How the Public Finds Out
The smoke choked her as she coughed, waving her arms about to squint through the darkness. Her eyes burned, her feet ached as she pushed on through, climbing through what seemed to be rubble. She didn’t have a clue as to where she was or what she was searching for. All she could go by were her senses.
A loud explosion was heard from her left side as she threw herself to the ground for cover. She was startled when she heard the low groans from a man not too far from where she lay. She tried to get up but she was caught on something, her foot not budging. Another explosion. More groans. Her further struggle to break free.
“Annalisa..” She whipped her head around but was only met with blackness all around her. She tried to speak but her voice didn’t seem to work. ”Annalisa..” Panic filled her chest, suffocating her.
A crashing noise jolted her awake. Grumbles and hushed curses could be heard from another room, followed by running water. A sweet aroma filled the air, twitching her nose. Anna glanced at the clock and noticed she had been sleeping for a little over an hour. Her eyes slightly burned from the massive amount of crying and lack of sleep. Exhaustion and grief briefly paralyzed her as she lay in the comfort of being tangled up in her sheets.
“Fuck!” She heard Harry cuss and grew curious after another crash. Anna rubbed her tired eyes before throwing the covers off of her and crawling out of the warm bed, her toes curling at the chill from the cold wood.
As she wandered to the center of all the ruckus, the scent became stronger as did the sizzling sounds of bacon, her empty stomach growling and her mouth watering. She found Harry hovering over the stove, a spatula in one hand as his other held the handle of the frying pan he was using to cook the bacon. Her heart melted and her eyes brimmed with grateful tears.
She didn’t know what she did to deserve such a wonderful man; a man that got up at the crack of dawn to meet her after she had snapped at him when he was trying to be helpful. But there he stood with a mocha latte, her favorite, after his own grueling schedule and being woken up from a deep sleep. A man who hugged her tight, gave her time to silently grieve her loss as he lay with her in bed. A man who rubbed her back and said no words, knowing she didn’t want to hear the words because he knew there were none that would change anything. None that could bring back the loss of an innocent little boy.
And now here he was. Attempting to not cause a fire in her kitchen as he slaved over the stove, cooking her a standard breakfast. Her lips lifted up to a half smile as she glanced around and noted the mess he had made. A bowl with remnants of pancake batter with various pots and dishes were piled up in the sink. Her counters had a dusting of flour with the occasional batter that was splattered about.
“Bloody hell!” Harry switched the burner off, quickly moving the smoking frying pan to an unoccupied burner to shake off the heated grease that had splashed on him. “Shit,“ he brought his finger to his mouth.
A giggle escaped her and as soon as the sound made it to Harry’s ears, he whipped around to face her. He was greeted by a watery smile, and her disarrayed curls from her tossing and turning. He grinned sheepishly and waved the spatula at her. ”Hi.”
She whispered a soft hi back and opened her arms when Harry tossed the spatula in the sink with the rest of the dirty dishes and made his way around the breakfast bar that separated them. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he hugged her by her shoulders. She lifted her head that rested on his chest and looked up at him. He studied her, searching for any signs of what she needed from him. ”How are you feeling, love?”
She sighed and tightened her hold on him. ”Tired.” He smoothed her curls, cradling the back of her head while leaning down to kiss her softly. Their lips lay pressed together for a few moments, just enjoying this private moment after a tough day and night. Anna was the first to break the contact, peering behind him. ”Did you do all this for me?”
Harry shrugged. ”Well, technically it’s for both of us. I’ve only got a few hours before I have to head back to base.” Her eyes shifted back to his and he could immediately see the look of disappointment. ”I know, I’m sorry. I’m doing some night flying and it’s sort of tricky to get out of that.” He threaded his fingers in her hair to gently massage her aching head, Anna’s eyes fluttering shut at the soothing sensations.
“Harry, you don’t have to be sorry. I know you have work.” She purred when he began to knead the muscles in her neck.
“Do you go back tonight?”
“No, forcing me to take tonight off.” She licked her lips and moaned, Harry’s hands causing tingles to run through her. “Mm, that feels nice.“
The familiar twitch in his pants couldn’t be helped with the sound of her husky voice, moaning from his ministrations. With a self satisfied grin, he ducked his head and kissed the corner of her mouth sweetly before he cringed as a stabbing pain was felt on his finger. He tore his hands away from her and looked at the burn that was forming on his skin.
Harry lifted up his wound and pouted. ”I got a booboo.”
Anna let out a hearty laugh, holding his large hand in her tiny one. ”Aw, my baby has a booboo?” He nodded, his bottom lip folding over his top dramatically. ”Does Nurse Anna-“
“Nurse Peaches.”
She giggled. ”Right, does Nurse Peaches have to kiss it better?” He wiggled his eyebrows, causing her to chortle. She brought her lips to the blotchy pink skin and placed a gentle kiss. Harry then pointed to his cheek, turning his head slightly to the left. She smiled and obliged, kissing his cheek.
“Much better.”
“Silly monkey.” Harry tickled her side as she squirmed away from him. “Harry!“ He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up by one arm, bringing her flush against him. She could feel the growing erection against her and smirked. “Is that for me too?”
****MATURE*****
Harry winked, a cocky smirk gracing his face. ”Mm, I believe so, my love.” His eyes darkened when she shifted her body, her arms around his neck, the friction hardening his cock further. He groaned when she repeated the action. ”Annalisa, if you don’t stop now..”
Anna lifted up her brows in question. ”If I don’t stop now, what?” She threaded her fingers in his locks before swiping her tongue across his lips.
“Baby..” He pushed his lust aside, recalling the state she was in before she fell asleep. She crashed her lips to his hungrily, meshing them together. She clung to him, desperate to feel him take control and occupy her mind. ”Are you sure? We don’t hav-“
Anna shushed him with another hungry kiss. ”I need you, Henry..” It was all he needed to hear as he captured her mouth in his, tongues sliding wetly as their hands wildly pulled at clothes, searching for skin. ”Please.. just make me feel good..” Harry moved them back towards the sofa, planting her feet on the floor long enough to strip her of the black boyshorts and tank top she wore, while she hurriedly removed his shirt and pajama pants.
“Annalisa.. shit, baby.” He raised her up and set her bottom on the edge of the sofa, pushing her legs open to fit in between them. With one arm behind her back to support her, his other went for her heaving chest, kneading her breast and rolling the tip of her nipple.
Anna threw her head back, hissing out a drawn yes as he continued to twist and pinch her erect nipple. He brought his mouth to suck it in his mouth, his tongue laving at her. Her hands pulled on his fiery locks, firing him up as his free hand roughly grabbed at her thigh. ”Please make me feel good..” He moved to pay the same attention to her other nipple and Anna locked her legs around him.
“Hold onto me, peaches.” His hoarse voice made her grow wetter than ever before. She clung tighter to him, her fingers sliding from his hair to dig her nails in his shoulder blades as he supported her weight. With her bottom barely on the sofa, Harry entered her in one swift motion.
“Oh so fucking good..” He dropped his head forward, her walls already milking his dick as he pushed himself deeper, filling her up. She squeezed around him over and over, causing Harry to grunt and falter in his controlled movements. “Fuck me harder..“
Harry growled, pulling out of her but before she could whimper in protest, he set her back on the ground and turned her around. She placed her hands on the sofa, biting her lip as his hands roughly grabbed at her thighs, opening them up so he could feel the wetness there from how aroused she was. ”So fucking wet, you’re dripping.. fuck.”
She gasped when he slid into her from behind, and didn’t hesitate to push back on him. Harry began to thrust at a feverish pace, his breathing come out in harsh puffs as he pounded into her. ”Is this what you wanted, peaches?” He leaned to whisper harshly against her ear, his words coming out choppy.
Anna cried out, begging him to go faster, to go harder. She needed this, needed to forget about everything but Harry and the things he was doing to her body. He scratched at her thighs, pushing deeper and harder. ”Like this, baby?”
“Yes, fuck.. please.”
The sound of skin slapping against skin, their moans and cries of bliss filled the air. When Harry reached to rub the nub that made her come undone, he instantly felt her walls contract around him as she screamed out her release. He followed suit, biting down on her shoulder as he did, filling her up with every drop he had to offer.
******EM*****
He straightened up and turned her face to his to place an affectionate kiss on her pink lips. ”You okay?”
She smiled reassuringly at him, kissing him again in reply.
——
“I have a surprise for you.”
She was curious, he could tell by the expression she wore as he took her hand and led her to her music room.
“A surprise? Cold pancakes and extra, extra crispy bacon wasn’t it? Sofa sex?”
Harry chuckled. ”Psh, that was all for me, darling.” She stuck her tongue out at him and he did the same before turning serious. ”Now this I did for you.” The door creaked open slowly and he guided them into the room. Anna gasped in surprise and in awe.
He painted her wall. An endless array of colors sprinted it’s way across the wall, ranging from vivid pinks and light blues. A manifold of colorful birds specked it’s way across the rainbow of colors, around the forms of white clouds. There was the beginnings of a sunset, and it brought such a warmth glow to the room.. and to Anna’s heart.
“Harry,” she gushed, marveling at the mural. She gripped his hand tighter in her grasp. “When did you have time to do all this?“
He shuffled his feet to stand directly behind her as they both studied the fresh painting. He whispered in her ear, “I’m a man of many mysteries.” She chuckled and leaned back on him as his arms came round to hug her to him. ”It’s not quite finished, obviously but..” He nuzzled her hair, breathing in the peach scent and felt his stomach flutter. He prayed she would always have that effect on him. ”I wanted to leave you a piece of happy before I had to head back out again until the weekend.”
“Wow, this is.. absolutely.. amazing, Harry. It’s so beautiful, I love it.” Anna cocked her head up to look at him, smiling ear to ear as her hypnotic eyes met his. “I love you.. so much.“
Harry pecked her mouth. ”I’m sorta fond of you… I guess.” He snickered when she scrunched up her nose at him. ”I love you, baby.”
She smiled and puckered her lips for another kiss, Harry obliging as he laughed lightly. ”Thank you.. for everything.”
—-
“Get some sleep, bluebird.” Anna tapped the little girl on the nose, winking when she saw the sleepy grin. She turned to the girl’s mum who was getting the cot ready that Anna had found for her, fixing the blankets and pillows to get comfortable. “Looking good. I’ll be back in to check on her fluids in a bit but you should get some rest for now.“
The haggard woman nodded and smiled tiredly, looking older than being in her late twenties from the constant stress and worry. Anna wished her a well night and turned to go with the chart in one hand but was stopped short when a hand grasped hers tightly.
“Thank you.” Anna shook her head, but the woman continued. “For the place to sleep and for making my little angel smile during.. all of this.“
Anna smiled warmly, swallowing back the tears, and squeezed her hand in reassurance. She glanced at the now sleeping little girl and her smile widened. ”She’s perfect. So full of life and energy. She keeps me smiling.” Her misty eyes shifted back to the girl’s mum who pulled her into a gentle hug.
“We couldn’t have asked for a more welcoming place.”
They hugged for another moment before pulling away. ”If you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to buzz us.”
Anna walked towards the Nurses Station while documenting her recent actions of her latest rounds. She rested the charts on the counter and leaned forward to lay her head on the cool surface, resting her blurry eyes. She felt a presence come up next to her and groaned, knowing it was Lily by the signature flowery scent of hers. ”What time is it?”
Her head snapped up when a stack of magazines were tossed beside her, startling her. ”Time to tell me I was right about you and the Prince. I knew it! I’ve been saying it for weeks and Paul kept giving me the nutty looks. You and,” she lowered her voice, leaning in so only them two could hear, “Prince Harry.”
“What? What the hell are you yapping about?” Lily gestured towards the stack of papers with big headlines.
Prince Harry’s new brunette girlfriend
Prince Harry and new love embrace outside hospital
Harry and Nurse: serious talks of marriage after just months of dating
Blondes may have more fun, but it’s a brunette who’s doing it better for Prince Harry
Her heart was beating erratically and her palms began to sweat. Lily was speaking to her but she couldn’t hear a word as the blood pounded in her ears. Harry had made sure she was ready for this before they threw caution to the wind. And she was ready for it. But now seeing the words on several papers, and god knows all over the internet, everything that Harry had warned her about.. was right there.
This was real. And it was only the beginning.
“Lily..”
“Oh my god! Just wait until I get my hands on that husband of mine! Oh, I had hoped for this when Paul came home that night and told me you two were chatting up. Paul’s always spoke quite highly of him and you just seem like the perfect match..”
“Lily..”
“I just knew it! How long has this been going on? Have you shagged him yet? Oh, please tell me you have.”
“Lily!”
Her fellow nurse shut her mouth and looked apologetic at Anna. ”Oh bloody hell, I’m so sorry, love.” She rested a hand on her shoulder. ”Are you alright? You look quite pale, dear.”
Anna took a few quick deep breaths, calming her nerves. ”Okay… Okay.” She kept chanting softly, ignoring the concerned looks from Lily as she stared at the clear photos of her and Harry in a tight cuddle outside of the hospital. ”Okay, yeah. I mean, this is it..”
“Annalisa..”
She averted her eyes and Lily choked back a laugh at the frantic look. ”Oh, honey. You look petrified!” She closed in on her and the two stood there in the empty halls in a comforting embrace. ”Do you need some tea?”
Anna shook her head. ”No, thanks.. I’m okay, really. Just in a state of..”
“Shock?”
They both giggled. ”Yeah, I guess you could say that.” She looked to the photos again and sighed. A smile formed on her lips when she really studied the couple in them, looking beyond who they were and focusing on what it was. Two people locked in a tight, warm embrace. A man comforting the woman he loves in plain sight, uncaring of passerby’s during the early morning hours. Dark hair visible as her face hid in his neck, while his hair was hidden by the cap he wore, his head leaning on hers.
“Harry.” She gushed. Lily pat her shoulder in response, also peering down with a genuine smile.
“Oh, you two look cozy and adorable.”
Anna grinned. ”Yeah.”
“Goodness, look at you! All in loove!” The two locked arms as Anna blushed and refused to gossip.
Hours later, she strolled into the locker room and sighed in relief. Throughout the night, the hospital staff had mixed emotions as they passed by her in the halls. Some smiled and offered sweet words while others turned their noses at her. She wasn’t sure what to make of that, not wanting to make it seem like it bothered her. And it didn’t.. that much.
She opened her locker and dug through her bag to pull out her phone. She quickly tapped her passcode and was greeted with several missed calls, a few voicemails and an obsessive amount of text messages. ”Jesus.”
She scanned the list of missed calls and rolled her eyes. Mom. Kathie. Gabe. Mom. Gabe. Gabe. Kathie. Gabe. Grandma? Really, grandma?
She ignored the voicemails and went straight to her text messages. She checked to see if Harry had messaged her since their brief conversation this morning. She opened up their conversation and smiled, reading back on the latest messages.
Good morning peaches.. I won’t be available much.. spending hours cramped up in the apache
that’s nurse peaches to you 😉 you tell that apache who’s boss
I am pretty dominant
don’t I know it
Is that a complaint? Let’s rewind and discuss a few instances where you were clearly enjoying yourself
oh fuck me
shit this backfired.. missing you
Miss you too, captain.. come home to me.. I’m lonely in this big bed without you
Fuck, Annalisa.. naughty girl
😉 get to work, have a good day.. love you
love you baby be good
Annalisa sighed, missing him deeply. There were no messages from him since that. She knew there were many contacts to get back to, to ease their minds that she was fine, but all she wanted was to talk to Harry. She wanted to hear his comforting words, wanted to pick his brain, valuing his opinion and take on things now that they were stories being written about them. She wondered if he knew but then shook the thought aside, knowing he would have contacted her if he did.
She bit her lips nervously and typed out a reply to a group message of her brothers, parents, and grandma. I’m okay, guys. Can’t talk now, I’ll call you later.
Then she went to the next group message and she smiled at the surprise. Maggie, Beth and Liv sent her a group message.
M- Hey girl, we just wanted to show you our support.
L- If you need anything give us a ring.
B- That includes kicking his arse for fucking up.
M- We need to do lunch, asap.
L- Text us your schedule so we can arrange something.
B- Hope you’re well!
Anna felt.. loved. They were quickly becoming friends and she was grateful for that.
A- Hey guys, sorry for the late response. Just getting out of work now and thank you so much for the messages. I’m free for lunch for the rest of the week. Harry’s on base until the weekend so until then, all yours 🙂
B- Oh sure, kick us to the curb when your man gets back in town.
M- Don’t hate just because you’re jealous, B.
L- Ladies, let’s not scare off Anna right from the start. Gradually show your crazies.
A- Ha! You guys are seriously the best. Thank you. Lunch this week?
All at once, replies of tomorrow sounding good came through and Anna was ecstatic. She was looking forward to girl time where she could talk freely about Harry, not worried about any of them babbling to the press.
As she was walking through the doors to the fresh air, she immediately caught eye of two men with cameras around their necks.
Fuck.
Too stunned to react with the first few flashes, she stood frozen like a deer caught in headlights. After a couple moments, she gathered herself together and made her way to the curb to hail a taxi, all the while ignoring their pestering.
When she was settled into the back of the cab, her phone buzzed. Harry.
Are you okay?? Just heard the news.
I’m fine.. a little weirded out cause it’s all so new to me but.. I’m good 🙂 Had two admirers waiting for a picture when I got out..
Fuck I’m sorry, peaches.
What? No, Harry. I’m fine, really.. just a tad pissed that they caught me after 12 hours.. where were they before my shift started? Looked fresh then 😦
Ha! You’re beautiful
Okay, suck up.
😉 Gotta go baby.. just checking up on you, making sure I still got a girlfriend after today.
I love you. I’m not going anywhere.
Congratulations, you just became a royal girlfriend.
As long as I get to keep my Prince Charming, I’ll be alright.
Always. Love you, be good.
Always.. except when you’re around 😉
I have a habit of turning you into a bad girl.. many kisses
Anna leaned back in her seat after turning her screen off and sighed. She turned to gape out the window as the reality sunk in. Her personal life was about to change. She hoped to god her professional wouldn’t be affected by it. Chewing on her lip, she thought back to the dirty looks she had received already.
And then there was her family, who she had been avoiding for awhile now. They had questions, concerns.. comments. She didn’t have the heart to tell them off, so instead she found herself dodging their calls and responding their messages with quick two word answers. But she knew she couldn’t avoid them any longer.
She had Harry to guide her through this. They had her.
Wild Winter's Day 