THE BEGINNING OF THE END L.S

3. E V E R S I N C E . . .

C H A P T E R T H R E E

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It was dark

But not pitch black

It was like he had entered a dark room, like someone had turned off the light, like...

His eyes were shut.

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He willed them to open, using every bit of strength in his face to push the flaps open, desperate to see the light after days without the sun. He wasn't sure how long he had been conscious yet unable to move. It could have been seconds, minutes or months. He remembered hearing once that criminals always ask for watches before they get sent to prison because a person can go crazy without the concept of time. Maybe he was going crazy too.

Gemma watched as Harrys eyes began to flutter.

She didn't think she ever truly realized how much she loved him. Because here, in this seat, watching him hooked up to the dozens of wires, it was as though she was the one with cancer, she felt as though she was slowly dying with the amount of pain she was in.

She pulled herself out of nightmares, only to find there was no relief in waking. Images played on repeat in her head, about her life without him. She didn't want to imagine it. She genuinely didn't know what she would do without him.

"Why did it have to be you?" Gemma whispered weakly to her brother

Except, it didn't look like her brother. He was skinny, too skinny. His curls had drop and although his eyes were shut, she could tell they had dimmed. His skin was pale like a sheet of paper and his face hollow.

Finally, he began to move his eyes, and slowly but surely, he opened them, allowing the world to see his emerald eyes which had already dimmed

Gemma, who had promised herself that she would strong for Harry's sake, burst into tears at the sight of him looking so sick, so weak, so...young.

Harry smiled weakly, his cracked lips splitting open at the sudden pull, "What a lovely welcome back to consciousness" he croaked

Gemma laughed behind her sobs and embraced her arms around his neck, which was quite difficulty because of the wires. Only Harry could make her laugh at a time like this.

And the second her skin touched his, she felt comforted. Because despite what he looked like, this was the same Harry that used to write notes for her when they argued, the same harry who would play dress up even though the other children would make fun of him, the same harry who worked in a bakery, the same Harry who auditioned for x factor 3 years ago.

"I love you Harry"

She couldn't resist saying it. Because it was the truth. And she needed to say it. She needed him to know. Before it was too late.

"Erm...Love you too" Harry smiled, although truthfully he was very confused at her sudden declaration "What's going on?" He asked, trying to sit up "Why am I in hospital?"

"Harry, you've been unconscious for two days" Gemma hiccuped

"What?" Harry said, eyes widening in a voice that was as close as he could to a shout

Gemma just nodded in response, tears still trickling down her cheek, she had spent 48 hours trying to prepare herself for the next few minutes, yet her whole plan had left her brain completely.