Unchanging [h.s. au]

fifteen

My eyes fluttered open to a room I didn't recognize. I felt my eyes slowly adjust as I took in my surroundings. I was laying in a bed while a soft light came from a lamp in the room. Everything was white. I figured I was in a hospital. I looked out the window and saw it was pitch black outside. I furrowed my brow, trying to remember why I was here.

I saw Harry sitting sitting in the dimly lit room on a bench. He was slumped against the wall, asleep.

I attempted to sit up in the bed, but was restricted by a tube running from my nose to a tank next to the bed. I groaned in frustration.

Suddenly, a sharp pain thudded throughout my head.

"Ow," I said out loud.

Harry shifted from his position and opened his eyes. He jumped up when he saw me moving.

"Hey, hey, hey," he cooed. "Take it easy." He gently pushed me back down onto the pillows. He reached up and smoothed my hair away from my face. "Clara, I'm-"

"Harry, what happened?" I interrupted.

His eyes were full of pain as he slowly started speaking. "We were racing,"

"I remember that part,"

"And after you crossed the finish line, you hit the edge of the track and rolled several times in your kart," Harry squeezed his eyes shut. "And hit your head on the cement." He opened his eyes again and they glistened with unshed tears.

"That's the part I don't remember." I whispered.

"You had a severe concussion. Clara, I-I" Harry took a deep breath. "I'm so very sorry. This was all my fault. You have no idea how awful I feel, how worried I was. I didn't know-" He abruptly stopped talking and put his face in his hands.

I sat in shock, still trying to process everything that had happened. After a few silent moments, I reached out and touched Harry's arm.

"Harry, look at me."

I pulled his hands away from his face. Tears now rolled down his cheeks, but his eyes unashamedly met mine.

"I still am not sure about a lot of things," I started. "But I do know that I'm still alive."

Harry nodded his head but still looked miserable. There were so many unspoken words between us as we sat in grim silence in the shadowy room.

I decided to break the silence. "Harry... Can we get out of here?"

Harry nodded once again. "I'll go find the nurse." He rubbed the tears off his face and walked out the door.

After the nurse freed me from the oxygen tube and told me stern instructions on how to take care of myself post-injury, Harry insisted on carrying me to his car in the parking lot.

"How long was I out for?" I asked him.

"About an hour or so."

I tightened my arms around his neck and laid my head to rest on his shoulder. His muscular chest was warm and he smelled amazing. Much better than the hospital.

"Apparently concussions are something to take very seriously," Harry explained as he walked. "But not something you need to stay in the hospital for. You just need to rest, not strain yourself, and you should be fine."

I meekly nodded my head from my comfortable position. In his warm arms I felt protected, safe.

Harry managed to open the passenger door without jostling me and gently set me down in the seat. He sadly sighed and pressed a lingering kiss to the top of my head.