7

781 25 3
                                    

All Harry wanted was a good night sleep but of course he didn't get one. Not that it was a surprise. He hadn't had a proper one since the day everything happened. Either Emma or Sam would wake up or he would have that horrible nightmare that was mostly the truth of what had happened that day or he would wake up with unbearable pain in a leg he no longer had. 

Tonight was a horrible combination of the two last ones that resulted in both children waking up, for he had been talking, or screaming and crying more likely, in his sleep.

" 'cle Haz?" Harry snapped his teary eyes open as he felt a little hand shaking his body, accompanied by Emma's voice and Sam's crying beside him.

It took him a second to realise that he had been dreaming again, sweat still dripping from his forehead and the pain in his missing leg remaining as strong as ever.

He groaned and turned on his side to look at both children. "Hey, monkey... It's still early. Go back to sleep, hm?" He wishpered to Emma while sitting on the bed to cradle Sam.

Emma cuddled to his side and fell back to sleep in an instant. Sam however, needed a diaper change so he left him on the bed and got up on his crutches to get everything he needed. He was used to it by now, but he usually had everything ready near the bed so he needn't have to hop around the house to get him changed. Today he would have to, and the pain he had woken up to was still as strong as ever.

By the time he was finished and Sam was asleep it was already 4 AM so he decided to take a shower while he could.

He left his crutches and a baby monitor behind and hopped under the hot stream of water, letting it wash the sweat that had covered his body in his sleep. But, as he bent down to grab the shampoo, the pain that had subsided a little in his missing leg came back, making him slip and resulting in a sore bum.

He sat there on the floor debating whether he should laugh or cry as he finished washing his head and thought he should get some handles and an anti-skid mat for the shower soon. After all, it wasn't easy to keep balance while on one foot on a slippery floor and it had just been proven unsafe.

He made a mental list of everything he needed while he let the hot water calm his aching missing leg.

Around 10 AM someone knocked on the door and Harry hopped to open it. He was thankful that it was Niall because he knew he wouldn't judge him. The house was a mess but he was too. He had bags under his eyes, his curls were pointing in all directions for he had had to rush out of the shower to attend a crying Sam, he was sporting a milk stain on his t-shirt's left shoulder from when he had tried to burp him, and another one on his joggers from the cup Emma had spilled on him.

"Hey lad. I thought I would stop by and give you a hand to gett settled. I asked for a free day" The Irish man said as soon as the door opened, holding out a shopping bag.

"Thank God!" Harry spoke as he opened the door wider and flung himself to hug the Niall.

Niall chuckled and hugged him back, until he felt the still wet stain. He separated a little from Harry and spoke while scrunching his nose. "You look horrible, mate. You know?"

"Well, thanks. I love you too, Nialler" He retorted crossing his arms and fake pouting.

"I'm only speaking the truth. It looks like a pack of wild wolfs has attacked you. And I brought food and supplies for the kids. I figured you wouldn't have much yet" He laughed raising his arms in surrender.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I think I was about to drop dead any second now. I didn't even have anything to make for lunch." Harry said letting him in.

Niall helped him with the kids and, by the afternoon, Harry had already bought everything he needed online, called his mum to ask her to send him his old provisional prosthesis and managed to get an appointment with an orthopedist to have his broken prosthesis repaired or replaced. He was on a tight budget, but he would manage once he got a job.

He was now sprawled on the living room floor watching Niall play with both children.

"Hey, Harry?" Niall said looking at Sam.

"Hm?" Harry hummed turning to look at him.

"Sam is 9 months old already, isn't he?" Niall asked him.

"Yes. Why?"

Niall looked at Harry uncomfortably "Nothing. It's just... Shouldn't he be crawling or something already? I mean... I know nothing about kids but Theo was already causing chaos around the house by his age and Sam can't sit yet."

Harry nodded while looking at Sam with worry. It was true. He had noticed a while ago that little Sam still had trouble holding his head up and wasn't moving properly. "Yeah... I know... I- I asked his pediatrician when he was 6 months but he said that it was normal because he was born very preterm. He said we had to count as if he was 3 months younger than he actually is because he was born at 28 weeks instead of 40."

"Oh... I see" Niall nodded.

"I'm still worried though. I feel like something is wrong, you know? Even if he was 6 months... He still can't hold his head properly and I noticed he does some strange things with his left arm. He doesn't grab things with it at all..." Harry added with a frown while looking down.

"I'm sure everything will be alright, Harry. Just know I'm here for anything you need. I heard of an early care and assessment centre for children here. Maybe you could get an appointment if you want to." The Irish lad spoke as he squeezed his shoulder.

"Yeah. I think I will" Harry said as he took Sam in his arms to cuddle him.

Maybe we can (L.S.)Where stories live. Discover now