The Crown (Prince Harry fanfic #5)

Chapter Fifty-Nine

"Where is Lucy?" Harry begged.

The doctor waved him over and sat down with the Duke of Windsor. "There were some complications," the doctor began, and the rest of the words were drowned out by the crushing sound of Harry's heartbeat. Nothing made complete sense to Harry, since when he left her in the theatre, Lucy was okay. She told him to go, but she always did that. "Would you like to see her?" the doctor asked Harry.

He nodded numbly.

Moving away from his little girls, it hurt. Every step was too heavy and every moment felt like ten years. He wished to stay with them, but he couldn't do it-- he couldn't do life-- without Lucy. He married her because she kept him sane and safe and brave and living. His mind focused on the long hallways he walked down, and he wanted to run. If he found Lucy and she was okay, his feet would've taken him back to his daughters. Also, he wanted to run to Lucy, to spend the rest of his life with her.

The clear door swished open to reveal Lucy in the bed, skin more pale than usual. Her eyelids were closed. Her fingers were relaxed. She breathed in and out evenly, with barely any help from a machine. She looked peaceful, but Harry had seen her like this many times before and he hated it. He had seen her too many times like this before, but she survived, always.

"She's slowly waking up," the doctor said. "Soon enough she'll be lucid. Though, she needs to stay in bed for the rest of the day and the babies cannot be moved, so I say pictures would be good for Her Highness to see. Also, I would make the offer to have her sons not come today, so that she may rest. If she rests enough today, she will hopefully be able to have visitors tomorrow and will be able to use a wheelchair tomorrow to see her daughters."

Harry only watched his wife. "Can I go to her?"

"Of course. If you need anything, have my paged. Also, I will have you notified if anything happens with your daughters while you're away." The doctor left.

Hesitantly Harry moved into Lucy's hospital room. As he moved closer, he saw her eyes were just barely open. She squinted at him through her eyelashes. Lucy swallowed and perhaps tried to say something, but her lips were too heavy. Harry sat down in a chair next to the bed and waited for the drugs to leave Lucy's system. It did take a few hours until he knew the clouds left Lucy's head for certain, even though she talked a little here and there. It was mostly sounds and few words. She asked several times about the babies and each time Harry answered. When she asked for the fifth time, he heard the cloud lifted from her mind.

"Where are they?" she asked.

Harry gripped Lucy's hand tighter. "They're in the intensive care unit, and they're being taken care of very well."

"They're okay?" Her eyelids still drooped but she was serious. She wanted to know.

"Baby A and Baby B are doing good, but there is some concern over Baby C. She's having a hard time breathing and she is smaller than the other two. But she's a fighter, like her mom." He kissed her on the forehead. "Oh, and the doctor says they're all identical."

"Good thing we color coded the rooms," Lucy joked.

"The doctor says they look okay, though, healthy for being so young. They'll have to be in hospital for a couple months, though, just to make sure."

Slowly, tears rolled out of her eyes. Exhaustion edged in her body, cutting diamonds and marble of her outer shell. Relief flooded through her-- her babies were alive, her little girls. Though fear clawed in her body. What if one of them died? What if they all died? Lucy wanted to be positive, but these were her little girls, born too soon. She felt like she failed them. But they were alive. Lucy sucked in more air and Harry kissed her hand. He felt this way too. The world almost collapsed on them today, but somehow they made it out alive and okay-- somehow.

"You can't leave the bed," Harry said, "but I have pictures." Pulling out his mobile, he showed the pictures to Lucy, which made her cry harder.

"They're beautiful," Lucy squealed through heavy breaths. Tears spilled down her face from happiness. She just wanted to look at them a little while longer. Pain pulled at her heart, at not being able to hold her own babies. She wished to touch them, to see them with her own eyes and not through a camera lens. Touching the screen, she pretended to touch her little girls. "They're beautiful."

"The camera doesn't do them justice." Harry's face hovered close to hers. "They have blue eyes but they have your face. They look so much like you, the most beautiful girls in the world."

"The boys-- what about the boys? They have to be scared."

"I'll send the pictures to Wills and I'll ask about the boys. But they're probably more concerned with all the sweets they're getting, but I'll ask, I promise." His blue eyes watched his wife. "You had me scared there for a moment, Luce."

"Life never is boring."

"Can we try for once?" he asked. "Just for a month, could we?"

Lucy laughed and nodded.

"Good." Harry kissed Lucy again, his lips heavy as he wished to stay close to her forever. His heart pumped faster, even, just by being closer to her. He brushed her hair back. "I love you." He didn't need to hear her say it because he knew, always.

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Last update for a week or so, give or take. While in Scotland for study abroad, we have breaks between modules, and during this week I'll be doing some traveling. Thanks for understanding and I hope you enjoy. (Also, I didn't really leave off on a cliffhanger, like I've been known to do. I'm being nice, you guys.)