Never Gonna Quit It [h.s.]

Chapter Nineteen:

Harry

He couldn't make himself believe what she'd just said. He refused to accept it although he knew she wouldn't lie. His heart was falling apart at the seems. Of course, it would be just his luck, the second woman he'd ever loved would be taken away from him and he didn't have a choice in the matter. If there was a God, he sure seemed to have it out for him.

His voice caught in his throat, it felt like he was suffocating, "C-cancer?"

The doctor nodded and he felt his heart stop beating and his lungs collapse upon themselves. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. It had to be a dream. It had to be.

"I see, you haven't told him yet. Mr...?"

Harry was struggling breathe, the finality of it all sinking in, and stumbled over his answer, his hands pulling at his hair to no avail, "Styles. It's Styles."

Scarlett was playing with her hands in her lap, her gaze fixed anywhere but on him, she couldn't bear it to see his heart break because of her, as the doctor, Dr. Reineke, explained, sparing her the arduous task, momentarily at least.

Harry couldn't focus and all he managed to catch was "malignant", "spread to her brain", "surgery", and "might not work." All of which only made him feel that much worse, and he wasn't even the one with the cancer.

Swallowing hard he managed to ask feebly, "H-how much would the surgery cost?"

"Around £11,000 to £25,000 and even then there is only a small chance of complete destruction of the tumors."

It was no use hiding the hurt and utter despair he felt in that moment as he looked to Scarlett with tears in his eyes, "Why didn't you tell me?"

The tears were streaming down her face like waterfalls and it only made things worse in his opinion, he couldn't stand to see her cry but now, he couldn't stand to look away.

Scarlett searched her mind frantically for the right words to say, she couldn't quite figure it out the way she had wanted to but she answered him nonetheless, "I didn't want you to worry about me and...and I was afraid of how you'd react. I still remember that late night on the phone where you told me that one day you'd marry me when you got everything sorted out...and I...I thought that maybe you'd change your mind..."

Despite the nature of the conversation he found it in him to offer her a small smile as he took her hands in his, "A little cancer isn't going to make me change my mind about you, Scarlett. If anything it just makes me want to love you more."

He let her hands go so that he could caress her face gently in a very simple way of comfort, his thumb gently swiped a few tears away before he added, "We can beat this, and if not, I'm going to give you the world, okay?"

Scarlett nodded, her face puffy and eyes red from crying, mascara running down her flushed cheeks.

Harry took her hand in his again, "I told you it took some time for someone to take my heart and, believe me, you've surpassed that line by a mile. Scarlett, you have it all in the palm of your hand."

Scarlett leaned into him, wiping at her eyes with her free hand, "I'm sorry I just-I just don't know what to do, I'm scared."

Harry's thumb moved along her fingers in a calming manner as he spoke with teary eyes and a slight smile, "Please don't be sorry, there is nothing you need to be sorry for sweetheart. I'm scared too, but, we can both be scared together."

He hadn't meant to make anything worse but something he had said had the tears streaming down her face much more frequently and small hiccups escaping her rosy lips as she nodded. Harry pulled her in for a much needed hug and somehow, everything felt okay. They would fight this together, and some way, somehow, things would work out.