Page 54 of Falling for the Queen Mother

"Where's my baby?" she asked again.

Nathaniel took a step forward. "She's with Kay. Are you all right?"

With a glare toward the aide pushing her wheelchair, Emilia put her hands on the arms of the chair and pushed herself up out of the plane. "I'm cut and bruised but I'm fine. I'll be stiff and sore for a few days, but nothing that won't heal. Why does Kay have Alice?" She looked at Alaina. "Why are all of you here in the first place?"

Alaina left Frederick's side and walked toward Emilia, taking the young woman's hands in her own. "Did you fall? Did they know you work for me, and that's why they brought you in here?" She felt like the answer should be staring her in the face.

"I was in an auto accident. I have no idea why anyone brought me to see you." Confusion covered Emilia's face. "They said they were taking me to see the family of my date."

Alaina blinked. "Your... date?"

"Yes. I was on a date with this guy. He lives at the palace. I'm not sure what he does, but I met him in the staff quarters a couple of days after I moved in. We've had dinner a few times. He's come over and helped take care of Alice. After you offered to watch her sometime, I said yes when he asked if I wanted to go to dinner outside the palace." She looked around the room. "That still doesn't explain why all of you are here."

"I got a call that my son was in an accident. We left your apartment and were taking Alice to the nursery when Kay met us, saying she'd heard about what happened and knew where I was." The shock about the accident was preventing her from putting pieces together. "I'm so happy to hear you're all right."

Before she could figure out what exactly was happening, another medical professional walked in. The stitching on the jacket proclaimed her an emergency doctor. "Good evening, Your Majesties." She dipped into a curtsy.

"How's my brother?" Frederick had moved closer to the door where Alaina stood and the doctor entered.

"He's heading to surgery. There's internal injuries, some broken bones, things like that. He's stable, but will have recovery in front of him."

"How long will he be in surgery?" Alaina dropped Emilia's hands and wrapped her arms around herself.

"A few hours, most likely, but they won't know for certain until they get started and have a better idea what they're dealing with."

Alaina felt someone put their hands on her shoulders but didn't turn to look who. It had to be either Frederick or Nathaniel. If she had to bet, Frederick would be standing with Elise so Nathaniel would be behind her.

"I'll have someone keep you apprised of what's going on," the doctor told them. "They may have you move to a different part of the hospital where it will be more comfortable and more convenient."

"Thank you." Frederick spoke for all of them. "We appreciate how well you've taken care of my brother."

"My pleasure, sir." The doctor curtsied again, then left the room.

"Hold on." Emilia was the first to speak when the door closed. "Your brother?" She looked first at Frederick then Alaina. "Your son?"

Alaina still couldn't quite put everything together.

"Who was your date with?" Nathaniel asked the question.

"Ronnie."

Could it be? "Ronnie is my son. He hasn't dated anyone in... years." Many years. For a very good reason - one that never became public.

"Well, he's dating me." Emilia crossed her arms over her chest. "He did not tell me he was your son."

"You didn't know?" Elise moved to Emilia's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, guiding her to a chair nearby.

"No. I don't know much about your family. Just that you're king..." She nodded toward Frederick then looked at Alaina. "...and you're his mum who is now married to Nate. I mean, I saw everything about Queen Victoria in Dellisole, but she's not here so that's not really relevant." Emilia stopped, her head tilting to the side. "I have seen family names, though. You don't have a son named Ronnie."

"His given name is Byron. He's gone by Ronnie in the family for most of his life." It wasn't a secret, but not something often mentioned in public circles.

Emilia closed her eyes and let her shoulders slump. "I probably should have done some research. I'm grateful to your family for taking me in when I arrived. I really should have learned more about all of you. It wouldn't have taken long, but..."

"It's quite all right." Alaina took the seat next to Emilia. "Why would you research the royal family? There's no quiz."

"No, but I am living in your home thanks to your generosity. You've given me a job with a future. You've made sure I can take care of my daughter. The least I could have done was make sure I knew publicly available information about your family."

Alaina reached over and gently picked up her hand. "There's no need to apologize."