“It’s not like that, Your Majesty. I’m only telling her to lessen her duties by delegating them to others temporarily until she’s through with the pregnancy. That’s all.” He sounded pained.
“But you gave her the silent treatment when she didn’t obey.”
Prince Fahd swallowed a few times before replying.
“Your Majesty, we’ve wanted this baby for what seems like forever. We’ve prayed for it for years. I just want her to rest in bed. Is it so bad that I don’t want to watch her grieve for a lost baby all over again? Is it so bad that I want to see my child growing in her stomach for the first time ever?”
My chest tightened, and I couldn’t find the heart to push him any further. If I was honest – I was taking Rosanna’s side without hearing his side of the story just because she was my best friend. This was wrong of me, and I only thought that I could solve it all by merely addressing it. It turned out to be bigger than I’d thought.
I got up and walked barefooted around my desk, resting on the seat across from him, motioning for him to sit down again since he’d stood up when I did.
“I understand your reasoning, I really do. But – believe me, your wife feels the same,” I told him in a soft voice. “There’s nothing in this world that she wants more than to have your child. You do know that, don’t you, Prince Fahd?”
“I do,” he nodded, gazing at the floor.
“She’s grown phobic about bedrest, Your Highness. She wants everything about this pregnancy to be different. She’s taking care of herself and your baby very well, I promise. But she wants to feel like a normal pregnant woman, one that can walk around and do her job and duties. After all, it’s her first stable pregnancy. She wants to be busy, so she won’t feel that this one – God forbid – will meet the same fate as the rest.” I said, the last words hurting me as I spoke them.
“God forbid,” he said, then after a pause, he spoke again. “I didn’t see it that way.”
“I know. And she didn’t see it your way either,” I told him. “You need to explain it to her, and you need to hear her reasons, as well. Communication is the key, Prince Fahd.”
My brother-in-law nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty,” he said with a polite smile. It was only when he smiled that I could see the physical similarity between him and my husband; I liked that a lot.
“So, when you apologize for the silent treatment …”
“But …” he tried to object, but I didn’t give him a chance.
“I’m saying that when you apologize to her, you need to give her a gift or two. What are you going to get her?”
His eyes went to the side for a second then his eyebrows shot up. His look was bright, and his smile got big as he answered, “I believe I have the perfect gift!”
Something told me that I shouldn’t trust that gift the second he called it ‘perfect’.
“That’s great, care to share with me?”
“There’s an amazing bear that was just rescued from–”
“Oh, dear lord!” I gasped, face-palming my forehead.
He was a lost cause. There – I said it.
“What?” He looked completely shocked.
“Nothing, Your Highness,” I said after I composed myself. “May I help you with choosing another gift? Something less …er, wild?”
“Oh! I mean, of course, Your Majesty,” he said. “Thank you.”
I reached for one of the files placed on my desk and picked one, checked it was the correct one, then gave it to him.
“Those are three designs of necklaces that I’m pretty sure Princess Rosanna will like. Choose one and have our jeweler finish it as soon as possible.”
“Um, they all look the same,” he said. “Would you please pick one for me? I’m not good with those things.”
I bit my tongue, afraid to say that I already knew that. “Your Highness, I already shrunk the number of choices for you. You pick one, and get her a box of the French chocolate she likes, and … well, make up.”
“I will.” Prince Fahd’s smile was heartwarming; I could tell that he was actually excited about doing just that. “Thank you so much for all you do for us, Your Majesty.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t do anything. You both are very dear to me, and I hate to see you unsettled,” I said, knowing very well that Rosanna would do the same for me – if she hadn’t already. Many times when I’d complained to her about Mazen, he would come to me a few hours later to say he was sorry and that he’d missed me.
I couldn’t imagine Mazen and Rosanna having such a civilized discussion, though. She’d probably only have to give him a deadly look to scare him into doing whatever she’d asked him to do.
She was scary that way, but with a unique charm, and a kind heart. She, herself, would make a great queen.
There is no feeling in the world that is as good and empowering as the feeling of life growing inside of you, especially when it’s the baby of the one you love more than air and light. The fruit of your love, and the answer to your prayers.
Other than the fact that I would eventually meet my son, what I loved the most about being pregnant was that I had spent almost every day of it being held and handled with care by my husband, my Mazen.
“Breathe,” he said softly in my ear. “Let it out slowly, princess.” I did as he was telling me. “That’s it, very good. Do it again,” he encouraged.
His hands were on my hips, and sometimes they were on my lower back where he would rub it in a soothing motion that made me feel very relaxed.
“That’s good, Your Majesty,” Doctor Maya said. “Carbon dioxide makes the pain feel even stronger, that’s why you need not hold it in. Imagine my finger is a candle and you’re trying to blow it out.” She put her pointer finger near my mouth, and I started blowing air towards it. “Perfect! You can do it whenever you feel a contraction nearing as well as during. It will help a lot.”
“I think it’s helping with the pain I’m feeling in my lower back now,” I told her, nodding, and Mazen’s hands started rubbing that spot even more carefully. I was continually feeling pain nowadays. With less than one week until I was due, Dr. Maya said that was normal.
“Exactly,” she smiled, and Mazen kissed my hair, then he started rubbing my shoulders. My back was touching his chest as I sat between his legs on the floor, and his warm breaths on my neck were so calming. It was like magic, always like magic.
“Do you think we’re ready, Doctor?” Mazen asked.
“I believe so, Your Majesty,” she responded. “Both of you know all of the techniques – how to lessen the pain, and how to breathe the right way. And you know how to be supportive during labor, Your Majesty. That’s just as important.”
“He’s always been supportive, pregnant or not,” I told her after moving my head to the side to look him in the eyes. Mazen kissed me on the cheek; his eyes were brimming with affection, and that warmed my heart.
“That’s very sweet. God bless,” Dr. Maya said with a smile. “There’s just one thing that I need to talk to you about.”
My smile dropped as I felt her tone turn all serious. “Should we be concerned?”
“Not very much, Your Majesty.”
My mouth went dry. I looked at Mazen again, my eyes filled with worry. He offered me a tight smile and a light squeeze then sat beside me and held my hand.
“Tell us, please,” Mazen said quietly.
In the mere seconds that Dr. Maya took to answer Mazen, I was already feeling my mouth drying. I started thinking about all of the possibilities of having found blood on my panties two days ago. But she had examined me and said everything was fine. What was going on now?
“You see, when we did the ultrasound last time, I found out that the baby is a bit smaller than the normal size. I figured it’s going to be better with the medications I’ve given you, but he’s still – um, just a little bit underweight, you could say,” she said.
I gulped. “Is that very bad?” I held my breath waiting for her to
answer.
“It’s not dangerous, Your Majesty. It’s only a little concerning. If you give birth at any time now, there’s a good chance the baby will be put in the NICU for several days, long enough to gain some weight. I’m still hoping that in the remaining week, we will be able to get him in healthier shape so we could avoid that.”
“There are many other types of medication we could use to help the placenta work more efficiently, so nutrients and blood flow more easily to the baby,” Mazen said. “Is that something that would work for us?”
“That’s true, Your Majesty. I’ll prescribe Her Majesty seven shots – one daily until the due date. I’m sure it will help a lot.” Dr. Maya smiled again, but my concerns didn’t allow me to smile back at her.
Mazen squeezed my hand. “Inshallah. We can do that,” he said to her, then he turned to look at me. “We’ve got this, princess. It will be okay.”
I believed in what he said.
Sometimes Mazen said things that were too crazy, like insisting that I looked beautiful in my purple dress, or that I looked like a movie star attending the Oscars, and even prettier than Miss Universe.
He was such a liar. I looked fat. Period.
Sometimes I felt like my stomach was about to explode. I guess it was normal with my due date just three days away. I felt so heavy, and it wasn’t as easy as it used to be to move around. My flat shoes looked ridiculous with the elegant dress I was wearing, but that was unavoidable.
This school was a dream come true. This was something that I wanted to do forever, not just a bit more than a year ago. I’d always loved helping others, especially those who couldn’t get the basic things in life such as an education.
My heart was thumping very hard against my chest as I untied the bow on the entrance while they declared the school open – I was delighted. In just a few hours, the school day would start.
Everything was happening at a crazy pace. I wanted badly to have the school ready for this year, and I got my wish. I had worked hard on it, but if it wasn’t for Rosanna’s help – I couldn’t have done it, not at all.
While I was on stage saying a few words, I couldn’t contain my smile. The love and pride in Mazen’s eyes couldn’t be questioned.
“Last year when I was here in Al’ameria, something happened that even my husband has yet to hear about,” I said, and Mazen’s smile was beautiful as he waited for me to tell my story.
“I met a wonderful child; he was only three years old. He told me that his name was Mazen, and he had absolutely no idea who I was.” I paused as I recalled the sweet memory. “He was determined that I buy a pack of gum from him.
“The little boy who was named after my husband couldn’t even count his age on his fingers, but he knew that one pack of gum cost one pound and two packs cost two pounds, that was all. He wanted to provide for his sick mother and little sister back at home.” I took a second to collect myself as I felt my eyes well up with tears.
“I was amazed by how mature this sweet, innocent child was. He only had one goal which he worked hard for it: He wanted to feed his family. No three-year-old should have such a burden. He should only worry about when he may get his next toy. Actually, he should never worry at all.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get to meet him again, but the little boy named Mazen is the reason this school was built. He inspired it—a private school where he won’t have to worry about how to pay for his education. And hopefully, his mother will find medical treatment at Queen Marie’s Hospital. It would be one of my biggest dreams come true, to know that I was able to help that family, and maybe many other more.
“My other wish is that his sister will get the same education when she’s old enough to go to school because educating girls is the real win from all of this.
“I’ve always said it, believed in it and loved it. If you educate a woman, you educate a family. If you educate a girl, you educate a future.”
The applause of the audience forced me to pause, and my smile grew wider as I saw how Mazen was cheering me on by his clapping.
“I’ve planted the seed, and I can’t wait to see the results. I know they will be remarkable. I know it in my heart.”
Hand in hand, we took a walk on the beach; the sun was setting, and the weather was beautiful. We meandered; the air between us was light, and amazingly wonderful. We finally had time to ourselves.
We had just celebrated the second anniversary of our real wedding. We had delayed celebrating until we finished all of our duties before Adam arrives.
Then Eid Aladha was upon us, and we couldn’t leave. As the ruling family, we needed to celebrate it with the rest of the Kingdom, and then it was the opening of the school.
It was just today – two days before I was due – that we were able to relax, sleep until noon and cuddle until it was almost sunset. Mazen presented me with another charm to add to my gold bracelet, a bright heart-shaped diamond lock that represented our marriage and love.
Over the past year, Mazen had filled my bracelet with all kinds of charms. He gifted them to me on special occasions, also when there were none –there was hardly room for more.
My most favorite ones were a black diamond key, a baby bottle charm, and now the diamond lock. Although all of them were beautiful, those were the ones that I loved the most.
Mazen raised our joined hands and kissed the back of mine. “I can’t believe it’s been two years already,” he said. “It felt like the blink of an eye.”
“I feel the same,” I told him. “They say it’s how you feel when you are having a good time.”
“Best time, princess.” He kissed the back of my hand again and put it to his chest as we stopped for a minute to gaze into each other’s smiling eyes.
“And next year we’ll have our son with us,” I dreamed aloud.
“Yes!” Mazen grinned. “He’ll probably be walking by this time next year.”
I rested my head on Mazen’s chest, shutting my eyes tightly as I got overwhelmed by the thought of Adam walking with us on this very beach, each of his hands being held by one of us. I pictured lots of laughs and beautiful times. I pictured our love grow even bigger; I imagined it being enough for the whole world, and maybe a bit more.
I imagined utter joy and complete bliss.
“What are you thinking about?” Mazen asked when I stayed quiet for a while, before kissing my hair.
“You. Adam. Us,” I admitted in a whisper, my eyes still closed. “I’m so happy with you, angel.”
Mazen hugged me tighter, pressing me more into his chest while being careful not to put much pressure on my stomach, although I was sure that our son could feel it because right at that second, I felt a light kick. It was his way of telling us that he could feel our love, I liked to believe.
“You make me so happy, as well, Marie.”
I backed away the tiniest bit to look into his eyes, where I only found sincere love like always.
“I do?”
“Are you really asking that?” His hand – the one that wasn’t holding my hand to his chest – touched my cheek sweetly.
“Maybe I just want to hear it more often.”
“I’m the happiest man on earth, and I will always be, as long as you’re with me. I’m so proud of you, for everything you do, for simply being you.”
I smirked at him. “Is that a poem?”
“No, princess.” He smiled back. “It’s what is truly in my heart. I have no doubt that I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
“I could say the same, angel. I wish I could give you everything you want.”
“Your love is all I need, Marie,” he said. “I truly mean it.”
There was no end to the happiness I felt at that moment.
Only Mazen and I knew the passwords to the fridge, and to the locked boxes of food prepared by Queen Mother Shams. Each time we needed to eat something, Mazen had to get the meals out himself, and then Fawaz or Mo’taz stayed with Sameera and the other maids until it wa
s served to us. I’d already given Brad a month break, and he was spending it in the states.
Preparing the food that way was kind of an annoying process, but it was necessary. We didn’t know how long this would continue, or if it would ever end.
The fact that we still didn’t know who had poisoned the horses was very worrying. But our investigators kept reaching dead ends.
I tried not to let my anxiety get the best of me. Worrying was useless, it was also bad for the baby. But sometimes, it was difficult not to overthink things; my mind never stopped wondering.
The hospital almost had even more protection than our own palace in the capital, as the staff got ready for the birth. I wasn’t worried one bit about my safety. I was just worried about Adam.
I wanted this baby so much, and so did Mazen.
It was exciting knowing that it would be only two days until I could meet him, but at the same time – it was scary. However, I knew how to pray, and pray I did.
I had only three shots left to complete the course of treatment the doctor had given me. I prayed with my whole heart that Adam would be at a healthy weight and born without complications. It was all I needed, and all I could think about.
“Did it hurt?” Mazen asked as he finished giving me the fifth shot.
“Not much,” I said, feeling him as he fondled my backside, way far from where he had injected me. “That’s not professional, at all, Your Majesty.”
“Who said I was trying to be professional?” I could hear the smile in his voice even with my back turned to him.
“Stop it, you nut. I still can’t feel my hips,” I pulled my panties back in place and turned to give him a pretend frown.
“Oh, but I was gentle, wasn’t I?” Mazen’s smile dropped. He thought he was rough with me when we made love an hour ago.
“No, you were fine. It’s just the norm, right? My body is preparing for the delivery.”
Mazen nodded, then after a pause, “I was fine? Just fine?” he asked, looking offended.
I shrugged, then walked out of the room before he could chase after me. He’d play nice in front of the maids, being King and all.
Golden Chains (The Colorblind Trilogy Book 3) Page 23