TPATSD 9
By the time he and Gabriella were discharged from the pediatric ward, it had been 36 hours since Henry had left them. When Henry had checked in with Alex to get an update, and Alex had given him the good news of his daughter's discharge, he had asked Shaan to collect Alex and Gabriella from the hospital when he found out Alex was going to just get a cab. When Shaan led them out to the car and Alex saw that Henry had procured a car seat, not only correctly installed, but set the right size and setting for a baby of her size, Alex was almost sobbing.
"Henry thought it would be a wise investment, as a precaution." Shaan explained to Alex, as he buckled his daughter into back of the town car and met Shaan around the other side to slide in beside her. "He often watches Gabriella, and he wants her to be safe, when she in his care."
Shaan noted how touched Alex was by Henry's kind gesture but did not comment on it. It was not his place. After Henry had gone to bed the other night, he and Catherine had held a long conversation about Henry. About Henry and Alex. About Henry, Alex and Gabriella. It was after that conversation, at Catherine's suggestion, Shaan broached the subject of Gabriella's safety in the car with Henry. He had overheard Alex tell Henry he had listed the prince as Gabriella's emergency contact. It seemed like a wise choice to him.
Shaan was not surprised that the youngest child of Arthur Fox was taken with the American. He had such a shining, effervescent personality. It seemed to suck Henry into his orbit. It had not escaped Shaan's attention that since Henry had first met Alex, Henry seemed to smile more. he was less stuck in his head about his royal duties and even more present when dealing with shelter matters.
Yesterday he had delivered Henry some takeout for lunch, as he had been meeting his wife nearby and was worried about whether or not Henry was eating. So, he had taken food to Henry, unannounced. It had warmed his heart to see Henry tending to Gabriella while Alex was in court. He did feel an ounce of grief that the prince's late father was missing this side of his son, but on the same hand, he had felt blessed that Henry was sharing this part of himself with him. But Shaan had sucked it up, knowing there would be many more moments in Henry's life that his friend and the prince's late father would miss.
"If I may Mr. Claremont-Diaz," Shaan begun, hoping that Alex didn't see it as crossing the invisible line. "I am relieved to see and hear that Miss Gabriella is on the mend. She gave us all quite the scare."
"That she did." Alex murmured, not taking his eyes off his daughter. It wasn't very often he was afforded the luxury of sitting in the backseat beside her. Gabriella was soundly sleeping, and Alex was relieved to hear that the stridor hadn't returned. The cold seemed to be barely there now, and he hoped that was truly the worst of it. Ever. That had been a big enough fright for Alex.
"Part and parcel of being a parent, I am afraid." Shaan smiled conspiratorially at him.
"Are you a father, Shaan?" Alex asked, looking up at his friend's Equerry.
"I will be in February. My wife is twelve weeks pregnant with our first, Sir." Shaan confirmed. He kept his tone even, not letting any motion colour his judgement.
"I hope your wife isn't too sick." Alex winced at the memory of Erica and how she had been incredibly ill. "Erica had hyperemesis gravidarum. She was awfully sick. I definitely admire the how humans can put themselves through the trauma of pregnancy to bring new life into the world. It is inspired."
"It takes a strong person to survive pregnancy." Shaan answered Alex, without really giving him a straightforward answer regarding his wife.
Catherine had been insistent with Henry, that she meet him for lunch. It was the last thing he had wanted to do. He'd been feeling a low day coming on for almost a week and he and woken up that morning with an underlying fear that today would be the day. Although his mother was doing better in her own grief, propelled out of it by the impending birth of Philip's first born, Henry was reluctant to let his mum see him like this. She had been seeing her therapist and had made great strides in the five years since she had pulled herself out of her self-imposed grief spiral. He couldn't afford for her to back spiral now because of him.
Alex didn't know about his struggles with depression and his low days but wouldn't have taken much for him to guess. Alex had told him that he had days where he struggled too, and it still hadn't been enough to make Henry confess. He'd had Shaan try every excuse in the book to get out of lunch with his mother, to no avail. She had even gone as far as insisting that they order in from his favourite falafel cart and lounge around.
Eventually Henry conceded the point to his mum and allowed her to join him. "Henry, my darling boy." She greeted him, joining him on the sofa where he had sprawled himself out. She too, still had dark days of her own, but was trying to be better for the sake of her family. Seeing Henry having his own low day, made her heart ache. But it also made her grateful she hadn't have known about them sooner. She would never have wanted to see Henry as lost as she had been.
The room was silent. Henry had wordlessly greeted his mother, before retreating back into his cocoon of blankets that he had wrapped himself in. Inside his cocoon, he had his phone. Just as his mother had made her presence known, Alex had sent him a small video clip recording Gabriella enjoying some tummy time and making cooing baby noises. He had told Alex he was having a day off work, and Alex wasn't going into the office either. He had been flat out; preparing for June and Oscar's arrival.
"How is Gabriella doing?" She asked after some silence. Someone on her staff had brought them in their lunch and Henry had barely moved.
"Better." Henry answered softly. He didn't want to elaborate much more; in fear of any questions his mum may ask him.
When he'd left the dinner at Buckingham Palace, eager to get to the hospital, he had been sure that his mother was going to ask about his feelings for Alex.
"Henry, Darling." Catherine broke back through the silence after a laden filled silence. "I want you to know that Bea and I, we tried talking some sense into Philip and your Gran the other night. About letting you come out."
"She won't let me come out, as long as she is alive." Henry sighed. It was a familiar fight by now. "Even in death, she'd try and prevent it from happening somehow."
"While that may be true, we also told her that when you're ready to come out, we will support you. Regardless of her feelings." Catherine told him gently. "I need you to know that whenever you are ready, so are we."
"Is that all?" Henry asked, still hoping to actively avoid talking about Alex and his growing feelings.
"No, I want to talk about Alex." Catherine admitted hesitantly.
"And this conversation is now over." Henry told his mother. "There is nothing to talk about."
"I just wanted to say that I hope you are being careful." Catherine whispered, hugging him closely to her. "I don't want to assume one's sexual orientation, Darling. However, I also don't want to see you get your heart broken. But please know it is ok to like someone. to want to form a relationship, or a lasting connection with. It's even ok if the person you chose is a Mexican American with a child from a previous relationship. Please know both of them would be welcomed into our family with open arms. If anyone said anything, I would expect to be told. So, I can set them straight, and that includes my mother. Oh Hen, we just want you to be happy."
"I said I didn't want to talk about it." Henry reminded her.
"I'm done, for now." Catherine smirked at her son. She recognised he was having a low day. "We'll revisit this conversation at a later date."
Alex had cleaned his home to within an inch of its life while Gabriella had her afternoon nap. His father and his sister had officially landed in his country and as much as he wanted to meet them at the airport. June had insisted that they would get a taxi.
Calculating the time from Heathrow, the time it took to get through immigration, collect their bags and hail a cab, they were due any moment. Looking around the room, he begun straightening out the couch cushions for the fifth time in a row. That was when he acknowledged to himself that he might be losing it a little.
He opened his front door and removed the paper sign from the door well. The one he had put there last week telling visitors to message him as not to wake his sick and sleeping child. He was excited and he couldn't wait to see his sister and his father, even if Nora wasn't coming too. But he'd definitely be sure to tell Nora that he missed her when she called to speak to her wife.
Hearing the cab pull up in the driveway, Alex went to the front door opened it. Leaning on the threshold, he realised he had missed his family. A lot more than he thought he would. "Junebug, Pa!" Alex called out, not loud enough to wake Gabriella, but loud enough to get their attention.
June dropped her bag and went careening into Alex's arms, as soon as he called out. June had missed her kid brother, and, in all honesty, she had been worrying about him and how he was coping with his new single parent status. "Alex!" She exclaimed, right before she pulled him for a hug so tight, he was struggling to breathe. He could feel her hot tears through his tee, and he rubbed his sisters back.
"Hey Hermana, it's ok." Alex whispered, taking his sister's tears in his stride.
"Hey Mijo," Oscar said softly, over June's head, as he pressed his lips to his son's head. "Where's my Querida nieta?"
"Sleeping, Pa." Alex said, as June pulled back and his father hugged him. "Neither of you better wake her or I am going to seriously lose my shit at you both."
"I do know better than that, Mijo." Oscar admonished his son, as Alex took their bags and showed them to the guest rooms. Although, at this point, the number of times both or either of them had visited, they were almost their dedicated rooms.
Back downstairs in the kitchen, Alex was making enchiladas for lunch when the sound of Gabriella's crying interrupted them. "I'll go get her." Oscar offered.
"No, Dad." Alex argued. It was time for Gabriella to have some more of her treatment for her persistent cough from the croup and Alex wanted to make sure the medication was administered properly. "CJ, can you please boil the kettle for me while I am gone?"
Making his way upstairs and into Gabriella's room, Alex greeted his precious daughter with a wide smile and happy cooing noises that seemed to sooth her. He scooped her up and made short work of changing her and administering her medication.
Coming downstairs with Gabriella in his arms and wearing a smile, Alex grinned to himself. He told Gabriella that her Abuelo and her Tia June were here, just to see her. She looked at him like she was taking what he said on board.
"Here she is," Oscar's voice lit up, seeing Alex holding his granddaughter. No leads or wires attached to her, no breathing tubes or oxygen lines. Just his son and an equally happy baby girl. his granddaughter. "Oh Ale, she's divine. She is beginning to look so much like you."
"Of course she is," June cooed from her spot at the kitchen island benchtop. She was admittedly impressed with Alex and the way he maneuvered Gabriella around while he prepared her bottle and heating it in the warm water from the kettle. She watched and observed carefully as Alex put the correct amount of formula in the water and shook it up to mix it. "You're really good at that." She murmured.
"Ah, thanks." Alex blushed, as he replied hesitantly. "Now who wants the honors?"
"CJ can." Oscar answered. "Because Abuelo is going to babysit tonight, and CJ is going to make sure that Gabriella's father has a nice dinner out of this house."
"But Pa?" Alex protested. "I am her father; I can't just drop everything and go out without her. She is much too young to be paraded around a restaurant.
"But nothing, you're allowed to take a break, Mijo." Oscar tried again. "Now, you are going to go out with your sister, and I am going to stay here with Gabriella. You are going to stay away from this house for a minimum of five hours and I am ordering you to have fun."
"Dad, I can't just leave." Alex tried again. "Gabriella has medication to be administered and she will need to be -"
"Alex, I was a father to two children. I haven't forgotten what to do or how to do." Oscar laughed in a way that seemed to leave Alex with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. "As for her medication, you can show me how to do that and I will make sure it is done. I used to have administer medication to my children too, you know?"
The ringing of Alex's cell phone disrupted their banter and Alex left the room to get it, recognizing the tone as the one he had assigned to Henry. The feeling that flooded through him was one of pure relief. He hadn't heard from Henry in two days and that was unusual. Closing the door to the formal dining room, so his father and sister couldn't hear him, he snatched up his phone, all too eagerly.
Watching Alex take his call through the glass pane of the sliding doors that led into the formal dining room, both Oscar and June had the perfect view of him. They were surprised to see the smile that Alex wore on his face when he answered the call. His genuine laughter, not the false one he had been using since Erica's death, but the full-bellied laugh he had his entire life. Whoever he was talking to made him happy.
They heard a very jovial "oh, fuck you.' slip from Alex's lips and they could both see that it had been said with so much care and affection. Whoever was on the other end of the phone line, they were making Alex happy.
"Hmm, that's new." Oscar murmured. He was mostly talking to himself, but he knew that in the quietness of the room, CJ would be able to hear him too.
"Is it really possible Alex is seeing someone?" June asked. "I mean he would tell me if he was, right."
Oscar nodded. His kids were close and he was sure that Alex would confide in his big sister if there was someone new on the scene. June had been the one he had talked to about Erica, all those years ago.
"Pa, do you think if Erica had of survived the crash, would Alex have held on to her and fought for her?" June asked. A thought had struck her that maybe Alex wouldn't have fought for her, if Erica had of survived, when her betrayal came to light. He would have fought for Gabriella, but she wasn't sure about Erica.
"I don't know, Bug."
"Are you going to tell me all about the person you're seeing?" June asked, as she slid into the booth behind him at the pub. There hadn't been any time to make a booking at an actual restaurant, so Alex had just suggested walking down to the local pub. It was only a ten-minute stroll from is house, so there was no need for any Ubers or cabs.
"What the hell are you going on about Catalina June?" Alex asked his sister, as if she had grown an extra head. "I have literally no idea what you're talking about."
He lied. he knew exactly what she was talking about. At the time, it had been nothing. But it wasn't until he had hung up with Henry that afternoon that he realised that he had been openly flirting with the prince on the phone. It hadn't been any different than their usual banter, so he hadn't read much more into it than that. However he had panicked when he realised how hard he was grinning when Henry had hung up.
"Whatever you say, Hermano." June quipped, opening the menu. By now they had both been here enough to have the menu memorized. "I know what I saw though. You can't fool us."
"There's no one." Alex reiterated. That was the honest truth. It was too soon. There was the idea that someone might come along one day. But right now, there wasn't anyone. But that wasn't something he was going to be sharing with his older sister.
"You know you are allowed to look, right?" She asked, as they put their drink order through on the app. "I'm not saying go out and date the first bimbo or himbo you find. But you are allowed to look. You aren't obligated to mourn Erica for the rest of your days. Erica might have been the woman you wanted to marry. She is the mother of your child. You might have even been in love with her. But don't forget she cheated on you. She was cheating on you when she died. You don't owe her anything."
"I still loved her, Bug." Alex sighed, as the waitress brought over their drinks. "We shared a life together. She was my first love."
"You are too good of a man to be alone, Alex." June reminded him.
Loud, boisterous laughter that Alex would recognise anywhere permeated the atmosphere of the bar and Alex looked up to see Pez crammed into the booth in the far corner of the room, behind his back. There, arm slung around Henry's shoulders, head back and mouth open mid-laugh was Percy in all of his glory. The last two people he would have expected to see in an establishment like this. Both of them had money, and lots of it. It did make Alex wonder why they were in a pub so far away from Kensington.
It wasn't until Alex took a closer look around and realised that Henry didn't have his usual team of PPOs. Just one officer and he too was sitting nearby, enjoying what looked like a shandy. Pulling his phone out to text Henry, he unlocked it and opened their message thread. Only to close it again and tuck it back in his pocket.
What would he have said anyway? I can see you sitting over there and it looks like you and Pez are on a date. Yeah, Alex didn't text that. He didn't want to look like a loser, or worse, a jealous loser. Henry wasn't his, Henry was free to be with whomever he wanted to. Percy was like him; flirtatious by nature. But Henry had always led him to believe that Pez was nothing more than a friend.
Pulling his phone out again and looking it over, he decided it wasn't worth it and put it back in his pocket.
"Are you ok, Alex?" June asked, watching Alex look over his phone and put it away again.
"Oh yeah," Alex grinned. "Just taking in what you said and trying to remember how dating works. It's been a long time since I have asked anyone out. Erica and I were just kids, back then and we both know that it was Nora who asked me. Not me asking her."
"Alex I know I said a lot, but don't feel pressured." June backtracked. She could see that Alex was beginning to fixate on what she had said and that was never a good sign.
By the time their food came, Alex was feeling a slight buzz from the two tequilas and the scotch he had drunk and he was more than ready to tuck into his food. June was just glad that Alex hadn't asked for advice in how to meet someone from her, because she had been with Nora longer than Alex had been with Erica and she honestly still isn't quite sure how her and Nora ended up becoming a couple.
"Hazza, isn't that Alexander, babes?" Percy asked Henry, his voice echoing through the pub. Loud enough that June and Alex could hear him like he was sitting across the table from them. Instead of across the way. "Damn, it is. I wonder who that goddess is with him. Did Alex mention that he was back on the market.
Henry looked over to June and Alex and laughed. It was a genuine laugh. His head was thrown back, his neck on display. His mouth was wide open and admittedly, he was pretty wasted. he and Percy had been at the bar drinking the day away since fifteen minutes after he had disconnected from Alex. Secretly, under fear of death, Henry would never admit that he had chosen this bar solely because of its proximity to Alex's home. "It's his sister, June, you Numpty." Henry chastised Percy.
"We're going to say hi." Pez declared, drunkenly. He might have been three sheets into the wind. But Percy Okonjo could hold his liquor extremely well. "Come on Hazza. Let's go join them."
"This isn't a good idea, Pez." Henry muttered, as he too stood to join Pez, in approaching Alex and his sister. He promised himself, sitting in Alex's proximity, he would be switching to water and when Pez ordered the next round, he noticed that Alex switched to water too.
Percy and Henry stumbled over to where June and Alex were sitting. They had been silent. Alex had tried to ignore Percy and Henry's overly loud, drunk comments, and continue to catch up with his sister. But June was having none of it, she was adamant that Alex shut up so that she could listen in. Alex would have liked to think that it was because she was a journalist and by nature, they are very nosy people. But in reality, she knew it was because she was curious about his friendship with Henry.
"Alexander, Babes. What a pleasure it is to bump into you." Percy grinned, taking Alex's hand and kissing it. He looked over at June and winked at her. "Please tell me this charming creature, is not a drunken mirage and she is indeed real."
"Hi Pez," Alex greeted them as he tucked his bottom lip in between his teeth to hide his amusement. "This is my sister June Claremont-Diaz-Holleran. She arrived this morning. Bug, this is Percy Okonjo, my new boss and His Royal Highness Prince Henry."
"Pleasure to meet you both." June smiled one of her dazzling smiles at them. "I have heard so much about you. please join us."
Pez instantly took his seat beside June, so close he was almost in her lap, while Henry hesitantly took a seat beside Alex making sure to leave a respectable distance between them. "Hi" Henry said softly, once they were seated.
"Another round, my good man." Pez called out to the bartender, like he was the man's best friend. "So tell me, Miss Claremont-Diaz-Holleran. With a triple barrelled surname like that, where is your soulmate tonight?"
"My wife is at home in Manhattan, slaving away in her jealousy that she get the time away from her job to make the visit." June answered, looking up at Alex and Henry. They had their heads lowered, angle towards one another having a low conversation. That smile was back on her brother's face and June wanted to say something, but didn't want to frighten Alex. He was as skittish as they came, right now. "We met you at the funeral, right?"
"You did indeed." Pez grinned at her, before glancing a look across the table. He noticed that they had captured June's attention too. "Oh, they're always like that. You should see Henry with Gabriella. It is truly a sight to behold. The man wouldn't even hold his own nephews, but little miss Gabriella batts her eyes at poor Henry and he is a goner."
"It's her eyelashes. She definitely inherited Alex's long, lush eyelashes." June grinned. She was pretty buzzed too. "Like seriously, those eyelashes belong on a woman."
"In a world where anyone can love anyone; can love whoever the fuck they want, eyelashes know no bounds." Pez waxed poetic. "Oh, my darling, radiant June you must have Alex show you the shelter while your here."
While Percy had been laying it on to June, rather thickly and June was being flattered, Alex and Henry had been having a low conversation. Serious mostly, discussing Gabriella's illness and medication, before it became jovial and lighthearted.
Being a Thursday night, the bartender called last call at 10:50 pm and Percy tried to insist on another round, but Henry had used every ounce of royal authority he had in him, and said no. Not that he wouldn't have enjoyed having another drink while he sat close to Alex, their heads low, as if they were spilling state secrets to one another. Each of their hands had been resting on its own thigh, side by side. Henry regretted not taking Alex's hand in his own and tangling their fingers, much like Alex did at the hospital that night. Having Alex in his arms at the hospital that night, it had sparked something in Henry.
When last call was over, Henry and his PPO managed to get Pez out of the bar and instead of June hauling Alex's ass home, it was Alex hauling June. Getting them to the Henry's limo had been a challenge, after Henry had offered them a ride home, but they had eventually succeeded. "Well, good night." Henry said awkwardly to June and Alex, kissing June's cheek, as well as Alex's before he could stop himself.
"Good night, you two." Alex replied, kissing Henry's cheek. He let his lips linger for a moment, his hot breath dancing on Henry's skin. Pulling back, he gave Henry a coy smile.
"Oh Alexander babes, don't forget about me too." Pez grinned and puckered his lips up at him, before raining kisses all over his face. Before doing the same to June.
Henry's PPO waited until Alex and June had made it safely inside Alex's home, before driving off. Leaving a drunk June on the covered her with a blanket and told her to sleep it off. There was no way he was lugging her upstairs. Having a glass of water, and snatching a bottle, before making his way upstairs, he opened the door to his Dad's room. oscar was sleeping soundly. He gently took the baby monitor from the night stand and closed the door. Next he tiptoed into his daughter's room and checked on her. Still smiling and feeling Henry's lips on his skin, he grinned at her before making his way into his own room. Stripping off and climbing into bed felt heaven sent, and he was asleep before he knew it.