A Royally Beautiful Mess

by Carol Moncado

  The doctor tapped his tablet on the bed. “Any questions?”

  Esther had to ask, because he hadn’t answered directly. “How’s the baby?”

  “Heartbeat is strong.”

  She voiced her greatest fear. “Does that mean I won’t miscarry?”

  He sighed. “I wish I could give you a definitive no, but I can’t. We can’t do anything to prevent it if it’s going to happen. The only thing we could tell you to do is rest, which you’re going to be doing a lot of anyway. Stay on your left side as much as you’re comfortable. Follow up with your OB/GYN as needed.”

  Not exactly what she wanted to hear, but she appreciated his honesty.

  “I’ll have someone bring in your discharge paperwork, and we’ll get you out of here.”

  “How are you feeling?” Darius voice drifted over to her.

  “My head hurts like you wouldn’t believe. I’m sore all over, like I’m sure you are.”

  “And the baby?”

  A tear leaked out of one eye. “All we can do is pray.”

  “I think we should tell your parents.”

  Esther nodded and hoped Darius could see her. More tears leaked out of both eyes.

  She could hear shuffling and grunts and movement, and then the mattress dipped.

  “We turned the lights down.” Darius sat next to her. “Scoot over a little.”

  Without opening her eyes, she shifted and found herself in Darius’s arms as he settled in.

  “We’ll call your parents tonight. We’ll have to talk with our professors and see if we can work from home for the next week or more, but they should work with us. If you’d rather, we could go back to San Majoria for a few days.”

  “I think that would be too much for me, even on a private plane. I just want to go home and sleep. Maybe soak in a tub full of Epsom salt.”

  “That probably wouldn’t be a bad idea for both of us.”

  Someone, she couldn’t see who, walked in. “I think we can send you both home. I’ve got paperwork for you to sign.”

  Only the fifteenth set of signatures for both of them since they arrived.

  Esther’s dress had been replaced with scrubs not long after they arrived as had Darius’s suit, but she didn’t have any other shoes to wear. The aide gave her some slipper socks and crutches for Darius that would be added to their bill. She hinted they would be cheaper elsewhere, but at this point none of them cared.

  Orderlies wheeled them to the exit while Ian took their belongings and went to get the car.

  With the winter storm dropping frozen precipitation, the drive home took much longer than normal, and nearly an hour passed before they made it to the house. Ian said the car had been moved already, but Esther didn’t open her eyes to look.

  Vesta clucked as she helped Esther upstairs. “Do you want to clean up, dear? Shower or bath?”

  Esther shook her head. “I just want to go to bed. Flu and a car accident and pregnant is enough for one day.”

  “Pregnant!” Vesta squeezed her shoulders as they moved slowly up the stairs. “That’s wonderful.”

  “As long as the baby hangs tough. After an accident, we can’t know if I’m going to miscarry like I did last time.”

  “I’m already praying.”

  “Thanks, Vesta.” They reached the bedroom. “How does this fit into my father’s whole adulting thing? Are Darius and I on our own taking care of each other?”

  Vesta clucked at her. “If you didn’t have us, you’d have other friends or family come help out. This is an exception to your father’s don’t-do-anything-for-them rule, and if he has an issue with it, he can come up here and discuss it with me in person.”

  Esther managed a smile as she sank onto the bed. “I think these are comfortable enough to sleep in. Tomorrow, I’ll worry about a bath and everything else. Right now, I just want sleep.”

  Vesta helped turn the covers down, helped her get as comfortable as possible, then covered her back up before going to the other side of the bed to help Darius as Ian and Louis arrived with him.

  “Take these, love.”

  Esther managed to open her eyes to see Vesta crouched in front of her.

  It took all of her energy to take the offered medication, but she did, then drifted off to sleep.

  Darius ached in places he didn’t know he could, but there was a bit of light coming through the room darkening curtains. It happened to land directly on his face.

  “Hello?” he whispered, wondering if someone was sitting in there with them, and he could get that person to close the curtains better.

  No answer.

  Darius tried to move, but everything hurt. A whimper escaped even as he tried not to let it. It took effort, but he managed to sit up without letting another one loose.

  Turning to glance at the other side of the bed, he realized his suspicion was right. Esther slept on. It only took a few steps to get to the window, but he knew his ankle wouldn’t appreciate the attempt.

  Looking around, he realized someone had left his crutches nearby. Grasping one, he managed to get to the window and adjust the curtain to block the rest of the light. Now, where were the pain killers?

  He found them on his side table, along with a bottle of water. But first he needed to take care of something more urgent. After managing to tend to the call of nature, he sat back down on the bed and used the light from his phone to read the instructions on the bottle. It said one to two pills so he swallowed two and laid back down.

  When he woke again, he knew immediately that Esther was gone, and not just because Raja was snuggled next to him. The dog never did that when Esther was still in bed.

  “She’s soaking in the tub.”

  The voice came from the chair on the other side of the room. Darius couldn’t immediately place who it was.

  He managed to sit up and look over, shock setting in when he did. “Your Majesty, I didn’t expect you to come all this way.” He bowed his head as best he could.

  King Edward inclined his head a bit. “When Ian called last night, he told me about the baby. Miriam and I had to come ourselves, at least for a day or two.”

  “How’s Esther feeling?”

  “Miserable and sore. Her mother helped her into the tub.”

  “I’m glad.” Darius checked his phone. “As much as I’d love to have this conversation without any narcotics in my system, I think I need to take some more medication. It’s been long enough.”

  “I understand. You probably need to get that foot elevated.”

  He needed a pillow or something to manage that, and he didn’t have anything. “I will in a bit.” And ice it.

  “I already spoke with Vesta and Louis.” Amusement colored the king’s voice. “Vesta told me, in no uncertain terms, that she was going to baby both of you for the next couple of weeks, whether I approved or not as part of the whole teaching you to be grownups plan.”

  “I heard her tell Esther that last night. That if you had a problem with it, you could take it up with her.”

  The king chuckled. “She has my approval to baby you some. This is a bit different than what we’ve talked about in general. But...”

  Darius should have known that was coming.

  “You’re not a complete invalid. You have to take it easy, sure, but you can get around on crutches. Your wife, on the other hand, has the flu, and rest is the only cure for that, and could, possibly, help prevent miscarriage.”

  What exactly did that mean?

  “So, you have two days of bed rest along with Esther. Someone will help you prop your foot up, help ice it, bring you both food when you’re feeling up to eating. Come Monday, I don’t expect you to be shouldering a full load again, but I do expect you to be taking care of your wife as much as you’re able.”

  About what he expected. “Understood.” Darius managed to sit up. “Things are better between us, sir. I promise.”

  King Edward gave him a half smile. “I figured they were, or I wouldn’t have an
other grandchild on the way.”

  “Be nice, Papa!” Esther’s voice came from the bathroom. “Mother’s not here to make you.”

  “I am,” her father called back then turned to Darius. “Would you like something to eat?”

  Darius nodded, but he also needed to go to the bathroom again.

  “I’ll get you something. I’m sure Vesta knows your favorites by now.” He left the room, but didn’t close the door behind him.

  Darius stood with the aid of the crutch and started around the bed. First, he closed and locked the door, just for a few minutes, then went to the bathroom door. “I’m coming in, Star,” he called softly.

  “Okay.”

  Once inside, he leaned on the wall next to the garden tub and looked down at her. Only her head and neck were visible over the mountains of bubbles. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Like I was in a car accident and have the flu, and I can’t even use the jets or make the water too warm.”

  “So miserable.”

  “Exactly.” He hobbled toward the water closet. “I’ll be out of here in just a minute. Your father went to get us something to eat.”

  “I don’t think I can keep anything down right now.”

  “Are you ready to get out?” Not that he should be the one helping her. He wasn’t steady enough.

  “No. Not quite yet.”

  After Darius washed his hands, he went into the closet and managed to change into a pair of pajama pants. Given that his father-in-law was hanging out in his room, he grabbed a shirt to put on, but a knock on the door stopped him.

  “Just a second.” It took some maneuvering but he made it back to the door. “Sorry. I was changing,” he said as he opened it to let his father-in-law in.

  “I don’t think you finished.” The king set the tray down on the table on Esther’s side of the bed.

  Darius didn’t want to hobble all the way around, so he sat down as close as he could, then closed his eyes. He needed to ask a favor. “Sir?”

  “Yes?”

  “Could you find me some pillows or something to prop my foot up on? All we have in here are the ones we both use.”

  “I’ll see what I can find.”

  Darius looked up to see amusement twinkling in the king’s eyes. “Thanks.”

  The king started for the door then turned. “When we’re not in public, you can call me Edward.”

  18

  Esther really was ready to get out of the tub, to put on comfortable clothes, and go back to sleep, but she didn’t want Darius helping her. He was clearly in pain and not steady enough.

  As he left the bathroom, he’d pulled the door closed.

  “Papa?” she called.

  “He’ll be back in a minute.” Darius answered her instead.

  “When he is, could you have him get my mother?”

  “I just walked in, dear.” Her mother opened the bathroom door just enough to slip inside. “Ready to get out?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think we’re going to need to get you in the shower for a minute to get those bubbles off.”

  She’d already thought of that. “I can manage for a minute.”

  It took some maneuvering, but her mother helped Esther get into the shower while, mostly, preserving her modesty. At least the shower didn’t require her to take a step over the side.

  Her mother went into the closet to get clothes for Esther to put on. It only took a couple minutes to rinse off. With the towel wrapped around her, she moved slowly into the closet, glad she’d had the foresight to put a chair in there.

  She insisted to her mother that she could get dressed all by herself. Her mother seemed skeptical, but left the closet. It took every bit of energy Esther had, but she managed to finish drying off and get her pajamas on.

  “Mama?” she called, hating how weak she sounded.

  With her mother’s help, she made it back to the bed. Someone had brought Darius pillows to prop his foot up on, though he was seated so it wasn’t actually above the level of his heart. It did have ice packed around it.

  “Could I get something super light?” Esther asked as she sat down. “Maybe some broth?”

  “Already on the tray,” her father answered.

  She positioned herself next to Darius as her mother pulled the covers up over Esther’s legs.

  Her parents worked together to put a lap desk over her legs and set the broth on it. Rather than a bowl with a spoon, that Esther was likely to spill, whoever made it had put it in a disposable coffee cup with a lid.

  “This is good,” she told them after the first sip.

  “Vesta had it made and waiting for you.” Her mother sat on the small couch next to her father. “She seems to like you.”

  Esther managed a small smile before taking another sip. “She and Louis take good care of us, while still making sure we’re learning the things we need to.”

  “That’s their jobs.”

  “It’s more than that,” Darius answered for her as she raised the cup to her lips again. “I think they see it as an extension of their service to my family years ago.”

  “They probably do. That ended under unusual circumstances, right?”

  Darius explained, though Esther was sure she’d told her father before. Either he’d forgotten the details or was asking for her mother’s benefit or wanted to hear Darius tell the story.

  By the time he finished, Esther had sipped as much broth as she could handle. She set it on her side table and folded the legs of the lap desk before sliding it onto the floor next to the bed.

  “I don’t mean to be rude, Mother, Papa, but I’m going back to sleep.”

  Her mother’s laugh and father’s chuckle made her smile as she tried to get comfortable. At least a high-quality mattress made it easier.

  It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep. When she woke, she took more medicine, then slept more. She continued the cycle, interspersing her nap times with more broth.

  Darius was next to her almost every time she woke up, though once he was soaking in the tub in an effort to relieve his own aches and pains.

  She managed to email her teachers. They all responded with a variation on “get well, we’ll work it out.” Darius’s teachers were the same way.

  Her parents left Sunday afternoon, saying they would be back for Christmas with the rest of the family.

  Vesta and Louis mothered both of them, but Darius insisted on getting out of bed on Monday. It took a lot of effort on his part, but he brought her broth and helped her to the bathroom a couple of times. Vesta helped more there because Darius couldn’t support her as much as she needed.

  As she started to doze before dinnertime Monday, the doorbell rang. She heard Darius answer it. The voices sounded familiar but weren’t quite clear enough through the door to place them.

  Curious, she managed to stand, grab a robe and wrap it around her, then walk slowly down the stairs, though she leaned heavily on the railing. The voices now came from the kitchen and were more distinct.

  She smiled as she walked slowly toward them.

  Darius straightened from his spot against a counter. “Esther, what are you doing up?”

  “I heard the doorbell. Hi, Samantha. Vince.” She gave a weak smile. “Thank you for coming by.”

  “They brought dinner.” Darius wrapped an arm around her waist. “But you need to sit down.”

  “We didn’t know you had help.” The grin on Samantha’s face softened her words as Esther sat in one of the recliners.

  “Vesta and Louis are just here to help when we need it. More like supervisors than help. We still do most of our own cooking and cleaning and stuff.” Darius hobbled back to the kitchen. “But thank you for bringing it.”

  “It’s nothing big. Just baked spaghetti, garlic bread, and brownies.” Samantha opened the fridge to put the tinfoil pan inside. “It would have been something better if Vince had time to cook, but he had a meeting after school today.”

  The do
g jumped up next to Esther, settling down carefully next to her. “Brownies sound amazing. I haven’t had real food in days.”

  Darius had seated himself on one of the bar stools. “Would you like to join us for dinner? You did make it.”

  Samantha and Vince shared a glance before he grinned as she reopened the refrigerator to pull the spaghetti back out. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Samantha took the tin foil off the pan. “Those brownies have been taunting me all afternoon.”

  Esther reached to the side and slowly eased the footrest out. This night was looking up.

  After taking a plate of spaghetti and some garlic bread to Esther, Darius dished up his own and took a seat in a chair near the coffee table. He wished they had another recliner so he could get his ankle at least kind of propped up, but he could wait until after dinner, despite the ache. Both Samantha and Vince sat on the sofa.

  Vince said a quick prayer over their meal before they all started eating.

  “This is delicious.” Esther took a sip of her drink. “The first thing I ever tried to make was spaghetti. It didn’t go well.”

  Darius swallowed his own bite. “It would have been fine if you weren’t distracted and forget the timer.”

  “I burned everything.”

  “But you wouldn’t have if you’d remembered one step.”

  Vince pointed his fork at them. “You two fight like an old married couple.”

  “We’re not old.” They spoke in unison.

  Samantha and Vince just smiled.

  “How long have you lived here?” Samantha asked looking around.

  Darius twirled some spaghetti around his fork. “Since March. We moved right after we were married.”

  “And you eloped, right?” Vince picked up his garlic bread. “Do you mind if I ask why?”