I pushed the door open, and closed it tightly behind me after Preston let me in. The house was dark and the back room had a little light coming from it. I set down my bag and walked to the back room. I looked in and saw Harry asleep in the bed and Louis sitting on the couch watching TV. He looked up and smiled when he saw me.
"Hey." He said quietly. He stood up and glanced at Harry quickly before walking over to me.
"Hi." I said.
"He's been out for a while now. The other lads had to go, and I need to be leaving too." He said. I nodded.
"Ok. Thanks for staying with him til I got back." I said, walking with him to the door.
"Eh, he's family to me. Did you get everything you needed at home?" He asked. I nodded.
"Oh, I should probably show you your room while you're here before I go. Harry asked me to before he fell asleep." Louis said, picking up my bags. He walked back towards the back room and opened the door to the left of the room Harry was in. In the room, there was a bed, tv, and a dresser. Louis set my bags down on the bed.
"So, if you need anything Preston is outside and has a phone. The number is on the fridge. You can call me if you need but I'll be in Manchester after today and won't be able to come over. The boys are taking breaks with their families too, but if you need them, Liam is a bit closer than I will be. Harry has their numbers." Louis said, walking over to the door. I followed closely behind him.
"Thanks for helping me." I said, as he opened the door. He turned and smiled.
"No problem. Catch you later babe."
I watched him walk out to his car before I shut the door. I took a deep breath and headed back into my temporary room. I couldn't believe I was staying in Harry Styles' house. I started to unpack my clothes into the dresser and sat on the bed with my phone. I dialed Lori's number.
"Catherine. Hey! How are you?" Lori answered.
"Hey, Lori. I'm ok." I said.
"You sure? You sound a little bit sad?" Lori asked. I took a deep breath.
"I have to stay at Harry's for his recovery period." I mumbled. Lori gasped.
"What? Really? How is it there? That's so exciting." Lori said excitedly.
"No not really. Harry's asleep right now. Louis just left and I'm unpacking." I said, pulling out my pajamas. I set the phone on speaker as I changed into my pjs.
"What's the matter honey?"
"I don't know. I don't want to be here." I said, tearing up.
"Why? Tell me what's wrong Catherine." Lori prodded, concerned. I sat down on the bed.
"I don't know. I just want to be at my house, cuddled in a blanket, watching tv." I mumbled.
"Why? You'd be alone. Should I be worried about you?"
"No."
"You've been alone for so long. Wouldn't it be nice for a little time with someone else?" Lori asked. I shook my head even though I knew she couldn't see me.
"No. That's not an option. It's-"
"Unprofessional. I got it. But don't you think you should make some friends. You've been working non-stop and I think it's a good time to have some fun time you know?" Lori said.
"Having fun isn't going to get the bills paid Lori. I have to work for what I want. It doesn't just get handed to me." I said into the phone, being a little sharper than I intended.
"I know sweetie. I know. You've had it hard and I understand. But you've done so much work, I think you deserve some time to just be a young woman. You're only 20. You still have so much to do with your life."
"I don't really think having a relationship is the top priority on that list." I said, sarcastically into the phone.
"Well, just try to relax a little while you're taking care of Harry ok? You deserve that much." Lori sounded sincere. I heard a grunt from Harry's room.
"Uh, Lori I need to go. I think Harry is awake. I'll call you later." I said, standing up from the bed.
"Ok, just please try and do what I said. I'll talk to you later." She hung up and I stepped out of the room. I walked in to find Harry trying to get out of the bed.
"Hey. What are you doing?" I asked, walking over. Harry looked up at me, his face showing pain.
"I need to go to the bathroom." He said, curtly.
"Ok, you could've called me Harry." I said, reaching for him. He pulled away.
"I can handle. You may think I'm a pretty boy, but I'm fine." He said, trying to get up again. He groaned in pain. I stood up and crossed my arms. He stopped moving.
"Are you going to let me help you or are you going to permanently strain your knee to prove a point?" I said staring down at him. He looked up at me and took a deep breath.
"Fine."
I looked around and spotted his wheelchair in the back corner.
"You know you have a wheelchair for a reason." I teased. He didn't respond. I rolled it up right next to his bed. I walked over and lifted his arm as he stood up, and helped into the chair. He stayed quiet as I wheeled him to the bathroom.
"Uh, I'll help you stand-"
"Yea, I got it." Harry interrupted. I rolled my eyes and pushed him in. Once I helped him stand, I left the bathroom and shut the door.
"Call for me when you're done."
"I got it." He said, short. Jeez this kid is touchy. I rolled my eyes and leaned up against the door frame, trying hard to not hear Harry peeing. This was really awkward. I barely know this kid and now I'm stuck listening to him pee. He cleared his throat.
"Uh, I'm done." Harry said, sounding embarrassed. I stifled a laugh and opened the door. He stood there staring at the sink. I walked over and helped him wash his hands before sitting him back down in the chair. I wheeled him out of the bathroom and back towards the bed. He stayed still until I came around to face him. I reached to help lift him and he pulled away.
"I'm not some pretty boy you know. You have no right to call me that." He said, short of a yell. I stood back, flinching slightly. Harry noticed this and eyed me.
"Ok." I said quietly, trying to cover. He winced and felt his knee.
"Are you in pain?" I asked. Harry glared at me.
"That's usually what one feels after knee surgery. I thought you were a nurse." Harry muttered.
"I am, but you might've strained it when you tried to stand on your own."
"Doesn't take a genius to figure that out."
"Ok, look Harry. It's taking everything in me right now not to yell at you because it is my job to be your nurse and give you the attention you need. I'm sorry for calling you a pretty boy and I take it back if it makes this whole situation easier." I spat out. Harry looked up at me.
"Now if you would just let me help you into your bed, I'll examine your knee quickly and we can go on ignoring each other if you want." I reached for him, lifting him primarily by myself, which took him by surprise.
"Whoa."
I pulled him up close to me, looping my arms around his torso. I just now realized the vast height difference between us as I stared up at him. He met my gaze and I looked away quickly, helping him onto the bed. As soon as he laid flat, I went to examine his knee, seeing that it was swollen a bit more than usual. I looked back up at Harry who was focusing on the ceiling.
"Scale of 1 to 10. How bad is the pain, 10 being the worst?" I asked, grabbing the pain meds he was prescribed. Harry took a deep breath.
"Uh a 9 probably." He murmured. I nodded and handed him the pills and a glass of water. He swallowed without a word and handed me the water, which I set on the table. He turned and focused on the tv, not looking at me. I placed the button linked to my pager on the table so he'd be able to buzz me when he needed.
"Push this if you need me and I'll be right out ok?" I said, walking around the bed. Harry gave me a slight nod, before turning to the tv. I walked towards my room.
"If I would've known being here with a pretty boy was such a problem I wouldn't have requested you. Sorry." Harry said, flipping channels. He glanced at me.
"I'll try not to bug you while you're here. It's only 12 days now." He said, trying to mask the sadness, but I could still pick it up in his voice. I tried not to feel bad about it. But I did feel bad. And it tore through me like a bullet.
