Page 96 of The Prince of New York

“Sure. I’m sure someone can handle making you some bread, so you can dip it into your mashed potatoes and act like you don’t want someone to make you a mashed potato sandwich.”

I regarded her with wide eyes. “Can I have a mashed potato sandwich?”

“Only if you eat the beef stew served with it because you need a lot of protein to recover, and I don’t want you to turn into a chocolate protein shake.”

“I accept your terms.”

She laughed. “Don’t let him fall, Terry. Also, don’t forget to reclaim your squirrel. It was bad enough he just took her out of his pocket during the examination because he wasn’t sure if she could be near the machine. Eddie, pretend like you aren’t five minutes from having a meltdown.”

Eddie sighed. “It’s more like ten, but I’ll behave until I’m in an appropriate location.”

“The Californian RPS agents are more than happy to support you however you need while you wait on word about your dad. And yes, you can claim family time if you need some, although knowing you, you’ll want to be kept busy. Ian can keep you busy.”

I still had Pink Lady, and I’d even given her snacks in my pocket to earn her love. “If Terry wanted his squirrel back, he would have asked for her back.”

“I felt that her presence was a stabilizing effect on the sensitive New Yorker.”

Dr. Stanton shook her head. “Absolutely unbelievable. Give his squirrel back, Ian. You’ll have your choice of leopards, parrot, or house cats soon enough.”

With the most dramatic sigh I could muster, I delayed getting out of the SUV long enough to give Terry his squirrel back. “Thank you for letting me hold her.”

“You’re welcome. She was safest with you during the incident, and as she enjoys new pockets to sleep in and investigate, she was fine where she was at. She’ll be more active tomorrow, as she’s finished her latest round of medications. Then I will be catching my squirrel every twenty minutes while watching Eddie attempt to keep you contained. I will be amused.”

“At least I won’t be hobbling far on a busted leg.” Bracing for some misery, I armed myself with the crutches, eased out onto my good leg, and situated myself. “There are going to be pictures of the crutches, and I will not be nearly as handsome of a prince as normal, and this is a tragedy.”

“Ah, but you’re a vulnerable prince, and that will drive your aide rather wild,” Terry informed me. “She’s already stressing herself about your state; I can sense her from here, and she’s just on the way, as they’re escorting the children, who have no sense of urgency because they aren’t aware of the event.”

I foresaw chaos. “How am I going to explain terrorism to a toddler, Terry?”

“Carefully and with a great deal of crying. I’ll try to help you as much as I can. Remember, take your time, especially on the steps. I swear, why can’t palaces use ramps for the front entrance. So help me, if I ever get to make an architectural decision, there will be ramps for the main entrances into palaces.”

“Would you like us to redesign the front of the palace so there are ramps? I’m sure we can manage it. It’s huge, and there is plenty of space around the main staircase. We just have grass there right now. Would a ramp earn you some good will?”

“Yes, especially when we have to worry about strollers and baby carriages rather than trying to haul the damned things down the steps.”

RPS agents. “This is a solvable problem, and as punishment for being clumsy, I will talk to my sister about it. Just don’t destroy parts of the palace because you’re pissed there aren’t any ramps. And don’t install some damned metal ramp that will turn into a heat absorber in the summer.”

“We could install flooring over the metal to make it tolerable,” Terry muttered. “I will be right behind you, so if you fall, we’re both going out, and my wife is not going to be okay. As it is, my wife is torn between ruling New York, going to Texas, or coming here.”

“Please ask Olivia to watch my sister, because when it sinks in I was shot, she isn’t going to be okay, especially if we find evidence that our parents were involved and had dropped the intel to play double agents. They hate terrorists, yes—but so far, these terrorists are not out to kill people yet. They’re out to kidnap and groom people into joining their organization so they can revive the caste system to during the war.” I scowled at the offending steps and began the tedious process of hopping up them with the assistance of the crutches. While it took longer than I liked, I made it without taking a tumble. “I am going to avoid leaving the palace until I’m off these damned things.”

Dr. Stanton came up and handled the door. “Ah, good timing. I’ve returned your prince to you, Madelyn. Please take him into custody. He’s going to have a fever by the end of the night, and I’m confident you can keep him from going on an unsupervised wander. Hello, girls. Please be quiet around your daddy, okay? He’s not feeling well, and he needs a chance to get better.” With a smile, the woman crouched in the doorway. “Everything is fine, but don’t be surprised if you see a lot of the RPS agents helping your daddy. May, do you know how to read yet?”

I couldn’t see her answer, but I suspected she shook her head.

“Well, that’s perfect, then. I’m going to find a teacher for you, and you and your sister are going to start learning your letters, and you can make a nice card for your daddy.” When Dr. Stanton stood, she had May in her arms, and the girl rested her head on the woman’s shoulder. “You’re so tired. It’s been an exciting day. You had your first plane ride, and you got to ride in a big truck, and you got to play cards with a king.”

I hobbled closer, and I gave May a kiss on her forehead. “I am clumsy, and we’ll talk about the various ways I am clumsy tomorrow. Why don’t you take your kitties to bed and get some sleep?”

She nodded.

I gave her another kiss.

Before I could ask, Eddie swooped in, scooped Danielle up, and brought her into my range, and I repeated the process with the toddler. After she confirmed she was ready to go to bed, Eddie handed her off to Barb.

“Good job today, Ian,” the Hawaiian RPS agent said, offering a smile while she settled Danielle in her arms. “We need to work with you on being clumsy, but you did exactly what you needed to. Terry, Eddie, play wallflower for an hour. We called in Peter, and he will be landing in thirty minutes. Zach is already on the way to the airport to get him. Once they’re here, you’re off duty.”

“Eddie has been assigned babysitting duty for Ian by his dad,” Terry warned the woman. “I’d like to keep him officially on duty until three in the morning and then put him back on duty at noon. I don’t expect we’ll get anything concrete on his dad until the morning, and we’ll need to keep him busy.”

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