-Chapter 9
Liam's POV
It only took him twenty minutes to convince the head doctor that his sister needed to be at home rather than in hospital. He was entirely prepared to pull rank as the next King of England, but for security and confidentiality purposes, the doctor agreed. The family's doctor could work in conjunction with a medical team to monitor Eleanor's weight and physical progress. A private psychiatrist would be on staff to work with the mental health side of her treatment. It was no secret that her condition had actually declined in the short time she had been in hospital. Liam was bewildered by that fact; she once had so much fight in her but that seemed gone now.
Eleanor's PoV
She slowly paced around her room until the sound of footfall in the hallway sent her scurrying back to bed. She smoothed the blankets over her legs as her brother appeared in the window.
"Len," Liam started as he entered her room, "I've got great news. The doctor has agreed that you can return to the palace. A team of doctors will be brought in to monitor your health and facilitate treatment. You can do everything at home." His face was glowing with excitement, but the sentiment didn't quite reach his eyes. She could still see the concern hiding in them. "Yes that good news. When can I leave? Please can it be today?" "It will take some time to set everything up and prepare you for transport, but he seems certain that it will be tomorrow," replied Liam.
He moved the chair back to her beside then paused to look up at her. Shit, she had forgotten to put the chair back. She needed to lean on her IV pole while she paced and that damn chair was in the way. She didn't even think about it when she got back into bed, and now he knew she'd gotten up. "You got out of bed." He didn't even put it as a question, no, it was more of an accusation. "I, uh, I...I needed to use the bathroom."
Liam's PoV
"You needed to use the restroom...and you didn't think to call the nurse like you've done every other time since they put you on mandatory bed rest?" "I did." He could tell she was lying, he and the doctor had been standing outside the nurses station and not once had any call come from her room. "Len I was at the nurses station, you didn't call." She shrugged then snapped at him, "I didn't feel like having someone watch me go to the toilet. I'm tired of being watched all the time. I am capable of going four feet to the bathroom without a nanny. I'm an adult and I'm not helpless, for God's sake."
Jasper was right, she was infuriating. "Len I trusted you to stay in that bed while I convinced the doctor you could behave yourself at home. Your body can't handle walking to the toilet, let alone pacing the floor of your room, which is what you were most likely doing. If you can't be trusted here, then maybe it would be best if you didn't come back to the palace. Maybe you should go to a hospital facility to recover." Tears began streaming down her face. He sat down in the chair and, with a look of stoic resignation, watched her sob. At this point, if she was truly not interested in recovery, then there wasn't much he could do for her. She was willing to let this kill her, rather than following doctor's orders which were meant to keep her blood pressure from dropping.
By the time Jasper returned, she had curled into a ball with her back to Liam and cried herself to sleep. Liam looked up from his phone when the door opened.
Jasper's PoV
Nerves tingled his stomach as he walked down the long corridor to her room. He had no idea what state she would be in when he returned, and his mind spun the wheel of horrible possibilities. She was asleep. Relief flooded his system. She needed as much rest as possible and the reality was, if she was asleep then she couldn't be hurting herself further.
Liam gave him a look that surely meant something had happened. Jasper set Eleanor's things down and followed Liam into the hall. After hearing all that had transpired, he was angry and frustrated. "God dammit Eleanor!" Jasper had to stop himself from punching a hole into the wall.
"I don't know what to do, how to help her, how to make her see, Jasper. I thought I knew her, but it's as if a monster has taken over her body. She has one goal in her head and nothing else seems to matter. How did she get this far without me noticing?" Jasper turned back toward Liam, "She's been getting worse in the last month or two. Before that she just hid it behind her drugs and drinking. I had suspicions but it wasn't until her body started giving out on her that it became clear. I don't know what changed or why she got worse all of a sudden. I don't know why she just doesn't let the doctor, let us help her. I found some of her old journals…" "You can't read those, she'd never forgive you," Liam interrupted. "I know that but if it means she gets to live then I'm willing to risk losing her."
