“Will her mood get any better?” I looked at the doctor with wide eyes.
“Yes. She’s still in a lot of pain, and the medicine can affect the patient’s mood, but don’t worry.”
“I’m tired of being cooped up in this hellhole. You won’t even let me have my phone and I hate my phone.” She adjusted the blanket covering her legs with angry jerks. “Forget my heart. I’m going to die from boredom.”
“Honestly, Doctor, are you sure you can’t keep her?” I wrinkled my nose.
“The nurses are starting to complain,” he whispered back. My mouth fell open and he started to laugh. “I’m just joking, Princess Catherine. You’ll be fine. Miss Selene will be more herself soon.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” I warned.
“I’m confident in my diagnosis.” He patted my shoulder before handing his clipboard to the nurse. “Please make sure that she has a follow-up scheduled in three days.”
“Yes, sir.” The nurse made a note before moving to push the wheelchair. “Let’s get you home!”
“Oh, I don’t get to go home. Her Highness won’t allow it,” Selene grumped. “Can’t I just go back to my own bed?”
“Stop whining. You and I both know that you prefer your room at D’Lynsal.”
“Oh, that’s nice! I’ve heard that D’Lynsal has amazing rooms and service.” The nurse patted Selene on the shoulder. “You’ll be in good hands there.”
Selene frowned but didn’t say anything else as we moved through the hospital. The press had been moved farther away from the entrance so that we would be able to get into our ride without trouble. I wasn’t willing to risk someone knocking over my friend in their haste to get a picture.
“Try to smile,” I whispered.
“You smile,” she whispered back through her teeth.
“You know, I’m not going to forget this.” Shaking my head, I smiled and offered a small wave for the cameras.
Jameson lifted Selene out of her chair and slid her into her seat before reaching over and buckling her in with gentle hands. I folded up the wheelchair and put it in the trunk before climbing in next to my friend. I waved to the cameras briefly as we drove away, making our way back to D’Lynsal.
Selene was pale as we drove, obviously uncomfortable. Reaching over, I grabbed her hand and squeezed. She held on for the entire ride, not once letting go, even though she glared out the window the whole time.
After the longest car ride I had ever sat through, we were able to get Selene situated in one of the guest rooms down the hall from mine. I’d hired two nurses to stay on-site, working with Selene and attending to her physical therapy on a daily basis. While I intended to help as much as possible I had to get back to taking care of the events I had picked up for Alex and Sam. Poor Max looked like he had been put through the wringer in the last two weeks.
Once I was certain Selene was tucked into her bed and sleeping comfortably, I changed out of my “princess gear” and into running clothes. I grabbed my mp3 player and waved good-bye to Mark and Jameson where they sat near the front door.
After some stretches I set out on my normal trail. This one was eight kilometers and wrapped around the edge of the lake that abutted our property. This trail was my favorite. There was an old stone wall, dips and turns, and I loved the way the sun flickered through the leaves on the trees.
It was warm outside and it didn’t take long for me to work up a sweat, but I didn’t mind. After having been stuck in pant suits and dresses for two weeks, it was nice to cut loose and just run. That saying about how exercise hurt but in a good way was true. It was like I was able to run out all of my frustration and worry from the last weeks.
By the time I reached the lake I was moving at a good pace, my mind lost in thought as I listened to classical music pumping into my ears. I finally felt at peace, calm and centered. The fact that I was so content in my own mind is probably why I didn’t notice David at first.
He was sitting on a large stone with a fishing pole in his hands. I slowed to a jog and then a walk. I pulled my earbuds out and let them hang over my shoulder.
“Hey.” I walked over to where he was sitting and smiled down at him. We’d texted a few times since our date, but hadn’t been able to match up our schedules to see each other.
“I was hoping I might see you.” He held his hand out to me and pulled me to sit next to him.
“You were hoping I’d be fishing?”
“I was hoping I’d see you run past. Thankfully you stopped. I’m not much of a runner and you were moving pretty fast.” He set down his pole and turned to look at me.
“How’d you know I’d be running?”
“I was hoping.” His smile turned wicked and my heart rate had nothing to do with my exercise.
“Hoping what exactly?”
He reached out and twisted a strand of my hair around his finger. “I heard from a trustworthy source that no one ever comes to this part of the lake—except for a princess when she goes running. And I thought that you just might be hot enough to want to take a dip with me.”
“I didn’t bring my swimming suit.”
He patted along his chest and shorts. “Looks like I forgot mine too.”
“I guess we’re out of luck.” I lifted one eyebrow as he reached around me to undo the strap of the mp3 player on my arm.