Samuel's head felt fuzzy as he began to return to consciousness. The brain fog was heavy he couldn't remember everything at first. Feeling a small lump resting against his quickly brought him back to reality.
They were still at the hospital. Blinking, Samuel rubbed his eyes to try and get rid of the rest of the tiredness he felt. The only result though was making his vision blurry.
How long exactly had he been asleep for?
He couldn't really recall anything after he started eating. Except that Lena hadn't joined him.
Carefully shifting in the bed, he moved just enough to be able to look behind him. The sight caused his heart to flutter.
Lena had somehow managed to curl herself rather tightly behind the other despite the small size of the bed. Wearing something that looked one size too big for her. She didn't have a blanket but the shirt was so large it practically engulfed her.
One of the rare times that Samuel was able to see her looking anything other than indifferent or annoyed.
The princess never looked exactly peaceful when she sleep. Sleep caused her facial features to relax however. Taking the edge off made her almost look her age.
When did she finally decide to go to sleep?
Samuel felt tempted to shift the hair away from the front of her face but refrained from doing so. Knowing the princess, such a small touch would likely wake up considering the current state of affairs.
"You're safe to get up if you want. I don't think that you'll wake her. She's not been asleep for that long." Samuel snapped his head to the side, startled by the unexpected voice.
With everything going on, he'd forgotten that Julian had managed to arrive last night. One extra person was there to keep an eye on everything.
"Have you not slept yet?" The dark circles and bags under Julian's eyes were enough of an answer but Samuel felt inclined to ask regardless.
"Nah. I don't need sleep right now. I prefer to stay awake and keep an eye on everything." Julian shifted his legs to swap one folder over the other. Leaning further back in the chair, his gaze returned to his older brother.
Zane hadn't woken yet. The steady beeping remained the only reminder that the other was still clinging to life.
"You probably should think about it sometime though. I don't think he'd be very happy to wake up and find out half his family is sick due to worry and lack of selfcare." Shifting on his side, Samuel did his best to get out of bed without causing it to rock too much.
The hospital bed was nowhere near as comfortable as the ones back at the estate. It would have to do for now. Just like sleeping in day clothes versus pajamas for the foreseeable future.
"You really don't need to worry about waking her up. She took something before you woke up. She'll probably sleep the next few hours off." Still, Samuel would rather not take the risk.
Taking the blanket that had been covering him, he draped it over the princess. She barely shifted despite the change of weight atop of her.
"Oh goody. Samuel is up already. I was so certain that you would end up sleeping as long as the princess had yesterday." Jovani entered the room carrying a tray of coffee.
"Jovani! What are you doing back? I thought you said there were things that needed your attention."
"Indeed there were and I've already finished up so I came back ahead of time. I don't think that it would be right to leave my young cousin and soon-to-be in-laws to deal with all of this on their own." Jovani flashed his younger cousin a smile before pushing a Styrofoam cup into his hands.
"Once the princess gets up and around there are actually a few things to discuss. Important things that I think will be beneficial for us."
"Did it have something to do with why Lena left with you last night?" Julian didn't take the coffee cup, choosing to wait to hear what the other said first.
"Something like that. Nothing very important. Though, I think that it would've been better to wait until the princess awoke to say anything." Jovani mumbled the last part under his breath. Julian side-eyed the other but didn't say anything.
"You two left last night? How come I don't remember that happening?" Samuel's ears perked and he stopped blowing on his coffee upon hearing this.
"Probably because someone used the same trick on you that was used on them?" Jovani shrugged. Setting down the cup holder before grabbing his own coffee.
Samuel paused upon at this comment. Glancing over at the sleeping lump on the bed. That would explain why he didn't remember much of what happened after eating.
"When did that happen? Why even? It wasn't like I was the one planning on going anywhere last night." The incredulous tone in Samuel's voice caused Jovani to snicker.
"Sammy, you should know that the exact reason why doesn't matter all that much. Haven't you heard before all is fair in love and war? Likely the princess did it for the exact same reasons that you originally did it."
"I haven't been around much to see how these to interact. It seems though that they might be a rather good fit." Julian's interjection somehow made the situation feel worse.
"I don't see how drugs being in the mix somehow is a great indication to use for how we're a good fit." Samuel frowned at the comment, turning back to his coffee.
"Generally it isn't but Sam, you're among the mafia. Using drugs for the right reasons is a great indication. It shows the length that one is willing to go to protect theirs." Jovani dismissed the other's response.
"Not to mention, it isn't like we're talking about opioids or something serious like that. Sleep medicine is used on a regular basis for such things."
Jovani had a point but that didn't help his younger cousin feel any better about the situation.
Samuel would have to have a talk with Lena once she woke up about her reasons.
Besides, what did this even have to do with fairness in love and war?
