The Royal Contract

Evan watched her, wondering if he had the right to interfere in this situation. First, he had no idea of the history behind this messed-up condition. Second, he was no expert in relationship troubles.

Lastly, this was not his fucking problem. Why did he find himself caught in the middle of this? But he had no choice but to answer her question.

Seeing that she was not going to give up, he finally responded. “Yes. He is.” The determination on her face was evident. If he did not answer her, she would find out in other ways.

He would have asked Alex to deal with this shit. But his friend was going through something much worse than this. It was the least he could do for now for his friends.

He had to control the flame before it became a wildfire that would be harder to contain.

“But he is still in critical condition. He is undergoing an operation at the moment.” He added, hoping she would not rush outside and create a commotion. That was the last thing he needed at the moment.

.....

Although his body was well caffeinated and pumping up adrenaline to keep him going, he was also starting to feel fatigued. When Amelia woke up, he was hitting the hay. He could not handle more of this drama.

She did not respond to him but just looked away, staring at the window outside, probably still processing what she just heard. She was not crying as he had expected, but she was in deep thought.

Evan still could not fathom why people would subject themselves to relationships when it only created miseries. Yeah, he saw a few who made it to the finish line, but they seemed to be the exceptions, not the rule.

A limited list of exceptions. That was hard to get in line. Eventually, everybody ended up with a broken heart and a shattered soul. Was it all worth it? He doubted.

Then, a soft knock on the door and a friendly greeting alerted them of another company. Nurse Jane walked in with a friend in tow.

“Good morning. I was wondering where you have been all night.” His grandmother sitting in a wheelchair, pushed by her trusted nurse, greeted him. “And who is this lovely lady?”

Angela’s eyes darted to Eida, who stood not far from him. Then, her eyes shifted to Amelia, who was still sleeping on the bed. “What happened to Amelia?” Her face suddenly frowned in confusion.

“Grandmama, this is Eida, a friend of Amelia.” He introduced the woman. “Eida, this is my grandmother, Angela.”

“It was nice to meet you, Ms. Angela. My aunt is a big fan of yours.” Eida smiled at her, finding her enthusiastic aura contagious.

“Amelia just needed some sleep.” Evan interrupted, seeing that her grandmother kept glancing at her. “What are you doing out of your room? You should be resting.”

As he suspected, his grandmother was not sick, just pretending to be one. She looked as strong as an ox by the way she was snooping around. Nurse Jane could only shake her head. She probably guessed he was already suspecting something.

“I could not rest until I see that you are ok. You looked agitated last night when you left.” Angela said concernedly.

If he had not known her throughout his life, he would have bought the act, but he could see through her dramatic skills. He could read her performance, and it deserved an award.

“As you can see, Grandmama, I am fine. I am just trying to help some of my friends here.” He bent down on his knees before her and kissed her hands. “Why don’t you go back to your room, and I will follow shortly. I will ask Amelia to come by later when she wakes up.” He promised her, which made her smile.

“Ok. But make sure that these girls are ok before you leave them.” Angela made him promise. “It was nice meeting you, dear.” She turned to Eida. “I hope we can have a chat sometime.”

His grandmother loved to make friends, and she seemed to see something in Eida that she liked. “Maybe introduced me to your aunt. I would love to meet her.”

Finally, Angela was wheeled out of the room, leaving the three of them again. She turned to the window again, looking outside, but he could tell her thoughts were elsewhere.

“Do you want to see him?” Evan finally asked what he thought she might be contemplating, but he was surprised by her answer.

“I doubt they would let me near him.” Her lips twisted, but it was a bitter smile. “You see, Lance’s father disapproves of my relationship with him. The Count doesn’t want me to see him again.”

That now made sense.

He thought as he slowly put the pieces together. Or what he thought might be the possible answers to his questions. Again, another point of his theory. Relationships sucked.

“But what about Lance? What was his reaction to this?” He was a lawyer. He liked prying on things.

But it did not mean he had answers. He was not a therapist.

Love and relationship were not his expertise.

But before she could answer him, another knock on the door interrupted them. But this time, a woman in a uniform entered, carrying a tablet in her right hand.

“I am sorry to bother you, Ms. Eida Harlowe, I am Dr. Remy, and I am handling your care. I am assuming you are the patient.” The doctor asked, seeing another person on the bed, but she was the one wearing the hospital gown.

“Yes,” Eida answered. “I am glad you are here because I want to ask for my discharge papers. I want to get out of here soon.”

She walked towards the cabinet, looking for her clothes, but it was still in the laundry. She only found a spare towel inside.

“I am sorry, Ms. Harlowe, but you might want to reconsider that for your baby.” The doctor said.

“What? Baby?” Eida and Evan simultaneously asked, both bewildered by what they heard.

“I am sorry. I should have started with that. Congratulations, Ms. Harlowe.” Then, the doctor turned to him. “Mister?”

“Blake.” He automatically answered without thinking.

“Congratulations, Mr. Blake, you are now about to be proud parents.” The doctor announced cheerfully in the room.

But all he could do was stare at her and then at Eida, who was as shocked as he was or probably more. He could not even correct the doctor that he was not the father.

His mind was suddenly blank, thinking of what he had learned and pondering about his friend who was currently fighting for his life.

“You still need to undergo more tests to guarantee that your baby is fine.” The doctor continued as if clueless to what was going on between them.

Then, when they both failed to answer, that was the only time the doctor had comprehended the situation. “I think I should better let you discuss this among yourselves.”

“Thank you, Doc.” Evan finally snapped from his daze, seeing that Eida was still in shock.

Once the doctor was outside the room, he quickly guided Eida to the sofa and allowed her time to think. He just watched her get a grip on her situation, knowing that this was an entirely scary turn of events for her.