Page 1 of Marrying a Prince

Chapter One

Marianna clicked the lock button on her key fob, and a familiar beep sounded from her car. She slipped her keys into her purse and walked across the parking lot and through the sliding doors of the hospital.

She took a deep breath as she entered New York General Hospital. She could do this. She could be strong. Samson wasn't going to ruin her life anymore. He was scum.

She blew out her breath as she pressed the up button for the elevator and boarded. After smoothing the front of her light-blue scrubs, she muscled down the emotions that had risen in her chest. Today was the first day in her new department. The emergency room was three floors beneath her. There was no reason she would ever run into him.

She would finally be able to focus on why she became a nurse in the first place—treating people. She would lose herself in conditions that took time to figure out. Give herself a purpose—to heal the patients in her care. She wouldn’t let a guy get in the way of that ever again.

The elevator dinged and she stepped out. Donna, her best friend, was standing next to the nurse station studying what looked like a newspaper.

"Hey," Marianna said, walking by her and dropping her purse into a cubby behind the desk. After she clocked in, she grabbed some charts and started flipping through them. She needed to familiarize herself with the oncology department where the diseases were long-term and less immediate than the emergency room.

Donna glanced up. "Have you seen this?" she asked, dropping the newspaper in front of Marianna.

Marianna ran her gaze across the headline. "Caro Prince expected to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art this week," she read and then flicked her gaze over to Donna. "Seriously, Donna? What does that have to do with us?"

Donna laughed. The familiarMari are you serious?laugh. "This is my big chance. I've got to find someone to cover for me so I can go there, meet him, and marry him."

"Marry him?" Marianna skimmed the article. "It says here that he is bringing his longtime girlfriend, Gisella." She sucked in her breath between her teeth. "Doesn't bode well for you."

Donna's eyes widened as she grabbed the newspaper and glanced it over. "What? No," she said, sinking into the office chair behind her. "You don't think that it means he's going to propose?"

Marianna gave her an encouraging smile. "Yeah. That's my guess. But, good news, you get to stay here with me!" She batted her eyes.

Donna glowered at her. "Seriously? Marrying a prince means adventure. It also means people wait on you. No more changing bedpans." She wrinkled her nose and then sighed, blowing a strand of hair from her face.

Marianna sighed. When Donna got like this, there really was no way of snapping her out of it. She gathered her patients’ charts and tucked her pen behind her ear. "Come on, Donna. It's not that bad. There's new challenges every day." Besides, this floor was safe. And there was one thing Marianna was sure of, she was never going to get her heart broken again.

She loved her job, her tiny apartment, and the consistency of her life. This was exactly where she wanted to be. Being swept away by a foreign prince on a noble steed was the exact opposite of what she wanted.

"You're in denial, Mari. Being a nurse is not better than being a princess," Donna called after Marianna as she made her way down the hall.

Marianna rolled her eyes as she slipped Mr. Dutress's chart into the slot just outside of his room. She knocked on the door and entered. "Good afternoon, I'm Marianna and I'll be your nurse for today."

Mr. Dutress had fallen asleep with his mouth open. He was snoring so loud that Marianna doubted he ever heard her. She walked over to the machines that dotted the room. After taking note of his IV status, the heart monitor, and his output bag, she recorded it on her notepad and left.

Thirty minutes later, after the previous nurse had given her the starting shift chat and every one of Marianna’s patients had been checked on, she walked to the nurse's station. Donna was still sitting on a chair, staring at the newspaper. Thankfully, she looked in a better mood.

"Feeling better?" Marianna asked, shooting Donna a smile.

Donna sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

Grabbing her purse out of the cabinet behind the station, she took out a few dollar bills. "How about a soda on me?"

Donna nodded. "Okay. Diet."

"You got it," she said. She made her way over to the elevator and pressed the down button. When she got to the lobby, she took a left and headed into the cafeteria. After she got a Sprite for herself and a Diet Coke for Donna, she stood outside the elevator, tapping her toe as she watched the floor numbers count down.

Commotion at the entrance of the hospital drew her attention. She turned to see a woman in a white pantsuit and thick black hair. She was shouting something in a foreign language.

Two men came in after her. Both were dressed in jogging shorts. One man had his arm around the other, who was limping. He had a gash on his forehead, and dried blood streaked his face.

"Help. Help," the woman screamed in a thick Italian accent. Her gaze zeroed in on Marianna. She rushed over and grabbed her arm. "My son, help my son."

Marianna set the bottles of soda next to the elevator and nodded. "Okay, okay. Calm down." By the time Marianna had said those words, the two men had approached. The larger one had a stern expression that made her eyes widen.

"A wheelchair?" he asked. He too had a thick accent.

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