Life in the Palace (Prince Harry #5)

Chapter Eleven

Meredith was slow moving in the morning. It surprised Harry how sometimes she didn't sleep at all and sometimes she slept for hours on end. It just depended on the life she was living for the day. It was going to be another slow day for them today, but tomorrow, they and her father were heading "up north" to a cabin on a resort. Meredith used to do it with her family all the time as a child, and this was going to be the last time ever.

When Meredith did wake up, Harry saw her immediately go to the bathroom. He was in the living room, playing with the dogs. There were a few seconds of silence, and then he heard her upstairs. It was back to morning sickness.

Throwing the toys, Harry got up as the dogs went after them. When he got upstairs, he knocked on the door and then let himself in. Meredith had her blonde hair pulled back, but even then, some of the strands were escaping. Harry went over and pulled her hair from her face. Meredith rocked back and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"Thanks," she said through a shaky breath.

"Any time." Harry reached over and grabbed a washcloth. He ran cool water over it and then pressed it to her head. Meredith wasn't burning up, but she was sweating. 

She lurched toward the toilet again, but nothing came out. Meredith rocked back as Harry patted the cool cloth against her skin. "I thought this was supposed to be over. Aren't we getting close to that second trimester part?"

Harry hated to the bearer of bad news, but she had a right to know. "I think it can continue throughout the whole pregnancy."

Meredith groaned, "Ugh. Fuck that." Her fingernails dug into the white porcelain toilet bowl. She had been here way too many times. She had seen enough toilets to last a lifetime. "I mean, how much worse can this get?"

"Cath had to go hospital every time," he pointed out.

She nodded, agreeing that was worse.

Meredith had morning sickness and whole-lot-a other symptoms. There was no missing she was pregnant. Her breasts hurt constantly; she was always hungry even though she wanted to vomit; her moods swung so drastically that she sometimes didn't know how she felt. However, through this all, no one besides Harry and a few others knew that she was pregnant. There were always rumors, but there was no proof. The monarchy didn't announce it. It was no more than a rumor. At least, Meredith had her privacy, which Catherine never did. The last thing she wanted was someone trying to get that picture of her hurling. Actually, she was able to think of a few more things, but it was up there too.

Deciding that it was all she had, Meredith carefully crawled off the floor and stood at the sink. Immediately, she started brushing her teeth. It made her stomach churn again, but she just wanted the taste out.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Harry let a hand rest on the small of her back, as if to keep her upright. Normally, Meredith was not cool with this, but she didn't shake him off. She knew he was just trying to care for her. It was hard for Harry to see his wife like this. If it was possible for him to do this for, then he was going to take that chance.

"I'll be fine." She spat the rest of the toothpaste out and washed her mouth. "Come on."

The dogs greeted her when Meredith came downstairs, and a smile spread across her face. She enjoyed playing with them, and they were more than excited to see her. Sitting on the living room floor, she began to play with them.

Her husband came in and gave her a glass of water. "Do you want me to make you breakfast?" Harry asked, even though it was nearing lunch time.

Her stomach growled, but Meredith shook her head, unsure that anything was going to stay down. She continued to play with the dogs that jumped over her legs and ran circles around her. Their loud squeakers didn't even bother her.

"What would you like to do today?" Harry asked.

"Lazy day," she suggested, "unless you had something else in mind."

"No. That sounds great." Harry leaned back in the chair.

The lazy day included Meredith reading for a bit and then them having a Harry Potter marathon. They made through four and a half movies until Meredith wasn't taking it anymore. Harry Potter accounted for a large part of the UK's tourism. Meredith read the books to read the books as a kid but had never gotten too into them. A lot of her university friends knew everything. As for the movies, she hated the first two because they freaked her out.

"You're definitely a Hufflepuff," she said.

"What?" Harry sounded slightly outraged.

"There's nothing wrong with being a Hufflepuff," Meredith continued on.

"You're right, but I'm not a Hufflepuff. I'm definitely a Gryffindor. I'm brave, loyal, courageous, chivalrous," he listed, but Meredith rolled her eyes. "And you're also a Gryffindor."

"I see myself as a Slytherin."

Harry gave a look.

"Well, I'm definitely not a Ravenclaw-- and neither are you."

"Oh, I know I'm not a Ravenclaw." They had this talk before; Harry hated school. Even sometimes visiting schools on his duties was hard. Harry hated school except sports. "I think you could be a Ravenclaw. You're smart and creative. All your friends come to you for advice."

"I just tell them the truth. I'm not sure if that's called advice." Meredith walked into the kitchen and started looking through the cabinets for something she wanted to eat. She probably didn't know what it was yet. "But that's what makes me not in Hufflepuff. You're the Hufflepuff. Loyalty, patience," she counted on her fingertips, "dedicated... a particularly good finder."

Harry sighed. "I still don't see you as a Slytherin. Maybe you're in the middle."

"I don't think that's how the houses work," she said, pulling something sweet out of the fridge. "What does happen if a student transfer in? What if their personality changes over time?"

"Slytherins are supposed to be bad."

"Not all Slytherins, not like all Gryffindors are good. Come on, Harry, you should know that. You grew up with this stuff."

"I didn't read Harry Potter every waking minute."

"Did you even read Harry Potter?" she questioned.

"I watched the movies. It's the same thing." He shrugged.

She snorted and took the sweet ice cream to the living room. "Definitely not a Ravenclaw," she agreed. Meredith sat down on the couch, curling up with a blanket on her lap. 

"I just don't think you're a Slytherin." Harry was ready to launch into his list as to why she wasn't one, but then he caught her face. It was a deathly glare. Whether or not she was a Slytherin, she had the death-glare of one. "So," Harry said, clapping his hands together and changing the subject, "what do you want me to make you for dinner?"