Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart (Prince Harry)

Charlie’s POV

We spent most of the next few days at the hospital with his father and the immediate family. I met a few of Harry’s aunts and uncles as well when they came to visit and all of them were so sweet and accepting of me which took a huge weight off my shoulders. At first I was worried that none of them would like me and they would be stuck up royals, but they were such nice people who seemed to be happy that Harry had finally found someone he wanted to be with.

The one thing I didn’t like was the media attention. Once they found out I was here visiting the sickly King they stalked out the hospital so badly that the police and royal guard had to come set up barriers to keep them out and give us space to get in and out of the hospital. I had yet to deal with them up close which terrified me, but I knew I would have to deal with it eventually. Especially since the King’s condition was getting worse. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he passed which meant a public funeral and coronation for the queen to take over for the time being.

Even though I was nervous about all the attention my focus remained on Harry who was struggling to deal with his father’s weakening state. He barely stayed in the room for long anymore when his father got into a coughing fit and I had to hold him and comfort him several times. At night he had nightmares which I had to soothe away from him until he was finally able to sleep. Lately he seemed to be turning to sex for a distraction, but I didn’t mind because if it gave him a little peace for a while then it was worth it.

Eventually the King was just transferred back home into the care of the palace doctor who would keep him comfortable while he passed in the comfort of his own home. They came to the country house for more privacy and I didn’t mind one bit because Harry was able to see more of his father. What surprised me was one night while we were visiting his room he asked to speak with me privately. Harry glanced at me and I nodded to let him know I would be alright on my own. He kissed his father on the head then left me alone with the older man who beckoned me closer. I did as he asked and moved to stand beside his bed, allowing him to grab onto my hand.

“I want to thank you for all that you’ve done for my son. Anne and I were worried that we had lost him forever when he started rebelling against us. It started with the drinking and then the tattoos… We began to lose hope until one day he called us to tell us about this girl he met while he was away. We heard happiness in his voice that we hadn’t heard in a long time and now that I can see you with him I can see why. You’ve brought my son back to me and I can never thank you enough. He’s going to be a wonderful man and a great King some day thanks to you… I know that this life may not be one that you choose to pursue but I must ask you of one thing… Just don’t leave him. You bring a light to his eyes that I’ve only seen in him when he was a boy seeing the world for the first time and I would hate for that to disappear… And even if you don’t see it yet I know that one day you’ll make a wonderful Queen as well. It may take a while for everyone else to see what you’re capable of, but when they do they’ll be glad you’re by his side.”

My eyes watered as he spoke to me and I couldn’t help but feel thankful to have met him before his illness took his life. He was a kind and wise man, whose opinion I valued greatly even though I had only met him a few weeks ago.

“I promise I’ll look after him. And thank you for telling me that. It was a pleasure to have met you.” I said honestly.

He smiled and brought his hand up to gently wipe a tear that fell down my cheek.

“You have a pure soul, my dear. Keep it that way.” He said softly and I nodded. “Could you tell my son to come back in please? I would like a word in private with him.”

“Of course.” I nodded and stood up, heading out to find Harry leaning against the wall waiting for me. “He wants to see you.”

“Are you okay? Why are you crying?” He frowned as he looked at me.

“I’m fine, Harry. Go talk to your dad. I’ll be waiting in our room.” I kissed his cheek then walked down the now familiar hallway to get to Harry’s room at the other end of the hall.

Harry returned a while later and stepped into the room quietly, sticking something in the box he usually kept his watch in then just stood there. I frowned and sat up in bed when I heard him sniffle.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” I asked him.

“He’s gone, Charlie… He’s gone.” His voice broke as he finally looked up and allowed tears to fall down his cheeks.

My heart immediately broke and I opened my arms for him as he crawled into bed with me and let out a small sob. I laid back in bed and allowed him to lay on top of me as I held him close, giving him comfort as much as I could because that was really all I could do. Tears filled my own eyes at the thought of the sweet man taking his last breath and I felt like I had also lost someone close to me. Even though I had only been here a few weeks he felt like family already so this was hard for me as well.

I easily distracted myself by helping Harry grieve over the next couple days while the funeral preparations were made. The only time I left his side was so the seamstress could get my sizing for a dress for the funeral. It was ready by the time the day finally came and I slipped it on before walking over to help Harry with his tie. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and the tears he had cried over the past few days, matching his mood which kept him quiet and reserved. I straighten up his collar and suit then gently lift his chin to see new tears forming in his eyes.

“We’ll get through this okay? I’m here.” I said softly as I stood up on my tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his forehead.

I allowed my lips to linger a moment longer than normal before his hand grabbed onto mine and we stepped out to get into the cars that were waiting to take us to the funeral. The ceremony was beautiful and although I couldn’t be next to Harry as they walked the casket out to the plot at the cemetery I quickly found his side as soon as I was able and grabbed onto his hand. His grip tightened on mine as the priest said a few more words before they finally lowered it into the ground. I reached up to hold his bicep with my free hand, stepping closer to him to give him a little more comfort. I knew that everyone would be trying to get photos of us but I didn’t care at the moment. My only focus was getting Harry through this.

It took him days to recover and I was finally able to get him to smile. He was slowly getting back to himself and all I wanted was for him to be happy again. I knew the death of a parent was going to be hard for him so I didn’t rush him either. He was going to be dealing with this for a long while and the best I could do was be there for him until he didn’t need me anymore.

We laid in bed together after having dinner with his family and we were just relaxing until my phone rang and I saw my mom’s name flash across the screen. It was that moment that I realize I hadn’t even told them that I was going to London or that Harry was a Prince. I had been so caught up in helping him through this that I completely forgot about my family.

I bit my lip and looked over at Harry who was already asleep then I carefully got out of bed and walked over to the balcony before answering the phone. Almost immediately she started in on me about seeing my face all over the news and papers, attending the royal funeral with my prince boyfriend.

“Why didn’t you tell us? You need to come home.” She said.

“It wasn’t my place to tell. He just wanted to be a normal guy and I didn’t want you to think badly about him. I was going to tell you, but I just didn’t have a chance to. I've been trying to help him-”

“So you both just lie to us? This is a big deal, Charlie. Do you have any idea the kind of baggage that comes with being connected to royals? The threats? You could get hurt. What about your studies?”

“I don’t care! I don't care about any of that! I love him and I can't just leave him alone through all of this. I'm an adult and this is my choice. I put a transfer in for the college here in London and they haven’t finished processing it all yet but I'll figure it out okay?” I said as my voice broke.

Tears filled my eyes as I heard her sigh over the phone.

“Charlie, honey… are you sure you're okay?” She asked softly.

“I'm fine… just feeling a little homesick. I'll get over it.” I said as I wiped my eyes and sniffled.

This was always the worst for me. Being LA was pretty rough from time to time but my family was also just a short flight away if I wanted to see them. Now it felt like an eternity.

“Why don't you come home for a few days?” She suggested.

“I can't just leave him. He needs me.” I said quietly.

“You won't leave me. I'll go with you.”

I looked up to see Harry watching me from the doorway and I immediately felt guilty about breaking down like this about missing my family when he just lost someone in his.

“Harry…” I started, but he cut me off and took my phone from me.

“I'll bring her back tomorrow, Mrs.Gray. Would you be able to pick us up?” He asked as he reached up to gently wipe my tears.

I leaned into his touch then stepped forwards and hugged him as he spoke to my mother for a few more minutes to sort out some details. When he finished he placed a kiss on my head and held me close.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were feeling homesick?” He asked.

“You were already dealing with so much… I didn’t want to stress you out even more by acting like a big baby who misses her mom.” I said.

“Hey, don't you ever be afraid to tell me if you're feeling upset. Especially if you miss your family. You flew across the world for me, Charlie. I would never want to keep you from your family when I know they mean so much to you.” He assured me as he cupped my cheeks and placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

I sniffled and nodded, closing my eyes as I allowed his touch to calm me. It had always been hard for me to admit when I was feeling upset and I always tried to deal with things on my own, which I should know never worked by now. We stood there for a long moment until Harry finally brought me back inside and started setting things up for us to leave first thing in the morning.

I watched him call around and get everything ready, but the only thing that was on my mind was the fact that I wasn’t so sure I could do this. Sure, I had been here a few weeks already, but if I get this worked up over such a short time then how am I supposed to handle being here permanently? There would be times when Harry would be too busy to fly home with me and I knew that no matter what I would always be missing him or my family if I were away from either of them. There was no way for me to win.

Notes