Princess Hope

chapter thirty-six

Note: Chapter thirty-six and thirty-seven are focused on Harry, William, and Charles' different reactions to what happened to Andra. Set the day and day after the emergency.
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November 16, 2019

Lindo Wing, St. Mary's Hospital

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was seated on a bench in the hallway outside Andra's hospital room beside her was the Countess of Wessex. Sophie arrived back in Central London with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and she instantly made her way to the hospital to check on Andra's condition.

It was already mid-afternoon, and Andra was still undergoing several tests. William and Charles were pacing back and forth, obviously shaken by what had happened. Camilla was with the children at Buckingham Palace to distract the Queen and Prince Philip.

"William, you should call Harry." Sophie suggested, out of the blue. Father and son halted midstep as they hadn't spared a single thought about informing Harry of Andra's condition. They were so engulfed in their own worry and fear that they forgot Harry who was in South Africa at the moment and with Hugh's family making sure that everything didn't go out to the public yet, Harry wouldn't have any idea about Andra.

William opened his mouth to volunteer but no sound came out. It was the only time anyone saw William speechless and visibly overwhelmed with fear. His mother died young and now his sister was fighting for her life.

"I'll call Harry," Catherine stepped in. She stood up and squeezed the back of William's arm. "Don't worry about it, Will."

The Duchess of Cambridge made her way to a fire exit. She asked her RPO to keep people from stepping into the conversation she was about to have.

Catherine nervously tapped her foot on the floor, phone ringing a few seconds before the voice of Harry's private secretary formally greeted her.

"Good day, Your Royal Highness."

"Hello, Mr. Kennard. Is Harry there?"

"He is currently engaged, ma'am. Do you want me to pass on a message to the Duke?"

Catherine took in a deep breath. "No, I need to talk to him. Please, it's urgent." She said strongly. "Now, please."

She heard the private secretary excusing himself to people, then few hushed voices before it was Harry who finally spoke. "Cath?" Surprise was evident from him as he and Catherine hadn't spoke in a while.

There was no time to beat around the bushes. She had to rip the bandaid off quickly. "Harry, you need to come home. Something happened to your sister."

"W-what?"

Harry stopped in his steps, everything suddenly went slow motion, and the only sound he could hear was Catherine's voice. "Andra is in the hospital. I can't tell you the details on the phone. Come home."

In his peripheral vision, he saw Meghan approach him with concern on her face but Harry couldn't hear her. His ears rang after Catherine ended the call, he suddenly felt dizzy and short of breath.

Andra, hospital, and the worry in Catherine'a voice were all he could think about. Finally, after a few moments, he snapped out of it and faced his secretary. "We're going home. Immediately. Arrange everything."

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"Harry..." he turned to see his sister. It was startling to see it was a 7-year-old Andra, and he could vividly remember that she was wearing the same clothes the night they learned about their mother's death.

"Harry..." she continued to sob. Harry quickly went to her to comfort her but as soon as he got to her she dropped dead.

"Elliephant, no no no, please wake up." He tried and tried to make her open her eyes but she never did. He hugged her and cried, apologising over and over to his sister.

"Are you alright, sir?" His private secretary woke him up. Harry turned to his side and saw his wife quietly sleeping beside him.

"I'm fine," Harry said, shaking his head. "Are we about to land?"

"In 30 minutes, sir."

The eleven-hour flight was agonizing. It felt like hell for Harry. Catherine's phone call was the only reliable information he had on Andra. His private secretary tried to ask other private secretaries but not a peep was coming out from them, and they said the same thing, "come home and everything will be explained."

The official line was Andra's fine, she's just tired. Harry knew it meant one thing. Andra's condition was bad. It felt like his oxygen was becoming less and less the more he thought about his sister. He didn't want to think the worst but this was Andra—Elliephant. Nothing was a little thing when it was about her.

Harry and Meghan were driven to St. Mary's as soon as they landed. They were taken to a back entrance where there were no paparazzis or reporters waiting for them. Buckingham Palace didn't want rumours on Andra's health to worsen by Harry's arrival from a Royal tour that was cancelled in haste.

Only their steps could be heard when they walked in the private ward. He immediately saw Catherine and Prince Edward standing outside a room he guessed was his sister's. The two simultaneously turned to him. Catherine sympathetically smiled at him, approached him with a hug. His Uncle firmly stayed where he was, a disappointed frown on his face.

"Hey, Harry. Welcome back." Catherine said, turning to her sister-in-law. "Was the flight alright, Meghan?"

"It was." Meghan answered with a tight-lipped smile.

"Where's Andra? How is she? Is she awake?" Harry asked anxiously.

Catherine put an arm on his back and gently guided him to the viewing window. "You can join your Dad inside, he hasn't left her side since yesterday." She said.

Harry looked at the window and there she was with their crestfallen father seated on her bedside. Harry felt his heart stop when he saw his sister lying on the hospital bed with a heart monitor on the side and a couple machines used to monitor her status attached to her. His breath shortened, his feet and hands cooled as the panic set in.

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