Marvels Of Fate

Shards Of Glass

Harry's POV
Mus kept waking up throughout the night, her body wracking with sobs occasionally. I don't think I offered her much comfort, and I hate myself for it. This isn't a situation I'm comfortable in and I honestly don't know how to handle it, so I'm trying my best. I just think my best isn't enough. I wipe off the water from my face and make my way out of the bathroom. The bed is empty. My eyes immediately glance around the room, but Mus isn't here. Hastily, I make my way out, unsure what her state of mind is and what she's capable of doing.

"Mus?" I call, running out of the room. She's making her way down the stairs, her eyes focused on the floor. I inhale a deep breath of relief and run to catch up to her. "Hey." I say, falling in stride beside her. Mus tilts her head toward me slightly and nods her head.

"Fine," Mus replies. And that's the end of our conversation. I follow her downstairs and into the kitchen. Mus stops and stares at the coffee cup, saucer and kettle that is placed haphazardly on the bar. She takes a step towards it and stumbles. I'm by her side immediately, one hand wrapped around her shoulders and the other holding her hand. Mus shrugs my arm off her shoulders and continues to head toward the bar.

"Do you want me to make you something?" I ask, staring at her back helplessly. She's a ghost of the woman I know.

"No," Mus murmurs. "I have to clean up in here." The pain in her voice makes my knees grow weak. She grabs the saucer, and places the cup on top of it. I notice that the saucer is shaking in her hand because her hand is trembling slightly. I take a step back, leaning against the door frame for support. Suddenly, the saucer slips from Mus' fingers and shatters onto the floor. I don't see the mess and I don't care about the noise; all I can see is her pierced foot.

"Mus!" I hiss, rushing to her aid. She's barefoot and a shard of glass has embedded itself in her foot. I lift Mus into my arms and carry her back into the lounge. "You need to just sit here. Lord knows how long it has been since you've eaten or drank anything."

"I'm fine," Mus mumbles. Her words are barely coherent. I place her on the couch and support myself on the floor with my knees, as I take out the glass from her foot. She flinches, as I pull it out and place it on the coffee table.

"Wait here. I'm bringing you some water and a bandage," I instruct. Mus is staring up at the ceiling. I head into the kitchen and hastily locate the first aid kit and fill a glass of water. When I enter the lounge, Mus is sitting up, her hands clasped in front of her mouth. I crouch beside her and offer her the glass of water. She takes it, her hand still trembling slightly. While she's drinking, I place the bandage over the cut.

"Thank you." Mus mumbles, placing the glass on the coffee table. "I have to go to the hospital. His body..." She trails off, her eyes filling up with fresh tears.

"Mus," I sigh. I take a seat beside her and wrap my arms around her body. "I'll handle it, love. Just tell me what to do."

"We're having a small affair - me, Tyler and you. The details of...where he is are in my phone. My email. The hospital name, patient id-" her voice breaks. "Everything. Please, help me." Mus leans into me, burying her face in my chest. I nod my head, passing my hand over her hair.

"I will, love, don't worry." I assure her, sending out a silent prayer for Mus to gain strength. She's an empty vessel right now.

"Tyler's will reach the-" sob. "At four. He'll arrange the rest of the things."

"Don't worry, I'll coordinate with him. You need to just rest," I say. "Go upstairs and lie down. I'll come to get you when I'm all done." Mus nods and gets up. With a zombie-like stride, Mus makes her way upstairs. But instead of heading into her room, she keeps on going, until she reaches Joshua's room. Mus opens the door and enters, shutting it behind her. I sit down, defeated and bury my face in my hands.
*********
"Mus?" I say, entering her room. Even though the light is on, the room's empty. I make my way toward Joshua's room. I knock and open the door. Sure enough, Mus is sitting on the bed, the same car pillow that she was holding yesterday clutched in her arms again. She looks up when I enter and her face is tear stained again. My eyes skim over her body - she has changed and is ready to go.

"Shall we?" I ask, holding out my hand. Mus nods, places the pillow on the bed and gets up. She walks past me, her shoulder brushing against mine. I purse my lips and turn to follow her. Mus and I make our way outside, and without saying a word to me she gets into Tyler's car. He stares at me through the windshield, his expression mirroring the defeat that I'm feeling. I lock up and get into the car as well. Tyler turns his head and looks at me.

"Let's go," I whisper. I don't know if I'm ready for this. I don't know if Mus is ready for this. Heck, I don't know if anyone is ready for what's to come. All I know is that it needs to be done and I'm gonna support Mus every step of the way - every second, every minute. The sight that's gonna greet us will surely break us all, even more so than we already are. Like they say, the smallest coffins are the heaviest. I've never really had to mourn the loss of a child. Except once before and at that time, I wished with all my strength that I would never have to go through something that bone shattering again. However, the time has come again and it's equally painful. Though my pain is nothing compared to Mus'. My feelings are the size of an ant and hers are an elephant. I'm not even gonna complain and wish that this pain were to go away because I know it can't and if I can wish for anything, I'm gonna wish for her pain to eradicate itself. I turn around in my seat, and look at her. She's on one side of the backseats, staring out of the window.

"Did you get the coffin I asked you to?" Mus asks Tyler, her eyes focused on whatever is outside the window.

"Yeah," Tyler says. "Louise and the others are already there. It'll be quick."

"No!" Mus exclaims, sitting up and staring at Tyler warily. "No," she whispers, shaking her head.

"Take all the time you need," I say. I shoot a glance at Tyler, silently telling him to mind the words that leave his mouth. We're treading on shards of glass and if we tread too hard, they'll break and we'll injure ourselves in the process.