Bells for Harry [Larry Stylinson]

Chapter 21 The Secret

To say that Helena's jaw dropped to the floor was too weak a description. She pulled on her hair and her clothes and her breathing was so ragged, Harry would've been worried about her if he wasn't freaking out himself.

"Oh," she said, and then, predictably, she started freaking out. "What the fuck, Harry?! Is it Shana's? Oh, my god. How did mum and dad keep this from me?!"

"It's not their choice," Harry said. "Shana decided that's what she wanted. Her parents didn't want me near the baby because they thought I had severe mental problems, they just didn't understand."

"Shana just decided that she wanted to be in everyone's life like she'd done nothing to you," Helena said, raging. "Did you even want the kid?"

Harry shook his head. "But I couldn't just tell her to get rid of it. She did want it."

"So she just fucked around with the gay kid and decided that she was keeping the child?!" Helena whispered, outraged. "And you got no choice, and mum and dad just decided that it was all fine and dandy?!"

"No, mum and dad took it very badly," Harry said. "They wanted to adopt the baby, but Shana's family wouldn't let us. She wanted to get married and look after the kid together, but when her parents disagreed, she said then she didn't want anyone to know I was the father."

"Wait, back the fuck up," Helena said. "That woman wanted to get fucking married to a fifteen-year old?! Is that why mum and dad sent you away?!"

"No, we didn't tell anyone until the baby was over a year old," Harry said, hugging his torso. "I wanted to, but she didn't. They sent me to England because they thought I was getting too angry and withdrawn, and they didn't know what to do. Shana didn't tell them until I came back for Christmas break the second year."

"How did you even... how did that even happen?!" Helena asked. "Who thought it was a good idea to sleep together, I thought you guys were just friends!"

"We were," Harry nodded. "It was never anything else. Just one day I was really fucked up over... I was fucked up, and she suggested I should try it, and I thought I should do something crazy and idiotic, I just... I hated everything about it."

Helena turned away, tears of anger in her eyes.

"And you just kept quiet after that and left for UK, keeping a secret like that?" she asked incredulously after she'd recovered somewhat. "Harry, what about your friends?! What about telling me?! Did you even do a DNA test?!"

"It's mine," Harry confirmed, feeling defeated. "You were away at college, and Shana was my best friend who was going through it, I had to do what was best for her!"

He felt devastated and ashamed. It wasn't Shana's fault that she'd wanted the baby, and the fact that he resented her for it wasn't her fault either. Part of him had been relieved that Helena was never going to know, that she'd never look at him differently like their parents did.

"What was best for her?" Helena's hand went to her face. "Harry, Shana just decided to have sex with you, someone younger and even dumber than she was, even though she knew you were very likely gay, believe me, she did, we talked about it plenty of time! And then she wants have your kids, what's her motivation? She's the least mum-like person I know, she even still lives with her parents who do everything for her!"

"Because the kid is small..." Harry said weakly. "Helena you can't tell anyone about any of this, there's a contract and everything, Shana and her parents can't even know that you know. They've adopted her, and I don't have any rights, they could sue me."

But there was no way Helena was going to keep quiet about this now that she knew, so she may as well know the whole story.

"Fucking unbelievable, and Michael was a fucking lawyer, I could've done something!" she said, and then she narrowed her eyes. "There's more, isn't there," she knew.