrey shot back.
"That's not what I meant," Greg said an edge of anger to his voice. "And I think you're smart enough to know that. One of us is going to be your stepfather one day, it's about time you face that reality."
Jeffrey scowled and looked away, "I don't care."
"I think you do care, maybe instead of spending your time pushing everyone away and keeping them at arm's length it's about time that you let someone in, Jeffrey. You almost died for Christ's sake!" Greg exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what this is doing to your mother?"
Jeffrey swallowed a lump in his throat and focused on his ice cream, "Whatever."
"I think your break from the hospital is over, don't you?" Greg said.
"I'm not going back there," Jeffrey said stubbornly.
Greg opened his mouth to speak but closed it when he saw Annalise enter the room.
"Jeffrey!" Annalise scolded. "What do you think you're doing out of the hospital wing?"
Jeffrey sighed and set his tub of ice cream on the counter, "I don't want to go back there, it's boring and depressing."
"Well maybe you should have thought about that before you swallowed a bottle full of pills," Annalise said sternly.
Jeffrey flinched at the tone and looked down as he bit his lip.
"You're coming back with me," Annalise said as she narrowed her eyes on her son.
"I'm not going back there!" Jeffrey exclaimed, raising his voice. "I don't need to be babied and checked on every ten minutes!"
Annalise sighed and brought a hand to her temple, "Don't make me get the guards, Jeffrey."
A flicker of fear crossed Jeffrey's face, "Don't!"
"Then let's go young man." Annalise said as she placed her hands on her hips.
"I'm not going back there!" Jeffrey snapped as he pushed himself to his feet.
Annalise's eyes widened in surprise, "Jeffrey, take a deep breath."
"No," Jeffrey said as he started to walk away.
"Greg," Annalise said.
Greg sprang into action, he grabbed Jeffrey's arms and pinned them behind his back, easily overpowering the teen. Jeffrey struggled in vain against the military veteran.
"Let go!" Jeffrey shouted.
"You can decide to come back, or I will have you dragged back, Jeffrey, this is for your own good," Annalise said.
"Fine, just let go of me!" Jeffrey said frantically as he writhed in Greg's grip.
Annalise nodded to Greg, who let go of Jeffrey. Jeffrey rubbed his arms and followed his mother out of the room. Greg followed behind the pair in case Annalise needed some muscle to convince the kid to stay in line.
Annalise sighed as she sat in her room, she needed to cut her Selected down to the Elite. It should be an easy enough decision, as there were some that she trusted more than others. None of them seemed to be making any progress with Jeffrey, except for Joel who Jeffrey seemed to tolerate. But, it wasn't about who Jeffrey or Callum preferred, it was about who she wanted to marry and about who she saw herself having a future with. She sighed as she scribbled down the names of the Selected that she wanted gone. Instead of doing it in person, she decided to write them each a note. It seemed too draining to go to each and everyone of them personally. She would tell the Elite in person that they had made it that far in the competition. Once the list was complete, she left it to a lady in waiting to write the notes for her. She decided to go on a walk when she saw Jerry in the gardens.
"Good afternoon, Jerry," Annalise said with a strained smile. She was happy to see him, but her mind was distracted.
"Is everything okay, Annalise? I heard that Jeffrey was in the hospital wing," Jerry said.
Annalise sighed and nodded slightly, "He'll be fine, I'll explain everything when it's just the Elite." She wanted to respect her son's privacy, but whoever was going to become his stepfather should know about his suicide attempt, it wasn't fair to only let a few in on that secret.
"So, you mean?" Jerry asked.
Annalise nodded with a smile, "Yes, you've made it to the Elite."
Jerry smiled, "Thank you."
"Anytime," Annalise said as she took his arm. "Walk with me, I need a good distraction."
"Is everything okay?" Jerry asked.
"It will be, but I don't want to think about it," Annalise said. "How's your son doing?"
"We just spoke on the phone and he's doing great, he's taken over my business while I'm here which is a big help." Jerry replied as the pair walked through the gardens.
"That's really good, I'm glad he stepped up to the plate to help you out," Annalise said. "Callum's been great with this whole thing, but Jeffrey still hasn't come around like I thought he would."
"I think with Rupert out of the picture it might help with that," Jerry said.
Annalise nodded, "I'm hoping so."
"I actually wanted to ask you, I was thinking of teaching the boys how to make bouquets, it'll give me a chance to get to know them," Jerry said.
Annalise smiled, "I'm not sure how much Jeffrey would like that, but it sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll tell him that he's doing it."
"I don't want to force him…" Jerry tailed off.
"Oh, but I do, one of you is going to be his stepfather, it's about time he starts spending time with you," Annalise said.
Jerry nodded, "You're a good mother, Annalise."
"I hardly feel like one lately," Annalise said.
"Hey, what Rupert did to Jeffrey you couldn't have prevented, even if you tried. No one could have seen that coming, but you were there for him all throughout his short-lived custody arrangement, and you never gave up on him, that counts for something," Jerry said as he gave Annalise's hand a little squeeze.
"Thank you, Jerry," Annalise said with a small smile. "I just feel like I should have done more."
"You did your best, that's all you can do," Jerry assured the Queen.
"Were things ever this hard with Cal?" Annalise asked.
Jerry laughed and shook his head, "Heavens no, but then again Cal didn't have a power-hungry uncle looking to use him."
Annalise chuckled, "I suppose you're lucky in that sense. Let's talk about something else."
"We should have a beach day, just the two of us," Jerry said.
"I'd love that, I can't quite leave the palace until Jeffrey is released from the hospital wing, but as soon as he's feeling better I can." Annalise said with a smile.
"It's a date then," Jerry said.
Annalise nodded, "I'm looking forward to it. I haven't been to the beach without my kids, since, well before I had kids," She joked.
Jerry chuckled, "That just means that you're a dedicated mother, there's nothing wrong with that. But still, you need to take time for yourself. If you wear yourself out you won't be able to be there for your kids."
"I know, it's just that Jeffrey has been so time consuming lately that I barely have time to spend with Callum, it's difficult and I know Callum is starved for attention," Annalise said with a sigh.
"You're doing the best you can do, Annalise, you just have to trust that that's enough," Jerry said.
"Thank you, Jerry," Annalise said. She pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Dinner will be soon; we should probably head back inside."
Jerry nodded as he and Annalise turned around and made their way back towards the palace.
After dinner Annalise invited Joel to one of the parlors for tea and biscuits. They sat across from each other as they sipped at their tea.
"I just wanted to tell you, that you've made it to the Elite," Annalise said with a smile. Her letters of dismissal had been sent to those who had not been selected to join the Elite and they would be leaving on planes first thing in the morning. The rest of the elite would find out that they made it in the morning.
"I'm glad to hear that." Joel said with a smile. "How's Jeffrey doing?"
Annalise sighed, "Not good, he snuck out of the hospital wing, it took me and Greg to get him to go back, I almost had to have him dragged back."
"I'm sorry you had to do that," Joel said. "Although I can't blame him for wanting to be out of the hospital wing, that doesn't exactly sound fun."
Annalise nodded, "They're going to keep him for one more day then release him, although I'm not sure that he's ready to be released if I'm being honest."
"I'm sure the doctors know what they're doing, and if you need me to, I can keep an eye out for him." Joel said as he sipped his tea.
"Thank you, I appreciate that," Annalise said with a smile.
"I was actually wondering if I could spend some time with the boys? Teach them some first aid and survival skills."
Annalise smiled, "That sounds like a fantastic afternoon for them, I'm sure they'll love it. Just…be careful with Jeffrey."
Joel nodded, "Don't worry, I won't give him a knife or any sort of weapon. I'll just take them on a hike and teach them how to make a fire, that should keep them entertained for a while."
"Now you have me a little jealous," Annalise teased.
Joel grinned, "I can teach you as well, I didn't think you'd be interested in any of that."
"You never know, it could come in handy." Annalise said with a grin. "Your job sounds thrilling and exciting if I'm being completely honest."
"I love what I do, but I know it's time for me to settle down soon, that's if I meet the right woman, of course."
"Of course." Annalise said with a smile. She also knew that it was time for her to settle down, but with the right person for both her and her sons, though she knew not to give much thought to what Jeffrey thought about the Selected since he didn't seem to want to like any of them.
That evening, Annalise entered the hospital wing and went straight to Jeffrey's room. There were guards posted outside of his door, as per her instructions. She found him sitting up in bed with a book.
"You and I need to have a serious talk, young man," Annalise said sternly.
"About what?" Jeffrey asked with a sigh. He closed his book and glanced up at his mother.
"The Selected are down to the Elite, one of the ten men remaining will become your stepfather and it's about time you treat them with respect," Annalise said firmly. She sat on the edge of her son's bed. "If I hear about anymore attitude from you, you will lose privileges. Do I make myself clear?"
"That's not fair!" Jeffrey complained.
"I think it is, I'm not going to tolerate you constantly trying to push them away, you may not be happy with this, but you will be respectful towards them. Am I understood?"
"Whatever." Jeffrey said as he crossed his arms.
"Enough, Jeffrey," Annalise warned. "I've had enough of your attitude. Furthermore, you will have daily counselling sessions for the foreseeable future."
"Daily? Why?" Jeffrey questioned, whining slightly.
"Because you tried to kill yourself, Jeffrey, you could have died," Annalise said as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm not losing you again, your behaviour has been erratic, this is to help you, it's not a punishment."
"Fine, whatever," Jeffrey said quietly.
"Get some rest, you only have one more day in here then you'll resume your studies per usual," Annalise said.
"What about Uncle Rupert?" Jeffrey asked worriedly.
"You won't be seeing him again; your studies will be with your regular tutors." Annalise said as she stood. She kissed her son on the head, ignoring his groan of protest. "I expect you to be on your best behaviour, got it?"
Jeffrey nodded as he laid back down in his bed, "Fine." He grumbled.