Henry (The Beck Brothers 1)

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 you doing?", She asked quietly.

Henry placed his glasses back on then laced his fingers together then 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 a full check. 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 6pm. " Why don't you go lay 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 lay with me instead?", he asked softly.

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

So Claire and Henry went up to his bedroom and crawled into bed. Claire had laid 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. 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 was ready to pound out of her chest.

" I had a nightmare...fuck...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, then 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, 8pm. They'd only been sleeping for two hours. Claire helped Henry get his socks and shoes on before putting her own on. 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, his tone telling Claire that he was smiling too.

" I will", Claire said, then 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 a half 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.