Page 55 of The Prince of New York

Dr. Stanton laughed and gestured for me to follow her. “Car seats with children aren’t light. Ask me how I know.”

After Dr. Stanton had become the royal physician for North Dakota, life had gone sideways on the woman, who had expected a slow and long decline in her marriage with her bonded partner. Instead, they’d gotten the therapy they needed, and it wouldn’t surprise me if there was yet another Stanton child on the way sooner than later.

Much like the North Dakotan monarchs, Dr. Stanton proved resilient against menopause, and with the revitalization of her relationship with her spouse, I hoped she got her heart’s fill of happiness with children underfoot.

I was willing to bet Mr. Stanton was somewhere around the palace with their growing brood preparing for the pair of newly minted princesses. “I feel like working my yard has prepared me for this task.”

“Having seen the pile they brought in for you to melt down tonight, I agree with you. Normally, as the parent in charge, I’d have you stay for this examination, but considering the level of abuse we’re contending with, I’m going to kick you out to go melt metal. Once I’m done, I’ll brief you, and then you’ll work your nerves out on the mud run. I’m even going to allow you and your sister to work the course at the same time, although there will be no shoving of siblings into the walls. Yes, Terry notified the palace that you were promised a chance at the mud run with the children. There’s at least one obstacle that the children can do even with substantial bruising, and I’m sure I can recruit some RPS agents to play with them. Until I can review their vaccination records, we won’t have the kids intermingling.”

Until we had a better understanding of their health and their vaccination history, I understood Dr. Stanton’s concerns. Children spread germs with the intensity of a wildfire, and chances were, her children were far more likely to make mine ill than the other way around.

As promised, the girls had been given the suites on the other side of Madelyn’s, which put them in close proximity to me. I suspected the family wing would be expanded to include all three suites rather than figure out how to move them closer without disrupting the palace plans for the rest of the wing. Dr. Stanton opened the door to a child’s paradise filled with toys, several crafting stations meant for little ones, and several bookcases filled with storybooks.

The room contained everything I’d been denied growing up as a New York royal, and I wondered how I’d balance keeping the children humble and kind while surrounded with everything they might ever want.

“It’s easier than you think,” Dr. Stanton informed me, and she offered a smile. “And yes, I know that look well enough. I’ve endured it every single time we’ve welcomed a new child into our home. You can give your kids all the joy in the world and still raise them to be good people. Some, like your bastard parents, go the easy route and use abuse, not caring that most abused kids go on to continue the cycle of abuse. Some, like me, try to be as kind as possible while maintaining limits, boundaries, and discipline. Having access to all of this won’t make them spoiled. How you handle the acquisition of what they want is what will determine if they’re spoiled. I recommend chores to earn their new things. Chores teach them how to be self-sufficient adults later while giving them a way to earn what they want.”

I could handle that, assuming I kept a grasp on my sanity while adapting to playing the role of a father. “I’ll give that a whirl and see how terribly I do at it. I’m sure I can recruit one of the actual parents into helping me figure things out as I go. Where do you want me to put her?”

Dr. Stanton pointed at a section of floor near the bed, which had been surrounded with cushions and pillows in case Baby fell off. Someone had removed the frame, putting the mattress directly onto the floor to lower its height. “Stay long enough for her to wake up and figure out that she’s safe. I expect, at least for a while, that you’ll be sharing your bed with anxious little girls. They’re going to be skittish. I recommend slow, deliberate motions where they can see your hands. Sudden movements are going to frighten them.”

“I’ll avoid the body language cues,” I promised. “And the new ones, well, I’ll learn those in a hurry based on how they react.”

“You’ll be all right, Ian. If you hadn’t yanked custody, your sister would have upon verification of abuse. As you’re the heir, it’s a lot easier for the politicians to accept the new princesses. With the changes to the system your sister is pursuing, nobody will care; it will be transitioning to merit rather than birth order, so they’ll only be in the running if they have the appropriate skills and tendencies. Try not to worry.”

Damned empaths. “I’m more worried about the abuse issues. If the succession is in such a bad shape the girls are candidates to rule, I’m dead and can’t worry about it.”

The doctor leveled a glare at me, and then she narrowed her eyes. “It disturbs me that you have readily accepted this fact. Frankly, you’re so far ahead of your sister in terms of therapy that I should tell her that she owes you a horse. Maybe if I imply she has no hope of catching up to you, she’ll bust her ass.”

I allowed myself a grin over that. “It’s just the truth. Right now, the succession is shaky, and I know that. The girls being involved will actually be good for the kingdom. Their schooling will be catered to them possibly needing to rule, but it will be done gently. We’ll see what their aptitudes are, and we’ll play to their strengths. We’ll make sure they’re still educated on their weaker subjects, but I’d rather ease them into advanced schooling. I’d rather not accidentally cultivate them to be like my sister.”

“You can’t accidentally do what happened to your sister to these girls, I promise. What your parents did was cruel and deliberate. Let’s see what this little girl’s temperament is like when you wake her up. Be gentle about it. As we don’t know if she’s been shaken or not, start with squeezing her hands and calling her name. Use a soft voice and gradually increase your volume until she stirs. If she’s deeply asleep, I’ll just do the examination while she’s passed out, and that’s fine. You’ll be grateful if she’s one of those kids that can sleep through explosions. In bad news, once you put them down, that’s it. They’re staying asleep. I have one, and it’s as much of a blessing as it is a curse.”

I bet. I crouched in front of the car seat, took Baby’s hands, and followed Dr. Stanton’s instructions. While it took a few minutes, the little girl roused. She yawned, blinked, and stared at me with wide eyes. “Hey, Baby. This is Dr. Stanton, and she’s going to help you feel better, okay?”

“Doctor?” The toddler’s brows furrowed. “Not allowed.”

Dr. Stanton stiffened.

“It’s common with abused children,” I reminded the woman in a gentle tone. “If she is taught she can’t go to the doctor, a doctor can’t spot and report the bruising. I’m betting May was homeschooled, because New York requires that teachers report possible abuse to law enforcement. We don’t get a lot right, but we do have doctors and teachers on the lookout for warning signs.” I smiled at the little girl. “You’re now allowed to see a doctor anytime you feel sick or have boo-boos, okay? If you’re not sure if you should see a doctor, you can ask me, all right? Just tell me if you have a boo-boo or you’re not feeling well. I know you’re probably not feeling well right now, so I asked Dr. Stanton to help you feel better. It’ll take a while, but she can help make the boo-boos disappear.”

Baby held out her arm and eyed it with suspicion. “How?”

How could I explain to a little girl that nobody would be hurting her anymore? “Your mother was cooking bad things downstairs, and it was making her—and others—sick. She wasn’t allowed to do that, so she has to talk to the judge and other people about what she did and face her punishment for doing it. As such, I’m going to be taking the place of your mother and father now. You won’t have any boo-boos from me hitting you or your sister, and you’ll see the doctors whenever you need them. I’m sure you’ll get boo-boos from playing outside, but that’s different.”

“Not allowed to play outside,” Baby whined.

I sighed, accepting I’d be hearing a lot about what she wasn’t allowed to do. “After Dr. Stanton checks on you, we will be playing outside. My sister and I will be giving you and your sister a demonstration of how adults play outside, and then, once Dr. Stanton says you can, we’ll be taking you outside to play. Rules in our household are much different from the rules you used to have to follow, but if you aren’t sure, ask me if it’s okay. All right?”

Baby shoved her fingers in her mouth, and after a moment, she nodded.

“I’ll be in my suite if you need me, Dr. Stanton. Text or call.”

“Will do.” Dr. Stanton waited until I was out of the way before going to work unbuckling Baby from the car seat. “All right, you sweet little angel. I’m Dr. Stanton, and we’re going to become good friends, okay? My first job is to make you healthy so your new daddy doesn’t worry about if you’re feeling unwell. Please ask me any questions, and I’ll answer them the best I can.”

“Okay,” Baby replied, giving the woman her attention. Her smile lit up her face. “You can make the boo-boos go away?”

“Yes, I can. And I will.”

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