Henry (The Beck Brothers) (16 page)

Henry nodded.

"I need to call
him anyway to tell him you're okay,
”
Claire said softly, her eyes never leaving his.

Henry nodded again
then leaned down and kissed her again, just a tender meeting of lips. This
changed everything. Henry's whole perspective on life will never be the same.
He had so much to say to Claire, but he wanted them to be completely alone.

Henry took Claire's
hand and led her into the house. His family was sitting in the living room,
waiting patiently. Sebastian handed him his glasses, somehow knowing he needed
them. Then he gave Henry a smile that pretty much said, "It's about damn
time." Henry just rolled his eyes.

His mother was eyeing
Claire like she was a nasty cold sore that she couldn't get rid of. Something
was going to have to be done about that. But again, that would have to be
addressed later.

Henry's father on the
other hand had nothing but love in his green eyes for both Henry and Claire.
Quinn sat on the couch with Christian and Sebastian, looking relieved, as did
Christian; although, he looked a little green around the gills. Christian
always did have a weak stomach. Every time he got overly worked up about
something he was either puking or shitting, mostly puking. Anxiety was not his
friend.

"I don't know
about all of you, but I really don't want to talk about what happened right
now.
”
Henry sighed, raking
a hand through his hair.

"That's alright,
sweetheart, you talk when you
’
re
ready,
”
his mother said
immediately, rushing to him and taking his face in her hands. "We're just
so relieved that you're okay,
”
she said, then pulled him down to kiss his forehead.

Anne turned to his
father and brothers. "Why don't you guys go on home, I'm going to stay
with Henry and make sure he's comfortable,
”
she said, turning back around to stare at Claire.

"Thanks mom, but
I'm fine. I need to jump in the shower and take something to ease the pain in
my ribs. I'm probably just going to crawl into bed and watch some TV. Claire is
going to stay with me,
”
Henry said, silently begging his mother not to argue.

Her eyes snapped over
to his. And they were angry. Shiiiit. "You're MY son and I almost lost you
today! How dare you ask her to stay over me?
”
she squawked.

Henry reeled in his
temper, not wanting to upset his mother more then he already had.
“
I understand that mom..."

"Obviously you
don't!
”
she snapped.

Christian muttered
something about he was gonna be sick and fled from the room. Sebastian was
standing by the window, arms folded over his chest, shaking his head. Henry
could see that he was annoyed. Quinn's face was unreadable as he sat quietly on
the couch, watching. His father was also still sitting, taking in the whole situation
like he always did. And he remained silent, like he always had.

“
I
gave birth to you!
I
have been here your whole life!
I
should be the one to take care of you after almost losing you! Not her!
”
Anne shouted pointing at
Claire, who was standing wide eyed at Henry's side.

Henry pinched the
bridge of his nose. How could he explain this to her without hurting her? Jesus
Christ. It was impossible.

"That's it Anne!
I've had enough!
”
Henry Sr.
snapped, as he shot up from the couch.

Everyone turned to
stare at him in shock, including Anne. "Henry?
”
she asked, confused.

"For Christ's
sake Anne, can't you see the man wants the kind of comfort from Claire that he
can't get from you? You need to let these boys go. They can take care of
themselves, and they don't need you to kiss their boo boos anymore. I've sat
quiet for too long...
”
Henry Sr. sighed, shaking his head, looking at each of his sons. "I'm
sorry for that."

Anne stood there
gaping at him. Henry Sr. stopped in front of her.

"I've had enough
of you interfering in their love lives. It stops now. Henry wants Claire to
stay, not you, so just accept that and let
’
s
go,
”
Henry Sr. said, his
voice low and full of warning for her not to argue.

"But he's my son,
”
Anne whispered.

Henry Sr.'s eyes
flashed angrily. "He's my son, too, woman! You think I don't want to just
stay here and be by his side all night just to make sure he's really alive?
Believe me, I do! But I can't, and neither can you. So let's go and give the
man some time to wrap his head around what happened today,
”
he snapped.

Henry stared in awe at
his father. For years, his dad hadn't said a word to their mother about her
behavior when it came to the women they brought around. Henry wasn't even sure
if he had even noticed it. Apparently, he had, and was fed up. Claire must have
been the breaking point. Henry had always known his father would love Claire.

Anne opened and closed
her mouth a few times before just spinning and storming out the front door,
slamming it behind her. Henry Sr. sighed heavily and moved in front of Henry
and Claire. He took Claire's hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Take care of
him, sweetheart,
”
he said,
flashing a smile and a wink.

Claire blushed
slightly. "Absolutely,
”
she replied quietly.

His dad then pulled
Henry into a hug. "I love you son,
”
he murmured, kissing Henry on the cheek.

"Love you, too,
dad."

"Sorry about your
mother,
”
Henry Sr. said as
he pulled back. "I should have stepped in a while ago.
 
Maybe it would have changed some
things,
”
he said, sending a
glance at Sebastian.

Sebastian shook his
head and moved to put his arm around his dad's shoulders. "Victoria would
have still left me, don't think that was your fault."

Henry Sr. nodded.
"Henry, call me tomorrow,
”
he said and started for the door.

"Will do,
”
Henry replied, walking him to
the door.

                                                             
~~~~~

Claire hung up her
phone. She had just called her dad who was more than willing to stay with Ethan
for the night. She was sitting on Henry's couch waiting while he took a shower.
He said he smelled like the river and couldn't take it anymore. Sebastian,
Quinn, and Christian only stayed about half an hour longer after their parents
left, and Henry jumped right in the shower as soon as they were out the door.

Claire was staring off
into space when Henry walked into the living room in a t-shirt and sweatpants.
His glasses couldn't hide that he was exhausted and in pain. He sat down next
to her and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He slid his glasses
off before he rubbed his face with his hand and let out a heavy sigh. Claire
placed her hand on his back, moving it in slow circles.

"How are you
doing?
”
she asked quietly.

Henry placed his
glasses back on, laced his fingers together, and rested his forehead on them. "I
don't know. My head is a little foggy from the concussion and my ribs are
killing me.
 
And every time I close
my eyes, the crash flashes through my mind,
”
Henry whispered.

"Why don't you
call your doctor and ask about getting something stronger for the pain?
”
Claire suggested.

Henry shook his head
slightly. "No, he'll want me to come into the office so he can check me
out."

"Maybe you
should.
”
 
Claire frowned; she didn't like that
Henry hadn't gone to the hospital to get fully checked out. What if he had
internal bleeding?

Henry sighed and
shoved both hands into his hair. "Maybe tomorrow, I just need some time to
process what happened today."

Claire glanced at the
clock on the cable box. It was only 6:00 pm. "Why don't you go lie down
for a while? I'll make dinner."

Henry glanced at her
over his shoulder, his eyes showed just how vulnerable he was at the moment.
"Will you lie with me instead?
”
he asked softly.

"Of course,
”
Claire whispered, smoothing a
hand over the back of his head.

Claire and Henry went
up to his bedroom and crawled into bed. Claire had lain down on her back. Henry
put his glasses on the nightstand then Claire got a surprise when Henry
snuggled up against her. He rested his head on her chest, just under her neck.
One arm went around her waist and one leg got tucked between hers. There was
nothing sexual about it. Henry needed to be held and comforted, so Claire
wrapped her arms around him. It only took a few minutes for Henry to fall
asleep. His body grew heavier and his breathing evened out. Claire fell to
sleep shortly after him.

Claire was jolted
awake by Henry's terrified scream then cry of pain. Claire bolted up, looking
through the darkened room to see Henry curled on his left side on the bed, left
hand clutching the battered ribs on his right side. He groaned in pain. Claire
reached over and touched his shoulder.

"Henry? What
happened?
”
Claire asked
breathlessly, her heart ready to pound out of her chest.

"I had a
nightmare...shit...and moved too much when I woke up,
”
he grunted, obviously in a lot of pain.

"Maybe we should
go to the hospital.
”
Claire
frowned.

Henry hissed in pain
and nodded.
 
"Yeah okay,
”
he panted.

Claire let out a
relieved sigh, but it worried her that he agreed so easily, he must really be hurting.
Claire glanced at the clock, 8:00 pm. They'd only been sleeping for two hours.
Claire helped Henry get his socks and shoes on before putting on her own.
Claire packed him a small bag, grabbed her purse, and they were out the door.
Henry groaned and winced as she drove. She hated seeing him in so much pain.

When they got to the
ER, Claire explained the situation. They got Henry registered as fast as they
could then took him right back. The doctor scolded Henry for not coming in
right away; voicing Claire's fear that he could have internal bleeding. They
decided to do a full CAT scan of his torso and head. Claire called Sebastian
while she waited.

"Hey, Claire,
how's Henry?
”
Sebastian
answered on the third ring.

"Well, we're at
the hospital, he was in too much pain, he's getting a CAT scan now,
”
Claire said.

"Asshole, he
should have gone earlier,
”
Sebastian growled.

"I know."

"Alright, my mom
is gonna freak out and come running down there you know,
”
Sebastian said, his irritation clear.

"Jesus Christ.
”
Claire sighed.
“
Do you have to tell her? Henry
doesn't need that right now."

“
She will be seriously pissed if
I don't tell her right away...but I'll deal with the fall out. I'll wait until
morning."

“
Thank you Sebastian.
”
Claire grinned.

“
You owe me. Call me with an
update,
”
Sebastian said. Claire
could tell by his tone that he was smiling, too.

“
I will,
”
Claire said. They said goodbye and hung up.

Claire crossed her
arms over her chest and relaxed back against the chair in the room they gave
Henry. They said it would be about half an hour before Henry returned. She
grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, which was set for the news. Claire
watched, turning the volume up some when the story about the crash came on.
Someone had actually caught it on video. Claire was horrified by what she saw.
She quickly turned the TV off before she had a panic attack.

Claire placed a hand
over her franticly beating heart and squeezed her eyes shut. She had come so
close today to losing the man she loved; it still hurt. She was still trying to
believe that he was actually here. Claire was then startled by the door being
opened and an orderly wheeling Henry's bed back into the room.

They had pumped Henry
full of morphine when they got him hooked up to the IV, so he was flying high.
His eyes were closed but he had a small smile on his face. They had made him
change into a hospital gown, which he had complained about, but it was hospital
policy. A blanket covered him from the waist down.

"The doctor will be
in shortly with the results,
”
the orderly said, putting the brakes on the bed, and putting the sides down.

Claire thanked him as
he left. She went over to Henry and sat down on the edge of the bed by his hip.
The bed was set so that he was sitting up slightly. Claire slipped her hand
into Henry's, lacing their fingers together.