1914. - H.S.

Chapter 5.

Harry was stood there, looking similar to when I last saw him yet different too. His hair had grown to a long length in the time he'd been fighting and his body was dirty appearing, a long with the military uniform he still wore. He had cuts and bruises over his face and he stood there looking at me weak and vulnerable. My heart sank a little at how his once strong appearance was seeming to disappear.

I hurried closer to him and wrapped my arms around his body, careless to who may see and what they may think. His body shook rapidly under my touch, and he did not respond to my actions in the way I had hoped. He was not welcoming me with open arms as I had him.

“Harry, you're shaking. Are you cold?” I asked, frantic for him to show me some sort of an emotion and not to be so void of it.

“Lillian” he spoke in a sigh as he ignored my previous question.

I looked cautiously around me and could see the door to the Matron's quarters open in the distance.

“Harry, come on. Let's go” I instructed and he was hesitant to move but soon followed my lead.

“Where are we going?” he asked timidly with his voice barely above a whisper. Why was he acting like this?

“Just out of the way of everyone else, so we can talk properly”

“What is there to talk about?” he stuttered. I tried to ignore his hurtful comment as I continued to walk and he followed behind despite the manner he had been acting and talking to me in.

I stopped as we reached the back of the hospital camp and we sat behind the linen piles that were waiting to be washed in the nearby washing buckets. All was silent for a while as I thought of what I could say. But to my surprise it was Harry who spoke first.

“Why are you here?”

“I'm volunteering of course” I replied, pointing to my volunteer nurses outfit.

I turned to look at him and he was still shaking violently, he did not appear cold however despite me previously assuming this to be the reason for it.

I moved around slightly so I was closer to him and was now facing toward him.

“I have your letters” I tried to initiate conversation and he simply nodded, keeping his gaze on the grass that we were perched on.

Suddenly, I noticed the bandage that was wrapped around the top of his arm. It seemed blood had been seeping through and it needed to be changed.

“Harry you need your bandage changed, how long have you been out of bed for?”. He shrugged in response and I could feel myself become increasingly frustrated with him and saddened about his behaviour too.

“Come on, we need to get you back to your tent Harry. Someone needs to re bandage this”. I instructed and he suddenly stood up glaring right at me.

“No” he raised his voice at me. “Don't make me, please. No don't” he begged of me before he started walking around pacing back and forth whispering things to himself that I couldn't decipher.

I followed as I got up myself and walked over to him, placing my hand on his shoulder as his back was to me.

“Harry what's wro-” I started to ask, but he cut me off as he threw my hand off of his shoulder and he then proceeded to pace back and forth as before. He was frantic, hysterical even and I had no idea how to calm him.

After some time of standing and watching him and contemplating how to help him, he fell to the floor and rolled around. I ran to him and knelt by his side trying to stop his movements.