The Beast (Harry Styles)

Chapter Eighteen Part Two: Misfortune

Into the house we go back

Where Adeline's mind is all out of whack;

Her father's leg has made her nervous

And she only hopes the results won't prove her worries certain. . .

~.~

When Edward had asked us to leave the room, I was wary to begin with. Nothing good can come from a doctor wishing to be alone with a patient to break the prognosis.

"Adeline, everything will be fine," Harry attempted to reassure my spiked nerves. Yet I continued to pace around outside of my house.

"But what if it's not?" I stopped for a moment and shook my head. "No, I can't afford to think like that." My mind began to wander into the unknown and fearful future that my father might hold.

"Adeline." The softness in Harry's voice caused me to stop pacing. He walked to me and grabbed my hands. "Everything will be fine; just because this chapter might be full of misfortune doesn't mean the whole story has to be."

"History repeats itself, and it gets nastier each time with new revelations."

"But you have to change history if you want a new beginning." He sighed. "Look, Adeline, please have trust in Edward that even if something terrible happened to your father he can fix it or at least send him on the way to solve the problem."

"I do," I tried explained to Harry as I removed my hands from his. "It's just that I don't know what will happen if my father is permanently injured and can't work, or he's paralyzed, or—-"

"Adeline." 

I stopped rambling and looked towards Harry.

"If your father was paralyzed, he wouldn't be moving at all. I think if anything he might have sprained his leg or broke it when he fell, which is completely survivable." Harry offered a small smile. "And I wouldn't let your father die before he warms up to me."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't hide the smirk. "So glad to know you are so concerned about the health and welfare of my father for completely benevolent and altruistic purposes."

"Are you insinuating that I'm not a kind and completely selfless person?" Harry attempted to sound offended, putting his hand on his chest as if he had just developed a pain. "Kindness is my middle name!"

"Keep telling yourself that, princess," I teased turning my back to Harry to return inside the house.

"You know you love me," Harry bantered as he caught up to me, our paces becoming in sync as we ventured up the steps.

"I think you've mistaken tolerance for affection; maybe you should have Edward check you out for delusion." I portrayed concern while turning the knob to the front door.

"Keep telling yourself that, princess," Harry mimicked while we walked through the front door.

"Ha ha, very funny; pure amusement on my face and in my heart." Harry and I reached the foyer, and though Harry had released some of the tension, apprehension was still heavily on my mind.

There was so much potential to go awry, and my biggest fear seemed to lie in the fact being there was still this large portion of the unknown hanging over my head. It was like planning a picnic on the day the rain clouds seemed to hover on the skyline, yet no drops of rain had fallen. You knew it might happen, or it simply might not; but which was it? You don't possess the answer until it may be too late.

"Adeline; Harry," Edward acknowledged us when we walked into the living room.

"Edward," Harry greeted back. "What seems to be wrong with his leg?"