Till Dawn (HS)

xix

"You're the most beautiful girl in the whole world," he told her quietly, a subtle flush to his cheeks.

Clara would have given him a sheepish smile if it weren't for the sudden distance in her eyes as she recalled the way Liam had said the same thing to her. Her spine raked in a shudder and she looked away from him. Harry noticed her sudden detachment and his emerald eyes surged with worry. He was becoming used to the way her beautiful face would turn pale on occasion, thoughts of him invading her mind, and it made Harry's chest feel tight with sympathy each time. He knew she needed a distraction, just as when they first met and he had provided it to her in the form of feverish kisses and merciless thrusts.

Harry placed his fingers under her chin and directed her gaze back to his. His chapped lips nudged against her ear, hot breath fanning over her skin and summoning goosebumps- the good kind. "I get out of here tomorrow," he whispered.

Clara's hands snaked down to his shoulders and she nodded. "I know."

"Yeah? Then you should also know that you're going to have a hard time walking for the next week," his teeth tugged at her earlobe. Harry's chest filled with pride and joy when he felt her heart beat faster against his chest. He smiled and let his lips brush against her soft neck.

"And why is that?" Clara replied smoothly, knowing that his filthy words would push away the memories that were still fresh in her mind.

"Because this-" he drew her delicate hand to the bulge under the hospital gown. "-is going to be pounded into you over and over again until all you can think about is me."

Clara smiled, giving him a squeeze before pulling her hand away. "You're already all I think about, Harry."

They ended up going back to Des's room and watching a film with him, one of those animated movies that were meant for the younger patients. Clara sat in Harry's lap with her head reclined on his shoulder and would laugh at the dumbest jokes that the cartoon fish made, but Harry found himself giving in and laughing with her. He twirled a strand of her hair on his finger and his father watched them with a smile filled with adoration. Maybe his son had lied about his relationship with her before, but it was clear to him that Harry now felt something for this girl- it was written on his face whenever he was with her. Des couldn't have been happier for him.

"So you get to leave tomorrow?" he asked Harry when the movie ended.

"Yeah." Harry threaded his fingers through his hair and released a heavy breath. "I'll still come see you, dad. I promise. I just have to get used to driving."

"Don't worry about it. Focus on yourself," Des told him gently, but his son shook his head defiantly.

"You're mad if you think I'm not going to see you," Harry raised his eyebrow and reached for his father's hand. It hurt to see the man who raised him lose the life in his eyes day by day, but somehow he knew everything would be alright. He felt like he could get through it with Clara by his side.

Harry rolled the wheelchair as close to the bed as he could get and leaned forward to envelop his father in a warm embrace, screwing his eyes shut. He hadn't told him of what happened for the same reason that he had lied multiple times before. Harry had begged Clara to not share this secret with him, and despite the way her gut twisted at the thought of Des not knowing the truth, she realized that this was one thing he was better off not having to worry about.

The next morning couldn't have come any faster. Clara snuck out of the bed early in the morning to buy Harry a new pair of clothes from the nearest mall. She came back to the room with the clothes for him to change into, a cup of coffee, and a warm bagel for his breakfast. He was awake, sitting up in the bed as the nurse helped him fit on the prosthetic leg they had molded for his leg a week ago.