Chapter 52: The Parents

Harry and I woke up curled into each other; he was the big spoon curved around me and holding me so close it was almost too warm but not quite. "Good morning, love," Harry murmured into my ear, causing a tickle and making me laugh.
"Mmm, I like that," I mumbled.
"What?"
"Love. I like the sound of it. Very British, which is fitting since your mum was from England," I said.
"That's true," he said softly. "Maybe it's in my blood."
"I love waking up like this," I said.
"Mmhmm," he said, hugging his entire body around me even more snugly.
"Especially because we're not captives anymore," I whispered.
"Especially that," he said, planting a wet kiss to my cheek. "But also because I'm so in love with you."
"Mmm, and I'm in love with you," I replied.
We laid together for a long time, savoring our connection and the fact that we were safe and warm. We really didn't have to be awake and out of bed for anything except to greet my parents later in the afternoon. I couldn't wait. I was still in a bit of a fog that made me feel detached from everything I ever knew, and part of me feared this was a happy dream that I'd made up to deal with the fact that I was still somehow trapped in that place. Seeing my parents would be another step back towards reality, a new reality that now included Harry in every aspect of my life.
We finally got around to ordering some breakfast and getting dressed, which was a good thing because Officer Michaels stopped by late in the morning.
"How are you two acclimating?" He asked.
"Nice to wake up and not have to worry about whether we're going to die," I said dryly. No one laughed. "Sorry, bad joke."
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that we were able to recover several items from the house." He handed me a canvas bag that held my wallet, my phone, and my laptop.
"Thank you so much!" I cheered. "How did you get them?"
"The woman who admitted to filling Harry's medications," he replied. "Her name is Annamae Watson. Apparently, she knew where everything was and she thought you'd want to have it."
"Yes, of course, I do." At the bottom of the bag was my notebook, chock full of everything that I had written down. I wondered why he hadn't destroyed it. "Oh, my gosh!" I turned and showed the notebook to Officer Michaels. "This is full of everything I told you in my statement. There are probably more details in here than what I was able to tell you at the hospital. Do you want to hold on to it?"
"Why don't you hold on to it for now?" Officer Michaels said. "You might want to show it to your lawyer. Have you found one yet?" He asked.
"No, we're going to work on that when my parents get here, although I did contact someone a while back. I never made it to my first appointment a few weeks ago...for obvious reasons," I told him.
"Good, well I'm glad your parents will be coming to help you," he answered. "I also wanted to let you know that Benjamin Blake has been taken into custody as well as Mitch Davis, Joe Struthers, and Amos Cardwell. It seems they were working most closely with Theodore. We interviewed the rest of the house staff and no one else has been arrested yet, but from what you said about the doors being guarded around the clock, there might be one or two more."
Harry and I listened intently, but then his curiosity struck. "Is... he...I mean, Davis. Is he okay?" Harry wondered. "I mean, I did hit him with a baseball bat."
Officer Michaels had to fight a smile, I think, not because he cared much about what happened to Davis, but because Harry was genuinely curious and penitent about having hurt someone else. Even when it was someone who was actively trying to kill us. "He was treated for a concussion and he needed a few stitches on his ear, but as I said, he's in custody now, which means he's well enough to be questioned." The kindly officer nodded towards Harry, and then a true smile crossed his face as he told us the best news. "I also wanted to tell you that I found Clive Barrows."
"You did? Is he all right? Where is he?" Harry and I asked questions so fast that they jumbled together.
"He's out of the country right now," Officer Michaels told us. "But I told him we will need to question him when he returns as well. I also let him know that you and Harry are safe and that you're looking forward to reconnecting with him."
"Thank you so much!" I said. "Just go easy on him. I really think he was brainwashed like the rest of Theodore's people. He eventually came around and did the right thing. And he did risk his life to rescue us."
"Don't worry," Officer Michaels assured us with a warm smile. "We will definitely take all of that into consideration."
Harry and I said good-bye to him and then we hugged each other happily. Then I turned on my phone and said, "Let's dance, shall we?" I found my 80's play list and turned it up.
"Yes!" He pumped his fist into the air. "I missed this." He grabbed me around the waist and we started dancing crazily around the room. His eyes lit up with music and it made me happy to see him so happy.
"You know what's different about dancing with you now?" He asked, moving his hips wildly side to side and making me giggle.
"What?"
"Now I can do this," he said and pulled me close, planting a wet sloppy kiss on my lips. Jubilant laughter bubbled up and spilled from both of us. This was the joy I remembered from when I first met Harry and now it was combined with love as well as appreciation for him as a man coming into his own.
When my parents arrived, I threw open the door and flew into my mom's arms while my dad enveloped us both. I sobbed in gratitude that they were here in front of me, painfully remembering the last time we talked when Theodore held a gun to Harry's neck. They were crying as well, telling me how much they loved me and how thankful they were that I was okay. After several minutes of our weepy hellos,
I stepped back inside the suite, eager to introduce them to Harry. He stood back, looking handsome and sweet, but also a bit nervous. Tears glistened in his, no doubt from watching our reunion. "Mom, Dad, this is Harry," I said proudly.
Mom came straight to him and received him in a warm embrace. "Harry, it's so nice to meet you," and she hugged him tenderly. "I'm so sorry for everything you've been through."
"Thank you," he answered.
My dad hugged him, too, but I think he sensed a need that I couldn't fill for Harry. He hugged him for a longer bit of time and finally told him, "If you ever need anything, son, just let us know. We're here for you now." Son. His words moved Harry, and they moved me, too. I knew I could never replace the years that Harry had lost but hopefully he would have a healing experience of family through my family.
"All right," Dad said, "What do we know so far?"
We sat down and updated my parents on the proceedings. Theodore was in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, but I was assured he would be held without bail at least until a hearing was set. We told them about our visit from Officer Michaels and that more people had been arrested. "We're both going to have to testify," I told my parents. "Meaning I'm going to stay here until the trial is over."
"We were expecting that," Mom said. "I want you to testify against that horrible man."
"Also, we have to work on getting Harry's birth certificate from the courthouse, unless they can find another copy at the house. And any medical records from his childhood up through now, and we need to contact a lawyer to try to get a copy of his parents' will." I glanced at Harry and back at my parents. "Harry is supposed to inherit the company and the family property when he turns 21. Theodore was manipulating him all this time to make it seem like he was intellectually disabled, so he couldn't take ownership of the company."
Dad thought for a few minutes. "I'm not sure that would have even worked. Even if Harry was intellectually disabled," he stopped and looked at Harry. "And I can see you're not, but if you were, I think you would still be entitled to your inheritance. You would just need someone to help you run the company or the court would appoint someone with financial power of attorney. Of course, that's just my best guess but I don't know all the stipulations in the will."
"Well, maybe that's why Theodore wanted to kill us," I said and I couldn't believe the ease with which I spoke that sentence. As if it was an everyday occurrence. "So right, we need to find the original will. Officer Michaels said they were still working on a warrant to search the rest of Theodore's files. He brought over my wallet, my laptop and my phone, thank God. But he did tell us that the fire had mainly damaged our apartment and the remainder of the house mainly has smoke damage. So we also need to find out who can authorize the repairs that need to happen on the house."
"One thing at a time," Dad said. "I don't suppose this Theodore character is much help in providing answers either."
"He's still in the hospital," my mom reminded him.
"And he tried to kill our daughter," Dad roared. "What's your point?" He stopped, took a deep breath and put his face in his hands for a few moments. But then he apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. It's just...this is a very complicated situation. And I have absolutely no sympathy for that pathetic excuse of a man." I don't think I'd ever seen my dad quite so angry.
"And you have no idea how happy I am that you're here," I said to both of them, trying to calm their nerves.
"Me, too," Harry said.
"How are you doing, Harry?" Mom asked, moving closer to him. "This must be just awful for you."
He shrugged a little, maybe a bit unsure of how to respond to that level of kindness. "I'm doing okay, thank you. I'm just glad we got out." Then he looked away and I could see that tears were sparkling in his eyes. So much had changed for him in such a short time. I held his hand and snuggled up to him and my mom hugged him from the other side.
"One day at a time, all right?" I said. "I know it's kind of overwhelming."
"Yeah," He nodded.
We ordered room service for dinner, none of us really feeling up to going out just yet. It was quiet and casual but I could tell that Harry's mind was weighed down by everything.
When we went to bed, I asked him, "What's on your mind, Honey?"
He gave me a winsome smile but answered, "I don't know. I feel like I should be happy but I'm not there yet."
I propped myself up on my elbow and stroked his face gently. "It's okay to be confused. What happened to you was very serious. And I'm sure it's scary to not know what the future holds. You've never really had to face that before."
"Yeah," he agreed.
"Don't force it, all right?" I told him. "Don't pretend you're happy if you're not. Don't feel like everything has to be perfect now, because it's not. All I can tell you is that I will be with you."
"That part makes me happy," he grinned. I laid down with my head in the crook of his neck, my arm draped over his torso. "I don't even know what to do with myself," he said some time later. "I'm an adult but I don't have a job or a driver's license or even a place to live. I don't even know how to get money."
"You'll get there, harry. You will! One day at a time," I said again. "We'll just take it one day at a time."
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