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‘Well, that’s why I’m here. I’ve worked in Malaysia, the US, did a spell as a student in England, and have volunteered for Doctors Without Borders in Romania. You’ve travelled too, you’ll have seen enough health service systems to know what you want for Corinez.’
He gave a nod and led her along the corridor. Neither of them mentioned the kiss. Neither of them mentioned the conversation last night.
And to be honest, she was glad.
* * *
He knew he was only scratching the surface of the problem. Both in the hospital, and with Arissa.
He’d spent most of last night wondering what he’d done. He’d invited her here because he’d really, really wanted her to come. He couldn’t deny the attraction between them. He couldn’t pretend that it didn’t matter that he knew Arissa liked him for just being him. It meant more than she could ever know.
But some of the things she’d said last night had thrown him sideways. He wasn’t him. He would never just be him. He would always be Prince Philippe—no matter how much he tried to hide from it.
As a child he’d thought it was normal to be photographed and in the media constantly. It hadn’t bothered him—more than a few of his teenage misdemeanours had been captured for the world to see. The Playboy Prince tag had been following him around for the last few years as well.
But now, as an adult, when his time of freedom was gone—when his time to return and help shape the healthcare changes had arrived—it was making him more than a little uncomfortable.
For a guy who’d always known who he was and exactly what his role would be, he found himself questioning everything.
And that bothered him more than he could ever say out loud. It wasn’t even a conversation he could have with anyone else.
But as he showed Arissa around the hospital he got more and more uncomfortable.
She shone. That was the only way he could describe her. She got down on her knees to talk to the kids in the children’s unit. She made several suggestions about gaps in services. Both for children and for babies and mothers. She was good at linking pieces of the puzzle together—throwing in things he hadn’t yet considered. She challenged him. She made him think.
She talked through the most basic maternity care. Then, they talked about the maternity care he would really like to offer. She helped him make realistic targets and goals. And he needed that. He needed someone to keep him grounded and make the plans in his head into something more tangible.
But they didn’t spend all their time in maternity services. Arissa wanted to see around the whole hospital.
She sat for a long time, holding the hand of a war veteran who wanted to reminisce with someone.
The staff and patients loved her. She was relaxed. She knew when to laugh, and when to be serious. He’d always known she would do well here, but seeing how much Arissa got to be herself made him realise how much of a prince-like status he had to keep in place.
Even when they entered the emergency department he couldn’t be himself. He walked around, pointing to equipment, suggesting upgrades, suggesting rearranging the trauma room. Several of the members of staff shot him strange looks. Uncomfortable looks. No one questioned him about making suggestions. They all just nodded meekly.
For a few minutes he wished he were back in the clinic in Temur Sapora.
Somewhere he was no longer a prince.
It was different here. Even walking through a department seemed to cause an ‘atmosphere’. Something Philippe was becoming more and more aware of.
‘What’s wrong?’ Arissa was in front of him, her wide brown eyes showing a hint of concern. ‘Are you okay?’
He gave himself a shake, trying to smooth out the edges he knew he was exposing. ‘I’m fine. Just...there’s a lot to think about. A lot I’ll need to change.’
She nodded. ‘This is a huge job, Philippe.’ She gave him a soft smile. ‘But remember, you’ve got a lifetime to change all this. Start small. Start manageable.’
He ran his hands through his hair. ‘Like we talked about?’
She nodded. ‘You know you want to start with maternity services. Look at your minimum care standards. Look at your population. How many births do you have? Think about numbers. How can you make this realistic? Recruit obstetricians. Recruit midwives. Recruit lab staff for the extra blood work, sonographers for the baby scans. It ties in with the implementation of the safe haven project.’
