*** June 26, 2028 ***
I spent three days sleeping in the lobby of the hospital, while Grace slept up in the ICU with Brynn.. She supposedly hadn't woken up, but the doctor mentioned that they'd put her on a medication to help with any discomfort, and also because they said she'd suffered some blood loss at some point and was extremely sleep-deprived...
I jumped when I felt someone's hand on my arm. It was the middle of the night, and I moved in the chair, sitting up. One of the nurses was standing in front of me. "Sorry to wake you, sir. We've moved your girlfriend out of the ICU. You can see her now." She said, and I immediately got up, grabbing my bag and following her. I shoved a hand through my hair, which was getting greasy from me not showering..
***
We walked into a fairly normal-looking hospital room. Grace was asleep in the small chair they had in there.. I sighed, thanking the nurse and walking over to the bedside. I dropped my bag, shoving my hands through my hair.. She looked pale, and had dark circles under her eyes, as well as bruising all around her neck and left cheek.. There was also a lot of bruising on her arms..
I placed a hand on her cheek, and felt her flinch at my touch, which made me realize she was awake.. "Brynn." I said quietly, and after a few seconds, she opened her eyes.. "Oh my god." I murmured, slowly getting on the bed and lying beside her. She moved a little, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer to me.. She whimpered, and I moved my hand, knowing it was because I'd accidentally touched one of the scars on her back..
She tucked her head into the side of my neck. "You smell terrible." She murmured, and I laughed, feeling a tear slide down my cheek. "I know, I'm sorry." I commented, lightly playing with a strand of her hair. "I was so worried about you." I said quietly, wrapping my arms around her waist, never wanting to let go of her.
She sighed, and I felt her body relax. I pulled back a little, seeing she'd gone back to sleep...
After probably twenty minutes, I carefully got off the bed, grabbing my bag and going into the bathroom.. I showered, washing the grease out of my hair with the shampoo the hospital provides. After that, I changed into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, going back out into the room. Grace had taken my place on the bed next to Brynn, who's arms were wrapped around her.. I smiled, and went over, sitting down in the chair....
***
The next afternoon, my mum came and took Grace and stayed in a hotel nearby, so that she could get some proper food and rest. I laid down on the bed, turning onto my side and looking at Brynn. She'd remained asleep for most of the morning. The nurses would come in, wake her up, and make her eat lunch and breakfast. But as soon as she finished eating, she'd fall back asleep..
I reached over, gently running my hands through a few strands of her hair when I felt something under my fingertips. I got up, going to the other side of the bed so I could see it better. I softly brushed her hair out of the way, and ran my fingers across the back of her head, under her hair. I bit my lip, confused for a few seconds.. I made the decision to get the doctor, who then came in and took a look at it.
"That's likely what caused the blood loss that we talked about. Looks like she was either hit with something, or she fell. It's hard to tell.. It's good you found this, though. We'll schedule a head CT, just to make sure everything's alright." He explained. I nodded, running my hands through my hair..
"It's probably nothing. The fact that she's able to wake up, eat, have a short conversation and everything, generally is a good sign that there's no damage or bleeding." He commented, and I couldn't help but remember the last time we were in a hospital in France. With Brynn's brain bleeding and everything that happened.. I sighed, trying to convince myself not to overthink it..
***
July 13, 2028
• Brynn's POV •
***
Three weeks after staying in the hospital, Harry and I managed to leave the hospital, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. We made it back to his place in London, and I stayed in bed for a few days..
The CT scan I got was clear, meaning everything seemed to be perfectly normal, which was good.. My bruises had faded, but the memories hadn't. "Brynn." Harry said, and I glanced over my shoulder. I was lying in his bed, and had been staring at the wall, playing the memories over in my mind..
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. "About what?" I replied. He sighed, and walked over, crouching down in front of me. "You know what." He said. "I can't." I murmured, rolling over to my other side.. "You can't just lay in bed all day. It's not good for you." He commented, and I pulled the sheets over my head..
He sighed, walking out of the room. I pulled the sheets back down, staring up at the ceiling. I needed to get it together. I was acting weak. I was letting myself be vulnerable. I hated it...
**
I ended up getting out of bed, taking a shower, and shoving my emotions down, the same way I used to before I met Harry.. After that, I stared at myself in the mirror, internally yelling at myself for having a moment of weakness. I was fine. I would always be fine...
Once I was done with that, I went downstairs. Grace has been staying at Anne's for a few days, so she wasn't here to see me like that..
Harry was talking to someone on the phone.
"No she won't get—Brynn, hey." He said, and I looked at him. I went into the kitchen, not saying anything. "Mum, I'll call you back." I barely heard him say, and then he appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.. "Hey, you got up." He commented. I nodded, grabbing a granola bar and walking past him, going out into the common area and sitting down on the sofa.
"Alright.. So is this like.. Step two of your healing process?" He asked, following me. I cut the tv on, going to his Netflix account. I shrugged. "No. I'm fine." I commented, and he walked over, crouching down in front of me. "What, just like that? You have some magic button or something?" He asked. I shrugged, starting a movie. He glanced over at the tv, and grabbed the remote, taking it from me and pausing it.
"You aren't fine, Brynn. Talk to me. What's going on?" He asked, studying my face. "Nothing's going on, Harry. I'm fine. Just.. Drop it." I replied, trying to take the remote from him. He held it out of my reach, and I sighed. "You can't just say you're fine, Brynn. I know that doesn't mean you're actually fine." He commented.
"Well, it does mean that. I'm fine. Can we just move on? I don't want to talk about my feelings." I said. "But you do have feelings. So, why won't you express them?" He asked. "Because I don't want to. Just leave it alone, please." I stated. He leaned back on his heels, looking at me. "Fine. For now. But we are talking about it at some point. I'm not letting you soak in those negative emotions. It's not healthy." He said, standing up and handing me the remote.
"I don't have emotions, so there's nothing to soak in." I replied, lying down, resting my head on one of the pillows. I moved towards the edge, patting the spot behind me. He sighed. "You have emotions, Brynn. I know you do. So, we're putting a pin in this for now. But we are talking about it later." He commented, getting on the couch and lying behind me. I pressed play, feeling his arm come over me.
I moved a little, getting comfortable. He grabbed one of my hands, relaxing where he was...
