Page 72 of Iron Unicorn

Will picked that moment to begin his campaign to make life easier on his sister and said, “This is my older sister, Olivia. She just had surgery because she was born with a medical problem with her nose. It was making it so she couldn’t breathe.”

While her arms didn’t want to cooperate with her, Jane reached for Olivia. The princess did as she always did, capturing the girl’s hand in hers. “It’s all better now, promise. Your service pony is absolutely adorable. Is she with you often?”

The girl’s expression turned sad, and she shook her head.

Many people forgot nonverbal was not a word for stupid, and with so many people around us, I needed to work to isolate the child’s emotions, determining she harbored a great deal of loneliness.

“Do you like ponies? I have several horses at home, and I love them to pieces.”

She nodded, and I identified the new emotions rising within her as longing.

I rose and left the royals to work their magic on the child, stepping up to the nearest pair of RPS agents to say, “Any idea who is responsible for the service pony?”

“All the animals are on loan from a Texan training center; the orphanage can’t afford them. The animals are being tested for suitability as service animals,” the agent replied, and he pointed in Carl’s direction. “This got dumped on his lap last night, as we hadn’t known there would be an event.”

I thanked him and headed for Carl, who raised a brow at my approach. “What’s got you riled up, Terry?”

I nodded in the direction of Jane and the pony. “Since the little girl can’t speak, I’ll do the speaking for her. That service pony seems to be a really good match for her. She loves the animal, and the animal seems to understand what she needs. The other kids seem, well, better off than her.”

Carl glanced in the direction of the Montana royals. “Ah, yes. I reviewed the dossiers of all the children. We screen everybody at these events, especially because there are a lot of elites and royals who come to meet the kids. She probably won’t be adopted. She requires significant care. Honestly, she’s only present because she’s terminal.”

Having met Will more than a few times, had the information packet mentioned anything terminal, he would have showed enough distress to bother the hell out of me, especially as I’d opted against wearing any suppressors for the dinner outing. “What’s the diagnosis?”

“Heart disease of some sort. I couldn’t pronounce it if I tried. She requires a heart transplant.”

I read between the lines: while there was a decent chance of getting a heart, there was no chance of the orphanage being able to afford the operation or the care afterwards. “Is the dystonia treatable?”

“Most of her conditions are treatable, but if they’re treated, it would put strain on her heart and kill her. Princess Melody has been eyeing her medical file.” Carl shrugged. “I may have accidentally slipped it to her after your talk with her earlier.”

“So, if she gets a heart transplant, she would have a decent prognosis?” I considered the girl and the service pony through narrowed eyes.

“That’s what I gathered. It would be expensive, but Princess Melody seemed confident in her ability to handle care. It would take a while, but it can be done.” Carl sighed. “Her parents couldn’t afford the cost of her care and gave her up for adoption hoping for a miracle. And the orphanage took her because they specialize in kids who need help like Jane. Her parents couldn’t handle the bills, and without the orphanage’s help, she wouldn’t have a chance at all.”

“I’m guessing Their Majesties of Texas do not know about this.”

Carl nodded. “Eddie is aware because he was helping to review the dossiers, and he’s having his trial by fire over it.”

Eddie couldn’t take on the responsibilities of a child in need of a heart and severe medical care, but I could, especially aware that the girl had parents who had sacrificed everything to give her a chance at life. “And her parents now?”

“According to the dossier, they go to the orphanage three times a week disguised as cleaning staff. It’s not much of a disguise because they do clean while they’re there, but they volunteer in exchange for seeing their daughter at a distance.”

“I am guessing her other health complications bar her from the operation?”

“Texas has an open health care system, but this goes beyond what the medical staff and budget can realistically handle. She would have to be treated in Maine.”

Olivia talked to her brother, and after a few moments, he left Olivia with Jane, and I observed the pair. I narrowed my eyes, as Will ambushed various adults mingling in with the children until he found one who was willing to talk to him for more than a few moments. “His Royal Majesty is up to something.”

“Judging from your behavior, you are also up to something,” Carl pointed out.

I grabbed my phone, took a picture of the little girl with Olivia, and sent Her Royal Highness of Maine asking what the odds of finding a viable heart would be.

A moment later, my phone rang.

“I see you have noticed Jane,” Melody announced, and she heaved a sigh. “There’s a heart, but I can’t get clearance. She’s enrolled in the Texas healthcare system, and she goes over the cap for treatment costs. She’d have to be adopted, then the adopting parent would have to pay the total. We could do it at cost, but the at cost estimate is horrific.”

“Define horrific for me.”

“We’re looking at six hundred thousand for the first wave of treatments. The donor heart would be free; I already reached out.”

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