AN: you have been the most loyal readers and I'm so thankful. Have a treat on me...
Chapter Seventy Two - Right in the Centre Part III
Time had lapsed without Elizabeth realising once again, the emotional toll of the day was draining every aspect of her being as she stood leaning against the wall, her eyes barely able to focus as her energy seeped from the holes in her heart.
'Mom! Dad's awake, we can go in' Alison's words were ringing around in her head, her lips forcing into a smile for her daughter but her throat swallowing her cries as her eyes fought to keep the tears at bay. She began to push her teeth together behind closed lips, fighting with everything she had to not let the dam break.
Elizabeth couldn't help but let her mind drift back to Geneva, was this what it was like for him? Every ounce of energy sucked from your soul, all while battling internally with your own anger and love? She remembered being so angry at him that he struggled to be there for her back then, to reach out and hold her, but now she understood it was not that simple. It never was.
She understood why he left the room when the kids entered, for she couldn't bring herself to go in with them. Seeing the one you love so hurt, so sick and vulnerable was simply too much for her already breaking heart to bare, much like Henry back in Geneva.
'Mom, Dad's asking for you' Jason smiled as he placed a hand on her shoulder, his actions mirroring Russells earlier that day, breaking her from her spiraling trance. She blinked and regained her focus on her son, a false smile spread across her lips as she willed herself to be brave.
'Right, of course' she nodded, placing a hand on her son's back and Guiding them both to Henry's hospital room, ensuring she stayed behind Jason to allow herself a few extra moments to try and gain control over everything, and then she stopped. The air taken from her lungs as she fought hard to breathe, her body leaning into the doorway for support as her eyes fell on Henry, instantly closing at the sight of him, her bottom lips trembling as Geneva flashed into her mind…
'Henry' it was more of a question than a call of his name, he remained silent looking at her fragile state before him. He leant in closer, willing to hear what she had to say. 'Are we ok?' And there it was, the question he knew he couldn't answer, how did he answer it. He hesitated to answer, a simple pause and a swallow of his words giving her all the confirmation she needed.
'Yes, yes we are' he lied 'I'm just so scared, I was so scared I'd lost you'
That moment finally made sense to her, she had spent months after shouting at him, shutting him out and accusing him of lying to her, furious that he had claimed they were ok when they weren't, but she understood it now. Because he was right, they were ok, despite the obvious that surrounded them then, and now, all that mattered in that moment to Henry was that she was safe, very much the same as now, their history was not part of the parcel. Sure it was still there and always will be, but for right now he was there, and she was there and if even for a moment, everything was ok.
Henry was not blind, he knew Elizabeth better than anything else in the world, he could see the dissociation as it happened, the distance, withdrawn and panic covered every inch of her, even if everyone else was blinded to it, he wasn't, and never would be. He closed his eyes as her pain matched his own, sorrow sinking in as he watched her struggle to even come within close proximity of him, his own mind throwing him memories from Geneva that now finally made sense.
'Henry, Are we ok?' He hesitated to answer, a simple pause and a swallow of his words giving her all the confirmation she needed.
'Yes, yes we are' he lied 'I'm just so scared, I was so scared I'd lost you'
'So why haven't you hugged me yet?' Her voice cracked and he watched her shoulders shake, the pain escaping as she sobbed before him, desperate for him to hold her.
He understood now just how his actions back then were perceived, how hurtful it was to watch the one you love stand so close and offer no affection as you lay in pain, he couldn't blame her given their history, but it still didn't stop his heart yearning for her.
'Kids, I could do with a warm drink, and maybe something to eat, take the taste of paint away' he smacked his lips in an attempt to rid the dryness.
'Sure dad, we'll take the long way around' Stevie teased as she guided her younger siblings out the door, passing their mother. Each of them offered her a comforting hold or a gentle touch on her arm to show their support as they exited, leaving their parents alone.
'Please come in' his voice a little gruff from the dryness but his tone remained soft and almost pleading with her, trying to reassure her that she was safe to come closer. Elizabeth's eyes began to water at his voice, like hearing him speak was confirmation he was alive and despite her fears of rejection, he wanted her in the room with him. She inhaled a shaky breath and shook her head gently, her demeanour frozen as she absorbed the image of him.
'Please, come and shout at me, scream at me, tell me how stupid I was, or that I could have been killed, do whatever it is you want to do or say, just please don't stand there crying in silence, I can't stand to see it and I can't get to you, so you have to come to me' his words were a little forceful as his frustrations grew, he hated seeing her as tormented and broken as he too was feeling.
With a forceful shove of his words she used her shoulder and pushed off the wall, standing straight and walking into the room. She dipped her head, watching her feet take turns hitting the ground, eyes shut, racing with herself as the walk to his bedside felt like the longest walk of her life. Once she stood at his side, her gaze lifting and falling on his broken face she was unable to contain herself any more.
Her mouth parted and her sobs tumbled out with force, her shoulders folding under the weight of cries, her hand clasping at her mouth, forcing herself to be quiet as she broke before him. Henry reached up and grabbed her arm, pulling her down onto the bed, his eyes blinking away his tears as he looked at her. Her hand dropped from her mouth, her eyes lost in his.
Elizabeth crumbled beneath his hold, pushing herself forward and crashing her lips against his. Henry pulled her in, his hand slipping to the back of her neck, drawing her lips closer as he gave into his own craving of her. Elizabeth's hands gripped at his arms to steady herself as her emotions overpowered her, they desperately clung to one another.
Henry slowly pulled back to part for air, his hand lingering at the back of her neck as she rested her forehead against his. Her tears spilling down onto his lap, mixing with his own. Elizabeth sniffled and pulled her head up right, her hand raising to his cheek, her thumb softly lifting to wipe away his tears whilst she continued to cry her own.
'Henry' her words broken as the air restored itself within her lungs. 'Oh Henry' she echoed.