Ravaged // h.s. au

10.

Harry

" What?"

" The deal Rodriguez made, was with Joshua, to mess with the reports, and record that one of the bodies at the morgue was Joshua's. They missed one small detail; which is that they mentioned finding 9 bodies, when we all know there were 10 men down there. Gypsy came and told us about all the messages they've been receiving, and-"

" W- wait, wait, slow down. I- I saw Joshua. Gypsy was right there, I was carrying her out, Zayn, you were in front of us and," My limps moved as if I was reenacting the scene, my muscles were sore, and I could have sworn I could feel the heat against my skin. I was back there, and it hurt like hell.

" I saw him, Zayn, he was there, and passed out, and bleeding, and- his leg, it was stuck under some kind of barrier. He couldn't have made it out, he- I-" It had gotten harder to breathe, a feeling of losing control coursing through my veins.

" Hey, hey, Harry, listen, everyone is safe now. We have information and we'll crack this case." I heard Zayn speaking, but my heart was pounding so loud in my head, and I could hear the blood boiling under my skin. I shook my head, moving my eyes to fall upon Gypsy, who was watching me worriedly.

" God, what if he takes her again? I- I'm so sorry, Gypsy, I fucked up, and I couldn't- I didn't me- I didn't mean to-"

" No, Harry, no," I didn't know who was speaking, until I felt her hands on my cheeks, and her eyes were attempting to meet my own, " That wasn't your fault. If anything, you- you saved me, Harry. You saved all of us." I felt a sob choking me, as my head began to shake. She buried my face into her shoulders, holding me so tight to her. I felt it all departing me; every burn from that explosion, every scar that reminded me time and time again of my failure, every last drop of remorse, of ache, of disgrace. I felt her touch cleansing me. I felt her scent stitching me back together. I sacked against her, releasing a breath, as if only now, my lungs were functioning again. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her towards me even more, that I was scared it would hurt, but she never complained. She tenderly rocked us both, back and forth, until I had forgotten about everything else in the world, except for me and her. She smelt of Gypsy; the Gypsy I fell in love with all those years ago. She even felt like her. And I wondered, if we were each other's only hope.

" We'll leave you two to it." I thought I heard someone say from a distant, before the door to the office was closed, and we were left alone.

" I missed you." I whispered, once I was able to find my voice.

" I missed you too, Harry." She said into my shoulder, not daring to pull away.

" I called you, so many times. I wanted to come home."

" It was too late, Harry. You were drunk, and tired. And so was I. We couldn't do that to each other anymore."

" It hurt, so fucking much, Gypsy. I couldn't take it."

" I know, Harry. I know."

" I don't want to let you down again."

" Then don't." She finally distanced herself away, although, her hands remained carrying the weight of my head.

" I know it, in my heart, that if anyone is able to solve this, it's you, Harry." I sighed, allowing my eyes to fall shut. The ache was still there, but it was more bearable now. I could live with that pain.

" You should go." I whispered, peeling my eyes opened, and holding her own. I couldn't allow myself to fall into her again. I couldn't do that to her. She deserved better.

" You're right." She nodded, standing to her full height. She didn't wait for me, as she opened the door, and walked out. I watched her, as she hugged her sister to her, as if that was the only thing that would keep her from collapsing. She spoke to Zayn, who had his eyebrows furrowed. I couldn't trace every word they spoke, but I couldn't look away.

" I can't be here anymore. I need to go. It's for the best." I managed to read her lips, as Zayn sighed, pulling her into an embrace, holding my gaze over her shoulder. He pulled away, nodding in understanding, before pointing towards Louis, probably telling him to drive them home. She hugged Liam and Niall, waving at the familiar faces, before hugging that new girl as well, thanking her. Too soon, she had walked away, and I was staring into space where she had stood earlier. I forced myself to look away, and onto the papers scattered around Zayn's office. It had been a long time, and I didn't know if I would be ready to handle a case so close to my heart, but I had to keep it together. I had to finish this. I had to do this, and leave it all behind.

Zayn reentered his office, followed by Liam and Niall. He silently occupied his normal seat, clearing his throat, and I knew he was trying to formalize the upcoming interaction.

" What are you doing?" He questioned.

" Does Rodriguez know about his wife?" I asked instead of answering. He sighed in frustration, leaning in to be closer to me.

" This isn't your case, Harry, not anymore. You need to go home, rest, and remain alert in case of Joshua coming for you, but working on this case, hell, working here at all, isn't going to happen."

" Nobody knows this case as much as I do. I'm Joshua's primary target. You can't exclude me from this, no matter how much you want to."

" You're too fucking close, Harry. You're drunk, you're messed up, I can't use you, and you can't help me."

" I'm not denying any of that, but you had been on that case for how long now? And you didn't get anywhere. You and I both know I can help on this. I might be a pathetic excuse of a human being, but I know my job, Zayn. And I know how to do it."

" Fine. You work on this under my direct orders. You do as I say, when I say it, and how I say it. One mistake, Harry, and I'll make sure you spend some proper time behind bars, got it?"

" Alright, got it. Now take me to Rodriguez."

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A/N: listen to the song attached to the media section because it's like the perfect garry song and I'm quite fond of it :)

ily x