The Royal Scandal | Prince William |

Guilt

January 21, 2013

"Look at you little miss!" Jaclyn coos once the nurse has everything set. William leans against the door frame watching as Amelia settles into her new spot next to Jaclyn's cot in their private room.

She's still in the incubator, but the top has been taken off to see if she can maintain her own body temperature. If all goes well she'll be moved to an open crib. For now she's also off the IV and ventilator with her incubator set at the lowest level of oxygen.

It's peaceful watching them in a space where Jaclyn feels completely free to be herself. He almost doesn't notice the new polka dot dress or her flattened hair.

"Mia, I hope you know I love you, and I would do anything for you."

"She does," he speaks up, one hand running through his hair that's mussed from sleeping while the other swirls his coffee. It's packed with excess cream and sugar just to be edible, but he'll take anything to fight off the yawns and head dipping that will follow him for the rest of the day. Sleeping in the hospital is definitely not like sleeping in their home.

"I don't know how I know that, but I just do." In some inexplicable way he sees it in her eyes even though he knows she's probably not thinking anything. Somehow she knows that they're her mum and dad, and she's most comfortable around them.

Amelia's head turns, her little eyes squinting open through the bright light to see him because she knows his voice, and he swears she smiles.

"You better not be here to convince me not to go out today." William pauses, lips parting to protest, to swear he wasn't but... that's exactly what he was going to do. He rubs at his eyebrow, trying to massage away the aching tension that's settled there. Jaclyn focuses back on Amelia kissing her head.

Kate comes out from the bathroom, finally starting to look pregnant now that she's overcome the worst of hyperemesis. "Look who's finally up?" She giggles, dropping the bag of makeup and hair things to jog over to Jaclyn. "Oh she's going to look just like you Jac!"

"You can't tell," Jac mumbles, hiding her blush by looking down. Kate smirks at him and he shrugs, he already has an inkling suspicion that Amelia will be her mums twin.

Through the silence and with Jac's back firmly turned away from him he makes his way into the room, sitting down in the chair Brad and him have taken turns dozing off in. Kate gets the message, curious eyes shooting between them before she mumbles something about waiting by the car.

"Everything at RBC can wait, but you shouldn't over exert yourself too soon." The second he hears the words he knows he's said the wrong thing. He doesn't even have to see the way her eyes steel, or how she pulls Amelia into her.

Her words come out clipped, with a gentle warning side glare as she tenderly lays Amelia back down. "I know my limits." Arms now free they cross over her dress. The mossy green polka dot dress that he's sure Kate didn't just coincidentally pick.

He knows what this is, it's a game with the press, and his family's all for it because the people outside the hospital are going feral while they wait. They practically wept in relief when Jaclyn mentioned visiting The Royal Ballet.

He's sympathetic. She sits confined to these walls while people whisper outside, while the news channels speculate. They replay the same footage from Christmas over and over because it's all they have, and she hates the way it portrays her. She's not weak, and she won't let that become a lasting image for the world.

William approaches her, leaving behind his promising caffeine to become forgotten, so he can uncross her arms. She looks so serious like that. When his arms wrap around her back, in the same place hers laid, she becomes softer. An ever weak smile gracing her lips while her eyes connect with his.