Stuck in the Spotlight

Chapter 15: Stronger

Harry's POV

I opened the door to our flat, "Charlie? I'm home babe," I smiled, expecting her to come running in to my arms.

I walked over to the kitchen counter and plugged my phone in to the charger. I started to walk towards our bedroom when I looked down at the carpet and noticed the blood.

"Charlie?!" I called out as I followed the light trail of blood to our bed room. It stopped by the bathroom door and I opened it.

"Char..." I whispered seeing her naked body lying in the blood filled tub. I bent down and lifted her up, craddling her like a baby. "Char, please" I whispered as she coughed.

"Harry?" she whispered, barely audible.

I sat down on the ground, my back against the wall and held her close to me. I gulped back tears and gently stroked her face. I pulled her closer to me and looked at her shivering body. Her skinniness. You could see almost every bone through her skin, which had turned a sickly pale shade. How did I not notice any of this when we Skyped?

I looked down at her thigh and through the blood I could see angry slashes cut in to her. I closed my eyes feeling sick again. I looked at her wrist and saw 'weak' then I saw 'nothing' across her palm, and 'worthless' on the inside of her index finger.

"Charlie...I'm sorry," I whispered, while she stared at my face.

This is all your fault, Harry. If you were here you could have stopped her. You could have helped her.

I stood up, still craddling her and grabbed a towel from the bathroom and dried her off. I opened the dresser drawers and pulled out panties, a T-shirt and sweatpants and threw them on the bed. I laid her on the bed and pulled the panties an sweats up her short legs, then I sat her up and pulled the T-shirt over her head.

I lifted her up and laid her on the couch in the living room. I leaned down and kissed her nose softly.

Charlie's POV

"Lucey?" I smiled as my crazy Australian Shepherd bounded up to me, wagging her tail as if she was alive. Childhood memories of Luce flooded back to me.

"I guess this is the part where I realize I'm dead, huh?" I smiled sadly.

"Nope," an all-too-familiar voice said, walking up behind Lucey.

I stared in disbelief, "Caleb?" I breathed.

"Overdose," he said shaking the thought off.

"In a weird way, I miss you," I said stepping forward to hug him, but I gripped air.

"What the--?" I asked confused,

"You're not dead yet, Char! It's not your time to go. Don't give up. Go back to him. You deserve each other. I'll be fine. Don't give up!" he smiled. I haven't seen him smile like that since I first met him.

"Caleb! Wait! Please," I whimpered, as a cold chill overtook my body.

"Charlie? Char, please,"

My eyes fluttered open to see Harry hovering over me, gripping me in his arms. I'm still dreaming, I have to be.

I looked down at my shivering, naked body in his arms and frowned. He shouldn't see me like this. He doesn't deserve to see this. No one deserves to see this.

He sat me on our bed and dressed me in sweatpants and a T-shirt and carried me out to the couch.

"Char," he breathed and hugged me tightly and kissed my lips. The electricity between us made me realize I wasn't dreaming.