Void {h.s. au}

chapter twenty nine

"Tabitha, get up. You have to be alright." Harry's voice beckons to me, but I can't see anything. Darkness surrounds me, and no matter how hard I try to simply open my eyes, nothing changes.

"She's gotta be alright. I can't be a murderer. Oh no, this is going to be the last straw! My wife is going to divorce me!" An unfamiliar voice whines, and I can imagine the annoyed expression on Harry's face.

"Can you shut up?" Harry shouts, "She's unconscious, and all you care about is yourself. It's disgusting."

"I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry." The man mutters, and I hear footsteps over glass. He must have walked away.

"Tabitha, just open your eyes. I need to know that you're alive." Harry pleads, and I hate myself for not being able to do what he asks of me.

All I have to do is open my eyes. I do it every damn day, and now when it counts, I can't seem to do it. I feel Harry's gentle touch on my cheek, making me want to see him even more. We may have been arguing right before the accident, but I would give anything to be able to talk to him now, even if it was an argument.

Everything suddenly begins to become lighter, like a blanket is being lifted from me. I can feel the breeze on my skin, and I hear all the traffic around us. My head feels less fuzzy; I feel like I've just woken up. Slowly, I blink my eyes open, squinting at the sunlight.

"Tabitha!" Harry exclaims, and I'm grateful that his smile is the first thing I get to see.

"Hey there." I croak. My throat feels like it hasn't been used in days.

"She's awake?" I hear the same unfamiliar voice, and then I get to put a face with it. The man looks to be slightly overweight, and his shaggy brown hair could use a trim. He has a splash of stubble on his face, and his band t-shirt has a few stains on it. I can see why his wife would want to divorce him.

"I'm awake." I mumble. My head starts to pound, and I groan.

"Is everything alright?" He moves to rest his hand on mine, but Harry quickly hits him away.

"Just a headache."

"The police are assessing the damage, and they said the ambulance is on it's way." Harry informs me, and I nod.

"I don't need an ambulance, though."

"You need to be checked out, Tabitha." His voice is stern, and I decide not to fight him on this.

I decide to take a moment to soak in the scene around me as we wait on the ambulance. I'm lying on my back on the sidewalk alongside the road we were driving on. Harry's car is in the middle of the road, and I cringe when I see the driver's side smashed in. I hope Harry at least pretended to have an injury.

Two police cars are parked by Harry's car, and the officers don't seem to know what to do. They're leaning on one of their cars, chatting. I sit up, and my headache turns unbearable.