Bonded

Chapter Thirty One

Harry’s chest throbbed, and his blood pounded through his ears. He wanted to cry, but his body was in too much pain to form any tears. It felt like a part of him was getting crushed, like something within him was on the verge of breaking. He tried to calm himself down by taking slow deep breaths but his muscles hurt so much that he couldn't breathe properly.     

A fear ripped through him, and a light headedness that was overcoming his mind only made it worse. He needed someone, anyone. He couldn’t do this on his own. With a huff, he rolled himself over and fell from the bed. The impact jolted him and he stayed there for a moment on his hands and knees. He tried to use his bed to pull himself up but stretching his torso only caused him more pain, forcing him to fall once again. He pressed his head against the floor and took a moment to stabilize himself. 

Once he was able too, Harry lifted his head a bit and awkwardly dragged himself across the floor to his door. He leaned against the wall as he blindly stretched his hand up, searching for the door handle. When he found it he gave it a tug, only to feel resistance. He cursed himself internally as he remembered that he had his door locked.     

He moaned and let his arm fall. The longer he kept his hand raised the worse the pain in his chest was. He needed to reposition his body before trying again. Harry twisted around to face the wall and leaned his head against it as he raised himself partially onto his knees, keeping his body slightly curled. The pain grew worse and he twisted a hand in the front of his shirt as he pushed against his chest. A bead of sweat dripped into his eyes forcing him to squeeze them shut. He reached up once again, fumbling around blindly as he felt for the handle. When his fingers finally found it, he slid them over to the lock, twisting it before pulling the door open. 

Harry let himself fall past the threshold, his mouth hanging open as he gasped for each breath. He turned his head to seek out the door at the end of the hallway. He was halfway, he only needed to push himself a little further. 

Once they heard him at the door, they would get up to help him. They would ease his pain, or call for an ambulance or … or …

Visions of Daniel's earlier accusations against him flashed through his mind. The look of hatred on his face was undeniable as he blamed Harry for purposely trying to ruin his chances for the new position. Daniel was sleeping now and the moment had passed, so he was probably no longer thinking that way. If Harry woke them, they would believe him, wouldn't they? They wouldn't accuse him again of being dramatic, they couldn't, he really did need help this time. Harry shook his head in denial, not wanting to acknowledge the truth his heart already knew. He hadn't done anything wrong and yet he knew he’d be the one left pleading. 

A shearing, stabbing pain erupted from his chest and his forehead fell against the ground. He pounded his fists on the floor in an angry protest. It wasn't fair. It wasn't frickin fair. Daniel had been wrong, not him, but he would be the one begging. A surge of fury flew through him and pushed some of the pain away. He turned his head away from their door and glared at the floor. He wasn't going to go. No, this time he refused to be the one to beg. 

Harry huffed a huge breath in and used the doorframe to pull his body up. He hunched his back over and leaned against the wall as he slowly made his way down the hall, away from their shared bedroom. He wouldn't do it, not after everything that happened today. It would be better for him to deal with things on his own.

He slumped his way toward the washroom hoping that a hot shower or soak in the tub might help ease his aching. He used his body to shut the door, not bothering with the lights. The sliver of moonlight that came in from the small window lit up the room enough to see by.