Chapter 18
Being taken from the medical wing to his suite in a wheelchair might have been the most humiliating thing to happen to Frederick in quite some time.
Fortunately, it was late enough that most of the staff had gone for the evening. He didn’t see anyone unexpected as they wheeled their way to the elevator closest to the residential portion of the building.
But they didn’t take him to the Monarch’s Suite.
His mind wasn’t processing things quickly enough for him to ask about it before they entered another suite.
George pushed the chair straight to the bedroom, where the head of the bed had already been raised a fair bit.
“The queen thought you might like to be in a different room for your recovery. This one is near the water. You’ll be able to hear the waves if you want.
It’s not the same as being on the yacht, but it’s the closest we can do for now. ”
Frederick managed to stand enough to move himself to the bed, grateful he’d already changed into comfortable clothes. His aide helped him find a comfortable position and pulled the covers over him. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, sir. The queen will be here shortly to sit with you. I’ll be in the other room if you need anything before then.” He bowed again. “Get some rest, sir.”
The only thing Frederick could manage was to close his eyes.
The drugs would mess with him for a couple of days.
Not to the point that he couldn’t make competent decisions if needed, but enough that he’d likely sleep most of the next few days.
Rest was the best way to heal, or so the doctor told him.
When he woke, the room had become dark.
“Hey.”
Frederick turned his head to see Elise sitting in a chair that had been pulled close to his side of the bed. She closed the cover of her ereader.
“How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?” She laid a hand on his forehead. “You don’t feel warm anymore.”
“That’s good.” He struggled to shift to a different position, wincing as he did so.
“It’s time for you to take some pain meds. The doctor said to make sure you stay on top of them. If you wait until you’re in pain, it’s too late.” She helped him into a sitting position, handing him the medication and a glass of milk.
He didn’t normally drink very much milk, but he seemed to remember his doctor saying something about food or milk with the pain medications.
Once he’d had enough, Frederick thanked Elise. He was grateful she helped him lower back down because it wouldn’t put too much strain on his abdominal muscles.
“Thank you.” He closed his eyes again and wondered if he’d fall right back asleep. “I know I spoke with the doctor, but I don’t fully remember what he said.”
“Everything went perfectly. You’ll need to take it easy for several days and won’t be fully back to normal for a few weeks.” She tucked him back under the covers much like had been done when he was a child.
The next time he woke, Frederick more alert than he had been the first time.
He also realized he wasn’t in bed alone.
Elise slept on the other side, but as soon as he reached for her, she opened her eyes.
“Hey. How are you feeling?” She propped herself up on her elbow. “Any better?”
Frederick nodded. “My head is definitely more clear than earlier. I’m not in any pain, but there is some discomfort. Feels off.”
“Not surprising. You had an organ removed.” She put her hand on his forehead again. “I don’t think you have a fever.” Before he could say anything else, she’d swung to the other side of the bed and stood. “Do you want something to eat? Not much, maybe some toast?”
“That would be nice.” Carefully, he managed to sit up, but before he could try to stand, Elise was at his side to help. Once on his feet, he went one direction, and she went to the living area and likely to the kitchen beyond.
He made it back and sat down in the chair next to the bed as Elise returned with some toast, water, and a couple of pills.
She talked about a little bit of nothing as he ate one of the pieces and took the medication. Elise helped him back into bed then laid back down on the other side. Her hand rested on his arm as they both drifted off.
The next time they woke, morning had arrived. Frederick heard movement in the living area. Once again, Elise helped him stand.
Slowly, he made his way through an abbreviated morning routine then walked out to the living area to find Elise, his mum, George, and his doctor.
The doctor checked on Frederick and looked at the incisions. He seemed happy with how they were healing.
Once the doctor left, the four of them were joined by the head of PR for the palace.
“We need to craft a statement for release as soon as possible,” the man told them. “We’ve already started one, but need to know what changes you’d like to make and get your approval before we send it out.”
Frederick took the tablet from him and started to eat his toast as he read through it.
He would have preferred a little less detail about what happened, but knew he’d be voted down.
There was a fine line between the palace’s obligation to keep the people informed, the public’s right to know, and Frederick’s desire to keep his medical information private.
It gave a few details about when and where he became ill, how it was determined to be appendicitis, and the steps taken to ensure a continuity of government while Frederick was sedated.
After reading through it and making a couple of minor notes, Frederick gave his approval.
The head of PR left the suite.
His mum leaned her arms on the table. “How are you feeling? The truth, Frederick.”
“Tired,” he admitted. “Beat up. But, overall, much better than I was before.”
“Good.” She leaned in a little more. “What I want to know now is why didn’t you ever say anything about preferring to live in a different suite?”
Frederick glanced at Elise.
“Oh, she didn’t say anything, not really. Just mentioned that she hadn’t been to the Monarch’s Suite, and you’d said something in passing that made her think you might prefer to live elsewhere.” His mum raised one eyebrow. “Was she right?”
“Maybe. She’s right about what I said, but really, I just wanted to have the choice. I don’t know what I would have actually picked.” He glanced around. “This one seems nice, and I like being closer to the water.”
“They’re all nice,” his mum countered. “You’re the king. This is not just a palace, it’s your home and Elise’s home. Just because it’s always been the Monarch’s Suite doesn’t mean you have to live there.”
George stood. “I can make arrangements for your things to be moved here for the time being. If you decide this is where you want to live, we can arrange for moderate renovations or refurnishing. You can also take the time to look at any other options and choose a different one.”
Frederick nodded. “Thank you. I believe staying here while I recuperate would be my preferred option.”
George left the suite.
His mum looked him straight in the eye. “Now, is there anything else you haven’t told me?”
As much as she wanted to sink into the floor, Elise knew that wasn’t an option. Still, she didn’t look directly at Frederick or his mum.
“I’m sure there is,” Frederick told them, giving Elise a quick glance. “But I’m not awake enough to figure out what you might be talking about.”
Elise suspected that wasn’t quite accurate, but it did give him an excuse not to answer the question directly.
He put down the last of his toast. “In fact, I think I’m going to rest for a little while. If I’m feeling up to it, I may sit on the balcony later, but I do want to get some more rest before I have to do some work.”
“Work?” Elise looked directly at him, certain she had her concern written all over her face. “You’re going to work the day after surgery?”
“Not much,” he reassured her. “George will be here in a few hours to go over a couple of things that need to be taken care of today. The rest will be pushed back for at least a couple of days. I didn’t have much on my schedule since we were supposed to be traveling on the yacht.”
All of their engagements flashed before her eyes. “We’ll have to go again. Visit all of the places we won’t be able to while you recover.”
He nodded. “That was mentioned in the press release. At least we didn’t have anything scheduled yesterday or today.”
“And it’s a good thing you stopped to visit me.” The Queen Mother gave him one of those mum looks. “If you’d been out in the middle of the ocean somewhere, you wouldn’t have had access to a doctor when you needed it.”
“We wouldn’t have been that far from shore,” Frederick told her with a groan. “Maybe a couple of hours at most.”
That didn’t sound quite right to Elise, but what did she know? She knew there were a few ferries connecting some of the islands but had no idea how long they took to get from one place to the other.
“But you’re not wrong. It is good we were at your home. Having the resort doctor nearby would have been very helpful even if my own physician hadn’t been on the island.” He pressed the palms of his hands into the table.
Elise hurried around to help him stand. With one hand on his elbow and the other arm wrapped around his back, they started for the bedroom.
“I think I’d rather go to the recliner.”
After they shifted direction into the living area, Elise helped him sit back down and then recline the back as the footrest came out. She found a blanket and laid it over him.
The Queen Mother came over to give him a kiss on the forehead and surprised Elise with a hug. “Thank you for taking care of him,” she whispered.
“My pleasure,” Elise whispered back.
A moment later, she was alone with Frederick. “How are you really feeling?”
“Tired,” he admitted. “I am very glad to be in this suite. Would you mind opening the doors and letting the fresh air and ocean sounds in?”
“Of course.” She did just that, taking a moment to close her eyes and let the smells and sounds wash over her.
“Thanks.”