Page 98 of Royal Caleva: Luis

She tried again to remember if she had seen Luis touch the darned book but couldn’t.

“He’s going to be okay, Mom,” Grace said, taking her hand.

Eve realized she had been staring straight ahead without seeing anything.

“Of course he is,” Eve said with hope rather than conviction. “I just want him to be okay right now.”

“We all do,” Grace said as they exchanged worried glances. As a vet student, Grace knew all too well the deadly effects of thallium poisoning. “Hey, Raul, are you trying to get in your steps for the day or something?”

Raul halted in the middle of the room. “I feel better moving.”

“Maybe we could play a game,” Grace said. “I’ll bet someone could find us a deck of cards.”

Jacobo leaped out of his chair at the reception desk. “I will get them for you.” He jogged over to one of the wooden cabinets and pulled out a square storage basket. “How many decks would you like?”

“Two. We’ll play Oh, Heck!” Grace said.

“I’m not familiar with that game,” Raul said. “Please play without me.”

“It doesn’t work with just two people,” Eve said, supporting Grace’s attempt to distract Raul. “We’ll teach you.”

Raul hesitated, but his good manners overcame his reluctance. As the receptionist placed two brand-new decks of cards on the coffee table, the prince sat in one of the chairs.

Eve let Grace explain the basic rules of the game to her half brother. Although he kept casting glances at the door to the medical wing, Raul caught on quickly and was on track to win the game when the door finally opened.

Raul was out of his chair before the woman in the white coat had taken two steps into the room. “Su Alteza Real,” she said with a small dip of a curtsy.

“Dr. Ibarra, how is he?” Raul asked.

“Su Majestad is receiving hemodialysis to flush the poison from his system. He has also received the antidote. He is responding to both right now,” she said.

“That means he’s not going to die?” Raul asked.

“No,” the doctor said gravely. “He is very strong, and we began treatment quickly.”

“Oh, thank God!” Grace said, her voice cracking. She and Eve had come to stand beside Raul. The doctor looked confused by their presence.

“My apologies,” Raul said. “Dr. Ibarra, may I present Eve and Grace Howard. Señora Howard was with my father when he collapsed. She is the person who suggested you test for thallium poisoning.”

Dr. Ibarra shook Eve’s and Grace’s hands before turning to Eve. “Your suggestion was very helpful. Without it, we might have taken longer to look at thallium as a possible cause for Su Majestad’s symptoms. You are a doctor?”

“A veterinary technician,” Eve said in a dry tone. “I’ve seen the symptoms in dogs who ingested old rat poison.”

To her credit, Dr. Ibarra did not bat an eye. “Sometimes experience is more valuable than a degree.”

“We would like to see my father,” Raul said in a tone that made it clear he was a prince.

Dr. Ibarra hesitated before she said, “Of course, Señor. Keep in mind that he is medicated for the pain. He is also exhausted from both the poison and the treatment. He may be sleeping, and it would be best if you did not wake him.”

“We will not disturb him,” Raul said, making it clear that he would not be dissuaded.

Eve almost volunteered not to go, thinking that would make the doctor happier. After all, she was neither Luis’s child nor his wife. When the doctor turned to lead them through the door, though, Eve followed.

She needed to see Luis, even for just a moment.

As they walked into a wide, well-lit corridor, a security guard in a dark suit stepped in front of them. Seeing Raul, he gave a bow and went back to his post. Eve knew immediately which room Luis was in, because two more security guards stood outside the door. She could see another one at the far end of the hallway.

Dr. Ibarra ushered them down the corridor, which was eerily quiet for a hospital. Luis must be the only patient in the royal wing. Since he was the king and he needed to sleep, everyone near his room spoke in hushed voices or not at all.

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