The Unexpected Journey-A Prince Harry Fan Fic

Chapter 59

Arriving in Bendal had brought forward all of the emotions that Maddie had expected; anxiety, concern, upset, and an intense sort of relief that flooded her heart when they were finally reunited with their reason for boarding the plane in the first place.

Their first day had been one of adjustment; getting acquainted with the protocol, understanding the security measures, and learning their assignments. As Maddie had suspected, she and Ella were being sent out to the complex—most likely due to their previous involvement in Bendal. What Maddie had known before they came was that the complex had taken quite a hit and that the community surrounding it had suffered great losses and injuries. She had assumed they would be heading in that direction and, as they received the news, she reached out to squeeze Ella's hand in comfort.

It was late afternoon and they had finally finished the last bit of debriefing and were finally able to get out to the work they had come there to do.

The tension that Ella had built up inside of her, nervous at returning to the scene of so much anguish, washed away the instant they ran into their Bendal family. No sooner had they step foot off the van, no sooner had they taken in the destruction and devastation, they were pulled into bone crushing, lung squeezing hugs. Maddie's eyes welled with long fought tears and she wasn't sure if the arms around her belonged to Collins or Khenda or even Ella for that matter.

"My God...I cannot believe you two are here," Khenda cried openly, one hand holding tight to Ella while the other traveled over Maddie's hair; her maternal instincts in overload.

"You didn't really think we would stay away, did you?" Maddie chuckled through her tears.

"No," Khenda shook her head. "Though I did think Harry would pull a little harder to keep you there."

"Oh he pulled," Ella laughed, leaning into Collins; feeling better than she had ever expected to feel standing back in Bendal. "He just lost that particular tug of war."

"You all know that I don't take well to being told what to do," Maddie smiled wide. "Now I love him dearly but if you expected things to be different with Harry, then..."

"Na, we know better," Collins moved to kiss her forehead. "I hate to admit it, but it's really good to see you, Doc."

"You have no idea how good it is to see you," Maddie's tears increased as she hugged him. "We were so worried about you."

"You're not the only one," Khenda spoke up, her eyes narrowing at him as they shared the look that couples share; the look that speaks volumes of their history, their devotion, their love for the other.

"Okay, okay," he rolled his eyes dramatically. "There will be plenty of time for this tonight..."

"Tonight?" Ella's face scrunched up.

"You're staying with us," Khenda's voice was such that both of them knew there would be no further discussion. "We're not passing up the chance to spend time with the two of you while you're here."

"Your place made it out okay?" Maddie raised her eyebrows.

"Amazingly, yes," Collins nodded. "We were untouched by the quake. The complex, on the other hand..." All eyes moved to take in the disaster area. The devastation filled her lungs like the hot sticky air of Bendal.

"Yeah..." Maddie breathed. The reality sat in; weighing on all of them.

"You want to direct me to the infirmary tent?" Ella released her hold on Khenda's hand. It was time for them to get to work.

"I'll take you. I'm headed that way," Collins nodded, releasing his hold on Maddie. "We'll meet right here at the end of the day."

"I'll take you to the makeshift family center," Khenda spoke to Maddie. "We've instructed people to gather there if they need to talk to anyone or aren't sure what to do."