Chapter Text
I have to see him!” Simon pleaded, running his fingers through the locks of his hair. “You can’t, only family is allowed back at this time.” The Nurse replied calmly. Setting down the clipboard she had in her hands. “I’m not asking, I'm telling you. Let me back there right fucking now.” His voice ran cold and was nothing short of threatening. Malin stepped in front of the nurse putting a little bit of distance between the two. “Simon, calm down, Her majesty has said no one is allowed to see Prince Wilhelm at this time.” He scoffed and walked right past Malin glaring at her to drop the hand that she raised to stop him. “I’m his boyfriend Malin. Let me through.” He demanded again. She held a weary look but made no move to stop him when he walked right past, bumping shoulders with the nurse as he walked by.
He didn’t feel himself running until he reached the door and had to stop as Joakim stepped in front of it. “No visitors at this time.” He said no real threat behind his tone of voice. Simon didn’t say anything as he pushed past him and threw open the door in panic.
Wilhelm lay there pale and white as the thin hospital sheet laid lazily over his figure. A clear tube run up one of his nostrils and he breathed slowly, his chest raising just barley and back down again. His eyes were closed and the beeping of his heart rate behind them was the only sound in the room. He gently walked to the bed ignoring the cruel look Kristina gave him, but said nothing.
He examined him a little closer but didn’t see much as his vision blurred and tears flowed down his face. He moved his arm to muffle the sob that escaped his lips. Simon sucked in a heaving breath and wiped furiously at his eyes. He pulled the chair behind him and put it at his bedside, gently taking Wilhelm’s hand in his. “Why did you do this, you idiot.” He whispered to himself, squeezing the prince’s hand hard. “What did they say?” He asked to Kristina still keeping his eyes on the boy.
“He overdosed, a bottle of Xanax was next to him when one of his classmates found him.” She said eerily calm. “Is he going to be ok?” His tone sharp with how non chalant she was being.
“Of course he will. The stupid boy likes to do dumb things.” She snapped. Before he could open his mouth to absolutely lose it on her Ludvig stepped in. “They performed something called a Gastric Lavage, they were able to get most of it’s toxins out of his stomach but some of it still his his blood stream, meaning he might sleep for a few days and not in his right mind.”
He still wasn’t convinced and didn’t reply to the prince consort. The older man stood up and made his way to Simon squeezing his shoulder as he looked sadly at his youngest son laying unconscious. “He’ll be ok Simon.” He assured and Simon finally nodded. “How did this even happen? He was fine a few hours ago i swore he was.” His eyes darting all over the room trying to recall any weird behavior from him in the past few days.
“I knew this was all to much. He’s not going back to that school.” Kristina said to both of them. “How can you sit there on your high horse when our son just attempted to take his own life Kristina?” Ludvig snapped at her. Simon scoffed at her and didn’t say anything. “We will talk about this later.” He said and she shut her mouth a nurse walked in to take his vitals. The young woman adjusted the iv drip in his arm and marked something down on the paper she was holding. “The doctor will be here shortly, Your Majesties.” And walked out of the door.
“Simon you should go home,” Kristina stated coldly her heels clacking against the tile as she walked closer to her son's bedside. “Absolutely not.” He shook his head and shivered at the thought of ever leaving him again. “I was not asking, you don’t belong here.” She argued and moved closer, taking his other hand with the IV in it. “I'm not leaving him. whether you like it or not I'm staying.”
“No, I asked you to leave Mr. Erriksson.” He glared at her and they stared at each other both throwing silent threats. Ludvig made a move to get up and take his wife's hand in a tight grip pulling her back to sit in the hospital chair behind them.
After another hour of tense silence, the doctor entered the room. “You’re Majesties, It’s nice to see you today.” He greeted politely. “I’m sorry we are seeing again under such circumstances he added sadly his face dropping. The last time he had spoken to them he was telling them there was nothing they could do and that Erik was gone. “So what can you tell us?” Simon interrupted as the Queen opened her mouth to reply to the man. She shot a dirty look at him.
“I can say that Wilhelm will be ok, he will be in and out of sleep while the drug is still in his bloodstream, but he should make a quick recovery.” Simon let out a shaky breath and his shoulder slumped as he waited for the doctors next words. “With a patient, Like W- Prince Wilhelm, I suggest heavy Psychiatric evaluation and help. Something like this should not be taken lightly. I have many psychiatrists I can give Wilhelm to call or to come talk to him we should discuss that when he wakes up.”
Kristina scoffed. “He doesn’t need a shrink. Do you know how that could reflect on all of us? Imagine what this is saying now about our family. He just needs to get over himself.” She said firmly. Everyone went quiet and stared at her. “What? Don’t you all give me those looks you know how awful this is going to make us look.” The queen defended herself. Ludvig was rigid next to her, his face turning a light shade of red as he thought. “Get out.” He said disgust present in his voice. “What?” The doctor took the moment to slip out of the room.
“I said get out.” “You can’t just- Ludvig what is wrong with you?” She stuttered in utter confusion. “This has gone on to long. I’ve lost one of my son’s and I wont stand by and let you destroy another, Now get out.” He said one last time raising his voice and standing up. Taking her arm in a firm grip but not tight. He pulled her toward the door and without another word she walked out of the room her heels tapping against the floor behind her.
Once she was gone and the door was shut behind her he sat back down in silence. Simon looked at his future father-in-law with sympathy and turned his hand back to Wilhelm’s hand and let the tears fall. What had he done wrong? Was Wilhelm not happy with him anymore? Why didn’t he notice the signs before? He should have known he should have seen.
“You can’t blame yourself, Simon.” Ludvig's hand on his shoulder made him look back not trying to hide any emotion. “But I’m the one who’s always with him, who he’s supposed to trust to be there for him, and I- I couldn’t even do that.” He choked letting go of the prince's hand letting his face fall into them. “It isn’t your fault, Wilhelm has struggled for years, before and after Erik you can’t blame yourself.”
Ludvig's words were another thing being told in one ear and out the other. Yeah, it wasn’t his fault and Wilhelm wouldn't want him to blame himself but was it his fault for not noticing the earlier signs? They were all there when his father ended his own life the year previous, acting cold and distant more than regular, deep talks, love bombing. Leaving all kinds of gifts for his son that he “Didn’t need anymore.” Then one day he just stopped no more gifts, calls, or texts.
“How could you have known? He wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”
“I can’t do this right now.” He said with one final work and pushed the chair out from underneath him and pushing his way past the Prince Consort. He took the moment to break down in the hall letting the sobs wrack from his body. People passed him with looks of but never worked up the courage to try and move him. He felt a warm pair of arms wrap around him and kneeling next to him. His mama.
Linda consoled her son whispering in his ear and pressing kisses to his forehead. “It’s ok mi amor.” “I'm here.” He clung to her and cried like the night Wilhelm had denied it was him in the video. “Come on you’re ok.” He got up off the floor and Linda pulled him into a standing hug, then taking his face in both her palms. “What do you need Simme?” She asked gently. “Can you please come back in there with me? I can’t stay in there alone but I need to be with him.” She nodded gently and took the hairtie on her wrist putting his hair in a low ponytail to get it out of his face the squeezing him one last time.
The Queen was back in the room when they walked back in and she glowered at Linda’s presence never liking how close the prince was with Simon’s family especially because she was more of a mom to him in the two years she knew him the Kristina in the 18 years of actually being his mom. She gulped at Wille and walked with Simon over to his bedside. She carefully ran her fingers through his blonde hair and ignored the woman who scoffed behind her. “He’s perfectly fine.” She said under her breath.
No one replied to her as she continued to examine his face and then the numbers on the machine next to him. Linda and Simon talked about what had been done and she explained it in more detail for him to understand. She worked as a nurse for 17 years and her knowledge comforted him more. “Honestly this entire thing is ridiculous. He will be fine.” She said to all three of them. “I told you to leave.” Ludvig demanded firmly. “If I have to leave then they should to he’s my son and I think this is ridiculous that Simon invited someone who isn’t even of any relation to him.”
“You know I find it funny how you say he’s your son yet you’ve never been there for him at all in the 2 years i’ve known him.”
“That is none of your business what the hell would you know?” She snapped, stepping closer to Linda who kept composure. “I know that the way you treat him is vile. No mother should ever treat her son like that. Especially someone as sweet as that boy.” She retorted and gave a look in her eye to step away from her. The Queen didn’t move and scowled, opening her mouth to say something back but stopped when again Ludvig stomped his foot.
“You need to leave and not come back in here, until I say so.”
“You have no right Ludvig, how can you let her say these things to me?” She demanded turning to him with pleading eyes. Her body was rigid as she looked him in his face. “I’ve put up with it long enough and I won’t stand around and be silent anymore while you bully some of the only people who care for our son.”
“Care for him? That gold digging and power hungry boy has been after him since day 1 and his mother who strings him along.”
He exhaled and let himself stay calm. “I don’t know Simon that well but I’ve observed a lot of them and he truly cares for our boy. So enough.”
“I’m not leaving this room. Have you forgotten I'm the Queen of Sweden god dammit!” She threw her arms in the air and stomped her heel hard into the tile floor below her like a toddler. “I’m his father and I am going to tell you one more time before I call our security to remove you for emotional distress, Leave.” She stood still before scoffing and stomping out and slamming it behind her, Yelling something to a guard outside and both of the figures went down the hall out of sight.
Ludvig opened the door and gave instructions to Malin to not let her or anyone else in the room. She gave a polite nod and turned back toward the wall herself.
Ludvig ended up leaving later that night to handle a matter of family issues and Linda left a little while later to go home and get some sleep before her shift that next morning. The prince was still sleeping and Simon took the time to pull over the lounge chair next to the hospital bed to sleep next to him. He ran his fingers through his boyfriend's soft hair, giving him a peace of mind as he watched the monitor beeping next to him. The comfort of seeing his heart beating was enough to keep him breathing.
“I love you so much Wille.” He whispered into the room as he squeezed the unresponsive hand. He turned his head to stare at the ceiling, “You’re my entire world you know that.. and I'm sorry I didn’t see you struggling before or you felt you couldn’t talk to me because I will always be here to love you.” He was talking more to himself then to Wille who obviously wouldn’t hear any of it. He just didn’t know if he could wait to say it anymore.
“You know, after Erik died I was so scared for you. When you wouldn’t answer my texts and you were on that tv screen being broadcasted to the entire country I felt so helpless I wanted to shield you from everything in this entire world. I still do even more so now, every time your mother calls or someone makes a mean comment to you I just want to take you away and never come back. I want to rescue you from all of this because your heart is pure gold Wille, You have such a good fucking heart and this country, this world, your mother, even me, doesn’t deserve you.” Tears fell down his cheeks as he spoke but he didn’t stop.
“I know you’ve been through so much, but you have to continue on for me, for yourself, for everyone. I’m so terrified I can’t lose you because you're my entire life. After this I'm going to get you out of this I promise. No more prince, no more your evil mother, nothing. You’re mine and I'm going to take you away from all of it, and even though you can’t hear me, that's a promise, it’s over.” He promised meaning it more than anything he’d ever said. Every word was true he was taking him away from this.