Chapter 23 – More Than Words

Even though she hardly got any sleep in the last 48 hours, Nelly was on cloud nine. Harry kissed her. And he was coming back to Charming. Well, they weren't exactly boyfriend-girlfriend, but the details didn't matter. She knew for sure he cared about her. About her. Nel couldn't remember the last time she felt so happy. Even the fact that her aunt Linda asked her to move back with her dad, while she and Simon were having their issues, didn't put a damper on Nel's happiness.

As soon as she got enough sleep, Nelly went straight to the Winston's house on early Monday afternoon. She heard from Jax that Piney brought Harry home in the morning. Judging by the way Harry looked at the hospital last night, Nel was sure he still felt terrible. She needed to check on him and she did promise to visit him after all.

Nel knocked on the door of a deep, old-fashioned bungalow, but there was no answer. She rung the doorbell and still nothing. Then tried the door and found it locked. It puzzled her, but after a couple of minutes she decided to give up and got as far as the gate of their front yard, when she heard the door creak open and Harry's voice calling her name.

She beamed at him as she rushed back. When she reached the door, Harry was leaning on the door frame, his face blanched and covered with a fine layer of sweat. He was obviously making an effort to stand.

"Come on, Harry, let me help you sit down." Nel didn't think twice as she wrapped his arm around her shoulders and slowly lead him to the couch nearby. Harry sat down heavily, with a relieved sigh. "I'm sorry I made you get up."

"I'm sorry I'm so slow." Harry smiled sheepishly.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, sitting down next to him.

"Not great, but better than yesterday." He didn't look well, although his face was slowly returning to its normal colour. Still, there were dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders were slumping.

"Are you on your own?"
"Yeah, pop's been gone since morning."

Nelly heard Harry's stomach rumble.

"Did you eat anything?"

"No, not hungry."
"I think you are now." She watched him blush, then had an idea. "Let me see what's in the fridge and I'll fix you something."
"It's ok, Nelly. I'm good." Harry's macho posturing was back.

"You've got to get your strength back if you want to take me back to Folsom Lake." Nelly knew he needed motivation and that was the only way she could think of.

"Fine." Harry gave her a crooked smile. There was no fooling him.

Nelly inspected contents of the fridge and found them wanting. There were eggs nearing their expiration date, some cheese, and a stale loaf of bread. Within minutes, she brought him a plate of cheese omelet and toast with a cup of hot, sweet tea. She watched him dig in gratefully and devour it.

"No, not hungry at all," she giggled, and he only smiled in reply.

"It seems you know your way around the kitchen." He said between bites, sounding impressed. "Where did you learn how to cook?"

"I've been feeding my dad for years. Besides, it's not that difficult." She waved him off. It really wasn't a big deal.

"This was good, Nel. Thanks."

"Just wait 'till I make dinner."

"You don't have to do that..." Clearly, he was being polite, but it was obvious that Piney was making do on his limited cooking skills and mostly take out.

"I want to, and don't worry, I won't work my fingers to the bone. I promise."

Harry nodded and then suddenly yawned, "I'm tired all the time. Do you mind if I lie down?"

Nel shook her head and he started stretching out on the couch. It was a small one, a love seat really, and there was no way he would be comfortable.

"Maybe you should go to bed, Harry." Nelly suggested.

"I would, except I'm not sure I'd be able to get there." His forehead creased, his cheeks coloured in embarrassment.

Nelly remembered the effort it took him to get to the front door, a few steps away, and looked down the long hallway to the bedrooms in the back of the house. She weighed the options, then decided, "Let's try together." She reached out his hand to him, yet he hesitated. "Come on."

After another moment, he grasped it and pulled himself up. As she got his arm around her shoulders, Nelly was thankful she was tall enough to support his weight. It was slow going, with Harry resting on Nel and reaching out to random furniture and walls along the way, but they arrived at his bedroom a couple of minutes later. It was at the very end of the hallway, a large and mostly empty room with furniture consisting of a carved double bed with a Harley poster above it, a night stand, and a book shelf with a few comics, sports trophies, Star Wars videos, and a tiny TV set. The walls were wallpapered in light blue and white stripes with a boarder of teddy bears. This must have been his nursery many years ago and it had never gotten an update. In some strange and twisted way, it was sweet and suited his personality, but the room had a vacant, un-lived-in quality, as if someone had moved out of it. It reminded Nel painfully of the time he was away, but then she felt Harry's arm around her, his breath coming fast and shallow as he laboured on, and the past didn't matter anymore.

She deposited Harry on his bed and went back to the kitchen. She found cans of beans and tomatoes in the pantry, a pound of hamburger meat and some veggies in the freezer. It seemed that Mary was quite the cook, because in a cupboard Nelly discovered all the spices she needed to make chili. She got a pot going and soon had food simmering on the stove. Then she went back to check on Harry, who was stretched out on his bed and soundly asleep. Nel reached for a blanket at the feet of the bed and pulled it over him. His face looked so relaxed, so boyish. It must have been the way he looked as a child, Nelly thought as her gaze lingered. But then she noticed the curve of his full lips, the slight stubble covering his angular jaw, and saw the man he was. As if against her will, her hand reached out and touched his face. Harry woke up with a start. It startled her a bit, and she withdrew quickly. But he was quicker, taking her hand in his. He held it lightly as he said, "It's OK, Nel." She recognized it as a gesture intended to calm her and sat down next to him, her hand returning to his face, her fingers smoothing away hair from his forehead, their eyes studying each other. Suddenly, he asked "Nel, did you mean all those things you said before? That you care about me?"

His voice was laced with anxiety, his eyes naked and hopeful. After everything they've been through, it was a wonder he had to ask. It seemed that he needed to confirm it, in no uncertain terms.

"Yes, I care about you, Harry." It was the truth. She thought she felt more, but was afraid to say it. "I don't want to loose you again."

She watched his eyes relax a little, then he asked, "Do you want to be my girl?"

Nelly felt her heart skip a beat, her head swam with giddy happiness.

"Yeah, I do." She whispered without hesitation. Finally admitting it felt so good.

Harry pulled her down to him gently and kissed her. His lips were soft, they parted and kissed her top lip and then the bottom. The sweet sensation made her dizzy. She had to break the kiss to come up for air.

Harry moved over on the bed, making space for her and said, "Come here."

For a moment Nelly thought this was an invitation to something more, but the way he said it, the way his eyes shined, made her feel that she didn't need to be afraid. Nel laid down next to Harry, her tall, slender body melting into his long, muscled frame. Her head rested on his shoulder and she draped her arm over his chest. She felt Harry put his arm around her gently, like she was a porcelain figurine and he was afraid to break her.

"You are one of a kind, Harry." She whispered, closing her eyes and enjoying the closeness. His body began to relax, give into the shape of hers. He pulled her a little closer and kissed the top of her head, his nose in her hair while he breathed in deeply. Realizing that they were cuddling, Nelly sighed and said before thinking, "This is so nice."

"I hope it's enough, because I can't do much else." Harry laughed.
"Nah, this is perfect." Nelly yawned, relaxed and happy. "Let's watch Star Wars."

Harry's dad got home later that evening, while Nelly and Harry were on Return of the Jedi. They didn't bother disentangling when he walked in. He smiled at what he saw. "So is this official? You two finally got it together?"
Harry and Nelly smiled at each other. "Yeah," they said at the same time. Then Nelly pulled herself away from Harry and sat up, "I made some chili for you and Harry, Mr. Winston. Would you like me to get you some?"

"Thanks, Nelly, but I can serve myself. It seems you're comfortable here." He smiled at her, then winked at his son. "What did you do to charm this girl?"

"Must be my Star Wars videos. I told you they weren't a total waste."

"Yeah, I couldn't resist that." Nelly teased, and then realized that since Mr. Winston was home, it must be pretty late. "I should be going."

"Let me give you a lift, doll." Said Piney and left.

Nelly turned to Harry. "You take it easy, big guy, ok? And call me if you need anything.

"You got it." He pulled her closer and planted a brief kiss on her lips. "Thanks for everything."

"I better treat you right, now that you're my boyfriend." Nelly winked at him. She waited a long time to say that word, and it tasted as sweet as honey on her tongue.

She was rewarded with Harry's goofy grin, as he said, "You're my girl."

+0+

Piney and Nelly drove up to the Hathaway's house to find Darby leaving with a beer in his hand. Nel got off Mr. Winston's bike and watched the skinhead stumble down the porch stairs, then walk up unsteadily to them at the curb. It was obvious that he already had one too many.

"Hey, sweetheart... I see you got yourself a fully patched sugar daddy," Darby slurred in greeting.

"Who is this clown, Nelly?" Piney's eyes narrowed dangerously as stepped up next to her.

"My dad's friend." Nelly says quietly.

"Nice company your father keeps." The biker said as he raised his eyebrow.

Nel hoped it would end there, but Darby closed the distance between them in a few swift steps and pressed her body against his hardness. The man's breath was hot and sour in her ear as he whispered, "Are you ready for me? Cause I'm ready for you."

In that one, brief moment, he made his old threat alive again. Nelly's heart was gripped in an iron vice, fear turning her blood into ice.

It happened in a split moment, but Piney reacted quickly. He punched Darby in the shoulder and pushed him away from Nelly, "Get your hands off her, you Nord bitch."

"Jealous one, isn't he?" Darby asked sarcastically, as he stumbled back.

"Shut the fuck up and get out of here before I do you some real damage."

That was when Troy joined them unsteadily on the lawn. "Why are you harassing my friend here?"

"Because he's harassing your daughter!" Mr Winston's voice was hard and angry.

Nel's father shrugged carelessly, "No harm done."

"This is your kid you're talking about. Are you gonna let this shit-head treat her like that?"
Darby riled, ready to pounce on Winston, but Nel's father held him back, "No need to get in hot water over this. Go on, get out of here."

The strapping, bold man spat at the ground and walked away into the night, while Troy turned on Nel, "I hardly see you around the house since you started running those damn bikers! You get back to your chores, girl, or I'll give you something to cry about."

"Give her a break, all right?" Piney tried to smooth things over. "She's a good kid."

"What is it to you, old man?" Troy's balance wavered, but he stood his ground.

Nelly looked at Mr. Winston pleadingly, hoping he wouldn't spill her secret. Piney seemed to understand as he told her father, "Nelly was hanging with her friends, she didn't get into any trouble, didn't come home drunk. So what's your problem?"

"Drunk, eh?" Troy zeroed in on the one word that seemed to chaff him. "What's wrong with having a drink?"

Piney gave him a long, disgusted look. "Nothing, as long as you can handle it and don't take it out on your kid."

"Yeah, she's my kid, so fuck off." Then he grabbed Nelly's arm and pulled her roughly towards the house.

"Hey, easy!" Piney called in warning, as she stumbled and fell. "Don't you hurt her!"

"Or what?" Troy turned back to Piney, took a few steps in his direction.

"I'll hurt you back."

Troy gave him a long measured look, "Get out of here, biker scum."

"And that coming from the Nord's bitch."

"What did you say?"

"You head me."

Troy ran at Piney, beer bottle brandished in one hand as a weapon. Piney sent one well aimed right hook to his jaw, and the drunk man sprawled, senseless, on the grass.

"Come on, Nelly." Piney reached out to her. "You can't stay here. Hop on."

"I don't want to cause trouble, Mr. Winston."

"You're not the one causing trouble, sweetheart."

"We can't just leave him here." Nelly was still in shock, both at her father's behaviour and Piney's protection. Harry's father groaned in frustration, but hoisted Troy up and over his shoulder. They brought him into the house and Mr. Winston deposited him unceremoniously on the couch. Then he asked, "We need to get you out of here, Nelly. Where do you wanna go? Back to my house?"

As much as she loved that idea, she had only one option, "Aunt Linda's."