The Unexpected Journey-A Prince Harry Fan Fic

Chapter 58

Harry liked to think that there was very little in the world that he couldn't handle, very little that his proper upbringing in view of the world hadn't prepared him for—even less that his military training hadn't caught. But as he stood at the airport, lost in the crowd of people sending their loved ones off to help with the destruction, he was finding that he was less prepared to handle these particular emotions that came with sending Maddie off to what he had always considered far too close to a warzone for his own comfort level.

He stood off to the side; hiding under a ball cap, biting his nails as he watched Maddie and, quite surprisingly, Ella check in with the flight staff and DWB personnel. Since the flight was exclusively for DWB staff and emergency aid workers, the area was off limits to those not on the flight or not saying good-bye to somebody on the flight—allowing Harry even more space to remain unseen in his state of hyper-edgy.

"Hey," Ella smiled at him as she finished her paperwork and moved back to where he stood. "Thank you for bringing me to the airport."

"Of course," Harry nodded with a small smile. "Where is Matt by the way? I thought he would be here to see you off."

"Working," Ella smiled.

"Sure, sure," Harry shrugged with a smug grin in place. "You know, Bishop would have been here."

"Oh..." Ella grinned with a roll of her eyes. "We're on with that again?"

"I'm just saying..." He spread his hands out.

"I know what you're saying," she shook her head. "We said our good-byes this morning."

"Fair enough," he glanced over to where Maddie was finishing up. "I have to tell you, I was shocked when Maddie told me you were going. I thought you swore off the entire continent."

"Yes well, I can't have them all down there; Khenda, Collins, Maddie..." Ella let the shakiness in her body come out in her voice, not having a bit of interest in hiding her feelings. "I have a tumultuous relationship with my actual family and the three of them...Maddie likes to pretend that I've been saving her life for the last few years but in reality it's been her saving mine. I can't let her go down there to be with them without me." She looked him over; reading his anxiety. "You going to be okay back at the palace?"

"No," he shook his head. "But I don't get a say in these things."

"That must drive you crazy," her lips pulled up in half a smirk.

"It really does," he breathed; his mind turning businesslike. "You know how to get ahold of me, right?" His voice was low as he turned to face her. "If you need anything."

"Like helicopters?" Ella raised her eyebrows; straddling the line between playful and dead serious.

"Like helicopters."

"You know the cavalry doesn't roll out for her."

"The cavalry rolls out for whomever I tell the cavalry to roll out for," though they both knew he was exaggerating, his eyes were somber.

"Okay boyfriend, at ease," Ella's voice was full of love and understanding as Maddie moved to join them. "I'm just going to give you two a minute." Her hand lingered on Harry's arm, squeezing as she moved to step away from them.

"Ella," he grabbed for her hand, pulling her to him in a hug. With a flash of shock, Ella hugged him back, blushing slightly as he kissed her cheek. "The cavalry rolls for you too, you know. Be careful out there, okay?"

"Well, with a face like this, how can I refuse?" Her fingers pinched his cheek lightly as she stepped out of his arms and looked to Maddie. "I'll just be..."

"Yeah," Maddie nodded with a smile, watching till Ella stepped away before turning to him. "You know she's going to talk my ear off about that for the entire trip to Africa."

"Consider it your payback," he raised his eyebrows, taking a step closer to her.

"Payback for what?" She matched his step with one of her own.

"Leaving me here in London while you go save the world."

"I'm not going to save the world," Maddie shook her head softly.

"Yeah..." He breathed and, with slight jerk of his chin, gestured for her to step into his arms. And she went; willingly, happily. Sinking into his embrace, she pressed her nose to his sweater; inhaling—committing to memory.

He wanted to remind her to be careful, remind her to watch where she was walking, what she was passing, what was above her. He wanted to tell her to keep an eye out for anything that look suspect, to trust her gut, to—when faced with the fight or flight dilemma—to go with flight. He wanted to make one last ditch effort at keeping her there with him, to cry and beg and throw a fit in front of her colleagues until she agreed to stay by his side.

Instead he tightened his hold on her, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her; full on the lips regardless of who was watching or what they may be documenting this moment on. He had reminded her of all of those things about a hundred times during the last twenty-four hours and now was not the time for that.

Now was the time for the I love you he whispered in her ear, the tickle his breath left on her skin, the way it made her eyes tear up. Now was the time for the way her fingers roughed up the hair at the back of his neck, the way her eyes met his—full of promises; promises to be safe, promises to return, promises to be in one piece. Now was the time for her to kiss him again; lips firm and warm as her I love you too passed between them into his mouth.

"I have to go..." She pulled away from him then, worried that much more time in his arms would be the straw that tipped the scale—forcing her to stay next to him. The group was beginning to disperse; doctors and nurses lining up. Harry lent a quick glance to the others before turning reluctant eyes back to her.

"Step in, love," though his heart was full of concern and worry for her safety, everything else about him was full of pride—loving that part about her that felt the need to not just stand by. "And step back out."

"I will," she took another step away, her fingers lingering in his. They called out for her flight and she shrugged as her eyes turned up to the ceiling. "I love you. I do. But I..."

"It's time for you to go, I know." He drew her fingers to his lips for one more kiss. "Good-bye Madeline." She smiled sweetly and pulled her hand from his.

"I'll see you soon Wales." And then, with a turn of her heel and one final wave of her hand, Maddie was gone—following Ella to the walkway.

Harry stood, weighted to his spot for the longest time. He watched as the last person loaded the plane, watched as they shut and locked the door behind them. Only when the plane had taxied away did he turn to leave.

Only when he was certain she wasn't going to come running back into the airport.

Resigned to spending the next fourteen days on edge with worry, Harry made his way, relatively unnoticed back through the airport to his waiting car and the next fourteen days of his life.