We ran out of time to clarify everything. I was called for the final check-up relatively promptly so that Mark could take us both home with him after his night shift.
"Are you not okay Louis? We can leave you here for observation even a bit longer, that's no problem. You just have to say it." The doctor asked worriedly. Mentally, I wasn't really there, I just hung deep in my thoughts.
I made a defensive gesture. I wouldn't spend another night in this hospital for anything in the world.
"You know best Louis... Your father said we should do another blood count. You already know why. Is that right?"
I nodded. So at least I saved myself the appointment in three weeks.
I willingly lay on my back and rolled up my sleeve. I was happy that the IV port was just removed. -then the next cannula was pushed into my vein already. I felt like a broken machine that was constantly had to be repaired.
"Alright Louis. That's it."
I laid there for a few more minutes. Since I hadn't eaten anything, my circulation was going a little crazy. The doctor had already said goodbye and left the room.
"Lou?" Harry carefully looked through the slightly opened door. "Can I come in?" "Sure."
He knelt next to me and ran his hand over my forehead, on which some of my hair, still dishevelled from sleep, laid.
"Your father is waiting in the car; we've already loaded your things." "You look like shit Harry. Did you sleep at all?" I ignored what he had told me before. Harry looked bad. -Deep, dark shadows under the reddened eyes, the skin in an unhealthy pale tone. He shook his head guiltily. "Every now and then a few minutes, but not really."
That's what he looked like. "When we're at my house, you lie down in my bed and sleep in, Haz. It doesn't work like that; you can't stay awake forever." I decided without him being allowed to protest.
When we were in the car, Mark turned to us and ran a hand through my hair.
I protested his gesture. It already was uncomfortable when he did it at family dinner or something, because he thought it was a cool dad-and-son-thing, but it really didn't have to be in front of Harry.
"How are you, Louis?" he caringly inquired.
"Quite good, actually, but I'm hungry... Harry probably too." I looked to the side. Harry sat with his head against the window in the car door.
"Good... What do you two think of an incredibly health-critical drive-in at some fast-food chain, after which every nutritionist deducts you at least a year of life expectancy?"
Harry looked at me confused.
"He asks if you want to get a Breakki at McDonalds. He's just back from the night shift, Mark always needs a bit of time to get back to normal speaking... and thinking, just try to ignore that." I translated.
Amused, but completely exhausted by all his tiredness, he raised one corner of his mouth to an asymmetrical smile.
"Gladly, so only if that doesn't cause any trouble?" he replied modestly.
It didn't take long before we each had a paper bag on our laps. I reached in impatiently and fished with my fingertips for the mayonnaise-heavy sandwich, which I quickly unpacked and eagerly bit into. I couldn't remember the last time I was so happy about a tasteless piece of toast with an indefinable topping.
I felt the slight dizziness that had risen in my head since the blood test was fading a little with every bite.
Harry nibbled on a hash brown, lost in thought, and stared at the street. Minutes passed in which no one spoke, just quiet chewing noises.
"Haz, we're here." I tried to free him from his rigidity as we drove up the driveway.
I smiled as he yawned, carefully opened the door to get out and clumsily fell back into the seat through his own sneeze.
"Hay fever..." he declared, suffering.
Mark had noticed the situation and walked around the car to offer Harry a hand to pull him to a stop. "I have a couple of Clarytine-pills at home. I suggest you swallow one and take a rest afterwards, okay Darling?"
Harry nodded thankfully and walked behind Mark, next to me to the front door.
I heard running steps from above as I put my shoes in the hallway.
"Lou! Lou, you're back. I missed you, Was it bad? You have to tell me everything! I have ... oh" My sister chatted and stopped when she saw Harry.
I looked back and forth between the two. Lottie was suddenly very silent and unusual shy, Harry was anyway.
I realized that the two would hardly introduce themselves to each other, which was why I took over then.
"Lottie, this is Harry, a ... friend. And Harry, this is Lottie, my little sister." Both looked at each other briefly and seemed to be sympathetic to each other. I was a little relieved when Lottie seemed to accept Harry. We had a very close relationship and her opinion was relatively important to me.
"Harry, are you coming over here for a minute? Just straight ahead into the kitchen." He looked at me uncertainly and seemed to be waiting for me to accompany him.
I then put my hand on his back, between his shoulder blades and gently pushed him forward.
Mark had already put a glass of water on the kitchen counter and placed the tablet on a spread-out tissue paper.
The curly boy eyed the white capsule suspiciously. "I'm really not good at swallowing pills."
I nodded, grabbed a water glass and a peanut from the shell that was always on the kitchen table. "Come on, whoever swallowed first gets a massage."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mark raise his eyebrows and Lottie grinned cheekily. Harry looked confused at first, but agreed.
I counted to three and we both took a sip of water and the pill.
I didn't want to win, I saw how he was struggling, took his hand, heard a faint choking noise and finally he proudly presented me that the pill was gone.
"Well done. I accept my defeat."
I put my left palm on my chest, roughly where I suspected my heart to be. -Bad, exaggerated, goofy acting. Harry giggled, rolled his eyes, and playfully poked me in the stomach.
My reaction was to grab his wrist, laugh as childishly as he did, drag him down the hall, up the stairs, and into my room.
My gaze fell on the desk, on which there was a small collection of unfolded laundry next to some pens that I had broken apart from frustration over something I could no longer remember. I scratched the back of my head, embarrassed.
"Don't you want to change your outfit for a moment? I'll clean up a bit and put fresh sheets on."
"I don't have any other clothes with me... only those Yesterday's."
"That shouldn't be a problem, you can wear something of my own." I hadn't considered that Harry was a lot taller and that my clothes usually had to be too small for him.
He grimaced doubtfully, when I gave him a soccer jersey and dark grey sweatpants. However, he did not comment on it and let me lead him into the bathroom.
As soon as I closed the bathroom door behind him, I ran back downstairs and excitedly called for my sister.
"Lottie, Lottie, I need your help. Urgently, please."
"What can I do for you Louis?"
"Lottie, I have maybe five minutes. I have to make my bed fresh and clean-up my room."
"Five minutes for a core renovation will be problematic." She grinned. I showed her a both-hand-middle finger.
"Will you help your brother now?" I begged.
She made me understand that she would do me that favour when she put down her book and abruptly stood up from the sofa.
"I just hope I'm not doing this for what I think I'm doing right now." She mumbled as she fluffed the pillow.
Outraged, I threw a t-shirt at her.
The floorboards in the hall creaked softly. Lottie gave me a look that was a little too self-assured, made a final move to straighten the cover and strutted out of the room.
Harry looked uncertain as he came in. The pants were too short for him and were a bit tight on his thighs, he had his hair tied back a little and the jersey fit surprisingly well.
"Don't look at me like that, I look silly." He turned away a little, as if it would change something about the fact that he stood right in front of me.
"Oh nonsense, you can wear this, Haz." It was the truth. The too tight sweatpants emphasized his already beautiful body figure.
I pointed to the bed.
"You fall asleep standing up straight away, little one." Before he could even start to protest, I had grabbed his shoulders and gently pushed him back until he felt the edge of the bed in the back of his knee and let himself carefully fall down.
"Make yourself comfortable." I grinned and rubbed my palms together to create a pleasant warmth.
He seemed to understand and looked at me in disbelief.
"I thought you were kidding about the massage." He looked me up and down nervously. Somehow, I felt sorry for him, after all, he had confessed to me a few hours beforehand that he likes me -Likes me a little more.
Eventually I'd made it more or less clear to him that I couldn't reciprocate it. At least not yet. And now I, the guy who had probably hurt him a lot emotionally that morning, wanted to show him physical affection.
I played a game with him that went in a direction I didn't like myself. -But he played along. Like a small child at its first game of chess, it didn't understand the moves, it accepted them without questioning.
Harry rolled over on his stomach and rested his head on his arms.
I carefully slipped my hands under the red fabric of the Jersey . When my fingertips touched the soft skin on his lower back, he winced a little.
"Too cold?" I asked worriedly, watching him turn his head to look at me. Before he could answer, I heard someone clearing his throat behind me.
"I knew it." Lottie giggled dirty and continued. "Listen guys, do whatever you want, but please keep it quiet and ..."
She took the hand she was holding behind her back and threw something at us.
"Prevention is important. Even if you don't run the risk of getting pregnant..." Uncertainly, her gaze turned from Harry to me. "Or you ... oh, just save me the details. What I wanted to say was that there are still venereal diseases -and Harry, don't you dare make my brother miserable."
She didn't wait for me to say anything to her. Instead, she closed the door noisily behind her and was gone.
"For God's sake, I'm sorry." I was about to break out into a baseless laugh.
Harry obviously wasn't quite over the incident. "Did she just throw a handful of condoms at us?"
I couldn't contain myself anymore and started laughing hysterically.