A/N: to my one and only follower. I hope you are still with me!


Jasper got back to his room, his head swimming. Through the haze of pain, he could see Eleanor sat on his bed, a watery smile on her face.

"There's my girl" Jasper slurred as the doctor made it to the side of the bed.

Eleanor swatted the doctor away from Jasper. She waited until he was ready before she placed her arms underneath his and helped him stand. Once he was stood, Eleanor wrapped her arms around his waist to steady him and held his gaze until Jasper looked down. At this point Eleanor guided him backwards to the edge of the bed. She let him get his breath back again, before she settled between his legs, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

When they broke apart, Jasper tried to slide his body further into the bed. It took a minute and with Eleanor's help, he was laid in his hospital, breathing the pain out of his body.

Eleanor pulled the blankets up to his armpits and sat on the bed next to him.

"Len?," Jasper said, his voice sleepy

"Yeah"

"I didn't name you because I wanted to keep you safe. May not be a good idea to be camped out by my bedside?"

"Don't you want me here?"

"I do, but I want to protect you more. You deserve all the protection I can give you" Jasper admitted, fading into sleep.

Still Eleanor did not leave his bedside until Elizabeth arrived several hours later.


All of the tabloid headlines the following day were about Jasper. Even the most critical headlines were in favour of him serving England's Crown.

"Conman Bodyguard saves Prince; American Protecting England's Throne; Admitted Conman conned the Crown. I mean, they aren't too bad" Eleanor told him as she read the headlines.

"No one has lynched me yet so that is a good sign, I hope?"

"At least you don't have to keep up with that fake accent" Eleanor turned the page and quickly shut the paper.

"True. What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Len."

Eleanor opened the page, folded it over and handed it to him.

"Bodyguard's Woman Revealed!" he stated, staring at a photograph taken of him in his hospital bed, with Elizabeth pressing a sponge to his lips. "Damn. They'll eat her alive."

Eleanor was tapping away at her phone. He saw her lock it and return her gaze to him.

"I've asked Liam to set her up some security until this dies down"

"That's going to take a while!"

"Well I do have some good news for you."

"Yeah?"

"I've talked to your surgeon. You can come home tonight."

"Home?"

"The Palace. I have warned the them that you will be recuperating in my room, not yours, and the doc is going to keep treating you there."

"Do you really think that I'm fit enough to be moved?"

Eleanor rolled her eyes.

"Doctor said bed rest. I'm looking forward to taking care of you for a change." she said with a devious smile. "But for now, they want you out of bed, and getting used to moving around on these!"

Eleanor pointed to a pair of crutches, making Jasper groan.

"Thought he said bed rest?"

"He did, but he also realises that you may need to get up, to, you know, pee, maybe shower for the first time in days. He also said that whilst bed rest is key at the moment, you do need to get up and walking a couple of times a day."

"But why the crutches?"

"How the hell do I know? I'm not a doctor!"

A physiotherapist entered the room at that point and saw that Jasper was awake.

"Let's get you out of bed shall we?" she said kindly, picking up the crutches and bringing them over to Jasper's bed. She helped him sit up and move to the side of the bed, and lowered it until his feet could touch the floor. She slipped a crutch on each arm and assisted him in standing up. Immediately, Jasper knew why he needed the crutches. It didn't hurt as much to stand.

"Slowly does it" the physio advised him, as he took his first steps in days.

"What are the instructions for walking? The doctor said bed rest."

"Start off doing a small distance twice a day, then build it up, very gradually."

"Define small?" Jasper asked.

"Why don't we go for a walk and I will show you?"