We went inside and plopped down on the couch.
I wasn’t that tired, but I was still very sore. And Harry, Harry had rings darker than Jupiter under his eyes.
“You need to rest” I told him softly.
He sat upright quickly and shook his head.
“I’m fine” he brushed off.
“No, you’re not” I shook my head stubbornly.
Harry sighed in frustration.
“Angie, I’m fine” he raised his voice.
“Why won’t you take care of yourself?” I asked him slightly angrily now. He was always willing to make sure I was perfectly at ease while he wasted away in misery.
“I am!” he almost shouted.
I stared at him in confusion and just plain anger.
“Taking care of you takes care of me, too” he told me calmly.
He tilted my chin up to meet his eyes.
I nodded and we made a truce.
We went over to Harry’s bed and slipped under the covers. I shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable despite the bandages. Harry carefully wrapped his arm around my waist, fitting my back to his chest, while making sure not to press to hard at my bandages.
I tried to forget about the still-sore spot on my abdomen and my lost baby and Liam, but the moment I closed my eyes, they all flashed back into my mind.
Harry leaned close and kissed my neck. His hair tickled my neck and I shifted a bit.
I listened to the sound of Harry’s chest rising and falling steadily as he rested. Slowly, but surely, sleep wrapped her protective arms around us both.
***
I felt much better in the morning and got up slowly to wash up. I looked over and saw Harry was still fast asleep. In the couple days that I had been at the hospital, I don’t think he even closed his once.
So I let him sleep through the day and called his manager to let her know he was taking the day off.
I started to make him breakfast, but he slept until 1 in the afternoon, so I made brunch instead.
I sat on the couch flipping through channels when I heard a loud thud.
Quickly, I ran to the sound of the noise and saw that it was only Harry.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked quietly, but there was a hint of annoyance.
He ruffled his hair to the side and swiftly slipped on a pair of pants.
“You needed to sleep, Harry” I told him.
He glanced at the clock and his eyes widened.
“I’m late for work” he said and he cursed under his breath.
I shook my head.
“I called in and said you were taking the day off” I explained.
Harry stopped buttoning up his shirt and looked at me.
“And she gave me the day off? Just like that?” he asked with surprise.
I nodded.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, but it was a stupid question. I could hear his stomach grumbling from three feet away.
Harry shook his head and grinned.
Then he went over to the kitchen table. He pulled my seat out for me before sitting down himself.
***
We spent most of the day on the couch since neither of us had the energy to want to do anything else. Later that night, Harry drove me back to Danny’s. Harry didn't want to press his luck with me staying the night at his place again. He knew Danny would have long chat with him about what the doctor had said.
Danny already knew that Harry and I did more than hold hands, but it wasn't until the doctor had told him that I was pregnant that he realized that I really wasn't a kid and could actually have my own kids.
“This castle may have your name on it, but you still live with Danny” Harry reminded me as he parked his car in the driveway.
“Well I prefer my castle” I crossed my arms over my chest.
Harry patted my stomach gently, as if remembering both what had come in and destroyed the life and what had come out.
“It has my knight waiting by the draw bridge” I smiled.
Harry laughed.
“Danny’s a knight, too” Harry grinned.
“No, he’s not, he’s just the burly body guard” I corrected him.
Harry laughed even louder, then he opened my door to help me out.
I really didn’t need any help at this point, but I let him because he liked doing it.
Danny almost swung the front door open, knowing that it was us.
Harry opened his mouth to say “hello,” but Danny had something more important and urgent to discuss.
“I need to talk to you both” he spoke tensely and he watched us both.
My stomach twisted, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the bullet wound or the lost baby or just plain anxiety.
Did he know about what really happened to Liam? The police had found his body and Liam’s dad insisted on an autopsy, but Nick said it would only make the matter worse. He was trying to keep his end of the truce up, but it was proving difficult, especially for his parents, who were obviously allowed to be obsessively concerned about what had happened.
I shook my head. No, it wasn’t about Liam.
I pressed my hand to my abdomen again and I knew.
Danny led us over to the living room.
He sat opposite us on another couch.
He cleared his throat loudly when Harry patted my abdomen gently.
“We don’t have to worry about it this time, but I’m not going to sit around and let it happen again” Danny began extremely vaguely. He looked down at my stomach and then at Harry.
Harry watched Danny for a moment and waited for him to continue before asking any questions.
“As much as I wish I could stop that from ever happening, I know I can’t” he began steadily and he looked from me to Harry. His jaw clenched and he rested his eyes on Harry’s.
Harry and I were quiet. I looked down into my lap. Danny had never given me the talk because he was too obsessed with the idea that I was still 8 and always would be 8.
Danny sighed.
“Harry, you are my best friend and Angie, you are my sister, now I’ve gotten used to you two being together, but I will not get used to a third member between you two any time soon” he spoke assertively.
Danny scooted up closer and stared into Harry’s eyes.
“Harry, I am going to say this loud and clear” he spoke calmly and glared at Harry.
“If you get her pregnant again, I will cut your dick off and bury it a thousand feet under ground” Danny threatened.
Harry's mouth hung open slightly.
“Do you understand me?” Danny asked. He glared at Harry, hoping to tattoo his words over Harry’s face and body.
“Yeah” Harry nodded.
“Yeah?” Danny asked loudly.
“Yes. I understand, Danny. It won’t happen like that again” Harry answered more completely.
“And Angie, I can put you on lock-down until you’re 30” Danny threatened calmly as he turned to looked at me.
I nodded slowly.
Danny took a deep breath and patted his thighs in a drum beat.
“Now, who wants to see my latest painting?” he asked with a grin.
Harry and I exchanged expressions of confusion and hesitance.
“Great” Danny smiled and he brought out the painting from the other room.
***
I woke up alone and in my own bed the next morning.
There was a knock at my door.
"Ye-es?" I asked as I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes.
"I think you might wanna see this" Danny said and I could hear him grinning.
"Come in" I said, but Danny was already half-way in.
He was holding a letter in his hands like it was the beautiful, but poisonous thing in the world.
I gasped loudly.
Danny laughed and sat at the edge of my bed.
He plopped the letter down in front of me.
I looked down at it, like it might bite me if I stared too long or if I didn't touch it at all.
"Go on" Danny smiled
I picked the letter up and saw that it had been carefully re-sealed.
"Danny, you read it already?" I asked in annoyance. Clearly, he still didn't understand the meaning of "privacy."
Danny shrugged his shoulders innocently.
I turned the letter over carefully and read the return label: University of Connecticut."
My heart hid in my rib cage, making it that much harder to breath. I don't even know why I was so nervous. I didn't even want to go to Connecticut. I didn't want to leave Westwood, not without Harry.
I closed my eyes took a deep breath. Then I opened the envelope.
I had only read the first few words when Danny pulled me in a bear hug.
"Congratulations, Angie" he grinned.
"Thanks, Danny" I smiled weakly, but for some stupid reason, I almost wanted to cry. Cry out of sadness and not joy.
Liam was so excited to go to Connecticut, "the best four years of our lives," he had said. He had gotten everything packed and set. He was going to study law like his dad and play lacrosse and be a good frat boy.
And now I had been accepted and he would never get to go. Harry and I may have made a truce with Nick, but I couldn't live another day with this kind of guilt. That's how my life began: with guilt, and that's how it almost ended...