The Royal Contract

His eyes focused again on his wife, who looked so exhausted, and his heart broke for her. She was far worse than before. Now he worries about her more, knowing that anything could happen to him.

But he had faith that his wife was much stronger than him. She would survive far better than him even after he was gone.

“I am sorry. I don’t know if I can still keep my promise.” He whispered, but no sounds came out of his lips, feeling the ache and weakness of his body as he tried to move.

He knew he would be disappointing his beloved wife for the hundredth time. It was something he never liked doing, but like everyone else, he was just human. It was now out of his hands.

He could only wish for eternal life, but such did not exist in this world. He could only be thankful for the long, great years granted to him by whoever was in charge of his life. Years that he had cherished with his family.

“I love you.” He whispered as his voice finally broke out, making a breathy sound. His hands reached out to her, but he could barely raise it from the bed. Then, give up, deciding to watch Laura in her sleep.

.....

He wondered how long he had been in the hospital. What was his current condition? But based on what he could feel with his body, he might be in a worse situation than before.

He attempted to move again, but the pain was too much. “Aaaggghhh!” Ethan could not stop the groan that escaped his lips. Still, he bit his lips to minimize the noise he made, but Laura stirred in her position, and her eyes opened, looking directly at him.

At first, her face registered surprise, probably at seeing him awake. Then, her lips curved into a gentle smile while her eyes showed relief.

“Ethan, I am so glad that you are finally awake,” Laura spoke with happiness in the timbre of her voice.

She immediately stood up from her chair, setting aside the blanket covering her body as she moved closer to him. Then, her hands automatically moved to cover his, and her lips touched his forehead with a tender kiss.

He felt comforted that she had stayed by his side all this time, through good times and even the worse ones. But simultaneously, he felt terrible that there was a possibility that he would leave her behind.

“I can’t keep my eyes closed for too long. I need to see you.” He spoke gently, slightly stammering in his words as the dryness in his lips affected his speech. “Can I have some water?” He requested.

“Of course, just a second.” Laura quickly moved to the side of the room, where she grabbed a bottle of water with a straw and stepped back to his side.

She slowly allowed him to drink a sip on the straw, which was more difficult than he thought. But after sensing the tiny drops of water touching his throat. He felt slightly better.

“How are you feeling?” Laura excitedly asked as she fuzzed around him, asking several questions. But he could barely answer any of them.

He could still see her agitation behind her smile. The fear was still all over her eyes despite the bubbly laughter coming from her lips. He wished to assure her everything would be fine, but he did not want to make another false promise.

This time, he had no reassurance that tomorrow would be better than today. He could only give his wife the present. His time at the moment, nothing more. But he could only hope it would be enough.

“I am ok.” Well, he wished that was not a lie. He felt good despite the circumstances.

Still, it was better to say that instead of admitting how much his body wanted to give up. He loved seeing his wife smile, but he dreaded that he might make her cry soon too.

He wished for a miracle, hoping he could spend more time to be with his family. He still had to see his daughter become a queen and scoop his grandchildren in his arms.

He wanted to grow old and gray with his wife in their house, with all their beautiful memories. But if that should be too much to ask, he would settle for a few more minutes with her.

“I better call the doctors. So they could check on you.” Laura pressed the emergency button, calling for assistance from the staff.

Soon, a nurse appeared at the door, asking if she needed anything. But when she saw that he was awake, she smiled and said that the doctors would be attending to them shortly.

He guessed it would be best if he had a discussion now with his doctors. So he would determine the extent of his condition. He could best prepare himself for the worse and his family as well.

Hearing the prognosis of the medical experts, he was not that hopeful. Although they had given him a slim chance, it was not enough for him to assume much from his condition.

“Where are Dani and Alex?” He finally asked, seeing that Laura was alone. However, he was glad his princess was not here to see how much he was in pain. They had already been through enough.

He just wanted to enjoy this remaining time with his family if that was what fate had planned for him. What else could he do?

He was glad that the doctors gave him some for his pain. It made moving a bit easier, but other than that, there was nothing much they could do but wait for him to heal.

“They must be on their way. I am sure Dani would be happy to see you are finally awake.” Laura smiled at him, moving around the room with renewed spirit.

He wished he could share her enthusiasm. But deep inside, he doubted he would last long. Still, he smiled and attempted to appear like he was getting better.

“I am glad to see you are up.” A man suddenly appeared behind Laura. Of course, how could he forget him? He still had a lot to make up for his lost time with his son.