He was unconscious when Alfred arrived. His eyes closed and body limp while a nurse refreshed his bandages. Alfred's breathing and heart raced at the sight. The man on the bed had always looked so strong, so confident. Alfred had known as soon as he'd seen him that Edward would do great things, but now he lay there on the bed, broken and weak.

"Can I pass sir?" The words from the nurse woke Alfred from his thoughts. He absentmindedly nodded to the woman and lowered himself on a chair next to the bed while the nurse left the room. His eyes never left Edward as he watched blood soak the fresh bandages.

Hours passed and nothing moved in the room except for the nurse who came to check on Drummond every thirty minutes. Thoughts spun through Alfred's mind. Some hopeful, some miserable, but all centred around the person on the bed. His eyes didn't leave Edward, not even when someone entered the room and cleared his throat.

"Lord?"

Alfred looked up in surprise. "Yes," his voice broke. Alfred averted his eyes from the greying man in shame. His gaze settled back on Edward, his safe haven.

"Maria," that must have been the nurse's name, "told me you've been here all day. Surely you have more urgent matters to attend to? You should go home."

"Who are you?" Alfred asked, even though he knew how rude that sounded.

"His doctor. I'm here to check upon him for the night."

A glint of hope appeared in Alfred's eyes that made him sit up straighter. "Will he be okay?" His gaze flickered to Drummond before returning to the doctor.

"Honestly, I don't know. He is gravely wounded, lost a lot of blood. I don't know if he'll make it." Alfred's face fell. "There's nothing you can do. We'll take care of him, go home."

"No, I'll stay…"

The wood under her feet creaked as Wilhelmina ascended the stairs. "Alfred?" she called. No answer came, but the young woman knew he was there. To her concern he hadn't left Drummond's room in two days. She opened the door. In front of her was a bed that she quickly averted her eyes from. Next to it was a chair in which Alfred was softly snoring.

She hadn't seen him for days, but the worry she imagined plagued his face was even visible as he slept. Careful not to wake him, Wilhelmina sat herself on the chair on the other side of the room. She tried not to look, but soon her gaze was on Drummond. At the palace she'd heard the secretary had been hurt badly, but what she saw now was worse than she'd imagined. Sweat dripped from his forehead onto the pillow, dampening his hair and the bed. His face was distorted from pain she didn't know he could feel in his slumber. His- a noise from the other side of the room made Wilhelmina lose her train of thought and look up.

Alfred yawned as he woke up. Yet, as his memories caught up with him, his stare went immediately to Edward.

"Alfred?"

The blond turned his head to the left and saw Wilhelmina seated on a chair just like his. He blinked a few times - his mind was so occupied with Drummond that it had become slow on every other subject - before he acknowledged her.

"What are you doing here?"

Wilhelmina shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I wanted to visit him." She locked eyes with Alfred. "And I wanted to check on you."

Seeing his non-understanding look, she elaborated: "I'm worried, and I'm not the only one. There are stories going around that you're heavily sick. Some people even think you're dead or have run away. I know that's not true, but you're not taking care of yourself. Please Alfred, come with me to the palace so you can sleep and eat properly."

Alfred was already shaking his head before she finished her sentence. "No, I can't. I can't leave him." He gestured to Edward. "I need to be here when he wakes."

"What if he doe-." Mid-word she stopped and covered her mouth with her hands in shock. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply…"

Tears, that he'd been storing for two days, appeared in his eyes and within minutes he was a crying mess. Wilhelmina hurried to him and not knowing what else to do, she embraced him.

He hugged her back. "I just don't know what to do. I wonder and I keep wondering what I'd do if he… I can't say it."

"Hush. He's going to be fine. You're going to be fine."

"What would I do without him?"

From when she'd seen them kiss, Wilhelmina had known she and Alfred would never be more than friends. It hurt, holding him and not being able to comfort him like she'd want to. It hurt, but she was willing to set herself aside if it meant he could be happy. Right now, he needed a friend to care for him, and she would be that friend.

It took a while for Alfred to calm down, but when he did, he still didn't want to leave. Wilhelmina knew she wouldn't be able to convince him, so she left, but with the promise to come back later that night.

Which she did, with some bread and vegetables - the best she could find in the short amount of time she'd been away - and almost forced them on Alfred. The next day, she did the same, and she continued to do that until Alfred finally left that room.