Page 52 of Harry

“I know and that makes it even worse.” He stared at their joined fingers for a second, before looking into her eyes.

“I want to make up for the time when you had to turn to another man. You said he wants to be friends, but the fact that he wanted to be father to my babies leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay darling, I’ll table the argument and respect your wishes.”

“All of them?”

Her eyes glimmered. “Don’t push it.”

Chapter 12

He had no idea what woke him up. At first he thought he was drifting from the edge of a dream, but he felt the distinct movement of the bed.

Consciousness drove him upwards, and he immediately turned to look at the space next to him. It was empty. Fear clutched inside his gut and had him swinging his legs off the bed. The light was on in the bathroom and the door was closed.

Striding towards it, he knocked. “Hey.”

“Give me a second.”

“Are you on the floor?”

“No. I’m just…, you can open the door.”

He did not need a second invitation. Shoving it open, he saw her sitting on the commode, her legs pressed together and a pained look on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Indigestion and constipation.” She swallowed the bile that had built up. “It’s bad.”

Hunkering down in front of her, he took her hands. “What can I do?”

“Some tea would help. I am sorry., I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You are only going to piss me off if you apologize. It’s my damn job.”

She gripped his hands. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too. You said you’re constipated. What can be done…”

“I already used a suppository. It’s the only thing I am allowed. It takes a minute or two to work, so I’ll just sit here.”

“While I go and make the tea. Think you can stomach some crackers?”

She nodded. “Go,” she urged, “I’ll be fine.”

He rose and left the room but came back a minute later with her phone. “Call if you need me.”

She nodded, rubbing a hand up and down her stomach.

“I’ll be fine.” She insisted when he hesitated just inside the doorway.

“Right. A cup of warm tea and saltines coming up.” Turning back, he kissed her on the top of the head and left.

She waited until he was out of the room before leaning back and closing her eyes. She had been hoping to ride it out without waking him.

As much as she loved the fact that he was stepping up and helping out, she was aware that he was new to this and still had difficulties navigating the murky waters. He hadn’t talked about it, not since that night he came to her, but she knew it was on his mind.

His past was too traumatic an episode to just place on a shelf and forget about it. She herself could not stop ruminating and being pissed off that he had been forced to go through something like that.

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