Insufferable

Part 24

For three days since Henry came back home he had been locking himself up in his room. It gotten Phillip worried since he returned, Henry barely eats much and he couldn't have more than two hours sleep at night. The whole house was terrorized by the sound of his screams in the middle of the nights sending chills down their spine. Phillip can see how unkempt Henry become after the incident with his blonde hair uncombed, his eyes running dark circles around his lids. His usual red pinkish lips had turned chaps and dries as the desert.

He sat by his office later that afternoon with Henry still in his bed. He gave up trying to bring him out from the room and told the maids keep sending him food even though he refused to eat most of it. He taps on his phone attempting to call his mother for the millionth time for the last few days and the only time he managed to speak to her, she barely pays attention from being too drunk to even realized what's happened in her home.

He scrolled down his phone for another person he hoped that would helped Henry and to his luck, on the third rings, he answered. "Shan. Mate, how is it going? Listen I need you. It's Henry." He says as soon as he answered.

"Pip? It's been so long mate. How's Henry?" He asks and Phillip sighs,

"Not good, can you come? I really need your help right now. You're the only one that can help him." Phillip desperate call made him promised to leave his works and hurried to their home as soon as he could. Phillip knew he could count on Shan for anything despite after all the years they had known each other, Shan still pays the same respect he had since the first day they met.

As scheduled Shan arrives at their home later that evening in hoped he could see Henry. Phillip refused to say anything further in their calls and he rushed towards their home after work. He used to be Henry's aid throughout his youth after his father's death and he trusted Shan more than anyone. When Henry leaves London to go to college, Shan had another job thanks to Phillip in one of the company he owned and Shan didn't know that Henry had returned home if Phillip hadn't call him.

As he enters the depressive house that used to fill with laughter and happiness, Shan couldn't help feeling sadness overcome him as he stood and stares at the walls of their home. There was a large painting by the hall before it leads to one of the long corridors to the other side of the home that portrays the Fox family years ago. Arthur and Catherine sat on a stool with Phillip and Bea on their each side with Henry on his father's lap. He is probably around five at the time and the smile on his face is purely happiness and no worries in those eyes, unlike now.

"Shan!" Phillip called as he descended the large stairs and they both hugged even though Shan always felt like he isn't nearly as the same rank as Phillip and his family, they all treated him with great respect and equal as a friend. "Good to see you again sir." Shan replied and Pip shook his head at him, "I told you not to call me that. You're a friend. Right now, I really need your help." He says and guides him into his office before he asks the maid to prepare them some tea.

Phillip told him everything, from the part where Henry was raped and he became non communicative since after the incident bringing back the memory after their father's death. Phillip can see Shan sighs leaning his body forward before he rested his elbow over his laps and he swore he could see his eyes glistened in tears. "I can't imagined what he had been through." He adds before he stood and starts walked around the room.

"Why didn't you fight this? Those bastards deserves to be hang for what they did to him." He asks furiously and Phillip stares at him pacing, "You need to remember that it's America, not England. Plus I couldn't get Henry to talk what makes you think he'll stand in front of a crowd after what they did to him?" Shan saw the look on Phillip's face when he mentioned about Henry and he saw how exhausted he is at the moment. He doubt if Henry is as what Phillip told him with having those sleepless night, Phillip might suffers the same.