Shelter 《H.S.》

Chapter 009

"Absolutely not." Harry scoffed, a scowl settling across his face as he straightened up.

"I figured as much, just thought I would offer." Skylar replied with a defeated sigh.

Harry gave her an apologetic look before double checking around the room for any missed belongings. He was being released from the hospital and Skylar had missed out on her last class of the day to be there to pick him up. She clasped her hands together in front of herself as Harry made his way towards her, placing a hand on her back to guide them out. The pair stopped at the discharge station to sign the release paperwork before heading out the sliding doors and to the parking garage.

--

Harry groaned as he flopped down onto the couch, huffing out a sigh. Skylar stepped around the couch to sit on the opposite side where his feet dangled off the side and onto the floor.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

Harry hummed, green eyes meeting her own brown ones. He was pale and dark circles hung beneath his eyes. He looked awful and she knew it was the withdrawal. Zayn had called her first thing the morning after he'd been admitted to let her know. He said it wasn't the worst yet, but it wasn't pleasant and would probably still be unpleasant once he was released (which he had to pull some strings to do once he began to detox). A light sheen of sweat covered his face and neck and she could see him trembling from where she sat on the other end of the couch from him.

"Like shit. Just wanna sleep but I can't." He muttered, folding his arms across his chest as his eyes fluttered shut.

Insomnia. Vomiting. Nightmares (when he could sleep. Worse than they normally were). The cold sweat. The crippling anxiety. Headaches. Harry felt like death. By noon on his first full day in the hospital, he laid awake in his hospital bed in the dark and cringed at every little sound. It had lightened up somewhat but not much and he was thankful that all Skylar had left on was the dim light in the kitchen overy the stove.

"Do you want anything to eat?" She asked softly, fingers picking at her t shirt.

Harry launched himself up off the couch and stumbled down the hallway to the bathroom, dropping to his knees and emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet. It burned his throat and there was nothing more than a little bile coming up despite how hard he heaved. Tears stung his eyes as he clutched the bowl and groaned before heaving forward again. When he was done, he flushed and rested his sweaty forehead against the cool porcelain as he tried to catch his breath.

"Okay, I'll take that as a no. Would you like to try some tea to settle your tummy?" Skylar asked from where she stood in the bathroom doorway.

Harry sat back, wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand before getting up to wash his hands and brush his teeth.

"Think I'd like that." He mumbled past his toothbrush as he scrubbed his teeth.

Skylar nodded, turning on her heel and leaving hin to finish up in the bathroom. She tinkered around in the kitchen, studying her selection of teas for something that would be light on his stomach before settling on English Afternoon. After dropping a bag down into a mug she fished out her own tea (camomile in the evenings) and plopped a bag into her favorite mug before filling the kettle and setting it on the stove. With a sigh, she flicked the burner on and turned around. Her heart found its way into her throat because Harry was right there and she hadn't even heard him.

"Will you play with my hair?" He asked, fingers wringing together nervously.

He was on edge, had been for days now and he was ready for that jittery feeling to go away. He looked at her with wide, hopeful eyes and her heart skipped a beat.