From Prisoner To Princess [amazon edition]

Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Sitting in the waiting room of the hospital wing, my left leg bounces as anxiety and worry courses through me. Mika is pacing the floor, his eyes full of anger while Lia and Mia mumble prayers. Alice is sitting beside me, staring at the doors as we all way for a nurse to confirm whether or not we can visit our friend. Sky had gone for a coffee run with Arian and Adam; the two guards having rushed here as soon as they got the news.

"Princess." A small voice calls out causing me to jump to my feet and march towards the Nurse that came through the heavy doors.

"How is he?" I ask right away, taking the Nurse's hands in mine.

"He is resting now. The surgery was a success." A collective sigh goes through all of us, the tension and worry in the room breaking as we all visibly relax. Max had been in surgery the moment he was sent back to the Palace. As soon as we all managed to return home, we had made our way to the hospital wing. The nurse typing on the laptop in the corner was the one to explain hos sever his injuries were to us and that until we were told otherwise, we would have to wait here in the waiting room.

Juden's men had done too much to poor Max from two fractured ribs to breaking his leg in four places. His nose had been broken this morning by the sounds of it, the injury being the newest while each one were in various states of healing. Had I not gotten that feeling, Max would have either been executed accidentally or died from his injuries.

"When can we see him?" Lia asks from beside me, her bright eyes filled with unshed tears.

"You can all wait in his room but remember, he is resting. Please keep your voices down." The Nurse smiles, freeing one hand from my grasp and patting Lia on the shoulder. I hesitate for a moment before letting her go and asking her to lead the way. She nods, giving us all a reassuring smile before turning and opening one of the heavy doors, Alice sends a message to Adam letting him and the others know where we will be before she trails behind us.

Max's room isn't far and after passing three doors, we are told that the fourth door leads to his room. Everyone watches me, waiting for me to turn the handle and enter first but guilt seeps into me. It is because of me that Max was injured and nearly killed. Had I killed Juden after the interrogation Max would be safe and healthy. A hand gently wipes across my cheek and I turn to see Mia watching me with a soft smile.

"What if he hates me for this?" I ask in a choked voice, feeling the tears on my skin.

"He won't. No one blames you for what Juden and his men did." She reassures me. I turn to see the others agreeing, Alice coming to give me a tight hug. With their reassurance, I pull away from my friend and face the door once more, pushing it and stepping into the room.

The first thing to hit me is the sterile smell. Like peroxide mixed with anti-bacterial hand soap. The second thing is the sounds of machinery helping to monitor Max's condition. He lays so still on the hospital bed, his chest thankfully rising and falling with each breath. Even with the sounds of the machines the room is quiet, Too quiet.

Slowly walking towards the bed, my eyes scanning the bandages and casts covering Max's body. His face is swollen and the small amount of ebony skin I can see has grown darker from the bruises.

"I'm sorry." I find my self saying, a tear slipping down my cheek as I take a seat on the chair closest to me, taking Max's hand in mine and closing my eyes.

"Don't be." A hoarse voice whispers. Opening my eyes, I find myself staring into Max's eyes, the right one barely opening from how swollen it is.

"You're okay." A sob of relief fills me seeing Max awake. Lia rushes to the other side, gingerly sitting on the edge of the bed and taking Max's free hand in hers. He turns to look at her, a smile on his split lips before he turns back to look at me, guilt replacing his smile.

"I'm sorry Alli." He chokes out, squeezing my hand gently.

"Why are you saying sorry to her?" Sky's voice sounds from behind me, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

"Because I couldn't stop them." Max closes his eyes, tears slipping past them.

"They were there with me the whole time and a few days before the execution, they attacked me and stole my tablet."

"You were doing your job, Max. This is not your fault." Squeezing his hand, I try my best to reassure Max. His tense body relaxes, the tears flowing freely now. Lia does her best to wipe them away, whispering into his ear that he did his job and no one is mad at him. She places a gentle kiss on Max's lips, making me smile and turning to look up at Sky who smiles at me. It seems we aren't the only couple in the group.

"Seriously?! Sky gets a girl and now Max?!" Mika groans, causing the tension in the room to melt and all of to laugh.

"Don't worry Mika, there is someone out there for you." Arian states with a chuckle, elbowing him.

"Get some rest Max, Lia stay with him." They both looked at me and I smiled, squeezing their hands. Mika just scoffs, turning to look at Mia who fake gags before grabbing a coffee from the tray and bringing it to me. I thank her, taking a sip of the much needed caffeine. With Max being so injured, we stay for an hour before the pain medicine kick in causing Max to slowly nod off. Smiling softly, I tell Max to get rest and order everyone out of the room but Lia, telling her to take care of her boyfriend and giggling when her face turns a shade of crimson. Sky tells to take the time off until Max is healed and given clearance to return to work before we leave, shutting the door behind us.

"You okay Allisara?" Sky asks, pulling me into his arms as I take a deep breath. My body is shaking as I think about Max in the room behind us. Of all the innocent people killed. Of my parents buried in the Royal Cemetery.

"We need to hold a meeting with the Cabinet Members and the Military Generals." I state, looking into Sky's eyes.

"Already planned for tomorrow."

"Good. I want that bastard dead." Sky's gaze hardens as he nods in agreement, the both of us filled with anger. Juden has gone too far hurting one of my friends – my family. I should have known that a vile man like him would not rest until he sat on the throne again.

Sky leads me away from the hospital wing, taking me directly to my bedroom and pulling me towards the bathroom where a hot bubble bath waits. I protest, claiming that I have war to prepare for but he counters with it being a long day and I need to rest before I do something rash. I sigh, giving in and find myself curled on his lap in the bath, the stress of the day finally washing over me as I cry my heart out.