Healing Draco Malfoy

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Published 3/21/2021

Draco didn't come out of it all night. His arms and limbs were clinched as close as possible to his body, and he was trembling. He maintained his death stare with the wall and wouldn't respond to him. Sleep didn't come to either of them. Harry just waited. He wanted so much to touch him, for his grey eyes to stare back at him, that tears periodically came. He wiped them away furiously. He had to keep it together. Draco needed him.

It was agony seeing him like this. Harry had forgotten that Draco was so... damaged, too. He had always seemed so strong. He never flashbacked or shut down like Harry did. He seemed so invincible compared to him. But this was so much worse. Harry tried not to think about the first few days Draco had been in his ward. Mute, always avoiding his eyes... scared. He could only pray to Merlin that it wouldn't go back to that... or worse.

"Please, please... come back," he whispered, desperately.

Harry should have known how much he had come to rely on Draco. How dependent he was on him. Bloody hell, it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He sat next to him and couldn't resist touching his arm with his, as he leaned his weight onto the side of the bed. He would wait.

Cass came in the morning and wasn't surprised to see him. "Harry, you should get going before the day shift comes on."

"I can't," he whispered.

Cass gave him a look and came around the bed. Draco didn't react. "Harry... you need to go home. Get some sleep. I can stay with him if you want."

"No... what if he... needs me?" Harry whispered.

Cass's hand lightly turned his cheek, so he looked at her in the eyes. "He needs you. He needs you at your best."

Harry pulled away. "I don't need sleep."

Cass sighed. "I'll let Nat know. Just talk to him, okay?"

Harry nodded. He finally stretched out his hand and found his shoulder. He rubbed it gently. He told him that he was safe, that the bad people were gone. That no one would ever hurt him, again, but Draco remained unresponsive. He didn't even flinch when he touched his shoulder. He just stared. Harry was about to break down completely, when the door opened. It wasn't Natalie, like he expected. It was Joel.

"Harry!" he gasped and came over to his side, but Harry lowered his head.

More tears came out. "I... healed his hip... and he just... drifted out. I-I can't get him out of it!" he cried.

Joel set something down and turned his stool toward him. "Can I hug you?"

Harry was glad he asked, and despite his fear of being touched, he nodded. Joel carefully pulled him into his chest. One hand rubbed his back, and one was supporting his head.

"Shh... calm down, Harry. I'm right here. It's going to be okay."

"No! It's not!" he gasped, jerking away, or trying to. Joel pulled him back, and Harry tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he pulled him away from Draco's bed to the wall and let go.

"Calm down, Harry," he said, forcibly.

"I-am... cal..." he started but was practically hyperventilating at that point. Spitting out words with each breath. "I-don't-know-what-to-do! I-I-can't-get-him-out-of-it!" he choked out nearly hysterical.

Whack! Joel smacked him across the face, and Harry was so shocked and stared at him, in surprise.

"Sorry!" Joel said, putting his hands up in the surrender hand sign. "But you need to calm down if you want to help him."