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 asshe 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.
