CHAPTER FOURTEEN: CHOICE
Harry
"Shit. I was afraid of this," Drake sighed, "he's drugged her already,"
"Drugged her?!" My jaw dropped as I held Laura in my arms, "What do you mean he drugged her?!"
"How else do you think he – and everyone else in this damn place – get it on with unwilling girls so fast? They drug them, every time. It's why every girl in this place is so listless because everyone's sedated them way too many times,"
"W...With what?" I demanded, "What drug do you use around here?!"
Drake sighed and shook his head. "No idea. He never told us the name of the stuff," he looked down at Dane's dead body with a light frown.
"Oh God...Laura..." I sighed shakily and gently touched my forehead to hers, "...I'm so sorry..."
"Look, she's going to be OK," Drake said assuringly, "this is the first time Dane's called her...this would've been her only dose – unless she already uses?"
"What?! No!" I hissed, "Laura hates drugs!"
"OK! Geez – defensive much?" Drake cocked an eyebrow at me.
"Shut up," I snapped at him before returning my attentions to Laura; biting my lip anxiously as I took in how motionless she was, "so...she'll be alright, then?"
"Yeah, but we have to get her out of here," said Drake, "I'm presuming you have a doctor in this little camp of yours?"
"Yeah. Well...sort of," I nodded slowly, "he used to be a doctor, but er...he became more interested in researching things,"
"Oh. Well, either way, he should be able to tell what drug Laura's ingested, and how much of it is in her system. So – let's go. I can steal one of our vans for you,"
I nodded again. "Yeah. OK."
I rose to my feet and gently wrapped one of my arms around Laura's shoulders and placed my hand underneath her knees. I picked her up from the bed as carefully as I could; holding her close to me as I turned back to Drake.
"OK, Toulson. Let's go."
***
"Just park behind these trees," I told Drake as we approached the warehouse, "I don't want your van flattening all the brambles,"
"Don't you have a vehicle, bro?" Drake asked me as he began to move towards the trees.
"We do," I nodded; making sure Laura was still resting comfortably enough on my lap before continuing, "we actually have our own van parked in the garage, but we've decided to keep it for an emergency evacuation only,"
"Smart move," Drake nodded back thoughtfully, "your idea?'
"It was more like a group decision," I replied with a shrug.
Drake nodded again before slowing the car to a halt behind the trees.
"Here we are. Care to go first so your team doesn't shoot me?" he asked.
"My team doesn't just shoot people willy-nilly," I rolled my eyes, "just go on ahead to the gate. I need to get Laura out of this van safely. Niall should be guarding as usual – please be nice,"
"You got it, boss," Drake climbed out of the van and shut the door behind him. As soon as I was certain he was out of earshot, I looked down at Laura still sleeping on my lap.
"It's OK, Laura. We're home," I gently brushed a few wisps of her hair out of her face and broke out a faint smile towards her sleeping form, "you're home. You're safe now,"
I placed my hand on the van's back door handle – and with a quiet grunt I slid it open. I carefully removed Laura's head from my lap and onto the back seats as I climbed out. As soon as that was done I reached back into the van and picked her up once more; carrying her over to the gate where Niall was quietly bickering with Drake.
"You're in the wrong place, mate," Niall was snapping at him, "you'd better turn around and walk away,"
"It's OK, Niall," I said as I approached them, "he's with me,"
"Haz! You're-" Niall suddenly cut himself off with a gasp as he caught sight of Laura lying still in my arms, "oh my God...Laura..! W-What happened to Laura?!"
"She narrowly escaped a rape offence," said Drake, "Harry here saved her just in time,"
"Holy shit...i-is she OK?" Niall sounded worried.
"Well, the guy didn't get her in the end but..." Drake looked back at Laura and bit his lip, "...he did manage to drug her,"
"Fuck..." Niall let out a shaky breath, "OK, come in you two. Get Laura into bed, and we'll get Liam to look at her. I'll go find him as soon as I lock up,"
Drake & I both nodded, and Niall unlocked the gate. As soon as he had opened it, we both raced into the camp – and I immediately ignored the girls' dorms altogether and bolted to my quarters with Drake following close behind. I kicked the door open and laid her down on the bed. I then quickly felt her forehead in case she had a fever. Surprisingly, it was quite the opposite.
"Sh-She doesn't feel hot, but..." I gulped, "at the same time, her temperature doesn't feel normal-warm either,"
"Don't look at me, man. I never understood drugs," said Drake.
The door suddenly flew open once again, and Liam came barging in along with everyone else in the group: Niall, Louis, Hailee, Vivienne, Max, Mako, Rachel & Eric. I could also hear Sid barking somewhere in the background.
"L-Laura!" Eric's hands clapped over his mouth as soon as he saw her, "Harry, wha...what happened?!"
"It's a long story, kiddo," Drake told him before I could reply.
Liam knelt beside Laura and felt her forehead as well; biting his lip worriedly before gently placing a hand on her head.
"Laura?" He spoke to her softly, "Laura, it's Liam. Can you hear me?"
After there was no reply; Liam let out a sigh as he took his hand away.
"She's heavily sedated," he concluded, "she's been drugged, alright,"
Everyone in the group gasped.
"I-Is she gonna be OK?" Vivienne asked nervously.
Liam nodded again. "She should be. But for now, just give me some space, everyone. I work best when I'm alone,"
"But-" I began to protest.
"Haz, I promise you," Liam looked at me assuringly, "you can be the first to see her when I'm done,"
"OK, people. You heard the doctor. Everyone out," Drake began to usher everybody out of the room.
"Wait, who the hell is he?" I heard Louis ask before he was pushed out the door, "Haz?"
Even though I knew I owed everyone an explanation, I still couldn't bring myself to think about anything else except Laura.
***
"So...what's the deal with this Laura chick, anyway?" Drake took a bite out of the apple Rachel had given him, "she your girlfriend, or what?"
I shook my head absent-mindedly. "No, she's not. We're just...we're very close,"
"You got a crush on her?" he asked.
"Look, Drake, I know you have questions, but as a matter of fact everyone else in the group has questions too because you're here. I'll answer everyone's questions in time, but right now I can't, alright?" I snapped.
"OK. Fair enough," Drake lifted his hands in surrender before fully focusing back to his apple.
I didn't pay any more attention to him and instead rested my forehead against my knuckles as my knee began to shake due to my nerves. It had been at least half an hour, and Liam still hadn't finished with Laura.
What if something's seriously wrong with her?
"Harry," Liam's voice suddenly came from behind me; making me jump & exclaim in shock.
"Jesus!" I held my hand over my heart and took a deep breath, "Fucking hell, Liam, are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"
Liam cocked an eyebrow. "Actually, I'm trying to update you on Laura, but to me it looks like you seem too disinterested at the moment,"
I immediately perked up at the sound of Laura's name. "No, of course not," I rose to my feet and faced him, "but Christ...please tell me it's good news,"
"Well...good and bad," Liam bit his lip, "which do you want first?"
"Oh for fuck's sake, Liam, just tell me!" I hissed.
"OK! God, no need to bite my head off, mate," Liam rolled his eyes, "basically, I identified her drug as a rather heavy dose of Flunitrazepam,"
I stared back at him cluelessly.
"It's more commonly known as Rohypnol," he added quickly.
"Woah, what? Rhoypnol?" Drake sounded completely astonished, "As in, the date rape drug Rohypnol?"
"Precisely that," Liam nodded.
I glared at Drake. "I thought you said you didn't understand drugs,"
He shrugged. "It doesn't necessarily mean I'm totally clueless about the subject,"
"As I was saying," Liam spoke up again, "it's quite a heavy dose, but it wasn't enough to overdose her. Therefore, she shouldn't experience any of the more serious complications that come with a Flunitrazepam overdose,"
"So..?" I looked at him expectantly.
"So...all she needs is to rest up. How long ago was she drugged?"
"I'd say an hour and a bit," said Drake, and I nodded in agreement.
Liam nodded back. "In that case, I'd give it at least 7 hours before she wakes up. 11 hours max," he said, "but I warn you, though: when she eventually does wake up, she's going to be very drowsy, and she may be suffering from memory loss or confusion. So...speak to her slowly, and don't say anything to freak her out, OK?"
"OK," I said.
"Sure thing," Drake chimed in.
"Please tell me I can see her now," I began to plead with Liam.
Liam nodded again. "Yeah, go ahead, Haz. If you want to go see her, go see her,"
I replied with a breathless 'Thank You' before I raced back to my quarters; barging in through the door and gulping as I was once again met with Laura's motionless, inert body. My bottom lip trembled slightly as I moved closer to her; falling to my knees at her side and clasping her still hand in mine.
"I can't believe he did this to you," I whispered, "oh God, Laura...I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. None of this would've happened if I didn't shoot Janine. I know you've been through hell, but fuck...please forgive me, Laura. If you get through this, please forgive me. I know I was way out of line, but I didn't want to lose you. I wasn't ready to face the fact that Janine could've wiped you out of my life forever. But right now I could be losing you again. The world is so fucking unfair, isn't it?" I sighed.
"I know Liam said you'd be fine, but...I can't help worrying, you know? And if you're wondering why, it's because..." I took a deep breath, "...because I think I'm falling in love with you, Laura. And...despite how much I've tried to fight it, I can't anymore. A-And I'm scared...I don't want the way I feel about you to take you away from me," I gently stroked the back of her hand with my thumb, "so please, Laura...please get through this. Please wake up, and come back to me..." I pressed my lips to her hand with a shaky sigh, "please come back to me, Laura."
***
Laura
I woke up with a soft groan; feeling extremely drowsy & lethargic as soon as I opened my eyes. I winced as soon as the daylight sliced through my eyelids, and I immediately reacted by shielding my eyes with my forearm and letting out a sigh of relief as I blocked the light.
Once I finally adjusted to the brightness, I let my eyes flutter open and warily shift from one end of the room to the other. I felt my brow furrow into a perplexed frown as I looked around. Where the hell was I? I barely remember anything. How did I end up here?
However, as my eyes began to adapt, I slowly began to recognise my surroundings. The creamy white walls, the wooden floor, the odd piece of furniture here and there.
This was Harry's quarters.
"Huh..?" I stifled a groan as I tried to sit up, but failed.
I couldn't even remember how I got here. The last thing I remember...I was taken by...
Then suddenly it all came flooding back. I remembered walking through the woods. I remembered Vince & Carver. I remembered Dane, and what he had tried to do to me. I remembered the way Harry had stabbed him without hesitation, and then holding me in his arms as he softly spoke to me with his soothing, tender voice.
He saved me.
I turned my head to the left, and I couldn't help breaking out a faint smile as I saw Harry sitting in a chair beside me; his head drooping since he had fallen asleep. I then giggled at the cute little snores he let out every once in a while. He looked so adorable when he was sleeping...and real peaceful as well. I didn't want to wake him up, but since he had been sitting by me for God-knows-how-long I felt inclined to let him know that I was awake.
Biting my lip cheekily, I reached out and began to poke the side of his knee; chuckling to myself as he began to stir. He moved a little and mumbled something indistinct before he opened his eyes with a soft groan.
"Hey," I whispered to him, "how long have you been here?"
At the sound of my voice his head immediately jerked up & turned towards me. As soon as his eyes met with mine, a huge, relieved grin spread across his face.
"You're awake," he gave my hand a quick squeeze, "God...I'm so glad you're awake,"
"How long have you been sleeping there?" I repeated my question.
"Oh fuck, I dunno," he let out a chuckle, "I just didn't want to leave you alone,"
"Aww...aren't you sweet," I giggled.
"Well, who knows? You could've woken up while I wasn't here and tried to steal something," he said with a shrug.
"Excuse me?" I said with a laugh, "Why the hell would I want to steal your lame stuff?"
"Well, who knows?" He smiled at me before turning serious again, "Anyway...do you, erm...remember anything? That...happened?"
I sighed. "Unfortunately, yes," I said with a nod, "everything. And I...I meant to say this back at that rape house, but I blacked out," I looked at him earnestly, "thank you...so much...for saving me, Harry," I let out a sniffle, "I...I was so weak a-and I honestly thought I'd have no choice but to let him take me..."
"Hey," Harry took my hand again, "you know I'd never let that happen to you,"
"I just...I was so sure you wouldn't even have bothered to look for me, after I...wandered off," I gulped, "I mean...back at Lochpine...I was so, so unfair to you. I just...at the time I felt so betrayed. I thought you'd just shot my mother and didn't care what she meant to me, even though I told you everything," I let out a whimper, "but...during my walk I realised that there really was nothing else you could do...except let me die. And...I knew there was no way you'd let that happen either, because that's not like you. Harry, I'm so sorry,"
"No need to say sorry to me," Harry replied, "I know I was way out of line shooting your mum like that,"
"But it was the only way to save me," I said, "your motives are completely justified. Mine, on the other hand..." I sighed, "...I know I can be a bitch sometimes-"
"There's a perfectly legit justification for your motives too," Harry smiled at me, "you were hurting, Laura. And I know exactly how that feels. I suppose...just killing my own family made me completely ruthless, and I wasn't even thinking about how you'd possibly feel. We can both be in the wrong for this, L, but we can forget about it, yeah?"
"Mhmm," I tightened my grip on his hand almost unconsciously, "Harry, I swear to God you're my guardian angel,"
Harry laughed. "I personally don't think so, but if that's how you want to put it, then I'm not stopping you,"
I giggled. "By the way...why the fuck am I in your bed?" I cocked my eyebrow at him cheekily.
Harry paused for a moment and opened his mouth to reply, but it closed again as he let out a sigh.
"Good question," he chuckled, "I don't know. It's a double bed...I guess I thought you would've been more comfortable. After all...your bed back at home was a double, right?"
"Hey...yeah," I was surprised he remembered I'd told him that, "...wow. I'm impressed by your memory,"
"A lot of people are," he shrugged and flashed me a quick smile before clearing his throat and turning serious again, "anyway...I think I've been sitting here with you for at least 8 hours. I should probably check on the crew now. And besides – they'd want to hear the good news about you,"
"Oh," I deflated but tried my best to hide it, "yeah, um...sure. Of course. Go ahead,"
"Thanks," he smiled again, "I'll check back soon, OK?"
"OK," I said quietly, "do you want me to go back to my dorm?"
"What?" Harry laughed, "Fuck that. Can you even move?"
"Probably not," I replied with a giggle.
"Then you stay right here. Bury your face in my pillows if you're really going to miss me that much," he said cheekily.
"You wish," I scoffed.
"No, love. You wish," he winked at me, "I'll see you later,"
I smiled and nodded, and he returned the gesture before leaving the room. As soon as he was gone, my smile immediately fell from my face.
I wanted Harry to stay with me. I wanted him to climb onto the bed next to me and give me a hug, because I missed his hugs. I was so grateful to him for all he did for me...saving me twice without even hesitating. I just wanted to spend more time with him, so we could talk and make each other laugh. Just ways I could savour his presence because he honestly was my hero.
And I wasn't just speaking out of gratitude. Looking back on what he did let me see him in a brand new light. He cared for me and protected me...saving me from certain death & my worst nightmare. He stood right by me even though I treated him like shit. I was so certain he wouldn't give a fuck what happened to me as soon as he heard I'd snuck out to wander in the forest...I was certain his thoughts would be 'Fuck her, then. If she wants to die, she can fucking die'.
But they weren't.
He searched for me. He demanded Vince & Carver to release me even though they were loaded with weapons, and could've killed him at any moment. He literally risked his life for me, and I couldn't help but appreciate him for what he did. And not only appreciate, but...love him for it.
This wasn't my thankfulness talking. The way Harry fought for me gave me a newfound love for him. I always thought I was only crushing on him, but...these recent events have been the first time my feelings have ever felt truly real, and even grown deeper.
Yes...it's true.
I love Harry.
But it's a far cry that he could possibly feel the same way.
After all...how many times has he slapped me down already?
***
"Hey," Vivienne poked her head around the door with a small smile, "heard through the grape vine that you'd woken up,"
"Hey, Viv," I smiled back at her, "come on in,"
"How're you feeling?" She asked me as she closed the door behind her.
"Much better. Hardly drowsy at all, now," I chuckled.
"Yeah..." she bit her lip, "hey, I just wanna say I'm sorry. You know...cuz I kinda feel like this is my fault,"
My jaw dropped. "Why?"
"Well...'cause I was the one who put the idea of a walk into your head," she shifted from one foot to the other anxiously, "and if you didn't run away, then...none of this would've happened,"
"No, Viv, don't even think that," I objected immediately, "it was totally my call to go out into the forest. Even if you didn't tell me to go for a walk, I probably would've still run off anyway,"
"You sure? N-No hard feelings?"
"None at all," I promised her.
"OK...good," she smiled again, "you know...Harry really freaked out when he found out you'd gone,"
My eyebrows rose. "Really?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "he didn't even waste any time in going out to look for you. To be perfectly honest...he'd actually gone through the gate before most of us had even realised he left,"
"Wow..." I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Even though Harry was so gallant coming after me...I was so sure he would've spent a little bit of time debating whether or not to go and look for me.
"You sound surprised," said Vivienne.
"Yeah, I just...I thought he'd be kinda unwilling to come after me...you know, 'cause of the spat we had?"
"Ohh...yeah, nah. I'm pretty sure he'd forgotten all about that as soon as you were reported missing,"
Really?
"Gosh, I...it never dawned on me that he'd care so much,"
"Oh yeah, he cares alright," Vivienne said, "actually, I think he cares about you a lot more than he shows,"
My heart stopped at her words, but...in a good way. A really good way.
"You...you think?"
"Definitely," she nodded vigorously, "well, I er...I guess you wanna...rest up now, so I'll just..." she began to turn back towards the door.
"Vivienne, wait," I called out, and she turned around to face me again, "pardon me if I'm out of line asking this, b-but has Harry talked to you at all? About...me?"
"Uhh...nope. He doesn't really 'talk' about things with us, since he's...you know...reclusive and all?" She looked at me carefully, "Why?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just...wondering,"
Vivienne smiled. "Oh, I think I know what's going on here," she chuckled, "you like Harry, don't you Laura?"
"What?! Don't be-" I began to protest, but I then sighed as I realised denying anything was pointless, "OK, maybe a little – er – quite a bit," I sighed again, "...a lot,"
"I knew it," Vivienne flashed a broad grin, "I fucking knew it! I called that shit with Hailee, and she didn't believe me!"
My breath hitched. "What? Y-You...talk about it with Hailee?"
"Uh, yeah. Dude – everyone sees the raging chemistry between you guys,"
"Well then, if that's the case, why the fuck does he always insist on friendzoning me?!" I demanded, beginning to get frustrated.
"Well...y'know...he's probably holding back – because of Camilla and all,"
I frowned. "Uhh...who?"
Vivienne's eyes widened. "Hold on...you don't know about Camilla..?"
"No?" My frown grew deeper, "Who's that?"
"Oh fuck," I heard her curse under her breath, "if Harry finds out about this he'll murder me,"
"Who's Camilla?" I asked again; now desperate for answers.
Vivienne sighed. "Fuck it. As if I can talk my way around this," she took a deep breath, "OK – basically, Camilla...she was a girl. In our group. And...Harry had a spark with her too. But, er...we got ambushed by a bunch of bandits one day, and...they killed her. For speaking out against them. And Harry blames himself for it,"
My eyes widened. "Why?"
"He was supposed to be patrolling the afternoon when those thugs came," she replied, "but um...he completely forgot because instead he was trying to win Camilla's heart," she sighed, "he blames his own carelessness for her death. And...despite how much we say it isn't...he won't hear any of it. And Laura, that's probably why he's scared of how he feels about you. Because he doesn't want to lose you the way he lost Camilla,"
"How is that even his fault?!" I demanded, "It was those bandits' choice to have her shot, not Harry's!" I sighed, "And besides...just because that happened to her, it doesn't mean the same will happen to me,"
"Well, then why don't you tell him that?" Vivienne asked, "Honey, if you wanna be with the guy, you gotta let him know,"
"Yeah...you're right," I began to nod, "you are so right,"
"'Course I am," she said with a chuckle.
I beamed at her. "Thanks, Viv. I am totally taking over the dishes for you tonight,"
"Aw, bless!" She grinned, "Thanks girl,"
"No problem," I refused to let my smile fade as she left.
Because I was finally going to come clean. I was finally going to confess my love to Harry.
The problem is, though...was he going to confess the same thing?