9 Chapter 9

It was hard, really hard but she managed to do it. Anne-Marie could think about a thousand reasons to run even faster than she did. It had been exactly thirty minutes since she got Mickey's call about how she had walked in on Abel not breathing or responding to anything.

Mickey had rushed him to the hospital immediately and called Anne-Marie who had spent the last one hour, trying to take in all the pain from the bruises on her arm and belly.

They were a lot, thanks to Keisha and her good for nothing friends.

Anne-Marie stopped to take deep breaths when she got to the entrance of the hospital.

"Excuse me," she stood out of the way quickly so the nurses pulling the stretcher with the pregnant lady could have a clear path into the hospital.

Her sides hurt a lot and so did her head. Ever since she got Mickey's call, it felt like her whole world had turned upside down in just three hours. Anne-Marie found strength again, embracing all the pain she felt, pushing them behind her as she hurried into the hospital.

She knew just where to go. It was where she always went all the time Abel had an emergency crisis like this one. She found her way into the children's ward.

"Mickey!" She called the moment she saw Micky standing nervously in front of a white door, biting her finger nails and taking consecutive weak exhales. The little lady turned quickly at the sound of her name. She let out a relief exhale when she saw Anne-Marie and then started to hurry to her as fast as she could.

"Anne-Marie," she said the moment she got close enough. "Thank God you're here."

Anne could see the worry laced in her gaze and the tone of her voice, the fear too but Anne-Marie tried to be on top of the situation as far as her emotions were concerned. She had been in this situation one time too many so she knew panicking wasn't exactly going to help, although she couldn't help herself but worry inside of her. Even though she had been in that position so many times, the fear never got old. The worry never got old.

"Mickie, what happened?" She had heard the story over the phone but she needed to hear it again even as her chest hurt each time she did.

"I don't know Marie." Mickie said with tears lingering in her eyes. You could tell she had been crying earlier. "One moment he was fine and reading and the next he just collapsed and stopped breathing."

Anne-Marie let out an exasperated sigh.

"I had to rush him to the hospital as soon as I could. He's stable for now and is undergoing a few scans but the doctor said he has to commence his chemotherapy treatment as soon as possible or else he might get worse."

Good news at least. Anne-Marie had her hand on her chest just so she could take deep breaths. She needed a second to take it all in. A moment to be grateful for everything.

"There's one problem though."

A but, why did there always have to be a but? Anne-Marie watched her draw a deep breath.

"The hospital isn't going to let him stay or commence treatment without an insurance or an upfront payment."

Anne-Marie let out a shaky breath as she felt a cold breeze sweep through her. She felt her legs weaken.

"Marie, he has to get treatment immediately or he could get really worse. You should let the hospital have the cash you have on you for now-"

She paused when she noticed something weird about the way Anne-Marie looked. Like she was in a lot of pain and it wasn't just because of Abel. Abel's condition had obviously caused her its own share of heartache and the fact that she had just lost all her money to Keisha and her gang broke her heart the more but there was something else, she was still hurting so much. All her body ached like she was being pulled in all directions at the same time with strings.

What on earth was she going to do? She had nothing left, she had no where else to get all that money from.

"Are you okay?" Mickey had to ask her.

Anne-Marie exhaled. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically.

"Mickey," she raised her hand so she could rub her forehead. "Mickey can I ask you to please stay here and look after Abel for a while?"

"Why? Are you going somewhere?" She looked at her closely. "What's wrong with your face?" She noticed the bruise beside Anne-Marie's lower lip and how swollen it was. She grabbed Anne-Marie's hand, concern laced in her eyes.

"Marie, what happened to you?"

"It's nothing Mickie." Anne-Marie reached for Mickey's hand and pulled it down her arm. "There's just something I need to do, I've got to go get my money back."

"Get your money back? From who?" Mickey's confusion grew even deeper.

"I'd explain everything to you once I find her, once I come back."

Anne-Marie cringed, she was out of time.

"Anne-Marie-"

"Please Mickey," Anne kept moving backwards. "I'd be back before you know it. I promise."

She turned before Mickey could even say anything and started to race down the hall. She had to go back, she had to find Keisha and get her money back while she still could. Abel's life depended on it. She needed to hurry.

She stormed out of the hospital immediately.

*************************************************

Aiden was right.

The wind outside was amazing, the sunset too. Everything was perfect, every flower they walked past, walking with him like that, side by side, Paris couldn't have asked for anything else.

The royal palace had the most beautiful garden in the entire country and walking past those beautiful flowers, the beautiful lake and the huge greenhouse reminded her of how much she wanted to own it all one day . Everything was perfect. Talk about perfect timing, everything rhymed together. Paris bent over to admire the Daisies that had blossomed already. For someone who wasn't really a lover of flowers, she was doing too much to gain his attention. Now Aiden had to stop too. He watched her caress the petals of the flowers slowly and then pushed herself to take a deep breath, to smell it.

Aiden flickered his tongue round his lower teeth and took a deep breath. How long did he have to watch her poor acting? He was getting sick of it.

"Oh my," Paris let herself smile so brightly. "I love Daisies. They are my favorite."

She got up slowly and turned to face Aiden, tucking her hair behind her ears again.

"What are your favorite flowers you highness?"

Aiden raised his hand to his left brow and scratched it for a while. Paris frowned a little bit. She could notice his mood had totally changed.

"Is anything wrong your highness?"

Aiden let out a sigh.

"What do you want Paris?" He asked her, finally bringing his gaze to meet hers, making sure his words were clear. That was why he had suggested she walked with him anyway, so they could talk. So he could talk to her without the grown ups around to listen. Paris could feel a frown forming on her face but she managed to keep her smile up. She had to at least hear what he had to say.

"I don't understand-"

"What would it take for me to get you to give up your dreams and obsession with being my queen? You and your father."

Paris frowned.

"I know what this is Paris." He went on. "It's just us both here, you don't have to lie or pretend anymore. I know you and your father don't care for me or my family. You're only after the throne. All of this, it's just a game you and your father are playing and the royal family is playing right into your trap. I've known you all my life Paris, I know you're really ambitious and when you really want something, you go for it. I know your family has always had an eye for the throne for years and centuries and now, you're trying to use me to get it. I won't let that happen, I can never let you be my queen."

"Why not?" Paris glared at him. She was done pretending. She was done playing nice, she was so sick and tired of it anyway.

"My family has been loyal to the throne for centuries, my father has been loyal to your father, the king, for as long as I can remember. I grew up knowing every inch of the palace, knowing what the queen likes and what the king hates and what makes you happy all for this moment so why can't I be your queen? I'm smart and I'm more beautiful than every other lady in the entire kingdom and to crown it all, I know you better than anyone else would. I lived all my life serving you, I dedicated my life to you, doing only the things you loved to do, liking everything you liked, reading you and walking in your shadows, if there's anyone that deserves to be your queen, it's me,"

Aiden scoffed.

"You still don't get it do you?" He asked her. Paris held her breath. "This is not about me or you, it's about your family, it's about this country, my country which I have to protect from people like your father, like your family. All you Vurtons know is

Power. You thrive taking as much power as you can no matter what you have to do to get it. You step on people and destroy lives. Things like love and marriage, it doesn't matter to people like you. You Vurtons cause more harm than good in this country but it's often overlooked because the entire kingdom fears you and you, you're selfish and care for nothing and no one except yourself, just like your father. That's why you can not be my queen, that is why I can't let you be the queen of this kingdom. I can't hand over the safety and lives of my people to your family. You have no idea what it takes to rule, to be a queen. You can never be a queen that understands her own people. You can't help me build the country I want."

"And what is it?" She asked him. "What is this country that you want your highness?"

"Equality."

Paris raised her brows.

"A country where my people don't have to be scared to stand up for themselves from the likes of you and your family. A country where my people always come first before anyone else, before the elites and even the royal family. A country that is ruled by my love and the queen's. Do you want that?" He asked her. "Can you be the queen that would go against everything her family believes in just to help me? Can you help me build the country I just described to you even if it means you would let go of every ounce of power your family has used to oppress the citizens of this kingdom for years? Can you do that as my queen?"

Paris blinked twice. Was he really expecting her to answer that? Of course not. It had taken her family years to build the reputation it had now, and the reason she had to sit right next to him on that throne was to give her family more power, to give her more power. Of course she didn't share the same visions with him.

"Your highness-"

"I thought as much." She didn't have to say anything. Aiden already saw through her. Paris looked away. She was so ashamed that she couldn't even come up with the simplest answer. Aiden took a step to her and then another. "You would never be a queen to me. You would never be my queen."

He exhaled and stepped away from her. She got his message. She was in so much shock but she got it loud and clear.

Aiden walked away.