Page 49 of His Hidden Royal Heirs

“This was left in their rooms with your name on it, ma’am.”

Zia took the envelope with nerveless fingers. It was her sister’s handwriting on the outside, and on the inside as well.

Zia,

I’ve got this under control.

Love,

B

It made no sense. Why would Beau go off with Mother and Father? Why would any of this be happening before the wedding that was supposed to make everything all right?

“Cristhian, we have to... We have to go after her.” The pain in her side was getting worse, but she tried to ignore it. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I prom...” She couldn’t finish the word. A wave of pain seemed to clamp down on her.

Cristhian was at her side immediately. “Are you in pain? What is it?”

“Just...” But she couldn’t quite get the words out. She had to grit her teeth against the wave of tension that seized her body.

“Go get the doctor,” he said in harsh tones, and the man quickly disappeared.

“Cristhian.” Zia was panting now, though she couldn’t understand why. Maybeshewas having a panic attack. “She can’t just leave.”

“Once we have you settled, I will see what I can do. But for now, we must have you checked out. Yes?” But he wasn’t allowing her a chance to respond, he was just ushering her to a different room. One with a couch.

He eased her onto it. That did help, lying down. Cristhian crouched next to her, brushed some hair off her face in a move so gentle her heart stuttered.

“I promise, I will do what I can, but I think your sister had some plans of her own. I know I can’t tell you not to worry about her, but I think she has a better control of whatever situation she’s in than you think.”

“Her letter. She said she has it under control.”

Cristhian nodded, his gaze never leaving hers, his fingers still on her face.

“I believe her. Your parents have their deep, deep faults, Princesa, but they have raised two very capable women.”

Zia didn’t know why that made her want to cry, but the tears filled her eyes. She didn’t let them fall, mostly because the doctor strode in, bag in hand. She went straight for the couch, immediately shooing Cristhian out of the way.

“What has happened, Your Highness?”

Cristhian opened his mouth, but the doctor held up a hand. “In the patient’s own words, thank you.”

Cristhian clamped his mouth shut, though he looked stormy and angry about it, which almost amused Zia enough to smile.

“My side was hurting,” Zia told the doctor. “I thought I’d simply slept on it wrong, but it got worse.”

The doctor had her point to where it hurt, asked her more questions about the pain, then enlisted Cristhian to help arrange things so the doctor could do a more in-depth exam.

The doctor made considering noises as she took different vital signs, both from Zia and from the babies, then poked around at this and that. When she was done, and she let Cristhian help Zia into a more comfortable position on the couch, she smiled at both of them.

“Everything is just fine.”

The doctor’s words sent a wave of relief through her, even though she still worried about Beau. About what her father thought he was doing making them all leave before the wedding even happened.

“I think I was just panicking,” Zia said on a whisper.

The doctor shook her head. “Princess, you’ve begun to dilate, and you’re having some very minor contractions. Perhaps panic played a role, but that’s not the whole story. You’ll want to stay in bed for the next few days. We’ll monitor, make sure everything calms down. It should, but stress is to be avoided.”

The doctor glanced at Cristhian, then returned her gaze to Zia and smiled. “Rest. Relax. That’s the best thing for you right now. Should you have more pain, call me immediately.”

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