Day 25

On Day 25, Maddie received a family heavy phone call from Colorado. The family was together for dinner at her Uncle Patrick's and they decided maybe she needed to hear from them. And, though it was midnight and Maddie had been asleep, she needed it more than she thought. Her mother was first; sending her love and offering to hop on the next plane to England. Patrick was next with a completely inappropriate joke and a "buck up little camper" type motivation. Her grandmother offered to send soup and a knitted blanket. Gary offered to send something from the farm and Kyle offered to come out and go on a soul-purging hike somewhere in the English countryside. And then she spoke at length with Derek about what life was like on a base in a military zone and, knowing she needed it—knowing she could handle it—he was honest with her. She appreciated that about him, about all of them—not feeling the need to hide things from her. He was quick to note that Harry was in the air, he was flying out of a base and things were a little different for him than the frontline guys and gals who were on the ground. And, because he had been honest with her, she believed him.

Day 42

On Day 42 Maddie's other family moved closer to her. Caving to her partner's wishes, and the best interests of their family, Khenda finally gave in. She and Collins packed up their belongings and moved to France. They had waited to tell Maddie and Ella, waited until they had a home secured, till they had jobs secured—until they were absolutely sure. And then they about burst with happiness when they could finally tell her. Two days before they were to arrive, they called Maddie with the good news.

She immediately felt tears of happiness fill her eyes when Khenda called to tell her. As soon as she hung up, she called Ella and they made travel plans for that weekend. It was much easier to convince Ella to go to France than it was to Bendal. They packed their bags, let Bishop drive them to the airport, and in just over an hour—they were reuniting their small Bendal family.

They spent 48 hours in France; 48 wonderful, homecoming hours with Khenda and Collins. They helped them move into their place, they painted walls, they picked out baby furniture and made fun of Khenda's cravings for chocolate shakes. They hardly slept at all; there was too much catching up to do. Khenda was due in June and they would not be finding out what gender their baby would be. She preferred surprises. Collins, elated that she finally allowed them to move to a place safer, more stable, was willing to go along with anything else that she asked. Maddie's heart swelled watching the two of them together; watching them move around each other with such love and adoration. It was a reassuring, comforting 48 hours.

And when the 48 hours was over, Khenda stayed home sorting through her fabric samples for curtains while Collins took Maddie and Ella to the airport. There were tears, there were hugs, and there were promises of many more weekends to come. It was there that the photo was snapped of Collins kissing Maddie's cheek with familial love in his eyes. And it was that photo that was published in a London tabloid with a headline implying Maddie was having a French Affair while Harry was off serving his country.

It was the first time she saw only red. It was the first time she wanted to track down a reporter and punch him in the face.

The bloggers were all over it though; catching the photo and recognizing Collins from pictures of Harry in Bendal. And those bloggers were amazing. They pulled down deep and produced photo after photo of Collins and Khenda laughing with Harry, standing with him at events. And the bloggers were vicious; quick to call the photographer and the tabloid to the carpet. Though there was no apology, no retraction, it was clear that the majority of the public wasn't about to fall for this particular story.

It was the first time Maddie wanted to track down a blogger and hug them.

Day 51

On Day 51, Maddie agreed to accompany Bishop to the Royal Opera House to see Swan Lake. He had taken his mother's tickets thinking that he and Ella could go but, when Ella was called in to work the weekend because somebody was sick, Bishop called on Maddie. His mother didn't want the tickets to go to waste and he promised it would be a good time. Maddie had stalled, not feeling up to the dressing up that would accompany a trip to the Opera. But she loved Bishop and he had stepped up as her friend, going above and beyond to make sure she was surviving Harry's deployment. So she smiled wide and agreed to go.

And when Bishop showed up on Day 51, Maddie was dressed to the nines with a smile on her face and her hair upswept. Bishop whistled low and slow as Maddie shook her head at him.

"I'm not sure your best friend would approve of how you're looking at me right now."

"I'm not sure my best friend would approve of what I'm thinking about you right now..."

"Bishop!" She smacked him with her clutch.

"Ouch! I'm kidding! Good God woman. What do you have in that thing? A brick?" He rubbed his arm. "You know you cannot take bricks into the Royal Opera House."

"I read that on the website," she snarked right back at him as she reached for her coat.

"Resourceful," Bishop smirked; helping her with the coat and moving to open the door for her. Maddie smiled at him and reached out to pat his arm as she moved through the door.

"Five bucks says that tabloid paints you as the next in my long line of lovers I take while Harry's out risking life and limb ..." Bishop paused for a beat, knowing that still pissed her off, and then he shrugged; pulling the door shut behind him.

"Five bucks says I'm going to be the one to leak that particular story." With another smack to his arm, Maddie chuckled.

"It's a good thing I know you're joking."

"And it's a good thing I brought liquid medicine," he patted his breast pocket. "Cause that brick isn't getting any lighter." Offering her his arm, they slipped from her building into an awaiting car and were on their way to the Opera.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Maddie had to admit, she was enjoying herself. Bishop had been right. He had promised her a good time and he was delivering. They had a lovely meal before the show, the performances had been amazing, and at intermission, he even allowed her to buy him a drink. When the lights flashed, they downed the remaining wine and made their way back towards their box.

As Maddie stepped into the dim walkway, she felt her phone buzz in her purse. Peeking inside to check the ID, she didn't recognize the number.

"Sorry," she whispered to Bishop; pulling the phone from her purse as people were taking their seats. "It might be work."

"Make it fast Forrester, they're pretty strict around here," Bishop winked at her as she pressed the button.

"Hello?" She spoke into the phone; unable to hear much of anything on the other end as the orchestra began to tune.

"Excuse me miss," an irritable usher gave her the eye.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the usher, to Bishop. Pressing her hand to her other ear, she hurried back towards the door to the lobby. "Hello?" She asked again.

And when the voice, his voice, breathed, "Madeline..." Her lungs hitched in her chest and her eyes stung with tears.

"Harry?" She stood still, her head shaking; unable to process it. "Oh my God. Harry. Is that you?" That same usher cleared his throat and stepped closer to her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm leaving I just..." She broke into a run to the doors; needing to get out, needing to take this phone call. Pushing out into the lobby, she took a deep breath. "Please tell me you're still there."

"I'm here love," he was grinning. She could tell. "Where are you?"

"The Opera with Bishop," she wiped at her cheeks; a pointless act, as her tears just kept coming.

"Ha!" He laughed; the first real, from the gut laugh he'd had in a while. "Did you say the Opera with Bishop?"

"Yes," she sniffed, looking for a place to be that wasn't out in the open, a place where people wouldn't see her crying.

"Why are you at the Opera with Bishop? What bet did you lose to get yourself in that predicament?"

"I...I...I don't want to talk about the Opera. Or Bishop. Or...Harry...are you okay? Are you..."

"I'm fine," he was quick to reassure her.

"You can call?" She perked up, hurrying across the lobby to a phone booth—an old fashioned one that had the doors that would pull closed around you. It was ornate and spacious and provided just enough privacy.

"Occasionally. I only have a few minutes but..."

"I love you," she cut him off, her body folding over, her hands rubbing at her eyes, not caring in the least that she was smearing her eye makeup.

"Oh baby I love you too," his voice was low, soft. Maddie nodded, unable to speak for a moment; the lump in her throat constricting. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Harry knew this was hard for her, so he continued. "I saw that Khenda and Collins moved to France."

"Mmm Hmm," Maddie nodded, pulling it together.

"And you went to see them. How is she doing? How's the baby?"

"She's doing so well," Maddie smiled; her breathing leveling out as she thought of their friends. "She looks amazing and the baby is doing great. She's the most adorable pregnant woman I've ever seen. And Collins is just...beside himself."

"I would imagine," Harry laughed.

"Wait, how did you know that I saw them..." Maddie thought it over for a split second and then, her edge returned. "You saw it, didn't you?"

"The article that said you were sleeping with Collins?" He raised his eyebrows. "I heard about it."

"Assholes," she groaned. "I don't think I've ever wanted to pummel somebody as much as I did that day."

"Don't worry, love. When I come home, we'll go to Paris and I'll kiss Collins on the mouth. We'll see what they write then." Maddie burst out laughing at the image, the tears squeezing from her eyes.

"It's okay, my fans were all over it..."

"Good."

"I miss you Harry." Her voice was softer this time, she was calmer. "Are you being safe?"

"I am."

"You're coming home to me?"

"And those eight babies," he laughed and she sighed. "Are you doing okay Maddie? I know the press and the paps and...I know it's been hard. You okay?"

"I am," she nodded, her fingers lifting to play with the pendant on her necklace. "Though your Valentine's gift nearly took me down."

"You liked it?"

"I loved it," she sighed; leaning back against the wall of the booth. "I love it."

"Tell me what your day was like," Harry's voice was low as he made the request.

"My day? It was incredibly dull compared to yours I would imagine," she smiled sadly at the thought of what his day might have looked like. "I'll bore you to tears."

"Maybe," Harry shrugged. "Maybe I just really want to hear your voice..." He trailed off and she nodded.

"I woke up an hour earlier than I set my alarm clock for," she began; more than eager to meet his request. "I mean an entire hour. I'm not sure what's working against me lately, but that is just too early..." She heard him chuckle and continued talking. She would tell him every single detail of every single day if he asked her too. "For breakfast I had..."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When Maddie emerged from the phone booth ten minutes later, she felt so many different things. She was happy she was able to speak to him, damaged that she had to let him go. She was refreshed and ready to face the remaining 69 days, yet she was tired from the major emotions that she was juggling. Stuffing her phone back into her clutch, she glanced down the hallway in search of a bathroom to check her makeup.

"Ahem." She turned to her left, towards the sound and her smile returned.

"Bishop."

"When you ran out, I was worried it might be bad," he pushed off of the wall he was leaning on and made his way towards her. "When you were in there on the phone for ten minutes, I figured you were fine. But I stuck around on the off chance you might come out of that phone booth dressed like Superman."

"Superman?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Bishop nodded. "Clark Kent went into the phone booth and Superman came out."

"Ah...sorry," she waved her hand down at her dress. "No such luck."

"Oh well," he shrugged, reaching into his suit pocket and handing her his handkerchief.

"It was Harry," she confessed, taking it from him and dabbing at her eyes.

"Yeah?" Bishop's face lit up and it hit Maddie—here was Bishop, taking care of her, looking after her. Yet in reality, he had known Harry much longer, he had been Harry's best friend years and years before Maddie even came along. They were family. And she suddenly felt a bit foolish, and embarrassed for being so selfish with her emotions.

"Yeah," she nodded, linking her hand through his arm. "He's doing really well and he told me to give you this," with a twinkle in her eye, she tilted up and kissed his cheek. Bishop smiled down at her and patted her hand.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I know Harry very well. There is no way he told you to kiss me."

"He did!" She insisted, her eyes shifting slightly.

"Oh-kay," Bishop laughed; not believing her for a second.

"Listen, what do you say we miss the end of this show and I take you out on the town?"

"Out on the town?" Bishop perked up.

"Drinks, dancing..." Maddie shrugged. "I don't have anywhere to be. Do you?"

"I suppose not," he shook his head and began walking towards the coat check. "Though you do know if we're seen out at a club tonight, they are definitely going to write about it tomorrow."

"I do," Maddie nodded and sighed. "Five bucks says I'm the one that tips them our location." With a wink and a grin, she stepped in front of him, offering the attendant her numbered ticket. Maddie didn't care what they wrote about her, she and Bishop were in the same boat. They both loved Harry and, after hearing from him, after feeling secure in his safety for the day, they both needed a little night out.

The next day, she increased her hours volunteering at St. Joe's; eager to give more to the men and women who were coming home. Hearing Harry's voice had propelled her forward; towards doing more. And that was just the place to focus her attention.

Day 72

Day 72 was Maddie's lowest point of Harry's entire deployment. Since her night at the Opera with Bishop, the night Harry called, Maddie found that she was navigating the days a little better. It wasn't easier—it wasn't as though she was ever rid of the constant reminder that he was gone—but she was growing more adept at handling it.

With the exception of Day 72.

To be fair, it had started off pretty rough. Maddie slept through her alarm clock; rushing about to dress and make it to the hospital in time for meetings. She missed her morning coffee, she missed her morning pastry, and she missed the memo that said that lightly scattered showers in London actually meant torrential downpour. She had her umbrella, she had her raincoat and her rain boots, and she had the biggest mess of frizzy hair she had seen in years.

All she wanted to do was sink into Harry's bathtub—with Harry—in the hottest water she could handle and then crawl into Harry's bed—again, with Harry—and spend the day snuggling up in the comfort and luxury she always felt in his arms. But her day had different plans for her. The hospital was slightly organized chaos from the moment she stepped in to the moment she stepped out—and when she finally stepped out, she knew she would need assistance in shutting her brain off, in coming down from the craziness that had permeated her entire being. So she did what any smart gal would do; she called Bishop and Ella. And in less than an hour, they all met at Leo's. Sean and Kiki were already there, sitting at their booth off in the back.

"Finally." Maddie sighed her first bit of relief of the day, sinking into her spot next to Sean with a smile on her face. It had been a crazy day, but it had been productive—at least she was proud of that. Bishop and Ella were right behind her and Leo made it a point to stop by; kissing each and every one of them. The restaurant was full, the TVs over the bar were broadcasting a Football game—though Maddie would forever refer to it as Soccer—of two highly competitive rivals. Though Leo's establishment was typically catered to a less rowdy group of people, the game was a big one and it was generating quite the customer base. The mood was excited, the people spirited, and the place was absolutely packed.

There was something about it all that reminded her of home; that reminded her of drinking beer with her cousins and watching an American Football game; cheering and screaming and cutting loose from the tensions of the week. As she finished her second beer, she grew silent; her mind processing through her day—shutting the door on her caseload, closing out metaphorical files; allowing her to step away from work and into her private life—a skill that would serve her well in her future at Harry's side.

They were well into their fourth round, laughing and sighing, having just finished dinner, when Day 72 became the darkest day on the calendar.

"Oh my God!" Maddie heard one of the University students call out in a tone that was clearly not football related. Not two seconds later there was this loud, collective gasp coming from all around her; a few more gasps.

"Did somebody win?" Maddie's eyebrows rose, looking over her glass at Sean across the table; whose face had drained of all color. "What is it?" Maddie turned around in the booth before anyone even thought of answering her.

And there, on every TV in the place was Harry's picture. The anchor was cutting into the game to bring them all breaking news. Harry's picture held pride of place while in the corner, old b-roll footage of the war in Afghanistan. And then, the anchor, with a sad, stoic look in his eyes reported,

"For the first time in its existence, a British manned Apache helicopter has been shot down in Afghanistan. While the DOD has not yet commented on this breaking news, we first received word of it from the Taliban, who has been quick to claim responsibility....and to announce..." The anchor took a breath. "That they have, indeed, captured Prince Harry of Wales...." Though the anchor continued talking; explaining in more detail the news they were hearing and the sources from which they were hearing it, Maddie heard none of it. People around them began to groan, crying out at the news; removing their hats. But Maddie's hearing had faded, her ability to breathe had been hindered. She turned in the booth, turning back to her friends, with a slow, methodic shake of her head.

"No..." She whispered. "No. They would have called me if...they...." Her eyes met Bishop's and she saw a shattered, broken man looking back at her. "No." She told him; stern and angry. "He swore that if something happened, I wouldn't see it on the news. They would have called me before. Don't you get it? I wouldn't find out like this. I...." Maddie pulled out her cell phone; checking and re-checking and checking again. She had no missed calls, no messages. "See!" She held the phone out to her friends who were not easily convinced. And the frantic look in her eyes gave tell; she wasn't either.

The room, once lively with slightly drunken sports fans, calling out to the TV, calling out to their