Authors Note: A hundred apologies for the late posting of this chapter. First I was called unexpectantly into work to cover for a sick colleague for a few days and then, when I was editing, I found out the backstory I orginally had, didn't really work. So basically I had to rewrite half the chapter between crazy work shifts. The next chapter should definetely not take so long x
Running the back of his hand over his eyes, Harry silently stood up and crossed over to the couch. He kneeled down in front of Louis, between his splayed knees, and, without hesitance, pulled the smaller man forwards into a proper hug. Louis accepted it gladly, clutching the back of Harry’s jumper in his fists so the young doctor couldn’t pull away.
It may have been seconds or even minutes later but Louis’ breath suddenly shuddered and Harry realised he wasn’t the only one finding the moment emotional. With more feeling and care than he’d ever expelled in his life, Harry cupped the back of Louis’ head and cradled it against his chest. He wondered how many times Louis had cried over what his family had done to him – probably too many to bear thinking about - although, Harry wouldn’t be entirely shocked if this turned out to be the first time he’d let loose. Louis didn’t seem to be the type to cry for himself, others yes; himself no.
They stayed embraced like that for a long time - until Harry’s feet had gone numb and Louis’ breath was shivering into his knitted jumper. Harry eventually let the smaller man pull back a little but cupped the sides of his neck to keep them close. “When did you stop looking?” He asked gently.
Louis sniffed, “Actively looking? Probably the third year of Uni,” he croaked, “the workload got too heavy to do both at the same time. As much as I wanted to find them again, I knew that I had to let my degree come first. I had… Stephen… and our future to think about. Plus, if I did find them, I figured it would be best to prove that I was financially stable and capable of holding my own. But… for a long time I didn’t give up hope that they would come back to me by themselves.”
Harry nodded, his chest aching with sympathy as he picked up on the careful ‘finite’ wording, “And when did you stop hoping for that to happen?”
Louis swallowed loudly, eyes shimmering as he looked down at his lap, “About three years ago when Lottie turned nineteen and still hadn’t turned up on my doorstep. I realised then that I had to accept the likelihood of Mike having turned them all against me over the years and, for my own good, I figured I should let them go.”
“Oh Lou,” Harry whispered sadly, running his thumb over Louis’ damp cheek. “What about your extended family? Aunts, uncles, grandparents…?”
“Either ignored my calls or brushed me off when it all happened – whether out of fear of my stepfather or out of genuine dislike of me, I don’t know. So I stopped calling them and they have never tried to contact me in return.”
Harry’s heart felt like it was breaking. How dare they? His hands shook a little as a rush of inordinate anger pushed through his veins. How could Louis’ family do such a thing? How could they side with Mike after what he had done? Mike had left Louis for dead in the middle of the road after deliberately knocking him over! His biological mother hadn’t even got the car stopped so she could go back to make sure her son was still alive or even phone for an ambulance. How could Louis’ extended family live with themselves knowing that, however inadvertently, they were taking the sides of potential killers? Another thought then struck Harry and he spoke it aloud before his brain had even filtered their sense,
“Have you ever thought that maybe your sisters haven’t looked for you because they don’t think you’re alive?”
Louis stiffened, “What?” He whispered.
Harry licked his lips and met Louis’ eyes, “The last time your sisters saw you was the moment your stepfather ran you down with the car and drove them away from the scene. From what you’ve told me, you sustained some pretty serious injuries so there’s a good chance they don’t think you survived.” Louis’ eyes went unfocused as he mulled the thought over. “It might also be the reason they’ve never returned to Oak,” Harry added, “the memory of that moment has probably haunted them for years and they haven’t found the courage to come back and visit the place where their father potentially killed their brother.”
