With All My Love And More

And what if you're not her life?

Gino stood in the corner of the room, his arms crossed over his chest. He had already discarded the suit jacket on the chaise in the corner. He had brought Chance into his bedroom, where the doctor was waiting. The examination process was only agitating him further. He worked so hard to stay calm in front of Chance when he woke her in the back of the car, but it immediately broke at the straight fear in her eyes. What did Lorenzo say to her to make all that he had worked so hard with her to build break so quickly? Where did all this anxiety come from? The doctor noticed there was scratches on her face, as did Giovanni when he first took her out of the car. They looked self-inflicted. And to her palm was deep cuts from her nails. Worried that this would happen again, he ordered that when the doctor was done, a nail technician would come in and trim her nails as short as possible. The doctor diagnosed that Chance had experienced a severe panic attack, on set by hyperventilating. He ordered that she should take some medicine, but Gino decided against it. He recalled in past conversations that she had always been a fan of natural remedies. The doctor understood the hesitancy and ordered for sage to be burned and a lavender to be drawn when she awoke. Along with that, there were fluids and a meal to be brought upon her finishing with the bath. As the doctor treated her palm and her face, Gino turned away, unable to watch anymore.

He blamed himself.

He hated that the only thing he sent her was a half-hearted letter, when nothing about what he felt today was half-hearted. He wanted to give himself some distance from Chance, to let her breathe, and allow him some sanity. He worried he was losing his mind with how much he loved her. How could he fall so deeply in love with someone he knew less than two weeks ago? He was not some pubescent teen. He was a grown man, a man who runs a country, and yet he was acting like some love sick puppy.

"Your majesty?"

Giovanni looked back to the doctor who looked worried, leaving Chance's side, much to Giovanni's dismay. "Do not leave her side unless you are finished."

"But you look pale, your majesty."

"Do I need to repeat myself, medico?"

The doctor froze, the sudden change in demeanor took him for a surprise. He cleared his throat, shaking his head. He turned back to Chance, finishing up with her.

"From now on, her life is more important than mine in your book, am I understood?"

The doctor didn't dare say no to his King. He answered promptly, "Yes, your majesty, I understand."

"Once you are finished, find me in my office. We will discuss future remedies regarding Chance's panic attack." With that, Giovanni left. The doors opened before him, the only thing on his mind was the terrified look in Chance's eyes. Those haunting words that came from her lips, she was going to fade away here. The very thought of her being so terrified made him sick to his stomach. For someone to make her feel so deeply troubled enraged him, even more so knowing that it was his own family, his own little brother. The doors to his office swung open by the awaiting house guards, bowing in his presence. There in the far corner of the room was his little brother, no longer a smug look on his face as Armando had told me he was wearing when he found the two in the train car alone.

"What are you doing in the corner there?"

"I wasn't going to hurt her, fratello. I swear." Lorenzo knew his brother loved him, but he also knew he despised people who hurt the ones he loved. It was clear to Lorenzo that Giovanni loved the girl, but he wasn't thinking. He wanted to scare the girl that was bothering his brother so much, and causing such a mockery of the monarchy he cherished. "I was just going to show you that she was more of a nuisance. She is making you look like a fool."