What was the point in carrying a mobile device around when it could barely make a call? Luke glared at the outdated model he gingerly placed on the bedside table. The old piece of technology could be blamed for not being able to effectively catch the signal. Or it could be the receiver was broken, which explained the static. Nevertheless, the failed attempt to make contact with the queen left Luke with nothing to do but study the opposite bed as Rhiane was being tended to by the doctor. 

After he had time to re-evaluate the room, it was difficult to deny that it was indeed not at par with the hospitals he’d been to. That one had Smaller budget, perhaps, but maybe it was because the facility was not catering to a city as populated as the capital. The budget was rationed based on the population density that a facility was expected to service. While it might be true that he should not be expecting the same sophistication as the Medical Tower back at his home, the budget should have been enough to provide the same treatments that was available in the capital. He was not looking for a state-of-the-art facility anyway, just a relatively practical treatment that was nothing revolutionary at that time. To hear from the only medical professional in the room that it was impossible to dream of having close to the same service level as the hospitals in New Florence was disturbing. 

The field of medicine may not interest him, but the well-being of the people was his business. The right to the highest attainable level of health was among the first of the many human rights re-established after the war. It made the state responsible for the quality of living of its people as well as making sure that healthcare services were accessible to all and was provided without discrimination. Such was part of the mission statement of the Ministry of Health. Was it wrong to trust the reports and study the figures? Had there been a problem that was a threat to the kingdom, Luke would have paid more attention into the industry. Then again, the Ministry of Health seemed to be doing its job well such that there was no more outbreak of diseases, no more repeat of the plague, it also supported innovative researches in the field of medicine. 

Luke wanted to know more, to interview the man while the prince had nothing better to do than stare at the walls and listen to the whistling wind, but Rhiane stirred and talked. Her voice might be laced with sleepiness and confusion, but it did not lack character. 

Tentatively, he tested the mobility of his upper body given the brace that was supposed to keep him from placing pressure on the cracked bones in his chest. When it didn’t hurt due to either the pain killer or the brace, the prince carefully sat on the side of the bed before his foot touched the floor. The nurses had dressed him with the shirt he lent Rhiane and strapped the brace over it. The doctor would have something to say if he saw the patient getting on his feet, but since the doctor left the room, nobody stopped Luke. He dragged his injured limb with him across the room and into Rhiane’s bedside. 

A chair beside her bed became Luke’s next base. He lowered himself onto the cushion, finding the right angle for his back to rest comfortably. “Rhiane,” the name was tested on his tongue. Would she remember what happened inside the SUV? That he tricked her into taking the sedative? That she had admitted some things to him? “You’re wrong. You need all of those.” It was difficult to understand how she thought she did not need help to feel better after she fractured her arm. 

Luke touched his free hand on her uninjured upper arm, a gentle pressure to remind her to stay in bed. She may argue that he should be lying down as well, but if he did not rush to her side then he was almost certain that the princess elect would rip the sling apart and demand to find the road to call for help. “You’re only going to hurt yourself more if you insist on taking it off. Leave it while we wait for the boys.” 

The rain would not pause. He looked away from her face and away from the memory of the backseat. The heavy rains deprived him from the view outside. The loud pounding noise, stopped his ears from hearing the sound of an approaching vehicle. The doctor may have said that the boys were on their way, but the weather seemed impossible to cross.