Tuesday, Prince walked in to the living room of their home, and sat down next to Emma on the sofa.
'I need to tell you some things that are hard, but necessary. I almost left you in a mess the other night. I've been to see my lawyer and banker, and gotten things set up to make your life easier if anything ever really happened to me. I won't go into details, but there's an icon on my desktop with your name in capital letters. If you click on it, you'll find instructions on what to do.'
'Do you feel like something is imminent?' Emma asked, after she released the breath she realized she'd been holding.
'No, but as your husband, I've been very selfish. We talked in the Netherlands about pre-nups, and then the entire subject left my mind. I never put any plan into place to take care of you, and that almost seems like I neglected you, especially after last Thursday. If something did happen, the last thing I'd want is to leave you in chaos. I'm sure you'll never open that folder, because I'm planning to outlive you.' Prince grinned and gave Emma a loud, smacking, kiss.
'Even though it seems a little morbid after last week, I'm thankful. Gene didn't plan very well, and our lawyer and accountant were invaluable to me, as things were very convoluted. It put extra stress on me when I needed it least, and I'm sure it's the last thing he wanted for me.'
'Okay, that's settled, and now we don't have to talk about it any more,' Prince said, pushing Emma onto her back, and moving on top of her. 'Will you mind terribly if I have my way with you right here on the sofa?'
'Is the front door locked? I don't want a repeat of Montreux. We get naked a lot faster than we used to,' Emma smirked, as she unbuttoned Prince's shirt.
'Yes, dear, I did that before I came and sat down. Just trying to stay one step ahead of you!' Prince replied, as he ripped Emma's shirt in two, buttons flying everywhere.
'So it's like that, is it?' Emma asked. She didn't get to say anymore, as Prince's mouth crashed down on hers, his hands moving to all his favorite spots.
Emma continued her research, called some close friends, and got in touch with a doctor on Wednesday morning who felt he could help Prince with what sounded like an opioid dependency and allow him to stay in his own home and recording studios. He was unable to arrive the next day, but said he would send a colleague out to help them get things started, as it sounded like a crisis was looming. He promised to come out personally about 48 hours later. Emma and Prince agreed to the plan.
On Wednesday night, Prince came to Emma, who was finishing a spreadsheet in her office while keeping Queen Paisley the cat from 'helping' by walking across the keyboard. She was such an attention hog! Pulling Emma up from her seat, he settled his hands on her backside before he started talking.
'Sugar, I want some time alone tonight to work through some ideas that have been spinning around in my head since last Friday.' Emma's hands ended up in the same position on Prince, and they grinned at each other. Prince was moving his hands in a blatant attempt to pull another blush onto the cheeks he was facing.
'Of course, love, but when I get tired I'll go up to the living quarters and take a nap. I'm not leaving you here alone tonight, hon. You're too important to me.'
'That's fine, mama. I'll be fine, but it's nice to know you'll be around. Keep Paisley away from the studio, okay? She's been more annoying than usual the last couple of weeks.'
'Well, she doesn't get many opportunities to help people feel better, which cats like to do. You've been under the weather, so I guess she thinks you need more of her attention, even when she's a bother. She probably thinks she's helping. Sure, I'll keep her with me.' Emma and Prince shared a long, sweet hug and kiss, and they went their separate ways in the complex, like so many other nights.
Emma worked until about 2 a.m., and finally gave up. She could barely keep her eyes open. She went over to the studio, where Prince was in his typical spot, listening while moving sliders on the soundboard.
'I'm headed up to crash now. Don't work too much longer, okay? Wake me up when you come to bed and I'll figure out a way to make you sleepy.' She smirked at Prince, who pulled her into his lap for a kiss.
'That's an invitation I'll definitely take you up on, wife. I'll see you in a bit.' Emma gave his hand a squeeze as she stood up, and she took the elevator up to the second floor. She left the door to the living quarters open so Paisley could come and go. She knew she wouldn't hear Prince working in the studio. Those soundproofed rooms didn't leak any noise at all. Thankfully the doors had windows in them, so it was easy to peek in at whoever was in there.
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Prince stopped the tape recorder. He had finished his gift for Emma. It was the closest he could come to replicating the music he had heard when he was flying toward the light. It would be the final song on the album he was creating as an anniversary present for Emma. The third anniversary of the day they met.
His eyes unfocused briefly as memories of that first night together washed over him, and he smiled to himself. He had so many blessings to be thankful for, chiefly Emma. He hoped these songs would be another way to lavish love on Emma. He put the tape in the box, labeled it, and stood up. Letting his joints settle, he decided to leave the tape on the soundboard and go lie down with his wife. He could spend some time just looking at her. Eventually he would wake her and make love to her once again.
As he started toward the stairway, his body told him stairs were a bad idea. Sighing, he turned toward the elevator. 'When did my body become in charge of decisions? I used to tell it what to do. Aging sucks, but at least I have Emma.' He smiled, thankful again for the gift of his wife. As he walked, he felt the bottle of pills in his pocket.
'How long since the last one?' He thought. 'Long enough. I hope tomorrow brings answers that can help me do without these damn pills. Sorry, Jehova, but when I was first given these, I was told they weren't addictive. Should have known Satan was laying a trap.'
He shook out a pill, and swallowed it dry while he waited for the elevator doors to open. 'The second time I saw Emma, I was on an elevator. Seems like we've been together forever, not coming on three years. Funny how time works.'
The doors opened, he got on. He reached for the button for the second floor, and felt his legs give out. As his body crumpled to the floor, he realized he was watching it happen. Looking down at his body, he knew he probably wouldn't be able to get back into it this time.
'Please, let me wake Emma!' He thought, and in an instant he was there, hovering over her.
She looked so beautiful sleeping on their bed, Queen Paisley curled up in the crook of her knees. He got as close as he could, taking in her glorious scent. Essence of Emma. Then he heard the music. He realized he was breathing it again. He needed to get her attention quickly. In his mind, he screamed her name- 'Emma, Help!' He screamed it over and over.
Emma started awake, feeling a horrible pressure on her chest, making it hard to breathe. Prince wasn't in bed with her, and she got the same feeling of dread she'd had in Hawaii. She grabbed the save shot bag from the nightstand-the bag she'd surreptitiously carried as a talisman ever since the prescription was filled-and immediately went looking for Prince. He wasn't anywhere she thought he might be, none of his usual places. Frantically, she finally pushed the button for the elevator, thinking he might have gone to the basement to look for material to tweak from the vault. When the doors opened, she found him crumpled in a heap, lying on the floor of the elevator.
Everything became a blur. She administered the first shot while calling 911 and Kirk, then realized it didn't work. She gave the second shot, praying out loud, calling Prince's name again and again, begging him to return to her, bathing his face in her tears.
Kirk got there before the EMTs, and gave the third and final shot. Emma kept slapping his cheeks, rubbing his hands, calling out to him, trying everything she could to bring him back to her, and finally, finally his chest began to rise with even breaths.
The EMTs arrived, Prince's eyes opened, and he was back. After taking his vitals, and making sure he was stabilized, they prepared to leave, saying it would be reported as a false alarm.
Emma asked, 'Would it be possible for you to draw a blood sample so we could have levels checked later? This wasn't supposed to happen.'
The EMT's agreed. Once that task was finished, they gave the sample to Kirk to refrigerate, as Emma seemed very distraught. They offered her a comfort blanket, which she refused. Leaving instructions for further care, they went on their way.
The exhausted trio in the elevator looked at each other, trying desperately to figure out what went wrong.
A/N-Thanks for reading, voting, and commenting. I know, this was tough.