Francis walked out of the bedroom suite, head hanging and tears threatening to fall. The Doctors had told him to wait outside, that it wasn't his place to be next to his wife, he wasn't supposed to take care of her. Henry and Danielle had come back upon hearing that the physicians had arrived. They looked up as the door closed behind Francis.

"Father?" Henry asked. Francis looked up.

"They will make her well. She awoke once and said she was feeling fine."

Danielle smiled. "You didn't believe her, did you Father?"

"Of course I did not! But I believe that she will make a full recovery in time."

"That is good news," Henry said, relieved to be hearing good news for once. Francis sat with them and all remained silent until the door opened almost an hour later. Two young doctors stepped out in front of the older physician, the one Francis trusted the most. He stepped in front of his two young colleagues and addressed the Royal Family.

"Her Majesty is resting comfortably. I am afraid she will not be able to get out of bed for another two weeks at least. She is to have peace and quiet during that time. I am afraid that the Queen was not well before she fell."

Francis stood, as did Henry. "What do you mean she was not well?" Francis asked darkly.

"Your Majesty, Queen Marie suffered many broken ribs and a concussion due to the fall. However, we have concluded that she was ill before she sustained those injuries. It seems that Queen Marie is suffering from an enlarged golbladder. We will need to remove it as soon as possible."

"What?" Francis shouted, enraged that they wanted to cut open his wife. "You will not cut open the Queen! This is preposterous!"

"Your Majesty..." one of the younger doctors began.

"Don't you speak to me! You're not even old enough to know numbers let alone what is wrong with the Queen!"

"Father, calm down!" Henry yelled. He quieted his voice some and turned to the three doctors. "What will happen if you do not remove the...well, what do you call it?"

"The golbladder," the older physician answered. "I am afraid it we do not remove it as soon as possible, the Queen...well, she will die."

Francis sat down quickly, shock written across his face. Henry pulled Danielle close as the three were silent for a few moments. Francis raised his head and stood.

"I would like to see her before you begin," he said grimly.

"Of course, Your Majesty." The Doctor opened the door and closed it behind the King. Francis walked over to the bed once more and sat down, taking his wife's hand in his. Marie opened her eyes slowly and smiled.

"Francis..."

"You must save your strength, m'lady."

"Tell Henry and Danielle that I love them."

"You will be able to tell them yourself, Marie. Do not talk as if anything will go wrong because I will not let it happen."

"Francis..."

"No, I refuse to let anything happen to you," Francis said, his voice significantly lower than before. "You will be fine."

"Francis...look at me."

He looked up, his eyes glassy from trying not to cry. She smiled as best she could.

"Take care of them...and yourself."

"Marie..."

"And make sure you start the university."

"Marie, I forbid you to talk like this! You are not going to die!"

"You cannot stop everything from happening, Francis. You could not stop Henry, remember?"

He smiled slightly. "No, I could not." His face grew serious as he leaned closer to her. "But, I will not allow you to leave me, Marie. There is still much to teach Danielle...things that I do not know. Only you know what she is to do, Marie. You have to teach her, not I."

"You never needed me before. You will be fine without me."

"Marie, that is not true! I depend on you...I...love you," he said, the words spilling out of his mouth before he even knew he was saying it. Her eyes widened some but then relaxed as she smiled.

"You do?"

"Of course I do. I'm just sorry I never said it before. I know I haven't been the best husband to you. But, I plan on changing as soon as you wake up. Your surgery will be fine. After that, you and I will be together much more...I promise you that," he said sincerely.

"That sounds lovely. And Francis..."

"Yes my dear?"

"I love you too," she said quietly. He cupped her cheek with his hand and rubbed it softly.

"Marie, you cannot leave me."

"Francis please..."

"I mean it. I am the King and I order you to be alright."

She couldn't help but smile. "I will try my best."

He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "I do love you, Marie. And I always have." He leaned back and saw a tear slip down her cheek.

"I've waited awhile to hear that," she said. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned forward and kissed her gently, so as not to bring her any more pain than she was already in. He leaned back and kissed her hand.

"Sleep well, my dear. I will be here when you wake."

Danielle walked outside to find her husband sitting on the steps, his head in his hands.

"Henry..." she said quietly, leaning down to sit next to him.

He looked over and took her hand. "I am sorry I left m'lady. I could not sit in there any longer. I needed to get out and think."

"I understand. Father is being quite brave, as are you."

"This never should have happened."

"It is my fault," Danielle said, two tears slipping down her cheeks.

"No, Danielle. No one blames you."

"But I forced her to come with me."

"She would not have gone had she not wanted to. Danielle, believe me, this is not your fault," he said, pulling her into a hug. "My Mother is a very strong woman and always has been. She will pull through this...she has to."

Inside, Francis had been pacing for the past hour and a half, waiting to hear something from inside the room where they had been working on Marie. He couldn't even think about bad news...he needed to hold to the hope that she would come back to him. They had just gotten to a place in their marriage where they could have a real relationship. He didn't want it to end before it even began. But it would be hours before the door opened and the physicians stepped out to reveal the state of the Queen of France.