As he waited for someone to answer the door, Jacob quickly checked his phone for messages. He’d left the security at the palace in the capable hands of one of the other guards whom he trusted, but he needed to remain available in case the team needed anything from him while he was gone. The chances of another attempt on the royal family were low, but Atlas sometimes went into a fit that required multiple people to extinguish. The guards at the palace were there to make sure he didn’t accidentally hurt himself in addition to keeping out outside threats. Given his recent spat with Prince Caspian, it was unnervingly likely that the king would wake up in a foul mood that morning.

Fortunately, his lock screen was empty though, and he looked up again as a doctor appeared on the other side of the door. He shifted his weight to step into the room but then paused as the other man came into the hallway instead. Apparently he either didn’t want him to go inside or he had something he wanted to discuss away from his patient. The guard leaned one shoulder against the nearby white wall and folded his arms loosely over his chest. “Do tell,” he prompted when the doctor said he could explain what had happened to Iris. Having never seen a prisoner go into a seizure in response to the Aproveset injection, he was interested in finding out what had gone wrong.

So, listening patiently, he found it intriguing that her amnesia was most likely the cause of her strange reaction. There was no way he or anyone else could have known it would be dangerous for her to undergo an interrogation with the drug, but now that he’d learned about the adverse effect, he made a mental note to pass word on to the soldiers at the penitentiary. It sounded like they were done questioning her, but just in case, it would be good for them to know that she couldn’t handle another round of the truth serum. Given that her fate was in limbo, he needed to make sure the idiots didn’t accidentally kill her when Caspian wanted her freed and Atlas had been considering sending her back to her home district.

“If that’s what you think is best, then keep her as long as you need to,” Jacob told the doctor decisively. He had a feeling the hospital was a safer place for the girl than the penitentiary anyway. Some of the soldiers there seemed to hold a grudge against her for being involved in the prince’s abduction, while the others were just too inept to handle a prisoner that they assumed was going to be executed any day now. He was a busy man, so he couldn’t spring to her rescue every time the dumbasses screwed up. If keeping her at the medical center for a couple more days would buy her time while the royal family discussed what to do with her, then he was sure the bills would be worth it. The money for her in-treatment was covered by the prison’s funds anyway.

Having made his decision quickly, he followed the doctor back into the room and took a seat in the guest chair by the door, watching quietly as the physician prepared to tend to her bruised throat.

Meanwhile, Cas didn’t have to wait long before a nurse arrived with his breakfast. Somewhat ironically, it was the same blonde nurse he’d teased Jacob about. She stepped inside with a platter that contained a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of orange juice and set it down on his bedside table. “Good morning, Your Highness,” she greeted him as she adjusted his mattress into a more upright position that would make it easier to eat and drink. “Are you ready to go home today?”

[color=#b97703][i]That’s a surprisingly loaded question,[/i][/color] he thought. He was eager to get out of the hospital, but he was apprehensive about facing his father at home. However, he didn’t want to unload his personal problems on a total stranger, so he replied simply, [color=#b97703]“Yeah, it’ll be good to sleep in my own bed again.”[/color]

“Understandable,” she nodded in agreement. Once she felt like he was in a comfortable position to have his meal, she stepped back from the bed and nodded her head in a casual bow. “Before you go, the doctor will need to put a sturdier cast on your wrist. But once he finishes that, I believe you’ll be free to be discharged whenever you’re ready to leave.”

[color=#b97703]“Great,”[/color] he sighed, picking up his spoon. [color=#b97703]“I also can’t wait to have solid food again.”[/color]

The nurse smirked amusedly, “Give it until the afternoon, Your Highness. The medications you’re on may cause your stomach to be tender for a few hours even after the IV is removed.”

[color=#b97703]“Fine, but after that, I’m going ham,”[/color] he compromised, bringing a mouthful of oatmeal to his lips.

The nurse chuckled and bowed again, stepping out of the room to let him eat in peace. Once he was alone, Cas found his thoughts wandering back to Iris again. He hoped she was doing okay at the penitentiary and was worried about what the soldiers might have been doing to her since she’d been arrested. At least now that he was almost free from the hospital, he could go to see her soon. After he found a change of clothes at home, he planned to go to the prison for a visit right away. [color=#b97703][i]With any luck, I’ll be able to get her out of there today,[/i][/color] he thought determinedly.