Cherry Wine {l.s.}

14. fell

H

Harry lay awake later that night staring at the ceiling trying to breathe through the crippling anxiety spreading through his chest, clinging to the pillow Louis'd slept on just days before while his sobs echoed through the empty air. His eyes stung, cheeks aching and head pounding with fear and exhaustion and sadness, choking on every inhale despite his efforts to calm down.

It tooks hours for his heart to slow and for his eyelids to droop, sun creeping just above the horizon with the reminder of yet another day without Louis, the thought running through his mind even when he gave into sleep and disappeared from the world.

Harry went to work nearly four hours late feeling absolutely dead on his feet, collapsing heavily into his chair and hunching over the counter to press his cheek to the cold tile. He didn't look up when Karen walked in, felt like he'd be sick if he saw her face and obvious resemblance to Liam.

She didn't say anything for a while as she moved through the sweet smelling shop, watering flowers and gathering dry leaves to put in the trash, throat vibrating with soft hums. Plants rustled softly around her, the bristles of the broom swishing lightly on the tile floor and the sun shining through the wide windows, bending around her body.

Karen looked up and quirked her lips when she found him watching, propping the broom up against the wall before making her way over to stand in front of him. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"You yelled at my son," was the first thing the woman said, eyebrows furrowing just barely. "You yelled at my son, but you had reason to from what he explained to me." Karen reached to touch the back of her hand to his cheek and smiled softly, comfort and love pouring out of her in waves. His lashes fluttered across the tops of his cheeks, body subconsciously folding inward to try and contain the ache burning in his chest as he nuzzled at her palm, tears pooling in the corner of his eyes and slipping hotly down his cool skin.

Her coo was soft in answer to his cries, touches growing even lighter before she gave into his pleading and pulled his cold body against her warm chest, rocking him slowly. It wasn't long until he was numb, tears drying coolly and eyes wide, but completely empty.

Harry was laying half asleep on the couch when the call came to tell him that Louis was awake, body reacting before his mind could process, and he was skidding in the hospital within minutes barefoot and half screaming for Louis. A nurse was quick to rush to his side, demeanor calm and soothing as he led him through the hallways with a gentle hand on his elbow, asking quiet questions while swiping the tears off of his cheeks.

The alpha was sitting up when Harry finally got there, waiting with arms wide open as he sobbed and shuffled to hide in the protective cradle of his arms, allowing him to pull his legs up onto the bed and tuck him completely against his chest. He didn't let him focus long on the bandages wrapped around his torso, his neck, the bruises littering his entire right side, the tiny cuts from the glass spread across his hands and arms, instead sang softly and kept Harry's head tilted up so he wouldn't look.

"I'm right here." Louis cooed as he rubbed gently at Harry's cold feet, letting him go so he could hide his face from the bustling nurses, nuzzling at his shoulder. He flinched when someone grabbed at his foot and ran a warm cloth over the dirty skin, peeking out to find the same lad from earlier cleaning him up, waiting until he pulled socks on before curling his legs up and huffing softly.

Harry ran his fingers over Louis' scraped collarbones with a resigned sigh, tap tapping his way down his sternum and continuing over his stomach until Louis grabbed his hand to stop him, sucking in a pained breath. He stopped, sitting up so fast he nearly tumbled off of the bed before shuffling away from the alpha, watching him with an apologetic sheen in his green eyes.

Louis' bottom lip was pulled into his mouth, shifting his legs from where they rested underneath Harry's bum and staring at the lad with worry shining through every line of his expression. "I hurt you, I know I did. All of that blood couldn't have been mine." He whispered as he reached to touch his cheek, gaze searching over his body.

"Where?" Louis asked before he was sitting up further, a determined look passing through his eyes, jaw clenching as if he were preparing himself for the worse.

Harry swallowed thickly, clenching his fingers around the hem of the jumper he was wearing to pull it up, exposing the deep gashes lining their way across his sternum and down his sides, one part of his chest bruised. He flinched when Louis sucked in a sharp breath and turned his face away so he wouldn't have to see his disgusted expression, panicked tears building in his throat.

"Baby," The alpha breathed as he reached to touch a gentle hand to one of the gashes, fingers trembling against his skin before he was covering his mouth with his other hand. "I'm so sorry. My God, I'm so sorry." He nearly whimpered, pulling him to his chest and burying his face in his neck.