Pride {l.s.}

48- Hashimoto's

The Story So Far:

Harry cut himself, and Louis decided that they need to see if something is wrong with Harry that could be causing him to be depressed.

Spanish Version Available: Pride | l.s. [Traducción al español] by InLarryLove

"Hashi what?"

"Hashimoto's."

"That sounds Japanese."

"It is."

"Does this mean I'm Japanese?" Harry asks me with a giggle. I swear sometimes this boy is too immature for his age. He doesn't even make sense half the time. It would usually make me laugh and smile, but this is a serious topic.

"Harry, let's be serious, darling." Harry finally sobers up as he listens to me read off the internet. "Hashimoto's disease is also called chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis or hypothyroidism."

"In English, please explain to me what the doctor just diagnosed me with," Harry requests as he sits forward. He leans his head onto his hands as he watches me read from the laptop that sits in my lap as we sit on the bed.

"Sorry. So they did say you had low iron and vitamin D. We can fix that with tablet supplements, and you'll be fine," I tell Harry. I get a curt nod he waits to hear what else I have to say. "Their real concern is this Hashimoto's. It's apparently an autoimmune disease. From what I gather, your body is producing antibodies that are attacking your thyroid."

"What's my thyroid?" Harry asks quite logically. No one is expected to know what the thyroid is.

I take one more glance at the diagram shown on the screen before I lean over to Harry. I gently take a finger and draw a butterfly on the front of his throat. He lets out a laugh at the weirdness of this situation.

"That's where your thyroid is. It's a gland shaped like a butterfly on the front of your throat," I explain. "It's a gland that controls your energy pretty much. So these antibodies are attacking it. It's either leaking too much of the hormone because of the attack, or it's not producing enough because it's not functioning anymore. I think."

Harry leans back and looks surprised. I'm surprised also. I can understand low vitamins or iron, but why is his body attacking his thyroid? I've never been good with science, but I have a feeling that your antibodies are not supposed to attack a necessary gland.

"Huh... It's kind of funny that it's shaped like a butterfly." Harry gestures to the tattoo on his stomach that I can see faintly through his white t-shirt. "Can we fix this problem?"

I shake my head sadly. "You'll be on medication your whole life to regulate that hormone and get blood draws about every 6 months in order to regulate the dosage." Harry nods his head, but his eyes are zoned out as he thinks. "Symptoms include dry skin, fatigue, sensitivity to cold, muscle weakness, and depression."

"So if we regulate this with medication, I'll be fine? I'm not crazy?"

"You were never crazy, Hazza." I close the laptop and pull myself close to him. I throw my legs over his and lean against him. "You were having health problems, and you didn't know."

Harry nods his head in understanding and gives me a gentle kiss to my forehead. "You're amazing."

"I'm just looking out for you. We're not done yet. You have an appointment with an endocrinologist soon to help you. You can ask any questions you have, and she'll assign the dosage for the medication," I explain. "You should call your mom and update her. She's worried about you."

"I miss my mom..." Harry reminisces as he stares to the wall opposite of the us.

"We could go to hers for Christmas," I suggest. "We have Thanksgiving plans at Niall's restaurant. We could do Christmas with your family, or like you do Christmas there. I can stay here."

Harry shakes his head, disagreeing with my statement. "I talked to Liam, and we thought maybe we could do Christmas together like our squad. It's your birthday Christmas Eve after all. I would rather spend it with you than anyone else. We could head out on Christmas Day and meet her."

My heart flutters knowing that he wants me there for Christmas. I've spent a lot of holidays with Zayn since I left my family, but having a partner to spend the time with is good. I look forward to an evening with Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Harry. Hanging out with them feels right. It's easy and fun.

"That sounds good. Oh gosh, we're gonna need to go Christmas shopping soon," I comment with a sigh. "Maybe I'll just give paintings to everyone because I'm lame."

"I'll take a painting," Harry comments with a smile on his face.

"What would you like your painting to be of?"

Harry shrugs his shoulders. "Something beautiful."

"I can do that," I say as I look up at my beautiful boyfriend. The light from the bedside table lamp castes a shadow on his face. His eyes are still a vibrant green as I lift myself up and plant a soft kiss on his lips. "I already have so many pictures of you. I don't know if you want another painting of yourself."

"Did you just indirectly call me beautiful?" Harry asks as his breath hitches. My lips drift down to his neck.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on," I tell him. My breath fans out across his skin before my lips latch onto his neck. Harry wraps his hands around my waist and flips us so that he is above me.

"I love to see you like this. There is this innocence in your eyes, and I can see you. I can see all of you. I can see you in all of your perfection. I've never seen a sight more breathtaking," Harry says softly into the quiet air of our home. Our home because Harry and I have made this place feel like home.

Harry's hair falls from where it's tucked behind his ear. I reach up and tuck it back up. I let my hand rest on his soft cheek.

"Have you ever looked in the mirror?" I ask with a small laugh. Harry smiles as our lips connect again in a moment of pure bliss.

A/N

Winter of freshmen year of high school (last year), I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I wanted to involve a battle in this book that was Harry's, and I thought that it's always good to write what you know. It's also a reminder to anyone experiencing symptoms such as depression to get help. It could be your mind, and that's okay. There are ways to help, but there can also be something wrong like low vitamin D, iron, or something as weird as an autoimmune disorder.

The reason for my hiatus in the month of January was some of the symptoms I get as a symptom of my Hashimoto's; just like Harry, it does affect my mental health. I fight the best I can, but I was struggling a lot despite my medication (which isn't helping much). Taking a break was good. I might have to take another break soon. Thank you to everyone who waits patiently for my updates.

xoxo raindropkiss1