How It's Going To Be [h.s.]

Chapter 3

Harry found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for me to wear to bed. His clothes were too big on me, but I couldn't complain. He showed me into his enormous bathroom and found a toothbrush for me to use. There was a large walk-in shower, which sounded good right away.

"I think I'm going to take a shower," I suggested quietly.

"Uh," Harry looked at me nervously. "The doctor said you should be careful about taking showers for a little while. You know, in case you get dizzy. The heat and steam and standing for a long period of time...it could all cause you to pass out again. Why don't I run you a bath instead?"

I thought about telling him that I felt fine and that I could handle standing up for ten minutes while I took a shower, but arguing with Harry wasn't going to make the situation any easier. He was trying his best and I had to trust that he wasn't taking advantage of me. I had to keep in mind that he cared about me. "Okay."

I watched as Harry reached for the faucet and turned the warm water on. The bathtub was a lot bigger than the one in my flat. There were washcloths stacked on the edge and a bottle of body wash.

"Towels are on the rack over there," he tossed his head in the direction of the towels as he held a finger under the running water to test the temperature.

As I tugged on the end of my pullover to take it off, my t-shirt rode up to the middle of my stomach. I heard Harry gasp. I pulled my shirt down defensively and removed my pullover the rest of the way. I could feel my face redden.

"Your back," he whispered. Harry had been standing behind me. He walked up to me and took the pullover from my hand. He placed it on the bathroom counter before gently lifting the back of my t-shirt.

"Harry, stop," I pulled it down.

"Look!" In one motion, he turned me so my back was to the mirror.

He pulled the back of my shirt up until it was between my shoulder blades. The front of my shirt stayed against my ribs. I turned my head to look over my shoulder at my reflection in the mirror. I gasped as well.

"It's from when you fell." I barely heard him.

Spread across my back was a deep, purple bruise. It was the reason I had trouble breathing when I first woke up and why lying in bed had been so uncomfortable. When I had fallen, I hit my head and my back, which caused the bruising.

"Does it hurt?" he asked softly.

I pulled my shirt back down around me. "It's pretty sore."

"I'll leave you for your bath." He glanced over at the filling tub. "I have to make a few phone calls, but let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Harry."

I sank down into the bubbly water and steam gracefully billowed up from the surface. The water was that perfect temperature where it is too hot, but not scalding. It is the perfect temperature for staying in the bath for a long time, which I fully intended on doing.

Outside the bathroom door, I could hear the deep hum of Harry's voice. The physical distance between us made it so I couldn't understand what he was saying. The emotional distance between us made it so I didn't care what he was saying.

It didn't take long for the emotions of the day to catch up with me. As I sat in the huge bathtub in the huge house of the my boyfriend who was a huge star, I started feeling overwhelmed again. Seven months was a long time to be missing. I had no idea how I was going to get back those memories. I started thinking of all the friends I had probably made in those months. I thought about the places I had probably traveled. I had no memory of work during those months, which meant I wasn't up to date on the projects I had been completing.