The Degradation (translation)

Chapter 37

Louis' pov

The earth is approaching faster and faster. And at the moment when I should have died, I wake up from my dream in Harry's arms. I'm sweaty and shivering.

"Hey... Are you all right?"

He asks and strokes my cheek. His voice, his smell, his arms around me, his eyes that look at me.

I'm panicking. I look at everything around me. His room is in excellent condition, not destroyed, the frames are in perfect order, the photos are in place, they are not torn. Bastard and Hope are on the carpet. Stars on the ceiling, garlands burning, soft light in the room, which means it's night. Harry Potter on the projector. I'm having trouble catching my breath. I'm shaking so hard I can't even swallow my saliva. I can feel him moving behind me. He sits down next to me, kisses my shoulder and caresses my back.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

A nightmare. If it was a nightmare, then that hell wasn't really happening? Everything seemed so real... I'm so upset. I feel so bad that my eyes fill with tears. Completely.

"Hey, hey, hey, come here..."

Harry turned to take me in his arms, and I clung to him as tightly as I could. I breathe in his scent.

"It'll be all right, it's over."

I choke on my own tears, I try to speak, but I can't. He calms me down. I need time to calm down. He's here. He's alive and well. I can feel his heart beating. He's not dead. He's not dead.

"You were dead."

I whisper, barely audible. My voice is shaking. I lower my head to say it again, because he doesn't understand what's going on.

"You were dead."

I repeat again. I can see the pain in his eyes and the guilt. I don't need to tell him that he committed suicide in my dream, he understands everything. He places a finger on my chin and gently lifts my face to his.

"That's not going to happen." He kisses me on the lips. "That's not going to happen."

I'm so confused.

"It was all so real. You were dead, you jumped, the vet clinic caught fire, Carla gave birth to a son, Harry, and-"

He frowns.

"Harry?""Yes, Carla's baby. I held him in my arms, it was so hard-"

"Louis, my love. Carla gave birth to a baby girl last week. Emma. Do you remember?

"Emma?"

"Yes, Emma.

"A little girl?"

He nods.

"We went to see her in the hospital three days ago, remember."

I remember, I remember. I'm breathing.

"And the veterinary clinic?"

He caresses my face.

"It didn't burn. Some idiots set fire to the dumpsters next door last week, but nothing happened.

"Are the animals alive?"

He shakes his head slowly.

"No one was hurt."

"Carla... It was her who called me then. She said she couldn't save them all. She told me."

He still shakes his head.

"Carla hasn't come to work yet. I called you, and you escorted me to the police station to file a complaint.

Everything gradually comes back to me. I'm confused. I can't fully return to reality. I try, but I can't. I still feel all the pain and grief I felt and they don't want to leave me. He senses my fear and covers us with a blanket.