The men were running now, and Nell dropped to her knees beside Hugo. He was still groaning and gasping for air, and she grabbed his arm, feeling for his pulse.
‘Uh...’ He tried to speak, but couldn’t. All Nell could do was to hold him, as if that might absorb some of his pain into her own body and spare him.
‘I know. He had a stun gun. They’re gone now.’ Nell knew that a jolt from a stun gun could disable the strongest man. It dealt excruciating pain, rather than injury, but a recent operation and a pacemaker complicated things.
Hugo knew that as well as she did. ‘You’re okay, Hugo. I can feel your pulse.’
His body relaxed a little, but there was still fear in his eyes. ‘You’re...sure?’ His voice sounded thick and strange, and his free hand drifted to his chest.
‘I’m sure. I feel it beating, Hugo. Strong and steady.’ Fast. But who could blame it for that?
A noise behind her made her jump and Nell looked round to see three men from the palace security team. People were running down the steps of the terrace and Nell could see the King at their head, no longer the stiff monarch but a man of action like his son.
‘I’m a doctor. Stand back, he’s all right.’ She waved the security men back, and they formed a triangle around them, keeping watch. Nell clung to Hugo, trying to comfort him, as he rolled painfully onto his back, his head in her lap.
‘Hugo!’ The King practically skidded to a halt, bending down, his questioning gaze meeting Nell’s.
‘He’s been hit by a stun gun. It’s very painful but it’ll pass. The jolt from a stun gun shouldn’t affect a pacemaker.’ Her words were for Hugo, as much as they were for the King. It must have been terrifying, feeling only pain, his body out of control. Knowing that the pacemaker was there in his chest and wondering whether his heart had already stopped beating.
The King knelt down, suddenly just another father. ‘You hear that, son?’
Somehow Hugo managed a smile. ‘Never contradict a lady...’
‘No. That’s right.’ King Ferdinand flashed a tight smile at Nell and reached for his son. Hugo took his hand, gripping it tight.
The King had asked one of the men who came running towards them to tell the Queen that Hugo was all right and then his attention was for Hugo alone. He hardly seemed to notice the security guard who had approached and was standing at a respectful distance, waiting to be acknowledged.
Nell caught the guard’s attention, keeping her fingers on Hugo’s pulse. Now wasn’t the time to interrupt the King. ‘You have something to report?’
‘We’ve apprehended the two men, and called the police.’
‘Thank you for acting so quickly. I’ll tell the King. Do you have the stun gun?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Would you find out the make and model for me, please?’ Obtaining the information would stop the guard from hovering here, and finding out exactly what Hugo had been hit with couldn’t do any harm.
‘Yes, ma’am.’ The guard turned and hurried away.
Maybe she’d overstepped her authority, but there was no trace of reproof in the King’s face when he looked up at her.
‘Thank you, Nell. Should we move him, now?’
‘I’d like to take Hugo to hospital. It’s just a precaution, but I want a pacing check done, and he should be monitored for a little while. Just to be on the safe side.’ Scar tissue hadn’t had a chance to form around the newly implanted leads yet, and they might have been dislodged by the scuffle or the sudden convulsions of Hugo’s body.
‘I think that’s wise.’ The King nodded, looking down at Hugo. ‘What do you say, Hugo? Still in no mood to contradict the lady...?’
‘No mood at all.’ Nell had been sure that Hugo would protest, but he just nodded. This had frightened him even more than she’d thought. ‘You should go back to our guests, Father.’
For a moment the King seemed torn. Then he shook his head.
‘He’ll be all right. And I’ll keep you and the Queen informed.’ It seemed wrong to break the new bond that had surfaced between father and son in the heat of this emergency, but Nell was beginning to understand that duty was a hard taskmaster.
‘Every step of the way?’ The King’s voice was cracked with emotion.
‘Yes, I promise.’
The King bent over his son. ‘You know we’ll be there, Hugo. Your mother and I...’