Page 27

The trip to the hospital cost two hours, involved an update of my vaccinations, and would add to my fever problems, much to my disgust. Dr. Stanton, between lectures on how I needed to handle my recovery, alternated between praising me for my handling of the situation and scolding me for rendering the royal airstrip useless for at least three weeks.

Thanks to the amount of fuel I had spilled and burned, the tarmac needed to be ripped out and reinstalled. When she finished tearing strips out of me for my excessive use of magic, she stole my watch so it could undergo an integrity check. Fortunately for me, the manufacturer had a facility near San Francisco, so I would have it back within three days.

I liked my watch. In an open act of defiance, I put on my other one and stuck my tongue out at her.

She laughed, and then she gave me a kiss on the temple, ordered me to behave, and made me wait until she could finish reviewing the various scans they’d inflicted upon me to confirm my health wouldn’t suffer from my close interaction with a bullet.

I escaped the hospital with a few stitches, a pair of crutches, a new suit, and the start of a headache, which promised Eddie would not be having a good night when he realized just how much of a menace I became while fevered. A nap would have done wonders for me, but I resisted the urge, knowing the truth about my current state: if I closed my eyes, I wouldn’t be waking up until sometime in the next day or two—or three, depending on how sick I got after using the enhancer.

It could go any which way.

As we pulled up to the front entrance of the palace, Terry said, “I know you’re going to want to keep your sleep schedule at least somewhat sane, so after you convince Madelyn you aren’t actually perishing, I’d like to discuss the terrorists.”

“I can work with discussing terrorists. How did the girls handle the incident?”

“The girls have no idea there was an incident,” he confessed. “We’ll explain it to them, but for the moment, you are a little clumsy and need crutches for at least a week.”

I could handle being clumsy and needing crutches for a week. “All right. I mean, I was clumsy. I got in the way of a bullet, and now I’m extra clumsy. But a week, Dr. Stanton?”

“Allowing the wound to heal with minimal mending might teach you to do a better job of dodging bullets—and we’re on call in case His Royal Majesty has any complications. If he has any complications, it’ll be my turn to handle care, but I doubt it.”

With a lethal empathy bond, the royal physicians from every kingdom in the world would work together if necessary to keep Pat alive.

If we lost Pat, we lost Jessica, and the last thing anyone wanted was for Adam and Mireya to have to take over Texas while grieving the loss of Adam’s parents. New York celebrated the transition, but Texas would mourn—and Texas would mourn for a long while.

Change hadn’t come easy, but it had come, and Texas shined because of its monarchs.

I hoped that the legacy they wanted to leave would be a reality in their lifetimes, and that the pair would grow to be old and bask in the glow of grandchildren underfoot, their version of the perfect happily ever after.

Once the vehicle came to a halt, Terry got out, went to my side, and held the door open for me. “Take your time. The busybodies can wait on you, and Madelyn would much rather see you go slow than fall on your face. You are about ten minutes from that fever sweeping in, and when it does, you will be chaos.”

“Only ten minutes? How can you tell?”

“You’re pale, your eyes are dulling, and you’re having trouble following moving objects. Dr. Stanton?”

“It’s his normal,” the physician reported from the front seat before getting out. “But he’s right, Ian. I don’t know how long you’re going to stay coherent, so I’m going to be monitoring you. I’m going to also feed you as soon as I can stage a hostile takeover of the kitchen. We’ll try you on beef stew. And yes, before you worry, all the wine survived. You can have beef stew with safe wine. The cargo was in the trailer with the horses and animals.”

“I would have cried if the wine had been lost,” I admitted. “Can I have the wine with whatever meds the doctors gave me?”

“As it has no alcohol, yes, but try a small amount in case it doesn’t agree with you. Do you want bread or mashed potatoes with your beef stew?”

I loved that the woman knew I liked it one of both ways. “Is both possible?”

“Sure. I’m sure someone can handle making you some bread, so you can dip it into your mashed potatoes and act like you don’t want someone to make you a mashed potato sandwich.”

I regarded her with wide eyes. “Can I have a mashed potato sandwich?”

“Only if you eat the beef stew served with it because you need a lot of protein to recover, and I don’t want you to turn into a chocolate protein shake.”

“I accept your terms.”

She laughed. “Don’t let him fall, Terry. Also, don’t forget to reclaim your squirrel. It was bad enough he just took her out of his pocket during the examination because he wasn’t sure if she could be near the machine. Eddie, pretend like you aren’t five minutes from having a meltdown.”

Eddie sighed. “It’s more like ten, but I’ll behave until I’m in an appropriate location.”

“The Californian RPS agents are more than happy to support you however you need while you wait on word about your dad. And yes, you can claim family time if you need some, although knowing you, you’ll want to be kept busy. Ian can keep you busy.”

I still had Pink Lady, and I’d even given her snacks in my pocket to earn her love. “If Terry wanted his squirrel back, he would have asked for her back.”

“I felt that her presence was a stabilizing effect on the sensitive New Yorker.”

Dr. Stanton shook her head. “Absolutely unbelievable. Give his squirrel back, Ian. You’ll have your choice of leopards, parrot, or house cats soon enough.”

With the most dramatic sigh I could muster, I delayed getting out of the SUV long enough to give Terry his squirrel back. “Thank you for letting me hold her.”

“You’re welcome. She was safest with you during the incident, and as she enjoys new pockets to sleep in and investigate, she was fine where she was at. She’ll be more active tomorrow, as she’s finished her latest round of medications. Then I will be catching my squirrel every twenty minutes while watching Eddie attempt to keep you contained. I will be amused.”

“At least I won’t be hobbling far on a busted leg.” Bracing for some misery, I armed myself with the crutches, eased out onto my good leg, and situated myself. “There are going to be pictures of the crutches, and I will not be nearly as handsome of a prince as normal, and this is a tragedy.”

“Ah, but you’re a vulnerable prince, and that will drive your aide rather wild,” Terry informed me. “She’s already stressing herself about your state; I can sense her from here, and she’s just on the way, as they’re escorting the children, who have no sense of urgency because they aren’t aware of the event.”

I foresaw chaos. “How am I going to explain terrorism to a toddler, Terry?”

“Carefully and with a great deal of crying. I’ll try to help you as much as I can. Remember, take your time, especially on the steps. I swear, why can’t palaces use ramps for the front entrance. So help me, if I ever get to make an architectural decision, there will be ramps for the main entrances into palaces.”

“Would you like us to redesign the front of the palace so there are ramps? I’m sure we can manage it. It’s huge, and there is plenty of space around the main staircase. We just have grass there right now. Would a ramp earn you some good will?”

“Yes, especially when we have to worry about strollers and baby carriages rather than trying to haul the damned things down the steps.”

RPS agents. “This is a solvable problem, and as punishment for being clumsy, I will talk to my sister about it. Just don’t destroy parts of the palace because you’re pissed there aren’t any ramps. And don’t install some damned metal ramp that will turn into a heat absorber in the summer.”

“We could install flooring over the metal to make it tolerable,” Terry muttered. “I will be right behind you, so if you fall, we’re both going out, and my wife is not going to be okay. As it is, my wife is torn between ruling New York, going to Texas, or coming here.”

“Please ask Olivia to watch my sister, because when it sinks in I was shot, she isn’t going to be okay, especially if we find evidence that our parents were involved and had dropped the intel to play double agents. They hate terrorists, yes—but so far, these terrorists are not out to kill people yet. They’re out to kidnap and groom people into joining their organization so they can revive the caste system to during the war.” I scowled at the offending steps and began the tedious process of hopping up them with the assistance of the crutches. While it took longer than I liked, I made it without taking a tumble. “I am going to avoid leaving the palace until I’m off these damned things.”

Dr. Stanton came up and handled the door. “Ah, good timing. I’ve returned your prince to you, Madelyn. Please take him into custody. He’s going to have a fever by the end of the night, and I’m confident you can keep him from going on an unsupervised wander. Hello, girls. Please be quiet around your daddy, okay? He’s not feeling well, and he needs a chance to get better.” With a smile, the woman crouched in the doorway. “Everything is fine, but don’t be surprised if you see a lot of the RPS agents helping your daddy. May, do you know how to read yet?”

I couldn’t see her answer, but I suspected she shook her head.

“Well, that’s perfect, then. I’m going to find a teacher for you, and you and your sister are going to start learning your letters, and you can make a nice card for your daddy.” When Dr. Stanton stood, she had May in her arms, and the girl rested her head on the woman’s shoulder. “You’re so tired. It’s been an exciting day. You had your first plane ride, and you got to ride in a big truck, and you got to play cards with a king.”

I hobbled closer, and I gave May a kiss on her forehead. “I am clumsy, and we’ll talk about the various ways I am clumsy tomorrow. Why don’t you take your kitties to bed and get some sleep?”

She nodded.

I gave her another kiss.

Before I could ask, Eddie swooped in, scooped Danielle up, and brought her into my range, and I repeated the process with the toddler. After she confirmed she was ready to go to bed, Eddie handed her off to Barb.

“Good job today, Ian,” the Hawaiian RPS agent said, offering a smile while she settled Danielle in her arms. “We need to work with you on being clumsy, but you did exactly what you needed to. Terry, Eddie, play wallflower for an hour. We called in Peter, and he will be landing in thirty minutes. Zach is already on the way to the airport to get him. Once they’re here, you’re off duty.”

“Eddie has been assigned babysitting duty for Ian by his dad,” Terry warned the woman. “I’d like to keep him officially on duty until three in the morning and then put him back on duty at noon. I don’t expect we’ll get anything concrete on his dad until the morning, and we’ll need to keep him busy.”

While Eddie showed every sign of wanting to rebel, he sighed and said, “If I’m left off duty, I will be a pacing menace, and I know it. I’m one of those freaks who just does better on duty during waiting periods.”

“I’ll change your schedule in the system,” Barb promised. “Are you wanting to work tomorrow, Terry?”

“I’m going to be officially off duty but around in case of emergency. I’ll monitor for news on his dad so Eddie can work.”

Eddie relaxed. “Thanks, Terry. Ian, I’m going to grab a quick shower and a change of clothes, and I’ll meet you at your suite while Dr. Stanton handles giving the marching orders to the kitchen.”

While I would rather avoid being sent to the hospital, I’d been given a chance to get cleaned up along with a change of clothes. After dealing with the terrorism incident, I bet Eddie would emerge from his shower a new man. “I’m sure Terry can keep me out of trouble until you’re done and he gets a turn.”

“I can,” my sister’s head of detail confirmed.

With the girls reassured, contained, and on the way to bed and most of the RPS scattered to handle their work, I could relax enough to bow my head and groan. “Did they tell you what’s actually going on, Madelyn?”

“Barb pulled me aside. Are you all right?”

“As all right as someone unfortunate enough to get in the way of a bullet can be. I currently have a love-hate relationship with my crutches. Without them, I would be sitting and refusing to move. With them? I look and feel like an idiot.”

She laughed. “You’re not an idiot, and it’s not like anyone shot you on purpose.”

“That’s the really insulting part of this whole thing. I got shot just minding my own business and trying to stay out of the way. Eddie about had himself a heart attack, and Terry just shook his head and told me I have no luck. Which is true. Please show me where my suite is so I can sit down and bitterly complain over being an invalid.”

“Do not let him go to sleep,” Dr. Stanton ordered, and she waggled her finger at me. “You can go to sleep after you have dinner. I’m going to go check on the girls and help get them tucked into bed. If he tries to go to sleep, annoy him, Madelyn. Recruit the leopards.”

She headed off, and she muttered something under her breath.

Sika and Tumen, who were in the custody of one of the California RPS agents, waited with admirable patience nearby. “Where’s Isla?”

“Your parrot is asleep in her cage in your suite. She’s decided she’s actually a night parrot, but in good news for us, she seems happy to watch the cats and play with her toys. We’ve put her in the largest cage she can tolerate, and we’re going to try giving her a bigger cage in a few days. Terry is handling the work to make the cage expansions; once he adjusts the cage, someone will coat it with something to protect her. She’s not stress preening, so that’s good.”

I adjusted my grip on the crutches, made certain I wouldn’t fall on the polished floors, and hopped my way along, careful to keep from using my injured leg. “Dr. Stanton must be having kittens at this stage.”

“She really is. It’s bad enough that His Royal Majesty of Texas had a heart attack, but because she’s such a good recovery specialist at this point, she’s going to end up leaving for Texas tomorrow. She has the most recent experience with monarch cardiac care.”

I sighed at the reminder of my friend’s heart attack, which had done a good job of scaring a few years off my life upon finding out, especially as Zach had used his talent on him. “In good news, any physician can handle my follow up care, and I want Pat to get through this, which means he needs Dr. Stanton. I’m surprised they didn’t toss her onto the plane with His Royal Majesty of Maine, though.”

“Dr. Stanton refused. At that point, we’d just gotten the details on what actually had happened, and we weren’t sure how badly you’d been shot, and nobody could actually get to you.” Madelyn grimaced. “None of the animals seemed stressed, not even Thunder. Zach told me I needed to pretend like nothing was going on so the girls wouldn’t get scared. They’re going to teach them how to handle events, but they’re just too new to palace life, so we made the group decision to hide what was going on.”

“I don’t like misleading them, but at least the truth is in there. Because I was clumsy, I got hit with a ricocheted bullet. At least it wasn’t someone actually trying to shoot me. I’ll explain it to them once my leg heals and I go through therapy.” I sighed at the rather loud thunk of the crutches hitting the floor. “Everyone will know I’m coming from a mile away.”

“We certainly won’t be at any risk of losing you. I’m sorry, but they have the suites deep in the palace for dignitaries. I tried telling them you have no dignity and wouldn’t mind something closer to the front doors, but the RPS agents had a fit . I’m pretty sure the Californians wanted to cry. Zach just seemed resigned and made arrangements for Peter and his family to come early. We were also told that we had to restrain ourselves. We’re not allowed to lock you in your suite or force you to use a wheelchair.”

“Right now, I wouldn’t mind a wheelchair, but I’d fall asleep, Dr. Stanton would get pissed, and we’d all get yelled at. I’d get yelled at for being lazy and falling asleep before dinner, you’d get yelled at for letting me fall asleep, and the RPS agents would get yelled at, and they’re already having a bad enough day. The only significant injury was to me. And it wasn’t even intentional. I think that’s the most offensive part of this whole mess. Nobody actually shot me on purpose.”

“I’m accepting the blame because I warned him he was most likely to be targeted and shot in the leg during a kidnapping scenario,” Terry said, and he laughed. “At this stage, I’ve accepted there was nothing I could do to prevent it, and I’m going to enjoy watching the Californians suffer. They did a fantastic job handling the situation, but a principal going to the hospital is not what they want as a consequence of an event.”

“You find my misery funny,” I accused, and I did my best to keep from laughing.

“The only reason you’re at all miserable is because you didn’t want to inconvenience anyone adding to your probable fever woes. Also, Madelyn, I know entertaining a sickly prince is not part of your job description, but if you can keep him from going on a wander, you’ll spare us all from a lot of drama. The Californian monarchs will not be able to handle him going on a wander. The queen will cry, and the king will laugh and go on a wander with him.”

“Oh, no,” she whispered, and she stopped to stare at Terry. “The royals gang up to cause trouble?”

“At every opportunity. As far as troublesome royalty goes, Ian is better than most. He tends to only wander for good reason or if he’s fevered. Dr. Stanton is hoping if she can get dinner into him, which is when she can give him his medications, he might sleep through the night. Then he’s fully our problem, which honestly terrifies her.”

I could believe that. “I will do my best to behave, but I’m not making any promises after what happened following the first mud run.”

By the time we made it to the suite, I wanted to lie on the floor and nap. Alas, sleep was not on the agenda, as Ethan’s mother waited for us at the door, and she hurried over, dodged my crutches, and kissed my cheeks. “You poor little baby. As I have already claimed your sister as my daughter, you are now one of my boys, and I am not accepting no for an answer. You can either title me or call me Mom. Choose wisely.”

As being bossed into calling her Mom beat having to use titles, I replied, “I’m sorry, Mom. You can call Will and let him know I trashed his plane.”

“Oh, he already knows. I just got off the phone with him, and they’re on their way here to evaluate how bad the damage is. If it’s just some bullet holes, it’ll be fine, he’ll just be grounded for a while. The plane is old enough it needs taken fully apart and redone anyway, so don’t stress over it. Mostly, he wants to see that Daphne actually escaped unscathed because he doesn’t believe there was a terrorism incident she didn’t get directly involved with.”