My Home From Home - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

"Congratulations Mrs Harper, you're pregnant." Henry let a smile creep across his face as he watched the revelation slowly descend upon the faces of the young couple sat across from him in his office. The wife, Sarah worked in the mine's administrative offices whilst her husband Jude was a foreman at the mine. They were a few years younger than Henry and seemed to be living perfect lives; married for seven years and now finally expecting their first child after much anticipation.
"P-pregnant?!" Jude's face brightened visibly; a wide grin blossoming over his face as he turned to his wife, who bashfully smiled with a wide smile on her pleasant face.
"Yes." Henry explained with a knowing smile, he knew just how important this was to them; they'd waited a long time for this very moment. "But I urge you both to exercise caution, which means you." He playfully raised a brow towards Sarah. "No hard work or heavy lifting. And you." His gaze shifted towards Jude, "Take good care of her."
"I will do, Doctor. You've got my word." Jude chuckled, barely able to contain his excitement. "We're having a baby!" He explained happily, leaning in to kiss his wife lovingly on the lips as they shared a moment together.
Henry smiled with a content sigh as he watched the couple happy cherish their special moment; any of his own worries or concerns he had were pushed deep into the recesses of his mind. Because this was one of the moments he lived for; pregnancies, good diagnoses, negative pathology reports, cures, and turns for the better. But on the flip side of the coin he hated all the things that casted shadows upon his professions; bleak prognoses, grim diagnoses, death, pain.
Soon the Harpers left his office and left Henry alone with his thoughts; he only prayed he'd have that happiness one day in life, to be a father. But alas he knew he never would; he'd never be able to marry the man he loved, dance in public in the arms of the man he loved, have a family with the man he loved. Though in his youth he found himself growing bitter and even jealous of people living these simple pleasures that he knew he'd never have, he'd since grown and learnt to simply live vicariously through them.
But even as a fortnight had passed since the night Henry had first made love with Thomas in his bedroom, he felt more and more that what he shared with Thomas wasn't just a one-and-done like his past encounters with men had been; this was different, more intense, more potent, more memorable, more addictive.
It had been over a week since Danny began to improve and ceased to be at risk of infecting others; thus also ended Thomas and Henry's quarantine, and most importantly to them both, it was deemed safe for the precious little blue eyes baby Alfie to be at home. There was an I explicable feeling of incompleteness that seized to be the moment the halls were once filled with the sounds of Alfie's precious baby noises and giggles; like the house was once again a home.
However with normalcy came alongside it the need to sort out the logistics of how Henry and Thomas would work their little setup; ultimately resulting in the mutual  that they'd sneak into one another's room and fall asleep  in each  others' arms. Thus leaving one of them with the responsibility of waking early to sneak back to their own rooms before Danny woke up. every night fortnight they shared these coveted moments in each other's arms, sometimes even tempting fate by stealing moments alone during the day; and with each passing encounter Henry and Thomas felt themselves falling harder and deeper for each other.
"Dr Dunmurry?" Henry heard a voice beckon from the door, drawing him out of his thoughts as he glanced up through the fringe of raven black hair that'd fallen into his sapphire blue eyes. "Dr Dunmurry, I'm going out to lunch with Emily. Is there anything you need from me before I go?" Asked Mary with a smile.
"No, Mary, but thank you. You go on and enjoy yourself." Henry smiled at her with a nod, watching as the girl turned on her heels and sauntered away. There was something refreshing about Mary, she was a sweet young girl though there was always a glint of melancholy in her eyes. And how could anyone blame her? She was married young and whilst pregnant, her husband who worked in the mines died in a grizzly mining accident about a year ago; the stress alone was enough to cause poor Mary to miscarry.
Henry got on well with Mary, he thought her to be more of a friend than an employee at the surgery; though he was always mindful to maintain a healthy and professional mix of friendship that didn't encroach upon their employer-employee relationship during the work day. He'd often have lunch with her and they'd talk about things and get better acquainted with one another; but in the past two weeks he'd encouraged her to take lunch breaks outside of the infirmary.
He felt there was a melancholy in her eyes and after a few questions from some of the town gossips, he was able to find out that poor young Mary kept to herself since her husband died. She had only one close friend in town, Emily, and other than that she was quite the introvert; so Henry decided to encourage her go to lunch with Emily a few times a week so that she wouldn't grow bored having lunch with Henry everyday. Of course this all seemed rather selfless to the onlooker, but Henry Aldringham would be lying if he said he didn't get something out of the setup; more alone time with his Mountie.
Henry walked over to the sink in his office to check his reflection in the looking glass, running his hand through his hair and examining his face to ensure he looked presentable before stepping out into the corridor to nonchalantly make his way over towards the police station.
"Well thank you so much for the permit, Constable." Henry heard a smooth charismatic voice coming from inside Thomas' office as he tiptoed close to the door; this was the benefit Henry got from Mary going to lunch with Emily a few times a week; peaceful alone time with Thomas.
"No worries, Father Peter." Thomas replied politely, followed immediately by an awkwardly long silence that ensued whilst Henry stood just outside the door, his back against the wall as he stood quietly and listened in on the conversation; he knew it was terribly common to eavesdrop but he couldn't help but be intrigued. "Will that be all you need today, Father?" Asked Thomas, with the slightest tinge of impatience in his courteous tone, though it was so minute only Henry could tell it was there, mostly because he knew already why Thomas would want to lightly shoo Father Peter away in that moment; it was well into their lunch hour and Thomas had plans with a certain raven haired young Doctor.
"Ah! Yes, I do believe so, Constable. Thank you once again, and do enjoy the rest of your day." Father Peter replied with his smooth silky voice as Henry heard the young clergyman's dress shoes tapping against the wood floor as his footsteps approached towards the doorway.
"Same to you as well, Father. Enjoy your day." Replied Thomas graciously, as Henry manoeuvred away from the wall to look as casual as possible whilst the priest approached the doorway, lengthening his spine and allowing a soft polite smile to blossom over his lips for when the priest first saw him.
"Oh, Good afternoon, Doctor!" Father Peter jumped ever so slightly, a pleasantly surprised smile blossoming over his face as he saw Henry.
"Good afternoon, Father Peter. I trust you're doing well?" Henry nodded respectfully at the charming young chestnut haired priest.
"Oh, not so bad, just a bit busy with church fête preparations, is all. I do look forward to seeing you there, Doctor." The young priest gave Henry one of his charismatic smiles.
"I'm quite looking forward to it." Smiled Henry warmly to the young clergyman. "Right, well. I should hate to keep you from your duties, Father. Especially not when I know you've so much to do."
"Quite right, Doctor. I really should be off now, good day to you." And with a polite bow of the neck which  Henry reciprocated, the young priest was off.
Henry watched as the man walked out into the waiting area and straight out of the glass front-entrance as the bells jingling above the door heralded a partial sense of much-anticipated solitude, though he waited with patiently to watch the man step out onto the pavement before he let his guard down. And when he finally saw Father Peter disappear clear out of view, Henry let out a relieved sigh, knowing they were now alone at last; he turned on his heels to make his way into Thomas' office, only to gasp at the sudden feeling of his body colliding against another.
Thomas snaked his muscular forearm around Henry's waist, catching him just in time as the slender young man nearly lost his balance. Henry raised his gaze up to look into Thomas' deep brown eyes, his lips lightly parted as he let himself take in the handsome man's perfectly chiselled facial structure and strong jawline.
"Sorry." Thomas and Henry profusely apologised simultaneously as pulled away from one another; realised where they were, visible to anyone who might pass by. Thomas working out any wrinkles , whilst straightening out his waistcoat and tweed suit jacket; he always enjoyed these little moments they stole from the world to be together. He wished more than anything to be able to court henry properly; a nice dinner at the restaurant, a romantic soirée, holding hands as they strolled down the pavement; something he felt 'normal' couples, as they would've been called at the time, had the privilege of enjoying. A privileged that Thomas and Henry didn't have.
"Is he gone?" Thomas turned towards the door to ensure the coast awas clear.
"Father Peter?" Henry scanned Thomas' face intently as the taller blond rolled his eyes with a nod. "Yes, I watched him leave..." Henry trailed off; a part of him wanting to probe on the matter.
"Alone at last." Thomas smiled cheekily as he walked over lock the front door latch before making his wayback up to Henry with a smirk creeping over his handsome face. He backed Henry into his office and shut the door behind him, playfully whirling the dark haired lad in his arms and pinning him up against the wall.
He smirked into a kiss, curling his arm around Henry's waist and pulling him close into his body. Henry was butter in dashing the young Constable's arms, running his hand through his dark blond hair as the kiss good deeper and more heated; Thomas grabbing a hold of one of Henry's thighs and pulling it up against his body as his free hand roamed Henry's slender build. Henry felt his head go into a fit of lust and desire, his breath growing more laboured as his heartbeat grew faster.
"I've been looking forward to seeing you all morning..." Thomas whispered breathily as he took a break from Henry's lips to kiss and suck on the soft skin on the nape of his neck.
"You saw me this morning at breakfast..." Henry responded between chaotic respirations, a slight moan escaping him as Thomas' lips tenderly travelled over Henry's alabaster skin.
"Can one blame me for wanting to see you as often as I can?" Teased Thomas as he unlatched his lips off of Henry's supply neck and pulled back to look into his deep blue eyes, cupping Henry's face with his sturdy hand and caressing his soft cheek with his thumb as the raven haired lad blushed wildly.
"I suppose not..." Henry whispered breathily, his glazed over eyes watching as the handsome blond pulled away from him.
"I know we usually like to chat and what-not during our little lunch dates, but I'm absolutely swamped with work. You wouldn't mind awfully if I worked through lunch this time round? You're more than welcome to stay whilst I work, but I understand if you'd rather not." Thomas  tugged at the hems of his red serge tunic to straighten them out, tidying up his dark golden blond hair from their little moment of passion just then.
"Of course, I understand completely, but I should hate to get in the way..." Henry gave him a perplexed glance.
"You wouldn't be." Thomas smiled down at him as he sat himself down in his desk chair, gesturing for the raven haired doctor to sit as well. "I like just having you near me, even if I can't be paying attention to you. Is that terribly strange to say?"
"No..." Replied Henry softly as he lowered himself down in the chair across from Thomas; a light tinge of rouge permeating across his alabaster cheeks as he ran a hand through his dark hair and pushed it back atop his head. "Not in the slightest."
Henry sat silently as he watched the handsome young Constable go about his work, doing paperwork and tending to some legal police work; the sort of thing Henry usually never found particularly interesting. He would often watch his Papa and Edward tend to the issues regarding the running of their estate in Hertfordshire, though in contrast to how he was with Thomas, Henry never asked or showed interest in what his father nor brothers did. But with Thomas he found himself asking questions when they were off duty; questions about his work, questions about his life, his likes, his dislikes. And in turn Thomas would ask about Henry's day and interests; to which the young doctor often played mental gymnastics trying to keep everything in accordance with confidentiality and privacy laws of the Royal College of Physicians.
Thomas worked furiously through lunch; there was much to do about vendor permits for the church fête in a few weeks, allocations of town funds to the mayor's office, important letters from RCMP headquarters, legal papers to file concerning federal mining permits for the coal-mines. But occasionally, out of the corners of his periphery, he'd detect movement out of his periphery; Henry moving about his office looking at random things, picking them up and putting them down. Though some might find that for too thing annoying, or a hinderance to his concentration; Thomas found it oddly endearing. Finish filling out these documents and you can look at him all you want. Thomas thought to himself; he often incentivised catching little glimpses of Henry as he did seemingly mundane things.
Everyday Thomas fell more and more deeper under Henry's spell; the way his eyes narrowed at things he found curious, the way his deep blue gaze seemed to brighten visibly as he spoke about things that interested him, the way his hair would fall into his face and his slender pale hands would push his lustrous dark hair up atop his head. And in turn Henry fell head over heals for everything from the way Thomas would fiddle with the pen between his fingers as he read things, or how he'd rest his hand over his forehead whilst tensing his jaw as he worked. It was the little things, but each little thing had a big effect upon how their hearts yearned for one another.
"And that's all done with." Thomas huffed under his breath as he slapped his fountain pen down on his desk; tapping the stack of legal documents onto the mahogany desktop to align the pages neatly before setting them down. He looked up to see Henry now sat mundanely in the chair before him; his gaze deep blue now fixated towards the wall behind Thomas; towards the portrait of the King that was behind Thomas' chair flanked by two flags. One the proud Union Jack, and the other being the flag of Canada; the proud red ensign with its scarlet field, a coat of arms representing each province at the time, and a Union Jack in the upper righthand corner. But Henry's eyes weren't on either of the flags, they were clearly on the regal portrait of His Majesty King George V. "What's he like?" Asked Thomas, successfully drawing  Henry out of his distant trancelike state.
"His Majesty, you mean?" Henry furrowed his brows, watching as Thomas nodded to his question. "Well, he's just as one would expect. Dignified, calm, strong, a picture of grace, leadership, and regality; what any great monarch would be."
"So... Are you a Prince? Since your Great-Grandmother was Queen Victoria?" Asked Thomas curiously, a part of him still in disbelief that Henry not only knew members of the Royal Family, but was related to them. At times Thomas admittedly forgot they were real people, not just mythical characters on banknotes, coins, and postage stamps.
"Not quite." Chuckled Henry, he knew that Thomas likely didn't know their way, but a part of him liked that detail. "It's not how the conventions work. My Mama is a Princess of the United Kingdom because she's the grandchild of a reigning Monarch, but only the children and grandchildren of the Monarch are Princes and Princesses. Except for anyone in the direct line of succession, in that case a great-grandchild could be a Prince or Princess."
"That sounds... confusing?" Thomas contorted his handsomely chiselled face in bewilderment, earning him a knowing look from Henry.
"Everything about nobility is terribly confusing, I'm afraid. I daresay sometimes even for us." Admitted a very mellow Henry, his English Channel blue eyes lost in the depths of his memories, some fond and others not so much.
"What are they like behind closed doors? Surely you'd know them better than the rest of us given that you're family." Asked Thomas with a glint of curiosity in his warm brown eyes. "What are they really like?"
"It's not quite that simple, if I'm being honest." Henry pursed his lips in reminiscence. "The King is the King first and foremost. He's 'Your Majesty' first and 'Cousin George' after that. We bow whenever he enters the room and whenever he leaves whether it's in public or behind closed doors. But yes, I suppose after the bows and protocol is followed, I do know them a bit more than the general public, but at the end of the day their Royal titles outweighed our family relations."
"That sounds a bit..." Drawled Thomas.
"Stuffy, I'm afraid it is, rather..." Henry sighed with a saddened smile. "Such is the discombobulating world of the aristocracy."
"My father hated growing up in the aristocracy." Admitted Thomas. "He felt... He felt..."
"Trapped?" Henry cut him off; his voice cracking ever so slightly as he his gaze up from his lap to meet with Thomas' and though the young Constable had more questions he knew from the shattered look in those deep blue eyes, that now clearly wasn't the time.
As the day went on and their lunch rendezvous came to an end, Henry couldn't help but feel this strange tug on his heartstrings as he went on about his work; ultimately trudging through dinner and retiring early for bed to get some time alone. He changed out of his work clothing and slipped on his pyjamas; sitting at his bureau and opening his leather bound diary, he began to write...
5 December 1920
Dear Diary,
It has been quite some time since I've sought refuge within your leather-bound parchment; one can't help but feel as though the prior necessity I had to not feel so hopelessly alone has finally been kept at bay by none other than a certain Constable.
One never expected to feel so content with the life in which one finds oneself; every day we carry on simply as acquaintances who live within the same four walls, but every night we sneak into each others' rooms and fall asleep in each other's arms. Our naked bodies entangled as we keep one another warm in the bleak mid-winter; only ripped out of each others' embrace as the rays of the sun begin to peek out across the Rocky Mountains in the distance to herald in the early morning.
I remember when I was young, Great-Grandpapa would tell us stories of when he was Viceroy of India; how he'd long for the foggy, misty shores of his dear old blighty even as he found himself in a sunny temperate paradise. But whenever he missed home he'd simply remind himself that his children and beloved wife were with him in the Viceroy's Palace; and that's when he knew taht home wasn't a place, it was where you were surrounded by those you... love.
For me home was spending school holidays in Hertfordshire; breakfast with papa, tea in the library with Mama and Granny, helping Georgina with her French, riding around the estate with Edward, staying out of Matthew's way. Home for me was the London season, coming out balls, seeing my cousins and roaming about Knightsbridge and Belgravia. But today as I was sat in Thomas' office looking at a portrait of my dear cousin, the King, flanked by the flags of my home on one side and my home from home on the other, I couldn't help but find it a testament to how all that might have changed.
Home for me... is falling asleep in the arms of a man whom I've only known properly for mere months, only been intimate with for a measly fortnight . Yet somehow and some way, it's enough for me to still feel truly at home. I won't act as though I fully understand why Thomas is my home, but I also won't question it; Constable Thomas Wilson is my home from home.
One knows not what the future has in store for my Mountie and I; but whatever it may bring, one can only pray our paths remain intertwined; though I know not how that'd look, I pray that I could stay in my room, in his arms, in our bed forever, though alas life never has been that simple. But I suppose however it all pans out, however fate choses to write in our destiny, I shall always keep you privy to my inner thoughts and feelings as I have all this time, my dear Diary.
Love, Henry.
Henry shut the blotting paper between the pages taking a minute for himself to simply breathe; something he hadn't truly allowed himself all evening. He stared off towards the wall, not even realising that the door behind him had creacked open and been shut once more. He was miles away, lost in his own thoughts; the muddled feelings of warmth at the thoughts of Thomas and his relationship, the dread of missing home paired with the juxtaposed dread at the thought of going back. So many mixed emotions that made him want to scream and let it all out.
"Hello there, you." Henry felt a strong pair of hands running over his shoulders; Thomas' breath tickled his neck as he leant down and kissed the soft alabaster skin in the nape of Henry's neck. "You seem tense..." He whispered huskily as he kissed up Henry's neck and onto his cheek. "Is something the matter?" He asked softly; his lips broke contact with Henry's skin.
"No, no. Nothing of the sort." Henry replied with a soft smile, cocking his head to the side to look into Thomas' eyes as he placed his hand over the Constable's, which rested tenderly on Henry's shoulder.
"Come." Thomas said softly, earning him a cocked eyebrow from the raven haired lad. "Let's have a chat." And with that he took Henry by the hand, playfully tugging him along to standing. He led the young doctor across the room and sat him down on the soft quilted bed covers. "I did something today that I shouldn't've."
"What?" Henry asked, his eyes scanning Thomas' as he felt a strange sensation of dread deep within his chest.
"I knew you were upset about something." Thomas admitted with a sigh. "I could tell you were preoccupied with something but I didn't want to encroach upon your privacy. So I chose to simply not do anything when I clearly should've done. So I'm here now." He said as he reached over to take Henry's hand in his own, thumbing the back of it fondly as cupped Henry's cheek with his free hand. "If you ever. Ever. Want to talk to someone. I'm here. Anything you want, anytime."
"That's jolly kind of you..." Henry gasped quietly, his eyes pooling with tears as he felt his lips lose control; quivering like an autumn leaf quite ready to fall off the tree. He felt his English stiff upper lip betray him though he ultimately fought it back.
"Of course, I'm right here... Always will be..." Thomas wrapped his arms around the dark haired lad; his warmth engulfing him and chastely kissing him atop the dark mess of hair that pressed against his face. For he too, knew not what the future had in store for him and the dear boy he held in his arms, but he knew one thing for absolutely certain. No matter what happened, Henry would always have a place in his heart and his thoughts just as he had since the day he first laid eyes on him.