Beau Babies / h.s

A Walk In The Park

   I was ready for bed, geared up in my thick winter pyjamas, when there was a light tap on the door. At first, I didn’t even notice it, but then again, this time louder. I plodded over to the door and yawning, pulled it open,

   “Ready for bed I see,” Harry grinned looking me up and down, I sighed, rolled my eyes in frustration and then moved away from him,

   “What do you want Harry?” I asked rudely,

   “I think you need some sleep,” Harry told me, I glared at him before pushing past him and into the girls’ room, “I’m serious,” He’d followed me,

   Leaning over Annalise in her cot, I checked her before turning to Harry again, “And I’m serious Harry, I’m not leaving her alone,”

   “You’ll fall asleep within what ten minutes of being in here,”

   “Whether that’s true or not, I’d feel better if I was in here with her,”

   Harry cocked his head to the side, “You’d feel better with more than two hours sleep,”

   “Harry,” I was about to yell at him. Scream even. But I couldn’t. “Harry,” I sighed, “Can you just go away if you’re not going to do anything to help,” Harry then sat on the window seat, I turned to him looking more than confused, “What are you doing? You do know that I wasn’t serious don’t you?”

   Harry nodded, “Yeah, but if you’re not going to get any sleep, it’s only fair that I don’t either,” He grinned at me, I had to look down to hide my developing smile,

   “What about Aria?” I asked soberly,

   Shrugging, Harry said, “She went home, I think what you said about her before kind of hit her hard. Which by the way, calling her a prostitute, really?” I didn’t reply,

   “Look Harry I appreciate your offer of helping, but I can watch her on my own,”

   “You probably can,” Harry moved over to me, until he was right on my back, his arms went around my body, his hands rested on mine, locked on the cot. He leaned into me and moved his head so that it was in the crook of my neck, “But I want to,” He whispered,

   I shivered, and pushed him back, “Don’t Harry, can you go please,”

   “Why are you so upset?” Harry asked, god he was so clueless! He reached out for me, “I told you were tired,”
   “Yeah,” I mumbled, “That must be it, I’m just really tired,”

   “I tell you what, we’ll do it in shifts,” Agreeing, I said I’d take the first two hours, in the end, Harry agreed and lay down on the window seat,

   I didn’t look at the time, I watched Annalise from the stool. My eyelids started to flutter shut, then with a start, I’d open them, forget where I was for a minute then the same thing would happen and in between those moments, I’d check on Annalise’s breathing and every time, it would be fine.