Page 21 of The Prince of New York

That I could believe. “Think she’ll give me more painkillers? The stuff from the hospital has worn off.”

“She’ll give it to you with your meal, make certain you’re tucked into bed, and go do whatever it is she does when she’s not checking on Rachel. That’s how she handled Rachel’s painkillers when we first got back to New York. Good sleep is required for healing. Honestly, I’m going to have to send Adam some serious present for loaning her to us again.”

“Rachel’s scared of the other doctors.” I sighed, aware of the reasons for her general distrust of the staffers. “I mean, I’m pretty bad about it, too.”

“Your parents were asses.”

I nodded. “Dr. Stanton’s a safe entity. Give Rachel some time, and she’ll get used to it. I mean, at least Dr. Stantonhasbeen able to go home, although I feel guilty she had to come back.”

Without Dr. Stanton, I doubted Rachel or I would be anywhere near as healthy as we were, and we both had a long way to go.

“I’m thinking about doing some physician trades with other kingdoms, that way we get new faces that won’t alarm either of you.”

I unbuttoned my shirt, and mindful of Ethan’s worries, I cooperated with him, letting him do the majority of the work. That left me worrying about not taking a fall, which worked for me.

If the pain got much worse, I’d be vomiting rather than eating, and I hoped a soak in the tub would help. While I wouldn’t admit it, I appreciated the assistance climbing into the jet tub, as I doubted I would have accomplished the task alone. Getting out would suck, but I’d worry about it after I had a chance to soak. “Thanks.”

“Glad to help. You’re easier than Rachel. She cried the first few times she realized she actually needed help with these things. She learned just how bad her health was the first time she couldn’t get in and out of a tub without help. Getting in was easier than getting out, but she couldn’t get the leverage to stand from in the tub. Now? She bounces in and out, but for the first few weeks? So many tears.”

“And she hates crying.”

“Yep. Are you going to start crying on me, Ian?”

“Only if this headache gets any worse, and if it does, I’m not going to have any shame over crying. I’m going to be begging for painkillers. I am definitely not above begging right now. If I thought you could provide some, I’d be crying for them.”

“I’ll make sure Dr. Stanton does something about your pain levels. She probably wanted you to stay awake long enough to eat.”

I made myself as comfortable as I could, and I discovered if I held my head a certain way, the migraine eased to tolerable levels. “Was there a reason you wanted to get me alone in one of the few places in this mausoleum that isn’t being actively recorded?”

Ethan grinned, sat on the ledge of the tub, and said, “As a matter of fact, yes. I did want to have a talk with you in private. Thank you for not protesting being babysat in the tub. Rachel knows I want to talk to you in private, so she’ll take her time retrieving a tray.”

When I thought I couldn’t love my sister any more, she went out of her way to remind me of the little things, including her willingness to sneak around to help me however she could.

“Dr. Stanton would have sent Madelyn in here, and we would have both died from embarrassment,” I muttered.

“She can be a little ruthless, especially when dealing with a bonded pair that refuses to acknowledge being a bonded pair,” Ethan muttered. “I got screamed at earlier today while you were in testing. If I value life and limb, I will resolve your issues with your bond. I’m not sure what she expects me to do beyond making certain Madelyn goes to California with you, which I’ve already done. I’d already been working on getting the woman working in the palace. And I know this is a touchy subject for you, sorry.”

With my old friend, the truth was always the best option. Until today, I had assumed I’d lost my one chance at forever. “I just want her to be happy, Ethan.”

Ethan nodded. “You may have taken the whole ‘if you love her, let her go’ thing a little too far. Ian, you’re one of the best men I know. You are not going to be a burden on your future wife. Rachel absolutely isn’t a burden on me, either.”

“Except the whole nursing her back to health issue,” I muttered. “She’s the first one to admit that being an invalid is a bit of a burden. I tried telling her she’s not, but then she whipped out the entire list of tasks she needed help doing.”

“Honestly, caring for her has been the best job of my life. She’s not a burden, and neither are you. I’m a lot of things, but I’m not blind. I saw everything you did trying to hold New York together while your asshole parents did everything in their power to tear it apart.”

As always, one question rose above the rest. “Have there been any signs of their bodies?” I whispered.

Ethan shook his head. “I’m pretty sure both of those fuckers survived. And that’s why I’m worried. I don’t think they’re going to do anything to Rachel, though.”

“Not after going through all that effort to retrieve her so they could pull their disappearing act.”

“Exactly. It’s you I’m worried about. Those two won’t give up their power easily, and they’re used to ruling a kingdom. I’m concerned they’ll take over another kingdom and come after you to be their successor. You’re the only other child they had as a couple. And honestly, I don’t even know if they’re working together or if they’re going to take over a kingdom each. They’re both strong enough to pull off such a thing. And if they aren’t working together, you’re going to be caught in the middle. I know how hard you’ve been trying to mask that your talent is stronger than Rachel’s. And I’m not talking just a little stronger. You’re in a class of your own, and until recently, I thought you’d been in Rachel’s class. But no, you’re head and shoulders over her. You are the living weapon those bastards had wanted to create, and I fear they know it.”

I winced; I’d spent all my life trying to hide the true strength of my talent. “How do you figure that I’m stronger than Rachel?”

“Dr. Stanton snitched,” he confessed. “You can’t hide your talent strength, not from her. That’s what makes her so damned good at her work. She’s been watching you, and the RPS reported you were helping Rachel with her talent.”

Crap. I’d forgotten about the wallflower RPS agents. With Terry in charge, with help from Alfred, the RPS had begun behaving closer to what I’d expected from other kingdoms, which meant I ignored them more often than not. I struggled to remember when I’d helped Rachel, but it must have been during one of the times Ethan had been called elsewhere. “It’s my job as her older brother to help with her talent.”

---