It Takes Patience III: Stripped
Chapter 31: The Voice that Soothes
*Reagan’s POV*
I sighed rubbing my hand over my face as I turned on my television and lifted the phone to my ear. It’s not who I was hoping would have called, but I won’t complain. Laurie has the oddest timing, and I chuckle to myself as I recall running into her when I went back to London, hoping that it would be Harry’s arms that I would be turning around in.
“Hi Laur–”
“Glasses.”
I sat up quickly in my bed at the sound of his voice and couldn’t help the way that my heart began to stutter in my chest.
“Harry? I left you messages and you didn’t answer your phone. Are you alright?”
“Yeah I know I’m sorry. I broke my phone. Shattered it really.” Harry half laughs but his voice sounds so hoarse. I can tell he’s trying to hold something in.
The line goes silent and I have to momentarily pull the phone away from my face to check and see if the line dropped. As the numbers for seconds continue to climb I know that he’s still on the line, but I can barely hear him breathing.
“I have court tomorrow.”
Harry speaks quietly with his voice full of worry. He tries not to sound as concerned, but Harry has obviously yet to learn that he can’t hide much from me anymore. Even the emotions that he used to successfully mask early on in our relationship have become more evident to me. He is still good at fooling others, but there is little that he can hide from me anymore.
“I know,” I pause as I take a deep breath, “I wisht that I could be there with you.”
“Mm mm, fuck no! I’ll barely be able to handle myself tomorrow just knowing that I’ll have to be in the same room as that rat bastard. If you were there too, I wouldn’t be able to control myself at all. I would willingly go to Maudsley in a fucking straight jacket. I would kill that tosser if he even looked remotely in your direction.”
“We would help. All have a hand in kicking his arse.”
“I call first punch!”
Distant voices in the background called out and from the sound of the drawl, I could tell that it was Niall and Laurie adding some light to the situation.
I choked a laugh, but the thought of it made me uneasy. I wish that they could hold separate trials, but as soon as Peyton went to the hospital, he called his lawyer to counter sue H. with the assault charge in the first place. The London police department have called me several times to keep me up to date with what was going on with Peyton but after a while I stopped answering the phone. After Harry and I had gotten back to his house that first night after leaving the police station and they told me that he was let out of the hospital and didn’t have to spend a night in jail because he posted bail, it made my skin crawl. I didn’t want to hear anymore. Peyton could have literally been anywhere and I’m sure that’s what made my anxiety attacks worse.
“I miss you.” I whispered into the phone trying to change the subject.
“I miss you too. Two more weeks eh?” I can almost hear the frown come onto Harry’s face.
“Yeah. But after that she said that she would let Dr. Koch know that I’m alright to work again.”
“Yeah, it’ll be just like old times. You can come visit me in Maudsley and maybe we can have sneaky se–”
“Don’t say that! You won’t be there Harry. Tomorrow is gonna go fine.” My heart drums nervously in my chest. He can’t go back. He doesn’t deserve to go back, but the way that Dr. Koch keeps sending me messages of forewarning, I can’t help but think that the people who could help keep him out of Maudsley are more against him, than for him.
I can hear a door close on Harry’s end of the phone and I can tell its because he’s gone somewhere more private to finish the conversation.
“I don’t know Reagan, the odds are against me on that. Maybe even my own mother.” Harry mumbles the last bit and it makes me turn off the television in my room.
“What? Harry what are you–”
“Nevermind. It’s going to be fine and I’m not gonna have to go back. Lets just change the subject. I’m honestly in no mood to talk about it anymore. I haven’t taken my meds and I’ve been up for...twenty-six hours now. How are you?”
I stand up out of bed as if I could drive to where Harry is and drag him into bed myself. My eyebrows automatically furrow and if he told me that as a means to change the subject, it worked.
“You haven’t been to bed or taken your medication? Harry! You can not do that! If you go into court tomorrow snapping off at people because you’re overly tired they’ll use it against you ”
“No...Last night was...I wanted to talk to you and I couldn’t sleep because of it. I broke my phone shortly after your text came in.”
“Thats not an excuse Harry! Do you know how bad it is to not get your proper rest?!” I shout at him and then lower my voice, not wanting to wake my parents again.”
“Speaking of proper rest, isn’t it two in the morning there?” Harry talks around a yawn that makes me more annoyed with him.
“Yeah but you called me remember? I’m fine. I can go to sleep without being bothered…” I trail off shaking away the thought of my nightmare and the fact that I just lied to Harry, “You need all the rest you can get for tomorrow.”
“I promise I’ll go to sleep, after I get a new phone. The shops should be open by now.”
I settle back down in my bed and get under the covers, somewhat satisfied with his promise knowing that he’s good at keeping them.
“How did you break your phone anyway?”
*Harry’s POV*
“I dropped it and it shattered. Glass came out and everything. It cut my finger when i tried to use it so I said fuck it and threw it away.”
I shift back and forth on my feet as I lie, looking around outside. I can’t bring myself to tell Reagan that I broke the phone because I think the two week thing is bullshit and it was all that I could do to not self destruct at the moment. The early morning wind blows making me loosen my arm out of one sleeve of my jumper and wrap it around my torso as I sit down on Laurie’s steps.
“It sounds like you’re outside.” When Reagan speaks I can almost see her eyes fluttering as she tries to force herself to stay awake and it brings a smile to my face.
“I am. Niall and Laurie started being gross so I’m outside on her patio. I’m scared of what I’ll walk into when I go to give her her phone back.”
“They never argue.” Reagan laughs.
“Must be nice.”
“You don’t miss our arguments?”
Before I answer her Tamsins voice echos in my ear about Reagan bringing me dramatics that I don’t need and I scoff knowing the blowout that Reagan and I would have if she knew about what else happened last night besides my phone breaking, but I refuse to acknowledge it anymore. I refuse to believe that I could feel anything for Tamsin.
“I miss everything with you. I would start an argument with you right now, because I think its sexy when you yell at me, well sometimes... and I don’t know about Niall and Laurie never arguing. They get into it pretty badly over random things. Their arguments are child's play compared to the ones that I know that we could get into” I laugh before I continue, “ but they argue none the less. Nialler’s told me about a few of their rows, but I guess they make up really quickly after they argue. You know like...make up.”
“Yeah I get it Harry.” Reagan laughs again. I thought that they were going to get into an argument when I first got here and asked Laurie to use her phone, but then they made up and started kissing. Its some kind of kinky shit I’m sure. Niall doesn’t seem like the type, but I know better. He uses that boyish charm to his benefit.
Reagan and I continue on the phone for another two hours talking about any and everything including her mum’s thoughts on her being pregnant. I stiffen when she says it and think about the last two times we had sex, desperate to feel each other fully and throwing protection to the wayside.
Sex with Reagan.
It feels like ages ago and fuck I miss it, but a pregnancy would add up if Reagan doesn’t get her period soon. She assures me that she’s not, but how would she know if she hasn’t gotten the ‘red dragon’ yet?
“It’ll be here soon, I can tell. Its just…stress can push those things back. My mom is being paranoid. She still hasn’t gotten over the fact that I’ve even had sex so she jumps to conclusions.”
“You told her?” I thought that girls were usually more secretive about those things unless they were telling their friends.
“She found out in a heated argument.” I nod my head as if she’s here and take a pen out of my pocket to scribble her number out on the top of my hand before I look at the time.
“What time is it there now?”
“Almost four, but surprisingly I’m not tired. If anything I feel better talking to you.” I smile when she says it because my nerves and the anger I felt from earlier have since calmed. I feel the same way about talking to her.
“Me too.”
“Yeah but you still promised me that you would go to sleep. You're being up that long isn't the healthiest thing to do Harry. I don't know how many more times I can tell you before you get it. Losing sleep like that can make you sick.”
I roll my eyes at the promise.
“I already am sick." I chuckle to myself knowing that Reagan doesn't find the joke funny. "I will. I’ll go get a phone and then go to sleep before I go into work later, but you should probably go back to sleep yourself. I love you and I miss you. Two more weeks, glasses.”
“I love you, Harry and I miss you so much. Technically it’s thirteen days now.” I laugh at her optimistic outlook but cringe on the inside.
“Go to sleep love, I’ll call you after I get off work.”
We hang up from each other and I look down at the number that’s scribbled out across my hand, reading it until it’s burned into my memory.
I sighed rubbing my hand over my face as I turned on my television and lifted the phone to my ear. It’s not who I was hoping would have called, but I won’t complain. Laurie has the oddest timing, and I chuckle to myself as I recall running into her when I went back to London, hoping that it would be Harry’s arms that I would be turning around in.
“Hi Laur–”
“Glasses.”
I sat up quickly in my bed at the sound of his voice and couldn’t help the way that my heart began to stutter in my chest.
“Harry? I left you messages and you didn’t answer your phone. Are you alright?”
“Yeah I know I’m sorry. I broke my phone. Shattered it really.” Harry half laughs but his voice sounds so hoarse. I can tell he’s trying to hold something in.
The line goes silent and I have to momentarily pull the phone away from my face to check and see if the line dropped. As the numbers for seconds continue to climb I know that he’s still on the line, but I can barely hear him breathing.
“I have court tomorrow.”
Harry speaks quietly with his voice full of worry. He tries not to sound as concerned, but Harry has obviously yet to learn that he can’t hide much from me anymore. Even the emotions that he used to successfully mask early on in our relationship have become more evident to me. He is still good at fooling others, but there is little that he can hide from me anymore.
“I know,” I pause as I take a deep breath, “I wisht that I could be there with you.”
“Mm mm, fuck no! I’ll barely be able to handle myself tomorrow just knowing that I’ll have to be in the same room as that rat bastard. If you were there too, I wouldn’t be able to control myself at all. I would willingly go to Maudsley in a fucking straight jacket. I would kill that tosser if he even looked remotely in your direction.”
“We would help. All have a hand in kicking his arse.”
“I call first punch!”
Distant voices in the background called out and from the sound of the drawl, I could tell that it was Niall and Laurie adding some light to the situation.
I choked a laugh, but the thought of it made me uneasy. I wish that they could hold separate trials, but as soon as Peyton went to the hospital, he called his lawyer to counter sue H. with the assault charge in the first place. The London police department have called me several times to keep me up to date with what was going on with Peyton but after a while I stopped answering the phone. After Harry and I had gotten back to his house that first night after leaving the police station and they told me that he was let out of the hospital and didn’t have to spend a night in jail because he posted bail, it made my skin crawl. I didn’t want to hear anymore. Peyton could have literally been anywhere and I’m sure that’s what made my anxiety attacks worse.
“I miss you.” I whispered into the phone trying to change the subject.
“I miss you too. Two more weeks eh?” I can almost hear the frown come onto Harry’s face.
“Yeah. But after that she said that she would let Dr. Koch know that I’m alright to work again.”
“Yeah, it’ll be just like old times. You can come visit me in Maudsley and maybe we can have sneaky se–”
“Don’t say that! You won’t be there Harry. Tomorrow is gonna go fine.” My heart drums nervously in my chest. He can’t go back. He doesn’t deserve to go back, but the way that Dr. Koch keeps sending me messages of forewarning, I can’t help but think that the people who could help keep him out of Maudsley are more against him, than for him.
I can hear a door close on Harry’s end of the phone and I can tell its because he’s gone somewhere more private to finish the conversation.
“I don’t know Reagan, the odds are against me on that. Maybe even my own mother.” Harry mumbles the last bit and it makes me turn off the television in my room.
“What? Harry what are you–”
“Nevermind. It’s going to be fine and I’m not gonna have to go back. Lets just change the subject. I’m honestly in no mood to talk about it anymore. I haven’t taken my meds and I’ve been up for...twenty-six hours now. How are you?”
I stand up out of bed as if I could drive to where Harry is and drag him into bed myself. My eyebrows automatically furrow and if he told me that as a means to change the subject, it worked.
“You haven’t been to bed or taken your medication? Harry! You can not do that! If you go into court tomorrow snapping off at people because you’re overly tired they’ll use it against you ”
“No...Last night was...I wanted to talk to you and I couldn’t sleep because of it. I broke my phone shortly after your text came in.”
“Thats not an excuse Harry! Do you know how bad it is to not get your proper rest?!” I shout at him and then lower my voice, not wanting to wake my parents again.”
“Speaking of proper rest, isn’t it two in the morning there?” Harry talks around a yawn that makes me more annoyed with him.
“Yeah but you called me remember? I’m fine. I can go to sleep without being bothered…” I trail off shaking away the thought of my nightmare and the fact that I just lied to Harry, “You need all the rest you can get for tomorrow.”
“I promise I’ll go to sleep, after I get a new phone. The shops should be open by now.”
I settle back down in my bed and get under the covers, somewhat satisfied with his promise knowing that he’s good at keeping them.
“How did you break your phone anyway?”
*Harry’s POV*
“I dropped it and it shattered. Glass came out and everything. It cut my finger when i tried to use it so I said fuck it and threw it away.”
I shift back and forth on my feet as I lie, looking around outside. I can’t bring myself to tell Reagan that I broke the phone because I think the two week thing is bullshit and it was all that I could do to not self destruct at the moment. The early morning wind blows making me loosen my arm out of one sleeve of my jumper and wrap it around my torso as I sit down on Laurie’s steps.
“It sounds like you’re outside.” When Reagan speaks I can almost see her eyes fluttering as she tries to force herself to stay awake and it brings a smile to my face.
“I am. Niall and Laurie started being gross so I’m outside on her patio. I’m scared of what I’ll walk into when I go to give her her phone back.”
“They never argue.” Reagan laughs.
“Must be nice.”
“You don’t miss our arguments?”
Before I answer her Tamsins voice echos in my ear about Reagan bringing me dramatics that I don’t need and I scoff knowing the blowout that Reagan and I would have if she knew about what else happened last night besides my phone breaking, but I refuse to acknowledge it anymore. I refuse to believe that I could feel anything for Tamsin.
“I miss everything with you. I would start an argument with you right now, because I think its sexy when you yell at me, well sometimes... and I don’t know about Niall and Laurie never arguing. They get into it pretty badly over random things. Their arguments are child's play compared to the ones that I know that we could get into” I laugh before I continue, “ but they argue none the less. Nialler’s told me about a few of their rows, but I guess they make up really quickly after they argue. You know like...make up.”
“Yeah I get it Harry.” Reagan laughs again. I thought that they were going to get into an argument when I first got here and asked Laurie to use her phone, but then they made up and started kissing. Its some kind of kinky shit I’m sure. Niall doesn’t seem like the type, but I know better. He uses that boyish charm to his benefit.
Reagan and I continue on the phone for another two hours talking about any and everything including her mum’s thoughts on her being pregnant. I stiffen when she says it and think about the last two times we had sex, desperate to feel each other fully and throwing protection to the wayside.
Sex with Reagan.
It feels like ages ago and fuck I miss it, but a pregnancy would add up if Reagan doesn’t get her period soon. She assures me that she’s not, but how would she know if she hasn’t gotten the ‘red dragon’ yet?
“It’ll be here soon, I can tell. Its just…stress can push those things back. My mom is being paranoid. She still hasn’t gotten over the fact that I’ve even had sex so she jumps to conclusions.”
“You told her?” I thought that girls were usually more secretive about those things unless they were telling their friends.
“She found out in a heated argument.” I nod my head as if she’s here and take a pen out of my pocket to scribble her number out on the top of my hand before I look at the time.
“What time is it there now?”
“Almost four, but surprisingly I’m not tired. If anything I feel better talking to you.” I smile when she says it because my nerves and the anger I felt from earlier have since calmed. I feel the same way about talking to her.
“Me too.”
“Yeah but you still promised me that you would go to sleep. You're being up that long isn't the healthiest thing to do Harry. I don't know how many more times I can tell you before you get it. Losing sleep like that can make you sick.”
I roll my eyes at the promise.
“I already am sick." I chuckle to myself knowing that Reagan doesn't find the joke funny. "I will. I’ll go get a phone and then go to sleep before I go into work later, but you should probably go back to sleep yourself. I love you and I miss you. Two more weeks, glasses.”
“I love you, Harry and I miss you so much. Technically it’s thirteen days now.” I laugh at her optimistic outlook but cringe on the inside.
“Go to sleep love, I’ll call you after I get off work.”
We hang up from each other and I look down at the number that’s scribbled out across my hand, reading it until it’s burned into my memory.
Notes
Another update because I love you all!!! HELLO THERE NEW BEAUTIFUL AND FAITHFUL SUBS1 I really miss saying that guys so please keep the subs coming? How are you all? I know this is no double update, but it's probably the fastest that I've gotten a chapter up this close together in time since the last book. Anyway, what did you all think of this chapter? Court is coming soon for Harry and I cant wait for that chapter! Leave me comments below and don't forget to vote and sub! I ABSOLUTELY LIVE FOR THE COMMENTS YOU GUYS LEAVE ME! And votes and subs are just the icing on the cake! I LOVE YOU ALL FOR READING! and like I said I have a surprise coming for you all soon ;} Xx
@XOXOH
Hi there lovely, I am a big fan of your books and you don't know how happy I am to see you back here. I LOVE THIS TRIOLOGY so dam much......so let me get this straight....you are not updating this story anymore on here? You are only going to continue this story on wattpad?? .....despite what decision you make I will be waiting for you because I want to know what will HAPPEN ....sorry I am weird xxx
8/22/15