Big Top

Chapter 41

Harry's pov

"Harry, Harry, darling, wake up." My mother gently shook my shoulder, "Sweety, you'll be late for school, please get up, sweetheart." I felt like I hadn't heard her voice in so long and I just wanted to keep listening to it.

"Harry, Harry!"

"Harry!" Suddenly my mother's voice was gone and it was replaced with Martha's. She was hovering over my face and shaking my shoulder. "Harry, thank God!" She breathed and held my face in her hands. I slowly drifted back into consciousness. Martha was sobbing, her body heaving with them. When my eyes fully adjusted, a searing pain shot through my head. I saw Martha's face, she had dried blood under her nose and smeared across her cheek. I looked around the room, becoming more aware of my surroundings. I couldn't see Louis anywhere, I count hear him, I couldn't feel him.

"L-Louis." I croaked out. "Where?"

"They t-took him." I'm so s-sorry, Harry!" She sobbed at me. I slowly sat up, ignoring the pain shooting through my entire body.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked, still confused and overwhelmed.

"I-I didn't want to tell him. I-I didn't! Honest! But he, h-he — a-and right in front o-of them! I-I'm so sorry Harry." She sobbed, hugging me tightly, making the pain worse. "B-but, I-I couldn't take it anymore. I-I'm sorry! Please don't hate m-me." I looked her over further and saw her dress ripped and blood splattered down her legs.

"Oh, Martha." I sighed, "You were forced, of course I don't hate you." I held her then pulled back to look at her face, "Oh." I sighed, looking at what they did to her. "Let me get my bag." I slowly stood up and limped my way to my doctor bag and saw Matthew's diaper bag beside it. "Where's Matthew?!" I panicked, running as fast as I could despite my pain to find Matthew sound asleep in the bathtub. I sighed in relief and laid my hand on his stomach to feel his soft breathing. I looked over at the mirror and had to do a double take at my reflection. Blood, now dried, was smeared all over my face. My nose had bled, my lip was busted, and there were cuts on my cheeks and forehead — I hardly recognized myself. I grabbed a flannel and wet it in the sink before rubbing it on my face. I gently scrubbed all the blood off to reveal the bruises and scrapes. I hesitantly lifted my shirt to inspect my torso, there were bruised littered all across my torso from where they punched and kicked me. I gasped at myself, almost scared at my own reflection. If they did this to me, I can only imagine what they did to Louis — Oh God, Louis. I rushed back into the bedroom and Martha was sitting on the bed. "Louis, I-I have to go after him!" I started running for the door, but a sharp pain in my side made me collapse. Martha gasped and came over to help me up, I noticed she was limping as well.

"Harry, you're too weak, you can't." She helped me to the bed and sat me down. I looked up at her face, all her bruises. That reminded me that I had to take care of her before I went after Louis. I started to stand again but she stopped me, "No, don't stand."

I groaned as I adjusted my body on the bed. "Would you get my doctor bag then?" She complied. "Sit down." She did and I opened my bag. I pulled out an alcohol swab package and tore it open to use it. I swiped it under her nose gently to clean the blood and I also cleaned a few more cuts around her face. "You'll need to keep something cold on your eye." I said, noticing that her eye was a little swollen. "How long was I out?"

"About an hour." She told me, "The train will be at the next stop for two days, tomorrow and the next." She told me, making me feel slightly better. "You need to rest, Harry."

"I can't, y-you know that." I argued with her and she didn't say another word on the matter. After I finished cleaning her face I searched in my bag for the the type of cream I had given her before, I found it and handed it to her. "Here, this is the same stuff I gave you before. I'll get Matthew so you can shower, ok." She nodded, but she still did not let me get up.