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

Chapter 12

The pain came slowly. It would start in the morning. I would be doing something simple like brushing my hair and suddenly feel a twinge of discomfort somewhere in the middle of my head. It would become an afterthought as I proceeded with my day. By lunchtime, I would have to take some pain relievers to quell the headache. By bedtime, the headache would graduate to a migraine and no amount of pills could control the unrelenting pain.

I kept very quiet when I had a migraine. I would tell Harry I was going to bed early and I would slip between the sheets just after the sun had set. In the dark, silent tears would trail from my eyes as I bit my lip to keep from crying out in agony.

Harry knew something was wrong, but he didn't press me for details. He would let me go to bed without question. He would sleep on his side of the bed without so much as an effort to brush against me during the night. He would wake up early and make me tea. For days we were both at the mercy of my migraines.

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I had been sleeping for most of the afternoon in Harry's bed. He had asked one of his housekeepers to hang thicker curtains to block out the light in his room for me. The sun would only intensify my headaches I slept most of the day because I was awake all night with the pain of the migraines.

I heard the front door of the townhouse open and close and then I could hear light footsteps coming down the hall. The bedroom door opened and closed. In the darkness of the room, I could see the outline of Harry.

"How are you feeling?" His voice was so soft.

"Miserable," I whispered.

"Can I turn the bedside lamp on?" When I nodded, Harry turned the lamp on and a dim golden light illuminated. It didn't hurt my eyes. "I brought you something."

"What?" I asked out of curiosity.

Harry reached in a paper bag and pulled out a bottle of pills. "I called your doctor. He explained that it's normal for migraines to come weeks after getting the concussion. How long they last depends on the person. He recommended I buy you these pills. They're a higher dosage of pain relief specifically for migraines."

I was so desperate for pain relief that I was willing to try anything. "Thank you, Harry."

"You haven't eaten in two days. Let's get you up, get you something to eat, and you can take the medicine."

"Okay," I breathed.

Harry took my hand and helped me out of bed. I latched onto his arm as we walked out of the bedroom. A combination of not eating and not getting out of bed had left me weak. He walked carefully for me.

"What sounds good?" Harry helped me onto one of the kitchen stools and opened the refrigerator.

"Absolutely nothing."

"Come on, darling," he cooed impatiently.

The migraines had stolen my appetite. I would sleep all day when I should normally eat and when I was awake at night, the pain was so severe it consumed all of my thoughts. "How about a banana?"

Harry sighed and closed the refrigerator door. "Kate, I know you don't sleep at night. Neither do I. How could I sleep when the girl beside me is writhing in unbearable pain? I can hear you cry in the night."

"It's not that bad," I whispered.

"It is that bad. I know you well enough to tell. So, please, pick something to eat so you can take these pills. You can't take them on an empty stomach."