BABY ROYAL

by Bella Grant

  “Elena will be fine. She was experiencing some unforeseen stress that triggered an early birth. We had to perform an emergency caesarian, but both she and the baby are fine and resting now.”

  Jason ran his hand down his face and finally turned to Olivia. “That’s good news.” The relief he felt in that moment could not be quantified, and he placed his hands on his hips as he paced the floor, giving himself some time to get his head back together. “Can we see her?”

  “Maybe for a little while, but she really needs her rest. She’s in room 1608.” Doctor Suarez patted Jason on the shoulder and smiled at Olivia. “I have to get back now, but congratulations again. The nurses should be in shortly to check on them both.”

  “Thank you,” Jason uttered.

  Both he and Olivia shared a quick glance before they hurried off to the room. Jason could hear his heartbeats echoing in his ears. His heart drummed so hard against his chest he was dizzy, and he staggered and bumped into the wall for a couple of seconds before he caught himself. He took a deep breath and hurried after Olivia, who had run ahead.

  The room was silent when they entered except for the steady beeping of the machines. Jason had a déjà vu moment as he surveyed the room. It was the same as before – chair in the same position, the bedside table with the food tray, machines attached to her arm, except for the small incubator next to Elena. His heart was in his throat as he went to her side, concern for Elena evenly matched with an elevated sense of anxiety at seeing his daughter. His emotions got the better of him when he saw Elena smile weakly at him, and he held her hand and kissed her forehead.

  “How are you doing, beautiful?”

  “I’ve had better days,” she replied and turned her head to the baby. “Meet our daughter.”

  Jason’s eyes were riveted to the place where the baby lay, and his heart swelled inside him because that tiny human was a part of his creation. She was beautiful, and her black hair and lips reminded him of what he had looked like as a child.

  “We did that,” he said and pinched his lower lip as he looked down at Elena.

  “We did.”

  Olivia came around the bed to gaze at her granddaughter, and like Jason, she was in awe. “She is perfect.”

  “Yes, she is,” Jason echoed.

  “I wish I could hold her,” Elena drawled. “The doctor said it’s a miracle she’s even breathing on her own. She’s a tough one.”

  Jason traced his finger over the glass enclosure like he was caressing the baby’s cheek. “I can understand that, with a mother like you.”

  “You can say that again. Hi, sweetheart,” Olivia cooed. “I’m going to have the house all fixed up for you when you get out. Yes, I will…”

  Jason and Elena shared a dubious look. She shrugged, and he sucked in a lungful of air. He hadn’t considered what they would do once Elena and their daughter left the hospital. She might want to go home, and he couldn’t stay away from her. He had to come up with a different solution that would make everyone happy. But what?

  The door opened and Doctor Suarez walked in. “I’m sorry everyone, but you have to go,” he said in a calm voice. “My patients need time to recover. They have been through an extraordinary ordeal, but you can come back later.” He smiled broadly as if to further punctuate his words.

  “Sure thing,” Jason replied reluctantly. He gazed through the glass at his little girl and splayed his right hand on it. His heart swelled when he thought about leaving them, and he leaned over to kiss Elena on her lips and forehead. “I love you,” he whispered tenderly.

  “Love you too,” she whispered back, and he saw her eyes get glossy when the words left her lips.

  Jason got a cab for Olivia before hailing another for himself to take him home. He didn’t know what to do, and the best person he could think of to ask was his father. King Jaimie was surprised when he saw Jason burst through the door to his study.

  “Jason. What’s going on?”

  “I need your advice, Dad,” he replied as he pulled up a chair.

  King Jaimie’s brows creased. “Okay. What’s this about?” He locked his fingers on the desk before him and leaned forward.

  “Elena was rushed to the hospital this morning. No, she is fine.” He held out his hands when he saw his father’s shocked expression. “They had to take the baby, but they’re both doing fine.”

  “Oh, that’s good news,” King Jaimie beamed. “When do I get to meet… was it a boy or girl.”

  “Girl”—Jason grinned— “and she is beautiful.”

  “I can’t wait to meet her. There hasn’t been a child in my life since you were one.” He laughed. He stopped when he saw how nervous Jason remained. “I thought you would be bouncing off the walls.”

  “I don’t know what to do. I’m not sure when she’ll come home because they want to keep her for observation. But when she does come home…where will home be?”

  “Hmmm,” King Jaimie grunted. “I see what you mean. And there’s no way she’ll come here? I mean, that little girl is a princess. We can’t have her living at a farm. Not that anything is wrong with a farm, but…you know what I mean.”

  “I do. A farmhouse is no place for my wife either. I want to give her so much more—without rocking her world, you know?”

  King Jaimie stood and went to the window, an action he was often seen doing when he was pensive. His back remained to Jason for quite a long time until he snapped his fingers and turned back around. “I have an idea.” Jason perked up. “Since she doesn’t want to come here and you don’t want to live there, or not in the farm house in any case, why don’t we simply build her a nice house? That way she won’t have to leave the farm, but you will have your own space, and—”

  “Dad, that’s perfect,” Jason cried as he flew from the chair. “How quickly can we get that done?”

  “Whoa! Hold your horses.” King Jaimie laughed. “This kind of thing could take months, and she is only at the hospital, not half way around the world.”

  “I know. I know, but still, I want to do it. And as quickly as possible. We’ll call some people and get the… wait, what about you?”

  “Me? What about me?” King Jaimie asked.

  “You’re king. I’m heir. I can’t live somewhere else. I have responsibilities.”

  King Jaimie chortled. “And those responsibilities will follow you everywhere you go. But I don’t plan on dying anytime soon. You don’t have to worry about being king for a while. Maybe by that time, your Elena will have changed her mind. A king has to live in a castle, after all.”

  “I hope so. She is a stickler for what she wants. I’ve never met anyone so stubborn.”

  King Jaimie looked behind him to make sure he wasn’t overheard by any intruder to the study. “Have you met your mother?”

  Jason laughed hard, not only at the obvious joke but at the realization that things were finally looking up. There was no way Elena would turn down living in her own home on the farm. The business of building the new house was top priority, and that night the castle was filled with architects, contractors, plumbers, electricians, painters, and everyone else Jason felt they would need to get the job done in a hurry.

  It was hard to contain his excitement when he visited her at the hospital. She could tell something was going on with him, but he refused to come clean. He kept playing it off, telling her he was happy about their daughter and that they were both doing well.

  “I can’t wait to go back to the farm,” she said on one of those days. “Lying here is driving me crazy. As if I didn’t do enough of that before I came here.”

  Jason smoothed back her hair. “You worry too much. I know you miss the farm, but you’ll get back soon enough. In the meantime, try to stay calm. By the way, have you thought about a name for her?”

  Jason had a few names in mind, but he wanted to hear what she might be thinking. He had barely found out about the pregnancy before the baby was born so didn’t have much time to think about it. But his family
had a tradition of naming the first daughter after the grandmother, and his grandmother’s name was Aurora. He thought it a beautiful name for his daughter.

  “I didn’t really nail one down. What do you think?” Elena asked.

  “Well,” he drawled and sat next to her on the bed, “in my family, it’s tradition for the first daughter of any male to be named after the father’s grandmother. My grandmother’s name was Aurora.”

  Elena covered her mouth when he mentioned the name. “Oh, that’s a lovely name. It would be rude not to follow tradition.”

  Jason laughed. “Aurora it is.”

  “Yes,” Elena replied, her face glowing with pride. “A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”

  “A beautiful princess,” Jason corrected her.

  “Semantics,” Elena replied and stuck out her tongue at him. “Speaking of semantics, why aren’t you acting weird about my wanting to go back to the farm?” She folded her arms across her chest.

  “Because I’ve given up asking. I know you won’t relent, so what’s the point?”

  “Hmm,” she mused. “Not like you, but okay.”

  Jason’s heart skipped a beat when he thought he had been found out, but he was relieved when she let it go. Soon after, she grew tired, and he kissed her lovingly before he left that evening, still uncertain of when she would be able to go home. He wished he could have it done before she was discharged from the hospital, but he knew that was only a pipe dream. Still, just the thought of it would blow her mind away. In the interim, he needed to convince her to stay at the castle, and he wasn’t sure how to do that just yet.

  Jason was antsy as he left, and he was overly anxious when he got back to the castle and saw the architect going over the blueprint with his dad.

  “Man, I wish this could be done faster,” he moaned.

  “I know,” King Jaimie replied sympathetically. “But at least you can show this to her.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Jason relented, and wandered to his room where he ventured out onto the balcony. He stared in the direction of the projected site of the house and envisioned what it would look like. A smile came across his face as he imagined Elena roaming the large house, and of his daughter playing in the yard, no doubt following her mother around to play with the horses and other animals.

  He was too wired to fall asleep, and he tried watching movies, reading books, and pacing the room, but nothing worked. Finally, he fell back against the bed and stared at the ceiling, and when he did, he felt his body grow heavy as exhaustion pinned him to the bed, and forced him into a much-needed sleep.

  Elena

  The sun peeped through the blinds, making a striped pattern on the bed. Elena smoothed the sheets at her side and yawned. She had been awake for hours, and now that it was morning, she felt the effects. She rubbed her eyes and looked over at the bassinet to her left, just in time to see Aurora stretch, her little pink lips smacking as she prepared for another feeding. Elena knew she would get grumpy if she didn’t attend to her right away.

  She rose on her elbows as Doctor Suarez came into the room. “Feeding time?” he asked with a smile.

  “Yeah. This one has quite an appetite,” Elena huffed as she struggled around the crumpled bedding to a sitting position.

  “Here, let me,” Doctor Suarez offered as he hurried over to the bassinet and scooped Aurora into his hands. “She is a beauty, isn’t she?”

  Elena blushed and held out her hands for her daughter. “That she is.” She nestled the baby in her arms, and Aurora latched onto her nipple, causing Elena to wince as she did what newborns did best—suck.

  “So, I have some good news,” the doctor said as he pulled up a chair and smiled.

  “Please tell me I can go home,” Elena pleaded.

  “As a matter of fact, you can. Aurora is doing well on her own, and you are recovering quite normally. I’d say we are out of the woods.”

  Elena sighed with relief. “Oh, thank you, Doctor Suarez. I was getting so tired of this place. No offense.”

  He chuckled. “None taken. Heck, sometimes I don’t like this place either.” He slapped his knees and stood. “So, I’ll let the Prince know, and as soon as he gets here, you’re free to go. Congratulations again, and best of luck.”

  “Thanks, Doc. You’ve been great.”

  “That’s what all my patients say right before they leave.” He laughed.

  Elena was bursting with relief. She hated being confined to bed, and had she not had Aurora to give her something to do, she would have gone crazy. She missed the farm, and as she thought about it, she knew she had to make a hard decision in the coming days. As much as she didn’t like it, she might have to consider living at the castle. She didn’t want to be separated from Jason, and she knew it would be wildly inappropriate for him to either move onto the farm or visit every day. And what if they got married? That would complicate their relationship and new family life a whole lot more. But she wasn’t sure if she was ready to have that discussion yet, and she would postpone it for as long as she could.

  She was still anxious when an hour later, Jason burst through the door, a big grin on his face.

  “And I thought I was happy to leave,” Elena teased.

  “Well, I have several reasons to be happy. Now, m’lady,” he said and bowed, “ready to go?”

  Elena giggled. “What has gotten into you?”

  He scooped her into his arms and gave her a big kiss on the lips. Her eyes widened, and she gripped his shoulders for support. She had no idea what was going on with him, but she sure wasn’t complaining.

  “Okay,” she managed to say when he let her go. “I think I’m all set.”

  “Well, let’s go,” he urged, and she couldn’t say she wasn’t suspicious about his behavior. Jason had been spontaneous in the past, but he was acting weird and it annoyed her that she hadn’t figured it out. And clearly, he had no intention of telling her.

  Elena held Aurora as he wheeled her to the car. She still felt pain, which was expected, and she felt awkward. She had wanted to be on her feet, but she wasn’t looking forward to it. Her body needed time to recover. But at least, she would be home…

  Jason placed his arm around her on the ride back, and the other hand was stretched over the car seat where Aurora now slept. Elena had to admit to herself that being with Jason was not such a bad thing after all. She’d had so many fears and hang-ups that she had allowed them to block her happiness. As the car drove along smoothly, she let herself fall deeper into him, and it warmed her as she nestled even closer to him.

  She was astonished when they reached the village and saw no one. “Where’s everybody?” she asked, mostly to herself. She didn’t expect him to know the answer.

  “You know these people. They stay in until after dark.”

  Elena smiled. “Yeah, you’re right.” But she couldn’t help thinking they usually flocked the car as he passed through, but the thought crossed her mind that maybe they had grown so accustomed to seeing him that his arrival wasn’t a cause of celebration and hoorahs as before.

  She saw Jason shift and look around, almost as if he was uncomfortable, and she knitted her brows. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  He sighed and shifted his body weight so he was looking directly at her. “Yeah, there is something I want to show you, and ask too. Just don’t know…”

  “Just spill it. You’re making me jittery.”

  “Okay, okay,” he laughed. “How about coming to stay with me at the castle for a while?”

  Elena sighed. “You know I love the farm.”

  “Of course.” He grinned. “But hold on for a second.” He reached for a folder tucked away in the pocket of the car seat. “Take a look at this.”

  “What’s that?”

  Her eyes told him she was skeptical, and it amused him. “Just look at it.”

  She cautiously took the folder and opened it. He leaned over, grinning like he had just received a gift he had always w
anted. “What is this?” She looked over at him, and he could tell she was confused. “I don’t understand.”

  “That’s the floor plan for your new house…our new house, I mean,” he corrected himself and sat back proudly.

  “My what? You’re building me a house? Jason, that’s too much.”

  “It isn’t enough,” he replied lovingly.

  “But, where…how…”

  “You’ll see.”

  Elena slapped him on his hand. “I knew you were hiding something.”

  Jason grinned as the car pulled up to the gate and they saw all the people waiting.

  “What are they all doing here?” Elena wanted to know.

  Rick got out of the car and opened her door. Elena got out and took Aurora from the car seat, just as Jason reached them.

  “Well, I would have loved for this to be complete when you got home, but seeing as that was impossible, I figured the next best thing would be having you cut the ribbon and maybe just holding a shovel for the groundbreaking.”

  Elena’s mouth fell open, and she gawked. Her hand covered her mouth, and her eyes watered. “I can’t believe it. You did this for me?”

  “For us, actually,” he reminded her. “You didn’t want to live at the castle, and I want to be with you, so this is the compromise. What do you think?”

  “Are you kidding me?” she asked as she hobbled over to him, baby in her arms, and pulled his face to hers. “I love it.” And she kissed him.

  “But you haven’t seen it yet,” he mumbled against her lips.

  She pulled back. “I don’t care. I know it will be beautiful.”

  “I still want it to be a surprise, so that’s why I want you to stay at the castle until it’s done. Plus, you and Aurora can get all the help and attention you need so you can recover properly, and well, you can get to know my family.”

  Elena smiled. “I would love to.”

  Jason was over the moon with excitement. Elena was in obvious pain as she walked, and Jason handed Aurora to Olivia so he could prop her up. The villagers cheered when she got closer to them. The contractor held a brand-new shovel with a blue ribbon around it, and he held it out to Jason as they neared.