A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you to you all for reading the latest chapter and to Chelsietx, bee-327, ClarisseMarie, and to the guest, for taking time to leave me awesome reviews. Thank you so very much, I really really appreciate it!
Here's the next chapter for you all…
"I can't believe that grandma and grandpa will be back tomorrow," Mia said and took a sip of her tea as she moved across her uncle's suite and sat down in one of the armchairs. "Hope they have had the best time and took plenty of pictures."
"Me too, but how quick has that gone? It only seems like yesterday they left and here we are, two weeks later," Pierre said as he sat down on the settee in his suite and looked over at his niece sitting in the armchair as she nodded in agreement. She, along with her best friend Lilly and Nicholas, had all joined him in his suite for a catch-up after dinner.
They had all been extremely busy over the last few days, so this was the first time in what felt like forever that they'd had a chance to sit together, and he was curious to know how she was doing and finding everything before his mother, her grandmother, returned home tomorrow. So that he could report back on just how well she had coped in the first few weeks of being Genovia's new Queen.
But before that, however, he had just one funny story to share…
"I was thinking of another funny story to share with you earlier on," Pierre said with a smirk on his lips and looked over at his niece as she lifted her legs up and crisscrossed them on the seat.
"Ooo yes uncle Pierre, does it include grandma and grandpa?" Mia asked and took another sip of her tea as she held the mug in both of her hands.
"Of course," Pierre smirked mischievously and nodded.
"Oh excellent, I love a funny story. Especially one that involves those two," Mia giggled.
"I know you do," Pierre chuckled before carrying on, "well, from previous stories that I have shared over the last few weeks, you would have figured out by now that we liked to play pranks on each other over the years. Obviously, it started with just your father, myself and padre to begin with, but after the incident where we ended up chucking the buckets of water over your grandmother, she quickly got in on the pranks too." He smirked.
"I'm telling you, Pierre, I won," Philippe exclaimed as he and his brother made their way into the kitchen. Where they found their mother and her bodyguard. "Oh hey!"
"Hello," Clarisse smiled from where she was stood resting her hip against the kitchen table with her arms folded, and turned her head to the side, to watch her youngest son walk around the table to her. To kiss her cheek. "So, did you actually win?"
"Yes, I did," Philippe laughed and looked over at his brother.
"Nah ah, you didn't. You weren't even close," laughed Pierre as he walked around the table to their mother. "Philippe just won't admit it cause he hates losing. Hello mother," he smiled and kissed her cheek before looking over at Joseph sitting at the end of the kitchen table. "Joe."
"Hello," Joseph smiled and raised his hand up before putting it back down and back around his mug of tea as Pierre turned back to Philippe.
"It's the other way around more like," Philippe said and laughed as Pierre grabbed hold of him and put him in a loose headlock. Holding him down as he ruffled up his hair with his other hand. "PIERRE!"
"Oh goodness me boys, come on now, there'll be none of that in the kitchen," Clarisse said with a mischievous smirk on her lips. Knowing that boys will, ultimately, be boys. "It doesn't matter who won, though, right? As long as it was a good game and you both had fun."
"Yes we did," Pierre said and let go of his brother with a laugh before playfully pushing him to the side. "But it was even better cause I won," he teased.
"No, you didn't," Philippe exclaimed and threw the basketball at him.
"Stop now, boys," Clarisse exclaimed and watched as everyone looked at her. "We are in the kitchen, and ball games are for outside only."
"Sorry mother," Pierre said as he held the basketball up under his arm.
"Yes, sorry, mother," Philippe said as he put his hands on his hips and watched as his brother moved to stand next to their mother at the table.
"What are you doing anyway?" Pierre asked as he wrapped his arm around his mothers shoulders.
"Just getting myself some sliced strawberries and whipped cream," Clarisse smiled as she gestured to the punnet of strawberries, can of whipped cream, and an empty bowl on the table in front of them.
"You and strawberries, mother," Pierre said with a laugh and set the ball down in one of the chairs at the table before walking over to one of the many cupboards.
"I can't help it if they are my favourite," Clarisse smiled as she began slicing a strawberry on the chopping board and popped it into the bowl. "I'll slice some for you both, too, if you want some."
"Oh no, thanks, I'll pass," Pierre said as he grabbed two glasses and walked over to the sink. To pour himself and Philippe a glass of water each.
"Yeah, me too," Philippe said as he jumped up to sit on one of the countertops.
"Alright, that's more for me then," Clarisse smiled as she turned her head to smile over at Philippe. "Ahh," she said, raising her eyebrow at him. "Are you allowed to sit on the counter?"
"No," Philippe laughed and slipped back down as Pierre made his way over to him, "sorry mother."
"Hmm," Clarisse smirked over at him, then turned her head to look at Joseph as he took a sip of his tea. "Would you like some sliced strawberries and whipped cream?"
"Yes actually," Joseph nodded with a smile and set his mug back down on the table in front of him. "I would love some."
"Okay," Clarisse smiled and grabbed the tea cloth from the table to wipe her hands as she walked over to the cupboard to get an extra bowl for him.
"When's father due back, mother. Do you know?" Philippe asked as he leant back against the counter and watched his mother walk back over to the table.
"The day after tomorrow," Clarisse replied as she set the bowl and tea cloth back down on the table before continuing to slice strawberries and sharing them out into the two bowls. "It should have been tomorrow, but because they are due bad weather for most of tomorrow, all flights have been cancelled until the following day."
"Ahh," Philippe nodded and took a drink of his water.
"Fingers crossed then he'll be able to fly out the next day, I remember how miserable he was the last time that happened," Pierre said as his mother glanced up at him.
"I remember too," Clarisse nodded and set the knife down on the chopping board before lifting one of the bowls and tipping it slightly. "Is that enough for you, Joseph? Or would you like some more?"
"No no, that's plenty," Joseph smiled as she picked up the can of whipped cream. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Clarisse smiled as she moved along the table and set the bowl down in front of him while shaking the can in her other hand. "Tell me when," she said, tipping the can and squirting some cream into his bowl.
"When," he smiled and looked up at her as she stopped and lifted her hand. But before he could thank her once again, she sprayed some whipped cream in his face. Causing both boys to gasp in shock.
"Mother!" Pierre exclaimed.
"You didn't just do that?" Philippe laughed.
"Got you," Clarisse laughed as she set the can down on the table before turning to go back where she was stood moments before.
"And I got you back," Joseph replied as he jumped to his feet and grabbed the can. Spraying her back and her face as she turned to him.
"Noooo," Clarisse exclaimed and turned to run around the table as he chased after her. The both of them laughing as the boys looked on in amusement.
"Mother really enjoyed doing that," Pierre chuckled at the memory. "They both did, actually."
"Hmm, I wonder if that was because she got to flirt with grandpa," Mia laughed, "I mean, going from the conversation we had in her suite when it finally dawned on her that they had been flirting after she pushed him in the pool way back then."
"Yes, it could be," Pierre chuckled as he averted his gaze across the room and nodded his head in contemplation a moment before looking back over at his niece. "Come to think of it, she always played the prank on padre. She got your father and I once or twice to, of course, but it was mainly on him. And vice versa. And they both seemed to enjoy that. Pranking each other."
"Yes they would, especially since they were flirting. Seriously, uncle Pierre, how did you not figure out there was something there between them like my father did?" Mia asked with a laugh. "Hearing all these stories, it's so obvious how they felt for one another."
"I know when I look back on all these memories, it's obvious to me now, but back then, I just didn't see it. I guess because to me it was her and father that were the married couple, and she and padre were just really good friends. And that's how, or so I thought, everyone else see them too. As just good friends. But how wrong was I?" Pierre said, and everyone laughed just as his mobile phone on the end table next to him started ringing. "Oh, excuse me."
"Of course," Mia said as she watched him lean to one side and reach his arm over the armrest of the settee to grab his phone.
Catching a glimpse of who was calling as he lifted it to him, he answered the phone cheerily. "Hello padre," he smiled, putting the phone up to his ear. "We were just talking about you both."
"Were you?" Joseph answered sombrely.
And from the tone of his voice, Pierre instantly knew something was wrong. Glancing at his niece, who was now in conversation with Nicholas and Lilly, he quickly got to his feet and moved away from the others. "Is everything okay?" He asked quietly.
"No, actually it's not. It's far from okay, and you know I'm sorry for telling you like this, Pierre, but I wanted you to know now just in case it got out that she was here. But your mother, she's um… she's in hospital," Joseph said sadly, his eyes fixated on the door of Clarisse's hospital room. Where the love of his life lay hooked up to a drip, resting, with his sister sitting at her bedside.
"What?" Pierre exclaimed and instantly regretted it when he noticed Mia and the others look over at him from the corner of his eye. "What's happened?" He asked more quietly as he made his way across the suite and into his bedroom.
"Well she hasn't been feeling well all night and this morning, so I left her to get some rest what with us meant to be flying home later on today, but when I went to check on her a while later she was unconscious on the floor," Joseph replied and listened as Pierre gasped down the line.
"Oh god," Pierre said and closed his eyes at the thought of this happening to his mother thousands of miles away from home. "What have the doctors said? Do they know what caused it?"
"As well as being dehydrated, they believe she's also got severe heatstroke, so they have run blood tests and have done xrays to rule out any other causes, and to check on her internal organs too because I don't know how long she was unconscious for before I found her," Joseph replied as he began pacing slowly outside Clarisse's hospital room while slipping his free hand in his shorts pocket.
"Do you want me to fly out? Because I can be on the next flight out of here if you do," Pierre said as he moved across his bedroom to sit in the chair by the balcony door. "I want to be there for not just mother, but for you too."
"I know you do, Pierre, and we appreciate that. But let's wait and see what the results from the tests they are running say first," Joseph said, his head down as he paced back and forth.
"Okay, well, do you have anyone there with you at the hospital?" Pierre asked. "I know your sisters and their families live out there. So maybe they can be there for you. Well, at least I hope they will be there for you."
"They are, yes. I have Juana here at the moment. She's currently sitting in with your mother while I call and let you know, and Diego and Vee are on their way." Joseph nodded.
"Okay, and how is mother now? Is she awake?" Pierre asked and took a deep breath.
"She's resting right now. They managed to get her temperature down, which is a good thing, and she's on a drip to treat the dehydration," Joseph replied. "It's just now a waiting game to get the test results back."
"Okay, well as soon as you find out, let me know what they say, please?" Pierre said, nodding to himself slightly. "And if you need me, I'll be there, you know that."
"I do, and I will, of course. Thank you, Pierre," Joseph said as he stopped pacing and turned to lean back against the wall beside her door. "Please can you let Mia know?"
"Of course, and please let mother know when she wakes that we all love her," Pierre said.
"I will, of course," Joseph nodded and raised his free hand up, rubbing it back and forth across his forehead in anticipation a moment.
He absolutely hated situations when he didn't know what was happening or couldn't control. For years, it was his job to protect her, and with each minute that passed, he was growing more and more angry at himself for not doing something sooner. Perhaps if he had, and had got a doctor out to see her first thing that morning, he wouldn't have found her unconscious on the bedroom floor, and they certainly wouldn't be at the hospital like they were now either.
They would be enjoying the last few hours of their honeymoon snuggled together on the settee. Reminiscing over the last couple of weeks.
"And update me whenever you can, please? No matter what time it is, I don't care. Just let me know," Pierre said, pulling Joseph from his thoughts.
"Of course," he said and turned his head to the side as Clarisse's hospital room door suddenly opened, and Juana stepped outside. "I better go now. Get back to Clarisse in case she wakes up and I'm not there."
"Okay, well, thank you for letting me know, and I will let Mia know in a minute as she's currently in my suite," Pierre said as he got back to his feet.
"Okay, I'll talk to you later on. Bye for now," Joseph said and turned to his sister as she faced him with her arms folded loosely.
"Yes, bye padre," Pierre said, and they both hung up.
Taking a deep breath, Joseph looked up at his sister and slipped his phone in his shorts pocket. "She's awake and asking for you," Juana said softly as she raised her arms up and stepped closer to him. To give him a hug as she rubbed one of her hands up and down his back. "I'll let you go back in on your own, but I'll be right out here if you need me, okay?"
"Thank you, Juana," Joseph nodded, and they stepped apart with tears in his eyes. "I really don't know what I would do if you weren't here."
"Hey you, you got this okay," Juana said softly and moved her hands to cup his face briefly in them before giving him another quick hug. "You gotta stay strong, hermano, she needs you."