The Spare and the Heir

by Carol Moncado

  He went back out to the bedroom and helped her change out of her pajamas and into the yoga outfit. She couldn’t be feeling well if she was willing to be in public in something as casual as yoga clothes. She’d be taken in and out of back doors, but there was always the chance someone would see and snap a photo.

  After tying her trainers on her feet, he helped her sit up and moved behind her. He brushed her hair back into a low ponytail.

  “Thank you.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into him for a moment. “It’s my pleasure and my job to take care of you.”

  “Help me up?”

  Gabe did, but fully expected there would be a wheelchair waiting for her. She couldn’t walk under her own power for long.

  With his arm tight around her waist, they walked slowly toward the door. Outside, he was right. Esme protested mildly but sat in the wheelchair. Judy walked next to her, telling her about the arrangements already being made to postpone business for the next couple of days.

  Gabe helped her into the SUV, reaching over her to buckle the seatbelt in place, then going around to get in the other side.

  “You don’t have to come with me. It’s probably going to be a long time of waiting around for them to say I have a stomach bug to go along with the pregnancy.”

  He reached over and took her hand. “I’m going with you.”

  “Thank you.”

  The drive didn’t take long. They were driven to an underground delivery dock. Security cleared the corridors as Esme was wheeled to an out-of-the-way room in the Emergency Department. It wasn’t very busy. The staff would keep other patients out of this area.

  For the time being, they didn’t make her change into a gown. An emergency doctor was brought in to help.

  He bowed. “Your Majesty. It’s a pleasure to meet you, though I do wish it were under better circumstances. Your doctor told me what you’ve told him, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

  “I’m pregnant. About six weeks, I think. The last couple of days, I’ve been nauseated, though it’s getting worse. I’ve had pain in my abdomen, but more in my lower back. It started yesterday as sort of dull and radiating but has gotten sharper over the course of today.”

  The doctor made a few notes on his tablet. “First, we’re going to draw some blood and get those tests started. Then we’ll do an ultrasound. We can check on the baby as well as look around the rest of your abdomen safely to see what else we can see.”

  At Esme’s request, most of the lights were turned off, leaving just one on. It took nearly twenty minutes for the doctor to take them to the ultrasound imaging room.

  Gabe knew he and Esme would never have a normal hospital experience, but he also knew doctors didn’t typically go with their patients. When they got there, he also knew there were more people than normal.

  The emergency doctor introduced them to the technician, who would do the ultrasound itself, a radiologist, and the head of the radiology department, plus another nurse.

  The technician helped her pull the waistband of her pants down and tucked a washcloth into them before spreading gel over her stomach.

  “Your Majesty, we’ll be watching from the control room,” the radiologist explained. “Depending on exactly how far along you are, we may need to do an internal ultrasound to check on the baby, but we won’t do that unless we need to.”

  Gabe didn’t know what that was, but it didn’t sound pleasant.

  “The technician only takes the pictures. She can’t tell you anything about what you’re seeing or what it means, all right?”

  Esme nodded, but concern filled her eyes. They thought something was wrong and didn’t want to give anything away until they knew more.

  Which also meant the tech wouldn’t tell them anything about the baby. The tech put an earbud in, allowing her to hear additional instructions from those in the other room.

  As expected, the ultrasound started on the extreme lower part of Esme’s abdomen. The tech clicked buttons on the keyboard next to her, taking pictures of the screen.

  She tilted her head toward the side with the earbud in it, then nodded. The exam moved further up Esme’s abdomen until they had covered basically everything from side to side below her rib cage.

  When she was done, the tech tenderly wiped the gel off Esme’s belly. Esme had kept her eyes closed for most of the exam, though Gabe watched the screen intently looking for anything that might resemble their baby. Instinctively, he knew the tech would take good care of any patient, and extra good care of her queen as a patient.

  But this was something more.

  He could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.

  Something was wrong.

  Gabe stared at the tech, but when she met his eyes, she looked away.

  The entourage, complete with radiologist and head of the radiology department accompanied her back to the Emergency Department but didn’t go into her room.

  They met at the nurses stand nearby, having cleared it of nonessential personnel.

  Esme lay in the bed, her eyes still closed, but Gabe watched them. The mood was somber, reaffirming what he already knew. There was something wrong with the baby, and probably something wrong with Esme as well.

  He held her hand as her personal physician started toward them. Whatever it was, they would get through it together.

  * * *

  Even before the doctor walked in, Esme knew something was wrong. She’d purposely kept her eyes closed because she didn’t want to know as long as possible.

  But when she’d looked at Gabe, she knew he knew something wasn’t right. Plus the way the tech was extra gentle.

  Her doctor walked in, the look on his face confirming her suspicion. He closed the door behind him, leaving just the three of them in the room.

  She gripped Gabe’s hand. “It’s the baby, isn’t it?”

  The doctor sat on the rolling stool. “I’m afraid so. You have what’s called a blighted ovum. Sometimes it’s called a false pregnancy, but I don’t like that term. There was a fertilized egg, but sometime not long after, the baby stopped developing. We’re not really sure why it happens, but most likely it’s some kind of genetic issue making it so there’s no viable embryo.”

  Hot tears stung the backs of her eyes and began to streak down her cheeks.

  “There was a baby, ma’am. It’s okay, even normal, for you to grieve what you lost, even though there are some who would tell you the baby was never really there in the first place. They’re wrong. And it’s nothing you did or didn’t do that caused it. It just happens.”

  Esme looked over at Gabe to find tears streaking down his cheeks as well.

  “Is that what’s causing the pain and fever?” Gabe asked.

  The doctor shook his head. “No. There’s a couple of options for the blighted ovum. Your body will most likely miscarry naturally, or there’s medication we can give you to make the process start more quickly. If, for whatever reason, neither of those things happen, we’ll do a procedure. It’s important to remember that a significant portion of the time, women who have blighted ovums never know they’re pregnant and go on to have normal, healthy pregnancies with no further complications.”

  Esme appreciated that he was trying to reassure her that this was likely a one-time thing, but it didn’t help much.

  “What else is wrong?” Gabe prodded.

  The doctor sighed. “We’re not sure yet. The inclination of all of us is a gastrointestinal bug, but that doesn’t quite feel right either. We’re going to do some more tests, including either a CT Scan or an MRI, I’m not sure which yet. That’ll give us a better look at her insides to see if we can figure out what’s going on.”

  “Thank you,” Gabe said for both of them.

  The doctor left, giving them a few minutes alone.

  Gabe slid his arms underneath her and moved her to the edge of the bed, then went around to the other side and climbed in with her.

  Esme managed to roll o
nto her side without too much pain and let Gabe wrap her in his arms as the tears fell.

  “I lied to my mother,” she whispered, the thought overwhelming her.

  “No, you didn’t, love.” His arms tightened around her. “The doctor said there was a baby. She did exist. To be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord, remember. I can just imagine your mother there now looking after our baby girl for us.”

  “Girl?”

  “Maybe. There’s no way to know, but for the last week, I’ve been thinking how blessed Sargasso would be to have three amazing queens in a row.”

  Sobs wracked Esme’s body as she tried to absorb all of it. Gabe’s tears landed on her forehead.

  He’d wanted this baby as much as she had.

  At least they could grieve together.

  The loss of her mother saddened him but didn’t grieve him the way it did her. That was only to be expected. But this they could go through together.

  With a whoosh the door to the room slid open.

  A nurse walked in. “Your Royal Highness, we’re going to take her for another test now. You can go with her, but you’ll have to wait in the observation area, and you won’t be able to ride on the bed.”

  “Give us another minute, would you?”

  “One, but then we need to go. We’re rearranging the schedule to accommodate her immediately. No one will mind, but we don’t want to inconvenience them anymore than necessary.”

  “Of course.”

  The door whooshed closed.

  “You’re a strong woman, Esme. This is a body blow, I know, but we’ll find a way to handle it. Together.”

  “I know.”

  After a final squeeze, Gabe let her go and climbed off the bed. The nurse and Gabe helped her change into a hospital gown.

  As she helped, the nurse thanked Esme for sending the flowers to the hospital after the former queen’s passing. Gabe knew the flowers he’d found in the ballroom had been spread around the palace and sent to hospitals, nursing homes, and any number of other places where they would be enjoyed rather than being left to wilt in a ballroom.

  He walked next to her bed as they took her to a room with a metal tube in it.

  “Will you be all right in there?” her doctor asked. “I can get you a mild sedative if you need me to.”

  Esme shook her head. “I’ll be fine.” She had to be. If she was taking a sedative, there was a whole slew of paperwork that had to be done. She wouldn’t like it, but she’d deal somehow.

  “I’ll be right in the other room.” Gabe squeezed her hand.

  “I know.”

  She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. The last place she wanted it to go was to the baby, but that was where it went.

  Would there have been a baby girl? Would she have had Gabe’s eyes? Gabe had nice eyes.

  Would she have been a good queen? Would Esme have been a good mother? Would Gabe have been a good father given his preoccupation of late? Eventually, he would have gotten over whatever it was, wouldn’t he?

  The noises around her made her want to curl up into herself, to demand they take her out of the tube and still fix whatever it was.

  But she didn’t.

  She knew she could do this.

  And then it was over.

  Gabe held her hand as he walked by her side back to the room in the Emergency Department. The doctors said they were looking at the images and would let her know as soon as they knew something.

  “You did great.” Gabe had climbed back onto the bed with her, being careful to avoid the tubes coming out of one of her arms.

  Wrapped in the warm cocoon of his arms, she managed to doze off.

  22

  Even breathing told Gabe his wife was asleep before her doctor came back in.

  “Can you tell me what’s going on, or do we need to wake her up?”

  “The queen said I can talk to you. She has appendicitis.”

  Gabe looked up at the man. “I thought that was lower right abdomen.”

  “It usually is, but occasionally it’s more in the lower back. Her appendix is in a weird spot. If it had been where it usually is, we would have picked it up on the ultrasound.”

  “So surgery?”

  The doctor nodded. “As soon as possible. Her assistant already called Chairman Franklin. We’re legally required to make him aware when the queen will be sedated for any reason at all. He’s on his way.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m going to coordinate getting ready. If she wakes up, you can tell her or hit the call button.”

  Gabe nodded and pulled out his phone. Unless he missed his guess, security was already increasing around her brother, just in case, but he should hear it from family.

  He used his free thumb to dial his brother-in-law’s number. At his mother’s insistence, Esme’s brother had spent minimal time in Sargasso, and focused on his school work instead despite the recent death.

  “Gabe? Everything all right?”

  “Mostly.” Gabe kept his voice down. “Esme has appendicitis. They’re going to do surgery as soon as possible. She’ll be fine, but you may have increased security. I wanted you to hear it from family.”

  “Thanks. Do I need to come home?”

  “She’s asleep right now, but I wouldn’t think you do. If I hear differently, I’ll let you know, or your team will.”

  “Thank you, Gabe. Take care of her.”

  “I will.” The call disconnected before he could hit the button.

  “Who was that?” Esme’s sleepy voice accompanied her movement.

  “Your brother.”

  “Did he call? Did he know I wasn’t feeling well?”

  “I called him. The doctor came in a bit ago and told me what’s going on.”

  “It’s serious, isn’t it?”

  “Yes and no. If left untreated, a real issue, but treatment is simple and common.”

  “I’m not dying?”

  Gabe couldn’t stop the chuckle. “No, you’re not dying. You have appendicitis. They’ll be doing surgery as soon as they can get it arranged.”

  “I’ll be sedated?”

  He smiled against her hair. “It’s surgery. Of course you’ll be sedated.”

  She struggled to sit up, but he held her more tightly. “Then there’s paperwork that needs to be done. People who need to be notified, all kinds of things.”

  “Judy is already working on it. Chairman Franklin is on his way.”

  “He’s going to be mad at me before he even gets here.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I canceled a meeting with him this afternoon. One does not simply cancel a meeting with the Council Chairman.”

  “You’re in the hospital with appendicitis a few hours after your meeting was supposed to take place. I don’t think he can fault you for that.”

  Esme sighed and melted into him a little more. “I know, but he can and he probably will. That’s who he is.” She looked up at him. “I don’t want him, or anyone, to know about the baby. Not yet.”

  “I understand. I won’t tell anyone.”

  The door slid open. Before Gabe could move Chairman Franklin walked in. He glared at Gabe. “I hardly think it is seemly to be lying in the hospital bed with your queen.”

  Gabe glared right back. “I’m not. I’m with my wife.” But he began carefully extracting himself from Esme and standing up.

  “Was this some big charade to avoid meeting with me?”

  “Yes.” Gabe turned on the sarcasm. “My wife decided surgery to remove an organ was the best way to avoid meeting with you.”

  Chairman Franklin raised an eyebrow. “Surgery?”

  Esme resituated herself. “I have appendicitis. They’ll be doing surgery shortly.”

  The chairman’s expression softened slightly. “Then I suppose postponing our meeting was for the best. It also explains why I was called in. There is paperwork that needs to be filled out.”

  “I know.”
Esme used the buttons on the bed to sit further upright. “Do you have it with you?”

  The chairman held up his tablet. “As long as there is a printer I can plug this into.”

  Gabe started for the door. “I’m sure there is out here. Why don’t we find it?” He wanted to get the man out of Esme’s room.

  One of the nurses helped the chairman with the printer. A few minutes later, the man brought several sheets of paper into Esme’s room. Gabe went with him to serve as a witness to the signatures.

  An hour after the doctor told Gabe about the appendicitis, Esme was being taken away.

  Gabe didn’t care who watched as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  “I know.” Tears shimmered in her eyes, and he knew she was thinking about all they’d lost.

  Once she went through the door marked hospital staff only, Gabe and Chairman Franklin were taken to a private waiting area.

  “Word is already starting to get out.” Judy swiped at her phone, and Gabe’s buzzed. “A patient caught a glimpse and a cell phone video that he put on Facebook.”

  Gabe opened the link. Shot from quite a distance, it showed Esme in a wheelchair and him walking next to her as they arrived. The post said the person thought it looked like the queen and that security had increased exponentially in the last few minutes.

  “Then we need to put out a press release as soon as possible.” Gabe scrolled through the comments. Most were supportive, but a few weren’t. Most wondered when the palace would say something, if it was, in fact, the queen.

  “I would recommend waiting until the surgery is over.” The chairman leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees. “The surgery isn’t a long one, and we can include a statement from the doctor that everything’s looking good.”

  Judy nodded. “I think a press conference is also in order. We’ll issue a joint statement from the offices of Prince Gabriel and the Chairman of the Council detailing the appendectomy but not the pregnancy...”

  “The queen is pregnant?” Chairman Franklin interjected.