Part 31
They all ran back towards the waiting area and saw Ellen spoke to one of the staff in blue scrubs which Phillip assumed is the doctor and immediately after they saw him, they stopped talking. "How is he? Is he alright?" Phillip asks frantic at the thought of Henry. His heart races faster than usual and his mouth gaped panting in his own breath from all the running.
"Barely." Ellen snapped holding on to her waist and Phillip didn't understand what she meant by that. He could see fury in her eyes before the doctor finally spoke again. "I assumed you're the relatives?" She asks flipping through the papers in her hand and Phillip nods, "Brother." He adds.
"He suffers from couple of broken ribs and mild bleeding in his brain. Nothing that requires surgery at the moment but it would be a hell of a recovery. I believes he was hospitalized couple weeks back for some trauma?" She asks and Phillip turned his gaze towards Ellen and Shan next to him.
"Yes." He answered softly and the doctor had a concern look on her face. "I need to ask you something." She eyed Phillip and he nods. "I saw the cuts over his wrist, could this be another attempt of suicide by throwing himself down the stairs?" She asks blindly and it really triggered Phillip's anger towards her.
"What the fuck would that implies?! That my brother deliberately jumped floor to floor so he could get the attention?!" He raised his voice towering closer to her and Shan already jumped to his side holding him back from charging at the doctor. "If he wanted to kill himself why jumped floor to floor?? Why not from the roof itself!! Are you that STUPID or are you that ignorant to see that he was actually attacked in your fucking hospital?!" He yells at her causing her to call the security on him.
"Sir, I'm trying to understand things." The doctor adds hiding herself behind the security guards while Phillip being held by Shan and Oscar on each side.
"Then understand this. If you so much speak about my brother or wrote about him being suicidal then know that I'm going to sue you and the hospital for malpractice and patient profiling." Phillip threatened and he could see the horror stricken on her face after she heard him. Phillip didn't bother to wait for her reply and left the waiting room headed straight to Henry's room.
"Forgive me but I didn't mean to trigger anyone." The doctor continued after Philip left and Shan shook his head at her. "It's fine. He's bit on edge, his brother is everything to him. Henry had been through a lot." He explained and the doctor nods at his word.
"I'm not stating that he is suicidal but we run a drug trace in his blood and it came back positive for opioids. Could be he's under influenced of a drug that made him stumbled and fell down the stairs?" She asks concerned and Shan had his eyebrow furrowed at her, "Wait, w-what? Henry never took opioids, just couple of melatonin for sleep and mostly diphenhydramine for his anxiety." Shan explained and he can see Ellen and Oscar are literally confused next to him.
"After what happened to Henry's sister and mother, for abusing drugs in their lives, Phillip had a deal with the doctor to give Henry antihistamine instead of real anxiety pills to help him. He never knew this but Henry never took anything other than those two for his anxiety or his sleep disorder." The doctor flipped through the pages on her folder showing them the results and noticed she was right.
"You think Henry is drugged?" Oscar asks and Shan sighed rubbing his fingers over his trimmed beard, "I have no idea but I need to tell Phillip about this, excuse me." He told them before he left the waiting area to find Phillip to let him know about this. Ellen sighs thanking the doctor for her work before she wrapped herself around Oscar. "Let's go back to Alex." Oscar says and she nods in agreement.
.
When both Ellen and Oscar arrives at Alex's room, he can see Alex is sitting on bed with his head propped straight and June sat on the chair next to him. Their head turned immediately at the door when they entered in hope he could see Henry but to his luck, only his mum and Oscar came through the door.
"Where's Henry?" He asks holding on to the rails with his eyes searching to the door behind them. "Alex." Ellen calls holding on to his palm over the rails and sighs. "Henry got hurt, again." Ellen says and she can see the worry in his eyes pulling his hand away from her grip. "I-I need to see him." He said tapping on the rails for June to lower them.
"Alex, listen first." Oscar says and Alex turned his head sharply at him. "NO! I NEED TO SEE HENRY!" He yells and Oscar sighs seeing him getting more anxious at his attempt to escape. "Baby, listen. He is still in the ER and Phillip is there with him, he will let us know." She tried to tell him but Alex is not someone that would listen so easily especially when he is this determined to see Henry.
"Mum, stop lying to my face and let me see Henry, please." He told her and her eyes turned towards Oscar and June by his end of the bed. "Mum, just let him." June says and she sighs pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine! Grab him a wheelchair."
.
"Did you change Henry's medication?" Shan asks immediately after he managed to see him in Henry's room. He was held outside until they are cleared from doing all the procedure on Henry while Phillip stayed inside with him. Shan waited outside of Henry's room until they are done for almost half an hour. His eyes stops at Henry lying on bed with his head wrapped with a bandage and his eyes are closed. He has an oxygen tube curling under his nose and his heart is monitored on the screen next to him beeping steadily.
"Is he alright?" He asks seeing Phillip couldn't stop his tears holding on to Henry's hand. "For now." He whispered and softly glides his finger over Henry's cheek. "I need to talk to you, privately." Shan told him not wanting Henry to hear their conversation although he might be sleeping right now. "Not now, Shan. Later." He denies but Shan pulled him by his elbow towards the door and Phillip protest but he didn't exactly fought him.
"Did you change Henry's meds?" He asks as soon as he closed the door behind him. "What do you mean?" He asks unaware of what Shan meant by the questions. "The doctor runs a drug trace for Henry and found opioids in his blood. Why would Henry be taking opioids now?" He asks since he might be ended up working with the family again, so he needs to know.
He sighed rubbing his palm over his face tilting his head up before he leaned his back against the wall. "I forgot to tell you about it." He says and Shan waited for Phillip to continue. "Phillip what is it?" He asks concerned at Henry's being.
"I saw Catherine coming out of Henry's room yesterday and then I found Henry almost overdose in bed." He starts and Shan gasped at him. "Can he fucking catch a break already." Shan mutters under his breath and Phillip pressed his lips before he continued. "I have too much on my plate right now and I don't know where to start." Phillip sound exhausted, desperate dealing with Henry's situation and Shan can sees him at the edge of giving up.
"What do we do?" He asks and Phillip shook his head, "I don't know. I am in between sending those bastard to jail or sending my own mother to one. I can't bring him home, I have to keep him as far away from Catherine as possible. It's my fault that Henry is hurt by her. I dragged her back into our lives and now Henry is paying the price."
Shan can see how tired Phillip must be at protecting Henry and he wished he could help him more. "We figure it out later. For now, Catherine is thousand miles away from Henry so you have nothing to worry about." Shan tried to ease him and Phillip smiled softly at his attempt to make him feel better.
"Thank you, Shan." He taps him on his shoulder and Shan nods at him. "Pleasure all mine sir." He replied shortly with a smile crept on his lips. "Henry is willing to fight, is all that matters now. We should act before he changed his mind." Shan adds and Phillip nods before he straightened his back again.
"You got the footage? We need to call the detectives again." Phillip asks and Shan nodded flipping through his phone screen and taps on the call button.
After almost ten minutes of conversation, Phillip sees Alex wheeled in with his family with his legs propped over the metal leg on the wheelchair and his eyes are lurking for Henry. "What the hell are you doing? Go back to bed!" Phillip yelled at him like a big brother he is. He felt the responsibilities of these two idiots falls on his shoulder.
"We tried. He is as stubborn as he gets." Ellen says and Phillip sighs. "Henry is resting. Alex, don't! You don't want to see him like this!" He tried to stop him from getting inside the room but Alex is already halfway in struggling to open the door and pushed himself inside. "I'll help him, you guys talk." Shan says holding on the door while Alex pushed the wheels forward.
The sound of Henry's heart beating against the monitor made Alex's heart dropped. He could see him sleeping soundly on the bed with the bandage wrapped around Henry's forehead and he looks pale, sickly and worst of all, the bruises are back on his skin.
He wheeled closer to Henry's side and felt tears starting to blur his vision as he could feel Henry within reach. "We need to stop meeting like this Hen." He whispered with a soft chuckled escape his throat. "I'm the one that's supposed to be on that bed, not you asshole." Tears fell on his cheek as he leaned forward in his chair to hold Henry's hand but he was interrupted when the door open abruptly.
"Don't touch him, they wanted to get fingerprints traced on Henry." Phillip says holding on to his phone by his ears. Alex startled by his sudden act but understood completely. He saw the bruised over Henry's neck and saw the red marks contrast against his pale skin and for once in weeks, he felt happier to see the marks over Henry's skin.
"There's hope Hen, hold on to that." He whispered and it kills him not be able to touch Henry for now.
.
The detectives came to take a statement from Phillip and Alex saw how they collect all the evidence with the help of the nurses and in hope this would lead to something.
"We will run the prints and if so much as one traces of those Warren's boys is on him, we can bring this to trial." The detectives said and Ellen exhaled longly placing her palm over her chest. "This need to be on the down low, we can't have people know about this yet, and certainly not the Warren's." Oscar mentioned to the detectives and she nods at him. "I'll call you once we have the results back." She says and Phillip shook her hand before she left.
Henry was placed in a single room guarded by Alex's family and his. Shan had the liberty of hiring a security to guard him every single minute and they won't leave until this trial is over. Alex on the other hand hadn't left the room since. He felt obligated to stay and took care of him and felt guilty whenever he tried to leave the room.
Phillip had them both admitted in the same room with Alex's bed wheeled next to Henry. Couple of hours later, Alex saw Henry starts to wake up fluttering his eyelashes open. "Hen?" He called leaning closer to Henry with his fingers stroked Henry on his knuckles.
Henry swallowed his throat dryly before his eyes adjusted to the light in the room and finally landed on Alex and the rest of them gathering around the bed. He couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes and his lips trembling as he tried to speak. "It's okay Hen, we know. We got him." Phillip says holding on to Henry's hand on the other side and he nods softly.
His eyes went to Alex on his right and saw how his eyes and nose are red holding on to his tears. "I'm sorry." He whispered softly not be able to say louder due to the pain over his throat. "What for?" Alex asks confused.
"For everything. For not listening." He whispered and Alex smirked at him.
"Well, now you can't run away anymore, you're stuck with me Hen." He says and Henry soft smiled form on his lips. "I guess I am." He could hear the rest of them cooed over both of them and Alex finally sighed in relief.
.
"Slowly Hen." Phillip told him watching as he stood up with help of Shan after he found the strength hours later. His hair is in a mess after he took off the bandage feeling it pressing his head more into a headache and Phillip kept stroking his finger over his hair to flatten it but fails. Alex laughs when Henry clicked his tongue at his brother for trying to make him look decent while he desperately look like a slobbering mess. "Stop." He told him when Phillip tried to adjust his hospital gown and he clicked his tongue back at him.
"A gentleman must always looks sharp even on the days he doesn't feels like it Hen." He told him as Henry stood with help of Shan cause he needed the bathroom. "Piss off Pip, we're not in Eton so I can look like a slob if I wanted too." He spat back and Shan pressed his lips together. "Well we're not but I'm sure I can call them to come and teach you another lesson." Henry flipped him off while he walks to the bathroom with his one arm over Shan's shoulder and Alex laughs at his gesture.
"Hiya." June stepped in the room with Nora by her side carrying a take out in her hand and Alex smiled widely at her. "Oh, who's this?" She asks seeing Phillip stood in the middle of the room with his sharp looking outfit and couldn't help but pining over him. "Phillip, Henry's big brother." Nora shook his hand with a coy smile on her face. "He's engaged Nora." Alex told him and she glared at him.
"I'm not." He replied and Alex frowned at his words.
"But Henry told me that-" he stops when he saw Phillip took a seat on Henry's bed and Ellen noticed how upset he looks at the moment. "What happened? You don't have to share it with us if you don't feel comfortable talking about it." She says and Phillip stares into the space before him. "He happened." He pointed to Henry in the bathroom with Shan standing right next to the door waiting for him.
"What do you mean?" Oscar asks. Phillip pressed his lips together gripping into Henry's sheet before he continued. "I can't leave him. How am I supposed to focus on my marriage or my future wife if Henry needed me. The seconds I turned my head around, he is either back in the hospital or someone tried to hurt him. I couldn't keep count on how many people want to hurt him."
"There's more than one person that tried to hurt him?" Alex asks and it made them turned to Phillip sharply, he didn't actually denied it but they can see how hard it is for him to admit it. "Are you talking about the drugs?" Ellen asks and it raises more questions than answers. Alex couldn't help raising himself on the bed with his eyebrow furrowed. "What drugs? Is Henry abusing his meds?" He asks and Phillip clenched his jaw tight.
"No he didn't but someone else forced him." Oscar told him and Alex eyes darted back to Phillip, "Who?" He asks and just on cue, Henry came out from the bathroom and all eyes on him. "My mother." He whispered holding on to the door with his eyes set straight to Phillip sitting on his bed.
"Man what are you? James Bond? Why are these people coming to hurt you?" Alex asks and Henry snorted, "No but my dad was." He replies slowly making his way back to bed with Shan helped. "He's not wrong." Phillip told them and their eyes sets at those brothers by the bed. "Dad was an actor, Arthur Fox." He continued and June gasped.
"Wait! THE Arthur Fox?! The one that marries his childhood sweetheart and owns like half of Europe? THAT Arthur? Henry you're loaded!" June says and Ellen grabbed the magazine in her hand slapping June on her side. "You have to forgive her, she reads a lot of tabloids and constantly on twitter." Ellen apologized and Alex couldn't help noticing the two brothers had broken look on their face.
"Being loaded doesn't make you happy. Money doesn't brings people back from the dead. It doesn't restore smiles on a widow's face or an orphan children." Henry whispered and Alex knows how he felt about it. He heard him talks about his father once or few times especially when he misses him most.
"What father always said when we asks him for money or allowance in advance?" Phillip suddenly asks next to Henry and he smiled. "Money doesn't fall from tree children, it can't buy your happiness or time. Cherish each moment not counting on the money but count on your life." Henry quoted in his father's deep voice, "LIVE!" They both said at the same time and it made Henry choked in tears.
Phillip turned to look at his brother next to him and noticed how his eyes glistened. He raised his arm over his shoulder letting Henry laid his head over Phillip's and tears fell on his cheek. "I miss him too." Phillip whispered pressing his lips over Henry's forehead and wiped his own tears with the heel of his palm.
It took them years to heal from their father's death but somehow Alex felt that neither any of them moved on. A hint of regret for not be able to spend times with their father mixed with the longing of his laughter in the room in each time Phillip heard Henry's laugh made them both misses him each day.
Henry fell asleep right after and Alex can see how exhausting it is for him. Ellen sat by Alex side tucking his blanket under his legs with Alex still staring deeply at Henry's sleeping body next to his bed. "Is he gonna be alright?" He asks Phillip staring at his brother by the end of the bed. "He will be." He simply answered before he left the room followed by Shan.
"Henry's been through a lot Alex. He needed time. You don't want to push him further. Just let him open up to you. That's how you drove him away each time you guys fight." Ellen told him and Alex turned to look at his mother next to him and finally understood what she meant. He loves to press Henry each time he spacing out especially when he saw him cries. He hates seeing Henry upset but somehow that authoritative behavior inside of him made him wanted to have the upper hand and always ended up hurting him in the process.
Nora and June stayed for a while before they both leave. June had a flight back to Texas and she need to work soon so she says goodbye to her brother and to Henry after. Somehow deep inside, minus the red head and the freckles over the cheek, she is just like Bea. Sparkling, full of life and always care about other, more like nosy about other that she cared about, just like Bea.
The rest of them left that room later that evening and Phillip was dreading on to leave Henry but seeing him with Alex in that room with a security guarded outside the door, he felt relieved and Shan pulled him to go back to the hotel to give them some alone time and also for them to rest. It has been a day for all of them. "I'll be fine." Henry said and Phillip nods lingering his presence still. "Try to get some sleep okay?" He says and Henry stares at his face longly before he nods.
"I'll see you in the morning." Phillip pecked him a kiss over the top of his head before ruffling his blonde hair, careful on his sutured wound by the side of his head. "I'm gonna cut your hair soon if you don't!" He warned and Henry clicked his tongue. "Not in a million years." He replied and Alex chuckled at these brothers banter endlessly.
"I'll see you both in the morning." Ellen pressed her lips over Alex's cheek repeatedly and he wiped it with his palm, "Mum, I'm not ten, stop doing that." He said and Henry smiles at Alex grunt over Ellen kisses. She could see how devastated he looks over the thought of a mother kisses made her heart broke.
So she stepped to Henry side and he eyed her curiously before she grabbed his cheek and pressed her kisses on Henry's side more than she does on Alex's and somehow it made him laughs hysterically. Ellen cupped his cheek while their eyes sets deeply into each other.
"No matter what, you will always have me, as your mum. If you liked." She says and it made Henry's eyes teared up. He raised his arm around her shoulder pulling her into his embrace and she sighed in relieved. For once, Henry allowed someone to hold him without flinching or jerking away and she is glad.
"Now sleep, both of you." She pointed hiding her tears away from him and headed straight to the door, "Goodnight mijo." Oscar told them and both Alex and Henry smiled at Oscar, "Goodnight." They both replies and soon as the door closed, Alex turned to face Henry in bed.
"Tell me why your mum wanted to drug you again?" Henry groaned shaking his head at him, "Oh God Alex, your mouth doesn't have filters haven't you?" He could feel his eyes gaze sharply over his bedside and waited for Henry to reply. "I don't know alright! One problem at a time." Henry replied angrily.
"Maybe we should bring you to see my Tia Angela, she could read your palm and maybe removed those malos suerte." Henry cocked his head to the side to face Alex with his face contorted, "My what now?" He asks curious at Alex and he is not that fluent in Spanish. He is fluent in many language but sadly Spanish is not one of the language he learned in Eton.
"Malos Suerte!" Alex repeats, "It means bad luck. Or maybe I should carved a rabbit's foot for you." He mutters alone and Henry grabbed his pillow over his head trying to muffle Alex's rambling voice next to him. "Goodnight Alex." He yells in a groan.
"Wait, what are you doing?" He asks and Henry pulls back from under the pillow to face him. "I'm driving a car. What do you think I'm doing?" Henry snapped and Alex wasn't amused by his words. "Come here then." He asks pulling his blanket off from his body for Henry and he shook his head, "No Alex, the bed is too small, I need my sleep." Henry replies pulling his pillow over his head.
"Someone cocky after got a new mum." Alex snide and Henry turned to face him with a gasped but Alex smirked not bother to look at Henry staring next to him.
It didn't take him that long before he folds and climbed into Alex's bed. Alex didn't say anything when Henry pulls the blanket off of him and laid beside Alex before Alex wrapped his arms around Henry's body. "Now that's more I like it." He whispered wrapping his arms tighter pressing Henry closer into his side and seconds later, he could hear Henry soft snores with his warm breath fanning over his neck. He sighed in relieve feeling those long weeks being apart from each other finally paid off.
.
"You're making me so hard."
"You bitch!"
"Scream all you want Henry."
Henry mumbles in his sleep middle of the night waking Alex up since he kept tossing his head and his hand slapping Alex's over his chest. He tried to hush him back to sleep but as always, it wasn't that easy.
"No." Henry mumbles again and Alex stroked his finger over Henry's blonde hair hoping it would stopped him from his nightmare. "NO!" Henry screamed again and it causes the security to sprint inside his room and found Henry in Alex's arm. "That's alright, just a bad dream." He told him and he nods apologizing before he closed the door again.
"Shh, Hen. It's alright." Alex whispered softly and felt how Henry is panting in his breaths like he was running. "No. Don't hurt him, please." Henry mumbles again and Alex knew he was dreaming about him. Most of the time Henry would dream about that horrible time but sometimes, his dreams play tricks on him.
"Please." He mumbles again and Alex wanted to wake him up but Henry jolted screaming causing the nurse to barge in the room and Henry starts hyperventilating in fear. The room was dark and when the nurse opened the light, Henry screamed closing his eyes with his palm and tried to run but Alex caught him. "CLOSE THE LIGHT AND GET THE HELL OUT!" He screamed at them and couldn't help feeling bad for doing so.
"Shh, Shh Hen, look at me, breathe." Alex holds him against his chest wrapping his hand over Henry's hoping he could calm him down. "Breathe babe." He whispered in his ear as Henry leaned against his chest. "He's here. He's here." Henry mutters over and over. "No one is here but you and me Hen." He could feel Henry's heart thumping against his palm and their hands clasped into each other. "Breathe Henry. Close your eyes and listen to my voice." He whispered.
Henry closed his eyes and took a deep inhaled before he exhaled feeling Alex's comforting palm over his chest slowing his breaths down. Henry leaned his head against Alex's feeling his hot breaths over his neck and slowly comforting him back in place.
Henry turned wrapping his arm around Alex torso hiding his face in the crook of his neck before he leaned back against the bed. "Just you and me here Hen, they are not here." Alex whispered again and he could feel Henry taking another long breaths and exhaled.
.
"It's a hit. They got a match. Apparently their fingerprints are in the system for the DUI arrest and couple of assaults. They are bringing him soon." Phillip says that morning after he arrived with coffee in his hand. Their eyes landed on both Alex and Henry over the bed while Henry still sleeping, but Alex is wide awake.
"You know that we paid both beds so you can sleep comfortably right?" Ellen told him and Alex sighs pressing his finger over his nose bridge. "Henry had another nightmare. Woke up screaming, again." He said and his voice is hoarse.
"It'll be over soon. We can put this all behind us soon enough." Philip says and they all nodded at him.
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