The Unexpected Journey-A Prince Harry Fan Fic

Chapter 53

Maddie had been walking for an hour and a half. She had been walking since she left Harry sitting on her couch. She had been the first to speak, the first to pull away, the first to get up from the couch. And, true to form, she needed to process. She needed to move and process. Things were nowhere near settled, nowhere near easy. But the yelling and the fighting and the tension was too much and she needed to take a break. Being the completely too good to be true man that he was, Harry had swallowed his words and his emotions and let her walk away without a fight. He was done fighting too; a teaming headache building behind his eyes, an ache settling in his stomach.

So she had pulled on her boots, wrapped up in her coat and tugged on her hat. And she was walking. She had walked out of her place, nodding to Nathan as she passed him, and out into the chilly, drizzly October night. It was still early evening but the sun had gone down and the air was crisp.

It was exactly what she needed to clear her mind.

She loved him; this she knew. This she never doubted. He was wonderful. He was amazing. And he deserved somebody who wasn't going to crash every time something like this came up. He deserved better than that. He deserved strong, fearless; unshakable.

She knew that.

That had been her at one point. That was who she was. She was resilient and unflinching. She was all of those things. Or she had been.

She knew that too.

With every step on the pavement, with every breath she took, she was making sure that she was still in fact, all of those things. She wanted to spend her life with this man. She wanted to marry him and take his name and have his babies. She wanted to shield him from harm and protect him and it was a staggering realization that she was never going to be able to do that. It hurt her in ways she had never been hurt that this was the reality. And it shocked her in ways that she had never been shocked that this hadn't sunk into her stubborn brain.

And then there was Harry.

He was mad. No, she shook her head. He wasn't mad. He was frustrated and confused and...

"Tired," she spoke the word out loud; seeing her breath in the cold air. Her eyes welled up. She was tired too.

She had been walking for an hour and a half when she finally came to a stop. She was standing outside a coffee house and, because she sought warmth, she went in. She ordered her drink and, when the lady smiled sweetly at her and asked her how she was, Maddie smiled big and answered,

"I'm wonderful, thank you." And then, because she sought solitude, she went outside to one of the small tables set up; choosing one off to the side and slightly secluded. Willing to trade the chill for the quiet, she sat down to drink her coffee.

Keeping her face calm and happy, she allowed her mind to wander. So much so that she began to tune out her surroundings. She didn't see the people coming and going, she didn't take in the scattered few customers who were at other tables or looking at the view from the corner, she didn't hear the music that drifted from the coffee house every time the door opened. And she most definitely didn't realize who was standing in front of her before his voice broke into her thoughts.

"Doctor," she recognized his voice instantly.

"Bishop," she smiled before her eyes lifted to his. He was bundled up with his own cup of coffee.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course not," she waved and he sat.

"I'm guessing you saw the article," Maddie spoke softly and with a well-trained smile.

"Straight to the point, huh? I like that." Bishop nodded. "Yes. I saw it."

"Is that why you're coincidentally here at...wait..." Her brow furrowed. "How did you know I was here?" She hadn't told anyone where she was going; she didn't even know where she was going when she set out.