The Royals and The Baby

a night to remember (7)

I'm putting my phone in my purse when someone knocks on the door. I set it down and answer it, only to find Helen waiting outside with a phone and a folder in her hand.

When she sees that I'm ready she says. "Oh good! You're ready. We should get going if you want to get there on time."

I start to reply, when my phone starts to ring. I go back into the room and retrieve it from the purse.

"Hey!" I greet William.

"Hi! You haven't left yet have you?" He asks.

"No, I was about to." I reply.

"Good. I need you to bring me a few clothes because I got water splashed all over my extra pair." He tells me.

I laugh. "Why are you always getting wet?"

After a few minutes I have what William instructed me to get and then turn back to Helen who's patiently waiting for me.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." I apologize.

"No problem. Now let's get going. We have to go up to the helipad." She says.

I follow her up several flights of stairs and then through a door, finally emerging onto a huge open air platform with a helicopter waiting for us. Helen motions me forward and I walk towards its open door.

I climb in and settle down into one of the comfortable leather seats. Helen sits down in the seat opposite from me. After a few minutes, I feel a lurch and the engines roar to life. The moment the blades start to move a strong swishing sound reaches my ears.

And then all of a sudden we start rising into the air. I've ridden in a plane before but riding in a helicopter is a completely different experience. I already rode in one before but I was cold out then.

"Okay. I just got your schedule and a short list of the guests that you and William will be meeting." Helen tells me.

"Wait. Does that mean I don't have to talk to everyone?" I ask her.

"No. You won't have to do that." She replies looking up from the papers with a smile on her face.

Helen has been the best assistant one could hope for. I would've switched her with Michelle at once if I'd known I could. I thought she might be hesitant about things but she acts if she was born for this.

"Who's on the list?" I ask her.

She holds up the list to her face. "The movie is Age of Adeline so obviously the cast will be there but out of them Blake Lively is only one on your list. Other people include David Cameron, Tony Abbott and Pippa Middleton. What?"

I'm staring at her with my mouth hanging open. "Pip...Pippa Middleton?! As in Kate Middleton's sister?!"

"Yes, the very person." She replies.

I groan. "Can't I just fake being sick or pretend that I broke a leg?"

Helen laughs. "No, you can't because this isn't school that you don't feel like going to. Just look at it as something you're doing for your husband."

I think it over. "That could work."

I'm doing this for my husband. I'm doing this for William. I'm doing this for him.

All of a sudden my stomach does a summersault which makes me realize that we're loosing altitude. This only mean one thing.

"We're here!" Helen announces.

I take a deep breath and remind myself. "You're doing this for William."

All of a sudden the swooshing sound stops making me deaf to all sounds for a minute but then I get used to it and the door is pushed open. Helen gets out before me and waits as I step down as gracefully as possible in my heels.