Meredith was covered in blankets while sitting in front of the fireplace, in new clothes. Once getting back into the house, Harry's first mission was to get her out of the frozen clothes. Her hair slowed dried. Her teeth chattered. She shivered. Meredith stared into the fire, hoping to warm herself. Tucking her hands under her knees, she hoped to warm her still frozen fingers.
"Mere." Harry sat down beside her, handing her a cup of hot chocolate. "Drink this."
Trembling, Meredith reached up and took the cup. She drank slowly, but it burned.
Harry rubbed her back. "I called Bill, and he's on his way. He'll be here in a bit." His fingers trailed along her spine, giving her chills. "Doctor is on the way too."
"I'm fine," she hummed.
His hand didn't stop moving. "I know, but just in case." Harry kissed her forehead and then pulled her into hug. His body was so warm, and she melt against him. He was a comfort.
He hadn't asked much since coming back into the mansion, and Meredith had neglected to say much. Her throat burned. Slowly, she came down from the high when one almost dies. The body was alive, buzzing, and she came back to her old life. She came back to Harry. Her body became normal. It was another deep breath, in and out, in and out. It was another blink of the eyes, open and close, open and close. It was like she was under water again when she blinked; it was just darkness. Yet, she came down.
Meredith stilled, only to realize Harry shook beside her. "Everything's okay," she murmured.
Harry nodded.
"You were sleeping--"
"You should've woken me up--"
"Shut up." Meredith grew angry. "I'm a big girl, Harry. I made you breakfast. I went outside. I stood at the end of the dock. The dock shifted. I fell in. I saved myself. I'm a big girl, Harry. You don't always need to be there when I fall."
"I want to be--"
"And it's not always your fault," Meredith continued. "I make mistakes. I say things. I do things. I'm human.
"And you blame yourself. You always yourself for the paparazzi, but you don't control them. You can't control. They're their own beings; they'll somehow get what they want. And sometimes, it hurts when they get what they want, but you can't stop them. No pretty notes are going to stop them." Meredith knew that was mean, but she couldn't handle this right now. "I fell into the water. I got out. It's not going to stop me from swimming. I'm not going to suddenly be scared. Same with the paparazzi. They pushed me down, and I'll rise again. I'm not scared to fall, because I know the only one that can hurt me is me-- and you."
"Mere--"
She stood up. Her body had never moved so quickly. Tears burned her eyes, more salt water. "Please, Harry, when you do this, it makes me want to runaway."
"I'm concerned."
"Over the wrong things, Harry." Bending down, Meredith came eye to eye with him. "This is love, right here and right now."
"You almost died."
"And you would be very sad." She kissed him. "But I didn't. Happiness." She kissed him. "I am here. I am alive. It's only us. Forget about everyone and anyone but me. It's me, Harry. It's Mere."
"You're Mere."
She gave a sad smile. "Smile, please."
It hurt, but slowly it tugged at his lips. Weak and terrible, Meredith put her fingers to his lips, forcing them wider. He resisted but not enough to move away. Meredith let out an easy smile, where she welcomed the life she had. Harry found it beautiful. A smile easily came. Her smile grew too.
"Happiness." Laying down, Meredith pulled Harry down. His head directly fell onto her heart, where the beat was strong and and even. She came down. It was relaxing, after how tired he had been over the last few days. He had grown tired over the last ten minutes, more tired than he had ever been. At any moment, he felt like he might fall. Now, with his head upon Meredith's chest, Harry became calm again.
They stayed like that until Bill walked in, not even knocking. When his eyes came over to the couple on the floor, he stopped. Panic pumped through his veins. What was he supposed to think when he found Miss Rogue on the floor, barely moving, with Prince Harry curled up beside her, head to her chest? Harry looked back, causing Meredith to look back too.
Bodyguard Bill avert his gaze. "I'm sorry, your highness, for interrupting."
Harry immediately got up. He didn't want Bill, who had probably seen a lot of Prince Harry's life, to see this tender moment. He almost looked weak, and Harry didn't want that. "It's good that you're here."
Bill kept his eyes down as he came closer to Meredith, who curled herself more into the blankets. "Are you all right, ma'am?"
Meredith nodded with a smile. "I just went for a dip, of course."
Bill kept a tight lipped smile while Harry rolled his eyes. "Were you trying to swim away?" Harry went back to his old joking tone.
"I only do that when it's warm," Meredith returned the same mocking tone. Standing up slowly, Meredith almost lost her balance, but Harry was there. She stood tall. Meredith wasn't weak. "I'm good. When will the doctor here?"
"Soon," Bill reassured. "Is there need for a doctor?"
"No," Meredith said, "but I want this one to stop worrying." She looked to Harry.
The bodyguard nodded. "Ma'am," he said slowly, "could you take me through what happened?"
Meredith arched an eyebrow.
"To see how long you were under the water," Bill explained.
To the best of her ability and knowledge, Meredith went through going out to the dock and falling in, yet Bill wanted more, which he prompted. Meredith paused for a moment and explained her time in the water. While doing this, her eyes kept going back to Harry, who started to shake again with her story. Meredith wanted to reassure him that everything was okay, but it would take more time. With a final word, she finished.
"What are you thinking, Bill?" Meredith asked.
"You were under the water for, perhaps, a few minutes, but the icy water caused more damage."
"So I'm fine."
Bill opened his mouth but closed it once he saw Meredith's face. "Of course," he agreed. "I don't see why you wouldn't be in the peak of health."
Meredith smiled happily. Harry wasn't as convinced. Walking over, Meredith came face to face with Harry. With her height, she looked him straight in the eyes. She never backed down. Meredith was ready for a battle, which was good and bad. In this moment, it was a good thing. It only took a few seconds for Harry to look away. He still hurt inside that he wasn't there, which caused Meredith pain too, only because he didn't believe that she was capable. She was wrong, she knew; Harry believed her to be capable, but he wanted to be the hero. But this was a partnership. Also, Meredith wasn't a damsel in distress.
Throwing her arms around him, Meredith just hugged Harry.
************
Chapters 29 and 30 have been updated, if you're interested.