Choosing Love

Chapter Three

Evie held her breath as her heels clacked along the tile flooring of the hospital. The welcome clerk hadn't been the most welcoming upon seeing Evie but she had softened a little when she heard who Evie was looking for.

She knew it would be selfish to expect a warm greeting after everything that happened at Ben's coronation but...it would be nice if there was some sign that the kingdom was getting over it at least. However it seemed that only Mal, Jay and Carlos along with some of Ben's friends and Ben of course truly didn't care.

Though, that'll change now that Uma's here, Evie thought with a small sigh. She and Mal were inseparable back on the Isle. Guess I should start preparing for smoke bomb attacks every morning and sword fights every night. At least Estelle'll put up with me. I wonder where Mal got him though—she didn't attend my sixth birthday party after all and that's where all the guests got their pets as part of their nasty bags.

Evie shook her head. Thinking about that was dangerous—after all, Mal's lack of invite was what drove Maleficent to capture Evie's dad in the first place, making the Evil Queen and therefore Evie fall in line.

"Excuse me?" Evie said softly as she approached the doctor standing in front of her father's room.

"Ah, can I help you miss?"

Evie wasn't going to lie, the warm smile coming from the doctor was a welcomed treat. It felt genuine, rather than forced as most of the smiles directed toward her had been. Even the limo driver had felt forced; like he was only being nice to her because he'd been ordered to by King Ben rather than out of any decency he felt.

As well, the smile seemed to take away from the intimidating factor the doctor had, being a relatively tall man and dressed in boots that Mal would be extremely interested in if she had an interest in fashion. He certainly didn't look like the other doctors, scurrying around in their monochromatic outfits.

"Yes, I was wondering if I could go in?" Evie asked, pointing to her father's room. She could see him from the window but going in would mean the world. It would be a confirmation that this wasn't a dream, that Ben and Mal had managed to bring him back to her after all these years.

"Oh I'm sorry miss, but only family's allowed in right now."

Evie bit her lip. "But...I'm his daughter," she said softly, her hopes crashing down that she'd be able to actually talk to her father after years of wondering if he was dead or alive. Despite the fact that hope was deadly on the Isle, Evie had always held a sliver of it for her father. Even as her own mother seemed to give up on the idea of ever seeing him again.

The doctor apparently had heard her as he looked at the papers in his hands and then looked back at Evie, obviously taken aback.

"I'm so sorry miss, King Ben had contacted us and let us know you'd be stopping by," the doctor said. "I"m Dr. Sweet, if you have any questions about your father's condition, please feel free to reach out."

"No apology needed doctor," Evie said, even if she couldn't help but think that they were extremely trusting over here in Auradon. To just go off her claim of being his daughter...then again, if Ben had called ahead and told them she was coming, there would be no reason to doubt Ben. "I'm sure you were just following protocol. But just to clarify, I can go in?"

Dr. Sweet nodded and held the door open for her. Evie gave the doctor a small smile before rushing to her father's bedside. To Evie's surprise, her dad wasn't moving—the only sign that he was alive was the beeping coming from the machines he seemed to be attached to as his chest slowly rose up and down.

His brown hair seemed to make him look even paler as he laid against the stark white hospital sheets. His body seemed gaunt, any muscle definition he'd gained from years of working as a stable hand before going to the Isle had vanished.