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I can feel the smile growing, even as I’m still trying to process it all. Trying and failing.
“So what are you going to do?” Liza asks.
I shake my leg nervously and sit in silence, trying to think. “I’ve been terrible to Cedrick.”
“Sweetheart, you’re pregnant. You have an excuse.”
“No, I don’t.” I shake my head frantically. “This has been worse than just hormones. I’ve been just nasty to him. I need to make it up to him.”
“You might be a little stir crazy maybe. First going to the hospital, then the estate, and being locked up in the palace so often lately.”
Trying to follow her train of thought, I arrive at nothing. “Maybe. But what’s that got to do with anything?”
“Maybe have a little time to yourself in town, buy some things. You could cook him something. It might help you feel like yourself instead of a fairy tale princess, and you can bond like a real couple.”
Where five minutes ago I was trapped in a cage of my own making, now the world is completely open to me.
“Thank you,” I reply. “That might be just the thing.”
25
CEDRICK
“Dr. Greg to Radiology. Dr. Greg to Radiology.”
The intercom clicks at the World Clinic facility in Virkas, which is one of the largest of the entire organization. I lightly tap my pen against the clipboard as a new patient takes a seat.
A woman in her early forties sits on the exam room table, distracting herself with her phone.
“I’m looking over my notes, Alice. Do you have a family history of heart disease?”
She shakes her head. “But the chest pain was excruciating, doc. It was bad.”
“I can believe it. How are you feeling now?”
She thinks for a second, looking up from the phone as if it physically pains her not to. It must be a coping mechanism.
“It’s embarrassing, but I feel fine.”
I nod.
“After all the tests, all the exams… I really just want to go home.”
“There’s no reason to be embarrassed at all. I for one am glad.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you came in when something physically seemed seriously wrong, and fortunately you’re in excellent health. Never feel guilty about seeking medical treatment.”
The fluorescent light flickers slightly. The wind outside has been particularly aggressive.
“So, what’s wrong with me then?”
I sigh gently, as my mind momentarily returns to Ellie. Here, I have control. Here, I know where I stand with people.
“Well, I have two pieces of good news, and one piece of bad news, but the good news is much better than the bad news.”
She looks unnaturally worried for a moment. “Oh God. How long do I have?”
