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Chapter 14
It had been a boring and uneventful week for Daniel. He had only left the palace once to go to physical therapy. He didn’t like having to go there. He would have preferred it if the doctor came to the palace and helped him there. However, Lady Agaiby and the palace psychologist thought it was a good idea for him to leave the palace from time to time even if it was for a doctor’s appointment. Since the accident, Daniel stopped going out. He was just so depressed and just wanted to stay in his quarters.
It was now Friday, and the weekly cabinet meeting was starting within half an hour. The king had been furious with him for missing the one last week especially after he had talked to Daniel about it. Daniel was still not going to attend the cabinet meeting anytime soon.
Daniel sat at his sofa playing his guitar. It always helped him relieve stress. It was especially helpful now that he was not able to race. Suddenly there was a knock on his bedroom door. He already knew who it was. Fiona. She was actually late.
“You may enter,” Daniel called out. Fiona walked in and approached him at the sofas. She bowed her head to him. “You are late,” he barked at her. Fiona widened her eyes.
“I apologize. I ran into your mother on my way here.”
Daniel closed his eyes for a moment. “What did she say to you?” he asked her.
“She wanted me to do my job properly and not do anything inappropriate,” said Fiona. Daniel did not reply. He just opened his eyes and started playing the guitar. Fiona moved closer to Daniel and touched his shoulder.
“Are you okay?” she asked him.
“You do not have to touch me to ask me that,” he snapped.
“Sometimes you do. Sometimes you have to touch people to make a connection.”
“We don’t need to make a connection.” What nonsense was she talking about? Daniel asked himself.
“Oh you are frustrating!”
“Excuse me?” Daniel crossed his eyebrows.
“I am only trying to help you.”
“Why do you think that you can do and say whatever you want around me? It’s time for you to leave the palace.”
Fiona did not even look surprised. He had tried to fire her on many occasions but she was probably used to it. She sat down on the table opposite him. “I know that I often cross the line. It’s not to offend you or anything but I just want to help,” she said gently. Her voice was actually quite gentle and soothing.
“Stop trying to help me. You don’t know me or anything about me.”
“That is because you refuse to talk me. What is bothering you today?” She was persistent. Normally when he told someone to leave him alone, they would do so. However, it never worked with Fiona. Daniel groaned.
“What makes you think that there is something bothering me?” he asked. It was surprising that she could tell almost immediately that there was something bothering him.
“I have spent enough time with you and have seen most of your moods. So I can see that something is wrong.”
Most of his moods? Daniel frowned at the statement. She made him seem as though he had constant mood swings. He was silent for a moment. “My father wants me to start attending the cabinet meetings again,” he said.
“You don’t want to?” she asked. Daniel shook his head. “Do you have to? Can’t you just not go if you don’t want to?”
“It’s part of my duty. I have to.”
“So why don’t you want to?”
“I’m not ready.” Daniel’s eyebrow shot up when Fiona took his large hands into her small ones. She let out a small laugh.
“Don’t freak out. People hold hands. It doesn’t have to be romantic,” she said. Her hands were so soft and warm. “Do you think that the ministers and sheikhs will look at you differently now?” she added. Daniel nodded.
“I wonder if they will take me seriously and respect me. Being in a wheelchair changes how people look at you.”
“That is true but it just means that they are shallow-minded people. And if you avoid going to such meetings, it will make people talk more.”
“I can’t bring myself to do it.”
