Heir
(Thursday Afternoon, August 8th)
"Do you have it?" Ben questions, as Evie sits next to him.
"Yeah," she frowns, as she takes the Nutella and spoon from her purse. "There wasn't any Bai water left."
"Damn it." Ben complains, "Mother probably took it. She'll have anything coconut."
"I did bring some vitamin waters," Evie informs, as she takes out the flavored waters.
"Thank you." Ben opens the large Nutella jar, "I've been thinking about this for days."
"Not a problem," she reassures. "I'm here for you so long as you're here for me."
Ben eyes from the Nutella to her, "Is there a… What do you want?"
"Mal's going to tell you she thinks I'm losing it," Evie informs. "When that happens, I need you to convince her I'm fine."
He takes a moment, "What makes you think she's going to do that?"
"It's at a party," Evie explains. "She's talking to you near the top of the stairs. She's worried about me. I need you to tell her I'm fine."
"Okay," Ben unsurely replies. "What happens if I don't?"
"I'm not sure," Evie admits. "But I feel like it needs to be done."
Ben wets his lips, "I'll try to remember."
She smiles, "You're so beautiful." before she reaches for his hair. "But you have to grow this out."
He takes her hand away from him, "Don't call me beautiful."
"Why?"
"Because. I'm not," Ben insists, before he jabs the spoon back into the chocolate spread. "I'm just a fat pig that can't go an hour without thinking about food."
"I mean," Evie defends, "I don't envy how food talks to you and gets in your face."
"Yeah," Ben sighs, before he sucks on the spoon.
The nurse walks inside, "Your Highness." and Ben stares at her outstretched hand. "Give it to me."
Ben removes the spoon from his mouth, "But it's mine."
"You can have it back, once you get out of here," she reassures.
Ben glances from the Nutella to her, "No."
"Excuse me?" she disbelieves.
Ben holds it closer, "It's mine." but then she walks up to him. The hand hovers over the jar in front of him, and he bites it. "Ow."
"Serves you right," the nurse snatches the jar from him. "Didn't your parents ever tell you not to bite the hand that feeds you?"
"Um," Ben tries to recall. "No?" She pulls up her sleeve and turns out her glove, and Ben sees the gauze-like material. "What is that?"
"A safety precaution," she explains.
Ben feels the tip of his bottom canine, "It was like a rock."
"You didn't chip a tooth, did you?" Evie worries.
"No," Ben sighs. "Surprisingly. I need a new teeth doctor."
"Dentist," Evie informs.
Ben glares at her, "You don't need to correct something that's already correct."
"King Ben," the nurse interrupts, and he faces her. "Have you decided what you would like for dinner?"
He unsurely smiles, "How about a pound of lightly cooked hamburger with a jar of spaghetti sauce and some cheese on the bottom and top?" She doesn't answer, and he leans back, eyeing the ceiling. "I want to go home."
Evie asks, "Would it be okay if I brought him meals? I could calculate the nutritional value so that you can track it."
The nurse hesitates, "We don't normally allow uncontrolled foods or other substances inside the hospital."
"I live with him," Evie mentions, "and I love cooking. I could help him meal plan. Don't you want to know he'll be okay when he leaves?"
She takes a minute, "I have to ask his doctors first, but if I let you cook for him, you will need to follow a very strict calorie and macronutrient percentage."
"Perfect," she grins.
The nurse nods, "I will get with you."
After she leaves, Ben turns to Evie, "Any chance you could take some calories off?"
Evie seriously frowns, "They're not going to let me cook for you if I don't do it right. I'm cooking everything I need to."
"Come on," Ben complains.
Evie raises her eyebrows, "Well, you don't have to eat it if you don't want to." before she finds the nail file in her purse.
Ben watches her examine her hand, "Evie?" She faces him and hums. "Thank you."
"I'm going to have to learn how to cook for you anyway," she disregards, "if you're going to be living with Mal and me."
"You mean, me?" Ben corrects, and when she stares, he continues. "You and Mal are living with me."
Evie smiles, "You really are cute." before she bops his nose with the emery board. His eyebrows furrow, as his eyes cross. "You don't want to eat this." Evie pulls it away, but his eyes follow it. "Okay. What is it?"
"I don't know," Ben glances down, before he looks at the nail filer again. "I just got really mad that it touched me."
"I'm sorry," she apologizes.
"It's not your fault," Ben denies. "It's its fault."
Evie nods, before she spots the garbage bin and walks over to put it in. "There," she smiles and spins back towards him. "Now, it's punished and can't poke at you anymore." Ben frowns, eyeing down, and she walks over to him, "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," he softly speaks. "I just feel—"
"Evie," the nurse addresses, as she steps into the room.
Ben's frown deepens, "That was fast."
The nurse eyes over Ben before facing Evie, "Here." She hands her a few papers, "He's going to need three thousand calories, and for carnivores we like to start out by switching the percentages of the carbs and protein."
Evie sees the chart, "Fifty-five percent protein, thirty fat, and fifteen carbs."
"Saturated fat should only account for twenty percent of that fat," she cautions. "Carnivores are more likely to struggle with heart disease because of this, so it's very important to keep track of this."
Evie reads the grams below the percentages, "Got it."
"Bring me the nutritional value of the meals," she requests. "If you're under, we're going to have to make up for it."
Evie smiles, "I can do this."
The nurse breathes, "Well, that's good to hear. This one's a handful." She turns towards Ben, "No witty remark?"
When Ben fails to respond, Evie speaks up, "Let me take care of him." The nurse leaves, and she returns to her seat. "Do you know why you feel this way?"
"No," Ben whispers, before he faces her. "Do you?" She gives a hesitant look, and he frowns. "You can feel what I'm feeling, right? What is it?"
"You're anxious and sad," Evie lists, as she stares into his hazel-green eyes. "And the thought of me knowing that scares you. I think you know why you feel this way."
"How important is sex to Mal?" Ben eyes up, "I mean, I know it's important, but…"
"Well," Evie hesitates, "I do things with Mal for her. I like seeing her happy."
"I don't like sex," Ben whispers. "I really don't like it."
"I know," she softly speaks.
He tears up, "What if I can't make this work? Will she even want me?"
"You need to talk to her."
Ben shakes his head, "No."
"She said she would only believe it from you," Evie insists.
"Believe what?" he tests.
She frowns at him, "You know what."
Ben's mouth cracks open, "Mal doesn't need to know about this. I can be a good boyfriend."
"Ben," she sighs.
"Just let me try," Ben begs. "Please."
"I know Mal would accept you eventually." Evie urges, "You just need to tell her what you want."
"I don't know what I want," Ben's voice raises, before he lifts a hand to motion a calming breath. "Maybe sex isn't that bad." He smiles, "I can pretend it's not happening."
"That's healthy," she sarcastically comments.
"It could work," he thinks.
"Is this even about sex, though?" Evie inquires.
"What else would it be about?"
She widens her eyes, "You can't hide from me."
Ben folds his hands, "I used to think Mal could see through me."
"And she still can," Evie supports. "She's going to know you're hiding something, and if you don't tell her, it's going to frustrate the hell out of her."
"Don't you mean goodness?" Ben bypasses. "Isn't that what the Isle would say?"
"Fine." Evie places one leg over her other knee, "Be that way, but don't tell me I didn't say it was so."
"It's just—" Ben takes a moment, "It would be a lot easier if this worked."
"For who, exactly?"
"For me," Ben whispers. "I don't have the… I can't just not be king. I have responsibilities. I need to give the country their king. And a queen."
"And an heir," Evie finishes.
Ben sits in shock, before he nods, "Yes. And an heir. Of royal blood."