At least Dr. Emett sounded willing to give him time to collect the money from his father. Since it was such a large amount, it would probably take at least twenty-four hours to transfer from his account to the hospital’s, plus however long it took for him to calm the king down when he finally told him what he’d done. He already knew there was no way Atlas would approve charity work like this right away. He just hoped he would be reasonable enough not to delay the payment for weeks.

Then there was the unsolved issue of what to do with Iris since she couldn’t stay here any longer. He wanted to believe his father would be willing to take her in, since their house had more than enough room for one more resident, but he knew Emett was right. It was ridiculous to think that an amnesiac girl had come here to hurt him—why would she have wandered out to the woods to do something like that?—but the king was a cautious man. If there was even a sliver of a possibility that she could be dangerous, he wouldn’t want her anywhere near their house. He wouldn’t think her safety was worth the risk.

Cas was just beginning to wonder if he should even bother making the request when the doctor surprised him by offering advice. He met Emett’s gaze with lifted brows as he told him to ask his father when he was under the influence of his medication. It didn’t seem like the most ethical advice a medical professional could give someone, but he appreciated it nonetheless. [color=#b97703]“That’s a good idea,”[/color] he agreed. Maybe he could bring up the hospital bill then too. Anything that would better his chances of getting away from that conversation unscathed was good news in his book.

As Dr. Emett went on to warn him about the difficulties of taking care of a person with amnesia, he nodded thoughtfully. He hadn’t really thought about that before, but it didn’t deter him from wanting to do what he could to help Iris. Even if she didn’t have an easy time getting her memories back, at least she wouldn’t be alone. Plus, they didn’t know for sure that she would be staying with him the entire time she recovered. Her family could still call at any time, asking for her to come home. He hoped they would.

[color=#b97703]“Thanks for the heads up,”[/color] he smiled gratefully. [color=#b97703]“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind if my dad agreed to let her stay with us.”[/color]

When the doctor hurried off to his office, Cas unfolded his arms to check the time on his phone. It was almost nine, so he didn’t have much time left. However, he had a feeling his night was far from over. His father would be taking his medicine soon, so he needed to talk to him as soon as he got home. There was a lot to cover. He mused if he would have enough time to hit a drive thru and get coffee somewhere on his way back. The caffeine boost might be necessary.

Looking up again, he saw Dr. Emett return with a bottle of pills. He recognized it as the same kind the king was already taking. [color=#b97703]“Thanks,”[/color] he took the container from the older man’s hand and slipped it into his jean pocket, so he wouldn’t forget it on his way out. [color=#b97703]“I’ll give it to him when I get home.”[/color] Thinking about the doctor’s last question, he shook his head. [color=#b97703]“No, that’s everything. Thanks again, Dr. Emett. I’ll see you when you come by tomorrow.”[/color]

Having covered all the topics he had needed to, Cas opened the door to Iris’s room and headed back inside. [color=#b97703]“Hey there,”[/color] he greeted her with a friendly smile, stepping over to the swivel chair and sitting down. [color=#b97703]“I hope it wasn’t too boring without me.”[/color]