Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
Harry
A fter the anniversary party, I stayed in bed a lot more. I felt separated in some ways from reality. Everything felt exhausting. I felt tired in a way I never knew possible. Theo would come sit with me every day for a couple of hours. He wouldn’t talk much, but I didn’t mind. He didn’t seem to, either. Sometimes he’d hold my hand just as I had when he was a little boy. Then Molly would come and lie beside me. She talked a lot, but I didn’t mind. She didn’t seem to, either.
Plus, I loved her voice.
I loved her.
I felt her slipping away, though.
Or maybe it was me fading away.
Everything hurt.
I felt exhausted.
Molly took my hand in hers and patted it gently.
I felt a little less separated from reality.
I felt a little bit more at home.
I wanted to hold on because I knew how much it would hurt her for me to leave her side. Yet each passing day felt shorter, and the hourglass of my life was losing more and more sand.
How many more breaths did I have left within my lungs? And how many of those breaths could I use to tell Molly how much I loved her?
I love you, I love you, I love you , I thought when words were too hard to produce.
That was when she’d squeeze my hand as if she could hear me, then she’d kiss my forehead and say she loved me, too.
Still… I was tired.
I wondered how long the exhaustion would last until it turned into a deep slumber.