“I see.” Tabitha adjusted her skirt and I fought the urge to shake her. She was hurt by being corrected, but if she had come to me first, all of this would have been avoided. Her chin jutted forward and her eyes took on a hard gleam.
Not only had I just responded to her mistake as kindly as possible, I was not taking out my anger on her. Despite my growing desire to do so. For a brief moment I had a mental image of Sam’s face if Tabitha had done this to her. It went a long way to cooling my anger. Watching my new sister tear her a new asshole would be satisfying. Too bad I didn’t have it in me to do it as well. All I could hope was that the media would understand that she was new to her current position and take that into consideration.
Mark was out of the car and opening my door as soon as we pulled up to the hospital. The press moved close as I exited the vehicle with Max’s help.
“Princess Catherine, how is your aide?”
“Princess, will your friend make it?”
“Highness, how does it feel to know you saved your assistant’s life?”
Taking a deep breath, I turned and pulled my sunglasses off so that the reporters would be able to see the honesty in my eyes as I responded to their questions. Max moved to stand behind me, but what was truly surprising was that David had also moved to flank me. The logical part of my mind knew that people would draw conclusions about his relationship with me, based solely on the fact he was standing near me. The emotional part of my brain simply enjoyed the fact that he was showing his support for me during a difficult time.
“The last day has been very trying for everyone involved. My dear friend Selene is still recuperating after a very serious health issue and surgery, but seems to be doing much better. All of the credit for her current situation belongs to the wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff that work here. I’ll never be able to thank them enough.” I smiled softly, careful not to show any teeth. “I’d also like to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes. They mean a great deal to all of us.” I waited for a moment, while the photographers took pictures.
After a moment, Max guided me through the automatic doors and past the throngs of people that had gathered inside to see my statement. It was mainly people waiting to see doctors or waiting on family members to have their appointments. Tabitha walked beside and slightly behind me as we made our way down the hallways. She was quiet and I wasn’t sure if I cared that she was upset. No, that wasn’t true. I didn’t want her to hurt or be angry, but I also wanted her to stop trying to be Selene.
Just thinking of my longtime assistant sent a pang through my heart. The closer we got to Selene the more anxious I felt. Talking to the media didn’t make me sweat, but the worry for my friend made me feel short of breath.
There was a guard at her door, which I appreciated. Selene wasn’t royalty, but because she worked so closely with me she could easily be targeted by royal stalkers, news reporters, treasure hunters, and random nosy people. A nurse was taking notes when we walked in and motioned for us to be quiet. Selene was sleeping and I was shocked by how frail she looked lying in the hospital bed. It was painful to see and I turned around to hug Max, but bumped into David instead.
His arms didn’t hesitate as they wrapped around me, and the warmth of his chest seeped through his shirt to warm my cheek. With one hand he tucked my head under his chin and murmured reassuring words that I didn’t quite understand in his deep Southern American accent. It was sweet, though, to have him comfort me when he barely knew me.
But he was trying—trying to get to know me, even after I had hastily thrown myself at him. And I liked what I was learning about him.
Once I had myself under control I let go of David and turned to watch the nurse change the IV bag before checking Selene’s pulse.
“She’s doing really well,” the nurse told me in Lilarian.
“Will she wake?” I moved to touch her arm.
“Oh yes. She’s just tired. Her body needs rest.” The nurse smiled at me before bobbing a quick curtsy. “Your friend is in good hands here.”
“I have no doubts.” I turned back to Selene and sat down in the chair next to the bed. “There are a ton of flowers in here. I didn’t realize you had so many friends.” The joke was my sad attempt to keep from crying, even though it was true. There were so many flowers stuck around the cramped room, it felt more like a floral shop than a critical care unit.
“Stop frowning.” Selene’s voice was a weak croak. She rolled her head to the side and looked at me with half-lidded eyes.
“Hey there.” I smiled down at my longtime friend. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”