Chapter 6
Jasper's PoV
Jasper and Liam were ripped from their shared moment of love and grief. Several members of hospital staff had rushed into Eleanor's room. The shrill sound of alarms were like daggers to both men's ears. Jasper didn't even remember pulling himself from the floor and running toward the commotion but a large nurse stopped him at her door. Jasper could make no sense out of the words this man was saying, all he could focus on was the tiny body lying on the floor beyond, the smear of blood, the intercom screaming "code blue." Jasper's usually strong body sagged against the wall behind him, he was bewildered. Liam was tucking his phone back into his pocket when Jasper became aware of his presence. "Mum will be here soon. I told her to hurry." He turned to address the man blocking the door to his sister. His view obstructed, Liam's only knowledge of the severity of the situation came from the look of panic and terror written across Jasper's face. "Tell me what's happening. What has happened to my sister?" Liam's voice rose as trepidation set in. "The team is doing everything they can to stabilise the princess. I need you both to remain out here and allow them to work." "H-her heart, her heart stopped," Jasper's voice was small and shaky, "I heard the flat tone. It stopped Liam." He disintegrated to a sobbing heap at the prince's feet. A change in noises from the room caused the nurse to turn allowing Liam a brief view of his sister's body. Her lifeless form was lifted to the awaiting bed. The queen arrived in time to see Eleanor's gurney being shoved through the doorway, a doctor riding atop giving forceful chest compressions.
The Queen's PoV
"Liam, Liam what's happened. Where are they taking her?" Jasper regained enough composure to get to his feet, a cold look in his eyes. "This is on you, her blood, her pain is on you Queen. All she ever wanted was to make you proud of her, and you never saw the pressure nor the pain you placed on her. She did this because you made her feel worthless. If she dies, that will be on you as well." His words cut deep, but she knew he was right. Still, she chose to defend herself and her actions, placing all the blame on her dying daughter. "Eleanor's lifestyle is Eleanor's fault. She's lived on drugs and alcohol for years. She replaced food with cocaine long before you came into the picture. Her choices have put her in this position. She has lived every bit the life of a princess, she feeds on the attention." She spit the harsh words back at the bodyguard. "I cannot believe you are actually blaming her for this!" Liam's voice was harsh and accusing, "she finally just gave up. She couldn't fight you anymore. I didn't see it until it was too late, I'd been convinced that she was being dramatic. YOU convinced us, me, that she was just a spoiled brat, Hell-bent on making your life miserable. I let her down by believing your lies." Her own son had turned against her now; she was in a corner, trapped, grief weighing on her shoulders. She broke. "I know I hurt her, I wanted her to be great, I wanted her to achieve everything she was capable of. I was, I am, too wrapped up in the image of the Monarchy." Tears crept from the woman's usually placid face. "Please tell me what has happened, please."
Jasper's PoV
At least the cold-hearted hag finally admitted what she had done. Now, maybe she felt just an ounce of Eleanor's pain. "Her heart stopped. There was blood. She was on the floor. They won't tell us anything," Liam wasn't one to mince words. He was pacing now, desperately trying to focus on the situation, to wrap his mind around what had become of his beautiful princess. He knew this was no time for tears, Jasper needed to focus. His pacing only stopped when the head physician came around the corner and strode down the hallway toward them. Jasper couldn't make out the doctor's expression; it wasn't a look of relief but neither was it a look of total sympathy. Perhaps a sliver of hope remained for his princess. "Your Highness, Prince Liam, Jasper," he greeted each with a somber but dutiful tone, "Let's step in here so we may speak privately." The queen began to protest, suggesting it was a family matter and he didn't belong, Liam rebuked her before the sentence was complete. The sound of the door latching was the most agonising sound of Jasper's life. The doctor wasted no time, "Eleanor's heart stopped, likely from a combination of malnutrition and over exertion. We were able to restart it, but it's in a weakened state." The three faces showed varying signs of pain and distress, the silence of the small room was deafening. He finally found the words to ask, "Wha-, what does that mean, exactly? 'Weakened state…'" The doctor looked over meeting Jasper's eyes, "Princess Eleanor's heart is beating on it's own, for now. The heart muscle is not strong enough to pump blood to her entire body efficiently. In addition, she has arrhythmia, it is possible her heart could stop again. Any amount of exertion or stress could lead to the heart muscle stopping. We will keep her here and monitor it closely. However, the best course of action for Princess Eleanor is admission to a treatment facility that can address the main cause of this situation as well as the heart failure." Jasper was speechless.
Liam's POV
He was stunned by the doctor's words. His sister had actually...no, no he wasn't going to think about it that way. "Doctor, what...how…, err, is she in pain, I mean will this be painful for her?" He was having trouble forming coherent sentences, but it seemed the doctor understand what he was asking. "She will be, and likely has been, short of breath even following light tasks. Too much activity will worsen the shortness of breath. Dizziness and fainting are common, particularly when there is a change in her blood pressure such as standing up quickly. She will be more sensitive to cold temperatures as her body is not benefiting from the warming properties of circulation. She's not going to like being confined to bed and wheelchair, but for now that is how it must be." The Queen, who had remained quiet to this point, used the break in conversation to question the doctor. "You said her heart stopped due to malnutrition and exertion," she cut her eyes across the room to Jasper, "This is your fault, clearly you cannot keep your trousers buttoned and your hands off the Princess for more than five minutes." Jasper's face took on an annoyed look. But before he could respond to her absurd accusations, Liam spoke up, "Are you seriously suggesting that Jasper and Len were having sex when her...when her heart...when this happened? That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Mother." Was his mother really that stupid? No, he thought, no she's just looking for anyone she can push the blame onto, anyone but herself.
Jasper's POV
He was floored by her assumptions, the idea that he could endanger Eleanor, that his desires trumped her being sick and in hospital. "Mother!" Liam sounded both shocked and disgusted by the Queen's suggestion. It was then that the doctor cut into the conversation, much to Jasper's relief. "Your highness, Eleanor was alone when the alarms on her monitors alerted us to the situation. She was found laying on the floor several feet from her bed. It's unclear what she was doing, but…" Jasper spoke up, able to clarify, "She was pacing around her room. It's how she burns calories without anyone knowing. It's also what she does when she gets very stressed and feels anxious. Can we see her now? Is she stable?" The doctor sighed, his voice seemed almost tired to Jasper. "You may go in, we have given her something to help her rest. The room needs to remain dark and sound should be kept to a minimum. When she collapsed she came down hard on the tile floor. She has a gash along her left temple, that has been bandaged, and a mild concussion. I recommend going in one at a time." He knew the Queen would want to go in first but he had to see her, had to be certain she was truly alive. Raising himself from the uncomfortable chair, Jasper strode to the door, heading directly to his princess.
Queen's POV
They called her a bitch, she knew this about herself. But she also loved her children. Helena needed to see her daughter. She may have been a jealous bitch, appeared to destroy her daughter's spirit, and competed in every way, but the thought of her daughter lying in that room clinging to life made her mouth go dry. Her thoughts, filled with Eleanor, were interrupted when Jasper walked to the door. There was no way he was going to beat her to the bedside. The Queen was more important, her needs trumped his desires.
Jasper's POV
"Where do you think you're going?" Her words stopped him in his tracks, just as he reached Eleanor's door. "This is a time for family, you are no longer needs here." Her words were like knives. He felt the anger boiling up inside. "We certainly can't take the chance of you two having sex," she was standing directly in front of him, "Do you honestly think I'd let my daughter marry a commoner, and the help no less." She pushed past him and into the princess's room. He was left there, watching through the door, watching as the woman he loved slipped through his fingers.
"Our mother has always been a bitch. Leni loves you, she would fight to get better for you and no one else. But she's going to need time and a lot of help. She's going to need to be hospitalised. The doctor is proposing an ng tube be inserted. It would give her the nutrients to help her body begin to repair itself. We just have to agree that it is in her best interest." He didn't even need Liam to convince him, as soon as he understood that it was to help keep his Eleanor alive, he was sold on the idea. "Inform the doctor that it's been decided, I don't give a damn what Her Majesty the Queen has to say." "Perhaps you should, bodyguard, I am the Queen, I can make you disappear whenever I choose." "Mother, the doctors think it would be best for Len to have a feeding tube inserted. She's very weak and the nutrition will help her heal faster, easier." The Queen stood there touching up her makeup; her indifference made him want to smack the red off her lips.
Liam's POV
He was at a loss for words, he'd told their mother about the doctor's recommendation for Leni. Her little body didn't have much fight left in it, but maybe if she was getting some vitamins and calories, she could get stronger. Her response, and her incessant need to apply makeup, angered him. "She's just doing this for attention, she thinks maybe someone will care about her if she has some terrible illness. What she needs is to exercise more so she burns off the fat she has on her back and legs. Honestly this has all just been blown out of proportion." Jasper's jaw clenched and his body stiffened, Liam could feel the tension radiating from him. Before Jasper had a chance to put the Queen in her place, Liam grabbed his shoulder and pushed him into Eleanor's room.
"How can you be so cold? She is truly sick. It's not for attention, she isn't faking anything, and she doesn't have any more fat to lose. Her body is shutting down, her organs are failing, her heart is barely keeping her alive. There's a chance that she won't live to see Christmas and you are more concerned with the image this gives the Monarchy. She needs her mother, not a queen." He glared at the callous woman, then turned toward Eleanor's door. He could see Jasper bent over the princess, her hand tightly in his. She deserves him, he thought, she deserves someone willing to love her in all her faults.
