My Soldier - Missing Home

Lost Communication

26th October, 2018

~~Day 20, Nepal~~

Normal POV

"Alright 7 Section, I want eyes on as soon as we enter that building. Bones, Sparky and Tyler your with me. Miles, Jake and Kai, your with Lane hitting the side door. No one leaves that building, we get in, find our target and get them out. As soon as we have them, radio it in. Understood?" Charlie gives his orders and we all reply immediately. "Yes Captain." He nods and we all get ready to move out once we get the all clear from Special Forces who are scouting out the building from above. We weren't given much information, only that there is a British Male being held hostage in this building and we were the closest Military Presence to assist Special Forces to get him out. I check the weapon in my hand before I hear shuffling towards where I am kneeling. I look up and see Charlie now infront of me searching my face for something to tell him I am worried, but he doesn't find anything. "Nervous?" He teases like always, knowing I never get nervous. Not anymore. "Never." I shoot back instantly making him chuckle as he smiles at me. "Take it slow and check every room. We all come home." I nod with a stern expression, there's no way any of us are not coming home from this. But before I can say anything to break the small tension, word comes through on our radios from Special Forces. "Charlie come in." I nod and turn down my own radio so we can both listen in to his as the team goes silent so they can listen as best they can as well.

"Multiple hostiles inside spread out across the building. Target seems to be on the third floor but can't be 100% sure. Get ready to move out on my signal." I look to Charlie who has now gone a little pale knowing we have three floors to climb before reaching the target. That's a lot of floors. I nod in silent agreement of what we just heard before he gives me a look, telling me not to get shot then moves to get into position. I turn back to Jake, Miles and Kai, seeing there full attention already on me as we hear the other half of the team moving towards their entrance. "Alright guys you heard SF, three floors. Checking every room on the way. Jake, your leading us in, we check every room in pairs. Kai with Jake, Miles your with me. Call out if you see someone matching our target. And just because you have the medic with you, does not mean you can get shot." They all let out a small chuckle as I grin at the three guys I have with me, who just so happen to be my three closest people on this team. I'm not loosing any of them today. "Lane come in." I'm quickly snapped from my thoughts when I hear Spanner from Special Forces on my radio. "Go ahead Spanner." I reply as the team listen in. "Phase one is Logan taking out the guards outside. Phase two is Charlie hitting the front entrance. Phase three is you hitting the side entrance over." I look up and the team nod so I press my radio to reply. "Roger that, on your mark." We all move into position, Jake and Kai infront ready to hit the door with me and Miles ready to follow them in. Nothing but adrenaline rushing through my body waiting to get this over and done with..

"Phase One." Spanner calls into my ear, my radio now connected to my earpiece so our position isn't given away. I look up to the nearby buildings and quickly spot the slight glare of the Sniper Scope before we hear the slight give away we all know is the silencer as four seperate shots ring through the air. The last one closer than I'd like it to be as we hear the thud of a guard hitting the floor just above our heads. I calm my breathing as I wait for the next order to be given, and not even two breathes later, I hear Spanner's voice again in my ear. "Phase Two." I tap Kai's shoulder, letting him know to be ready before turning back to give Miles a nod. Silent communication between us letting them all know we're next just as we hear the front door being kicked in by Charlie's team. We all tense up waiting for our orders and my heart is pounding against my chest. I click the safety off with my thumb and as if on cue, I hear Spanner give his order into my ear. "Phase Three." I lift my left hand up and click the button on my radio. "Roger that." The guys infront of me shift ready to move hearing my voice before I look up and see the door just ahead of us. "Jake, when your ready, let's go." I say in a hushed tone and see him nod before we all begin to move quickly towards the door in single file. Miles staying still to watch our backs as we breach the door. I kneel infront of it as Jake and Kai are either side. I wait for them to give each other and nod as I hold my gun up at the door, expecting to be met with someone on the other side. I shut one eye, aiming at the door as I see Kai lift his leg ready to kick the door open.

Everyone comes home..

"CLEAR!" I call out as we check the last room on the second floor. So far so good. I follow Miles out the door and we wait for Kai and Jake to clear the stairs up to the third floor. They get into position and nod over so we can follow. We get into position on the stairs and wait to hear from Charlie, not wanting to go further without them. "Charlie what's your position?" I call out through my radio but no reply comes for at least a minute, which is not great but eventually, I hear his voice. "Moving towards the third floor now Lane, over." I nod and take my radio in my hand to reply. "Roger, on your mark Charlie." I lower my hand back to my gun and wait for his word, taking in some deep breathes as I do. I look around the three guys with me and suddenly a wave of something hits me, instantly I feel like something isn't right but before I can do anything, I hear Charlie's voice in my ear. "Move Lane!" I nod and look over to Jake. "Let's go Jake!" I tell him and he quickly starts moving. We all follow up the stairs and instantly we are met with heavy gunfire at the top of the stairs. Not knowing what is friendly and what is not, we keep moving. But then out of no where, an explosion goes off just ahead of us sending a rumble through the building below our feet. We wait for the smoke to clear but just as we go to move again, shots fire and instantly Kai let's out a scream. Fuck, that's not good. "MAN DOWN! MAN DOWN!" I hear Jake and instantly I move forward with Miles covering me from behind as I reach down and grab on to Kai's vest to drag him backwards.

"KAI CAN YOU HEAR ME?" I yell as I open out his vest on the floor near the stairwell. Miles and Jake kneeling either side covering us as I look for blood. "KAI TALK TO ME!" I yell again and catch his eyes moving around the room with his breathing completely out of control. "Kai, you need to calm down mate or you'll put yourself in shock. Talk to me, tell me where your hit." I calm my voice and he looks up into my eyes. "Shoulder.." He gets out between his staggered breathes so I move my eyeline to his shoulder and see the gunshot wound to his left shoulder. I quickly move to that side and lift his body to find an exit wound. He groans but I ignore it, knowing I need to move quickly. My body relaxes a little seeing an exit wound which makes my job a lot easier right now. "In and out mate, your going to be fine!" I tell him and feel his panic start to calm. "Thank fuck for that!" He shouts as I move his vest, but my thumb grazes something sharp. I look down and see another bullet sticking out his vest. I pull it out and hold it up to his eyeline. "Lucky bastard!" I joke and he quickly laughs. "Always have been!" He jokes back before more explosions start rumbling through the building. "Fuck!" Jake shouts out as he covers his face from the smoke. I grab some gauzes to pack Kai's shoulder but quickly notice how much blood he is loosing. "It's a bleeder." I say out loud and see Miles look over with slight concern in his expression as I reach for me radio with one hand. "I've got a GSW to the shoulder, in and out.. I.."

Another huge explosion goes off around us.. This one feeling very.. Real.. Shit!


"Argh Fuck!" One minute, I'm back in Afghanistan then the next thing I know, my body is being thrown out my bunk and my face is coming into contact with something a lot harder than my pillow. My head is spinning as the floor beneath me is shaking unnaturally. I try and find my bearings but it's no use. I open my eyes and look around, trying to find some sense to what is going on but nothing comes to the surface. The sound of metal clattering behind me as my bed is moving with the floor. I suddenly begin to hear past my room, hearing thuds and voices from the other side of the tent, letting me know I am in no way tripping or still in a dream. Once I finally lift my head up properly, I can feel a faint thudding where my face hit what I now know was the table leg of my desk as I feel a trickling of blood on my cheek. I search the room as my body wakes up fully, my mind coming back to me and as soon as it does, the realisation hits me.. Another Earthquake. Shit. We were warned this could happen. I hear another thud in the other room, followed by a voice. "Ah Fuck!" I really need to make sure everyone is okay. I begin to adjust myself so I can crawl across the room towards the door between the two rooms. The trembling seemingly starting to calm down under my hands as I take it slow and steady. Once I get to the door, I slowly get to my feet, my body hating this very new experience. It's unlike anything I have felt before. I get my balance, holding out my arms either side of me as the trembling is calming more and more. As soon as I feel confident enough to move, I unzip the door and instantly start searching the room as I walk inside carefully.

"EVERYONE CALL OUT TO ME!" I yell into the room and one by one, everyone calls out to let me know they are okay as I look around the room using my hand torch. Beds, pillows and bags spread out everywhere as bodies start moving towards the middle of the room on the floor. The ground is still moving but not as aggressively as it was a few minutes ago. As the last voice of Natalia calls out to me, I let myself relax hearing everyone is at least concious. "ANYONE HURT?" I shout and I get a chorus of different things just as the trembling seems to fade out. "Thank fuck for that." I hear Miles say as he gets to his feet. I can't help but laugh lightly as he looks over, doing the same when he sees me laughing. I see a cut on the side of his head as he walks over to where I am stood. "That was a new experience." I comment as he looks towards my cheek. "Deffiently mate." He hugs me quickly as I hear everyone else starting to get up and move their beds upright again. I see a few cuts and bruises on pretty much everyone before seeing Bones holding up his hand, revealing his little finger very much broken. "Every fucking time!" He shouts making us all laugh as I just shake my head. "Alright clear up and I'll get my bag to patch you all up!" I tell them all and hear everyone agree as I turn back to get my bag from my room. I lift my bed back up to it's rightful place, quickly use the bathroom and wash up before coming back to slip on my boots and grab my bag to head back with. As soon as I enter the room, so does Charlie. Looking a little panicked himself as he searches the room and checks everyone is okay like I did a few minutes ago.

"How is it you manage to do more damage than everyone else Bones?" I tease as I'm finishing tapping his little and ring fingers on his left hand together. He just laughs and shakes his head. "I have no idea Lane." I laugh as I cut the tape and make sure it's secure. "Right all done." He thanks me before Miles is the last person I need to see too. He sits down infront of me and I take out a wipe to clean his head just beside his right temple. "This might sting." I joke making him laugh as I lift the antiseptic wipe to clean the small bit of blood from his head. "You alright Lane?" He checks in as I clean his head carefully. "Always. Nothing like getting a wake up call with a bang to the face." I joke back making him chuckle at me before I reach down for a butterfly stitch to close his cut. "Charlie looked worried." I nod my head at his comment as I concentrate on closing his cut. "I probably looked like that before I knew you were all alright, comes with the job worrying about everyone else before yourself." I explain as I reach over for a gauze to cover his cut. "You've always been the same Lane, for as long as I've known you.. Even before you became a Medic and Captain." I smile at his words, knowing he is right as I tape down the gauze on his head. "Very true. Keep it clean, don't be an idiot." I tease making his laugh and shove my shoulder before Natalia comes over to us. "Your turn Lane." She comments with a smile confusing me before Miles points to my face. "Behave yourself for the medic Lane!" Miles jokes as he moves to let Natalia sit down infront of me. "I'm alright.." I go to argue but she just reaches out to check my face anyways. "Shut up and let me help you Lane." I just laugh and shake my head at her as she goes into my bag for what she needs.

"Any headache?" She checks and I shake my head. "Nothing two Paracetamol won't fix." She nods her head as she places the butterfly stitches on my cheek. "If it gets worse, let me know." I smile at her words, not being used to having someone checking on me for a change. "Will do." She grins as she grabs something to cover the cut with. "We've just managed to calm the medical centre down after that last lot of transport.. I have a feeling it's going to be mayhem for the next few days." She whispers, a hint of worry in her voice. "Your probably right, it's nothing we can't handle Natalia. You know that." She nods and seems to be thinking over something before shaking it away as she leans back from my face. "Your all patched up Lane." I laugh at her enthusiasm as I turn to pack up my bag. "Thanks Jones." She laughs and gets up to get ready with the rest of the guys as I pack up my bag and head back to my room. I drop my bag and head towards the bathroom to wash my hands, looking up in the mirror at the bruise coming up on my head as well as the white tape covering my cheek. I let out a breathe as I dry my hands and come out the bathroom, walking over to get ready just as Charlie appears at my door. I wave him in and he still looks a little frazzled as I begin to get into my uniform. "You alright Lane?" I smile over as I pull my combats over my shorts. "Always Charlie, you okay?" He nods as he relaxes and sits at my desk chair after picking it up off the floor. "I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt. But there is some bad news." I instantly tense as I hold my top in my hand, giving Charlie my full attention for him to continue. "All communications are down.. In and out of the Village." I nod my head in understanding, knowing this can spiral into a huge problem.. As well as not being able to contact home to let them know I'm okay.

"We have people working on getting any signal up and running as soon as possible, but for now, we just have to carry on as normal." I nod my head as I start lacing up my boots. "So what's the plan of action today?" I ask as I know he will already have it in mind. "We don't know the extent of the Village right now, but what we do know is that the Medical Centre is going to be very active. So until we get any news on the surrounding areas, 7 Section will come to the Medical Centre and assist you and Natalia. I'm going to leave Miles and Bones here so Miles can try and establish some sort of communications with the guys here and the rest of us with you." I smile knowing I have their support today as I pack my bag ready for the day. "Great, we will have to take some supplies down with us from the medical tent. Then as soon as we get down there, I'll assess everything and divide everyone as best I can." Charlie nods confidently at my words before standing up and leaving me to finish getting ready. "Get everyone in for something to eat then we will head straight down to the Centre." I nod my head and Charlie leaves to get himself ready. Today is going to be horrible but at least I have the team with me, as well as Natalia and hopefully Dr Karr. These people were just starting to re-build from the first Earthquake, and now this second one has hit out of no where. And no doubt the aftershocks will only get worse again, making things incredibly harder. I just hope they get the communications back up sooner rather than later. No doubt the Earthquake will be all over the news soon and everyone at home will be worried. Just as I thought everything was starting to calm down..


~~Pirbright Army Barracks, London~~

No POV

"Major Willis." Major Thomas Willis of Pirbright Army Barracks is currently being updated on the situation developing in Nepal. It is currently 04:00am in London and they are aware of the Second Earthquake that hit Nepal earlier that day. There are still no communications coming from the Villages that have been effected, including where the British Army Base is currently hosting 7 Section. No one knows how the team is but they are doing everything they can to establish their communication with the Base. "Thank you for the update." He comes off the phone and instantly knows that there are protocols to follow in situations like this one. It is now his job to contact the families of the Soldiers involved to inform them of the situation before they see it elsewhere. He makes a start, working through his list of contacts before coming across Stuart Lane. Captain Harley Lane's Father. He dials in the number, already knowing it is early morning in London but these things need to be done sooner rather than later. And after a few rings of the phone, Stuart's voice is heard through the phone.

Stuart - "Hello?"

Major Willis - "Hello is this Stuart Lane?"

Stuart - "Yes it is."

Major Willis - "Mr Lane, this is Major Thomas Willis of the British Army. I'm ringing in regards to the recent events in Nepal where your Daughter Harley is stationed."

Stuart - "Uh yeah she is.. Is she alright?"

Major Willis - "As far as we know she is, Yes. But we have some recent reports to say there has been a second Earthquake which has hit the area, causing problems with all our communications with the Army Base and Medical Centre."

Stuart - "So there has been no word from anyone there?"

Major Willis - "Not yet but we are working as quick as we can to re-establish any form of communications to make sure everyone there is safe and well. As soon as we hear anything, we will be in-touch directly. But for now, try not to worry about Captain Lane."

Stuart - "Thank you for your call Sir."

Major Willis - "No problem, take care Mr Lane."

As soon as Stuart comes off the phone, instantly his stomach begins to twist at the idea of his daughter possibly being in danger or hurt with no way of getting the help she needs. He also knows that he is the one who has to relay this information to everyone close to Harley who are no doubt going to worry just as much as he is right now about her safety. He moves to sit on the edge of his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before looking back to where his phone is sitting on the bed. He knows he needs to make some calls sooner rather than later. But now that Harley has someone special in her life, these phone calls are going to be harder than what they usually are. He gets up, getting himself ready to go downstairs to the kitchen and making a coffee, the early morning wake up call not helping his sudden headache before he sits at the table to ring Tom. Wanting to inform him first, as well as needing to get Lizzie's number from him. Something he didn't think he would need..


~~Friday Night, L.A.~~

Lizzie POV

It's been a busy week this week. Meetings and interviews everyday have got me through the week without having a huge amount of time to be alone, as well as a visit from my Sisters and a catch up lunch with Aubrey whilst she was in L.A. For work. It's been nice being home and seeing some familiar faces, but as soon as someone mentions Harley's name, my body begins to tense. Not hearing from her since Sunday has been worrying me more and more. Not even a text has come through since we came off the phone. Since she left, she the longest has been three days without a text from her but now it's nearly 6 days and my mind is wandering with every opportunity it gets. My nights are filled with worry and wondering what she is doing. Worrying if she is still safe and unharmed. Is she even still in Nepal? Has she had to go somewhere new where there is no phone signal? So many thoughts have rushed through my head over and over again, my nights have become so restless I can barely sleep properly. I have been in touch with Stuart, Maisie and even Tom a lot since it's not just me who hasn't heard from her. None of us have. I can tell Maisie is worried by her messages and Tom can't hide his emotions when he rings me. Stuart has been trying to keep us all calm and level headed, reminding us that this can happen and has happened in the past but there is nothing to worry about until we get a call telling us to worry about her. His words are calming, but when I am alone to my own thoughts, I can't stop them going to the worst scenario.

My Sisters were worried when they seen how tired I looked at dinner and offered to stay in L.A. With me to make sure I wasn't alone, but knowing how busy they are I didn't want them to take time out of work to take care of me. As much as they insisted, I made sure to try and put on a brave face so they would stop worrying. They advised me to go see Mom, knowing she can help me process my worries but I don't want her to be worried about me so I told them I would go see her or ring her over the weekend. Aubrey tried to cheer me up by taking me out for drinks but I just did not want to be out in a Club when I was tired so we stayed for two drinks then ended up leaving. As much as I felt guilty, I knew more alcohol would make my emotions even worse than they can be. I was so thankful when I got a phone call from Scarlett yesterday telling me she was on her way to L.A for work. I instantly invited her for dinner and she didn't hesitate to accept, loving when I cook for her so she told me she was staying with me Friday night so we could have some dinner and wine. I know if anyone can help me process how I am feeling, it's Scarlett. She knows exactly what to say and do to help me when I get like this. I only had one meeting Friday so I got it over and done with before going to get some groceries to make dinner with, making sure to get some wine and whatever else I would need for the weekend then headed home to get everything ready for her arriving.

I decided to make Thai Green Curry with rice and some other dishes from one of my cook books, knowing it would be a lot to do and it would keep me busy. I have one of Harley's playlists playing in the kitchen from her Spotify as I made sure everything is doing what it should be before hearing the doorbell ringing through the house. I quickly turned down the heat on the stove before going to let Scarlett in. As soon as I opened the door, I was wrapped in her arms as she just held me there. I know Scarlett isn't huge on affection, but this is exactly what I have needed all week. I hug her back and bury my head into her shoulder as she kicks the door shut behind her and rubs her hand up and down my back. We stay this way for a couple of minutes as I feel some tears escae my eyes before I pull away and sniffle the rest away. "I knew you'd need that." She says softly making me smile and nod my head. "I really did.. Come on, Dinner is almost done." I wave her inside so she takes off her shoes and jacket before following me towards the kitchen, going into one of my lower cupboards and pulling out a vase. I look over in confusion before catching sight of the flowers on the kitchen table. I didn't even notice them in her hands at the door. Am I really that tired? I shake my thoughts away as I turn back to the stove as Scarlett sorts out the flowers for me. She really is my best friend. I smile as she puts them on the table behind me and slides out a chair for herself.

"Wine?" I offer as the food is finishing cooking and she smiles instantly as she sees the bottle now in my hand. "Deffinently." I pour out two glasses and walk over handing her one as I take a seat next to her and admire the beautiful flowers on the table. "Thank you Scar, they are gorgeous." She smiles behind her glass before taking a sip of her wine. "I'm glad you like them." I smile as I admire them some more before Scarlett quickly breaks the small silence that was building between us. "Are you settled back into being home yet?" I smile softly as I look back towards where she is sitting with a soft expression on her face. "I think so, it's been nice being back somewhere familiar again and the nice weather always helps but I still miss London a lot." I feel my smile fade at the mention of London, which Scarlett seems to pick up on instantly. "Is it London you miss.. Or the people you met in London?" She asks carefully and my smile returns even wider as my thoughts turn to Harley and her family. "Both. I love London, I always have. And meeting Harley and her family made it even more special this time around." I notice Scarlett's grin behind her glass as I stop myself from gushing about her again. "Your so smitten with her.. It's adorable." She teases making my cheeks blush instantly. "Shut up! I'm not smitten.." I defend badly making her just laugh at me. "You are. I've never seen you like this Liz. It's nice. As soon as you think about her your eyes sparkle and you have this smile I've never seen before. I like how much happier you are with her in your life." I feel my eyes welling up at Scarlett's words so before I can get too teary, I jump up to check on the food cooking behind us.

We get comfortable and catch up over dinner when I bring it over to the table. I tell Scarlett about the second season of Sorry For Your Loss and she catches me up on everything she is doing, as well as telling me about how Colin and Rose are doing back in New York. I miss Rose so much, it's been a while since I have been able to see her. I make sure to tell Scarlett I need some Auntie time with Rose and she agrees to make it happen soon before the conversation finally shifts to what Scarlett has been avoiding up until now. "So have you still not heard from Harley?" She asks carefully and instantly my chest tightens. "None of us have since Sunday.." I near enough whisper in reply. "She'll be okay Liz. Like you told me, she's been hellishly busy saving lives. She probably doesn't even realise it's been so long since she last got in touch." I smile slightly at her words, knowing she is trying to stop my wandering thoughts as best she can. "I know and I am so incredibly proud of her, but I just have this lingering feeling something has happened and I can't shake it." I explain and see her nod her head in understanding. She knows how bad my anxiety can get so she knows this is not good for me and my emotions. "I get that Liz. This is all new for you and it's only natural your going to think like that. But I know your going to hear from her soon, and your worries will wash away and you'll think back and realise you have no reason to worry so much about her. Which will make it so much easier the next time it happens." I smile, knowing she is right. But right now, I just need to hear from her. Just a text to let me know she is safe..

We finished up dinner, washing up the kitchen before moving into the living room to watch a movie and drink some more wine as we continue to talk about everything. It's nice having Scarlett here, since meeting her on the set of Age of Ultron, we have gotten closer and closer and she is my best friend. She knows me better than most and helped me through so much. She was the first person by my side when she found out about what happened with Robbie and she never left until she knew I was okay. I can't wait for her and Harley to spend more time together, knowing they already get along is amazing. They are both so important to me now and knowing Scarlett approves of her makes me even happier. After talking for a little while, we settled into the movie she picked out and just enjoyed each other's company. Already I am starting to feel better having her here and not being alone with my overwhelming thoughts tonight. But just as I was starting to completely relax, my phone starts to ring on the coffee table infront of me. I quickly lean forward, hoping it is Harley but instead I see a number I don't recognise flashing over my screen. "Who could this be..?" I question out loud, catching Scarlett's attention as I sit back into the sofa. I feel her lean over and take a look at my phone in my hand as I feel my face pull into a frown. "Could be something for work?" She suggests but the number isn't an American number. I hesitate for another few seconds before deciding to just answer it anyways. "Hello?" I say still confused, but as soon as I hear the voice on the other end of the phone, my heart starts to race a little faster as I get up and walk towards the kitchen..

Stuart - "Hello Lizzie, it's Stuart. Harley's Dad."

Lizzie - "Oh, Hi Stuart."

Stuart - "Sorry for ringing like this Lizzie, I rang Tom and he gave me your phone number, I hope that's okay?"

Lizzie - "Yes, of course, is everything okay?"

Stuart - "I need to talk with you, are you available for a few minutes now?"

Lizzie - "Yeah I'm free.."

Stuart - "It's about Harley."

Lizzie - "Oh.. Is she okay?"

Stuart - "That's the thing, we aren't sure Lizzie. I just had a phone call with someone from Pirbright. They have lost all communication with 7 Section."

Lizzie - "How? What happened?"

Stuart - "Another Earthquake hit Nepal last night.."

Lizzie - "Do they know if they are okay?"

Stuart - "We just have to wait for someone to hear anything.. That's all we can do. I'm sorry Lizzie."

My heart is beating so loudly against my chest as I try and keep my breathing as normal as possible. My thoughts running wild as I slowly feel myself panicking about everything all at once. "Are you and Maisie okay?" I ask worrying about how they are feeling as well. "We will be as soon as we get news she is okay. But for now, there's not much anyone can do." I start to pace around the kitchen, not knowing how to stay calm. "I can fly out to London if you need anything?" I start to ramble to myself in my head, not knowing what to do for the best. "No, you need to work Lizzie. Harley would kill me if I let you do that. I'm sure they are all fine. They are made of strong stuff, every one of them." His words bring a small sense of comfort as I think about how strong Harley really is.. "Especially Harley.." I whisper but he manages to hear me. "Exactly. Try not to worry yourself Lizzie. We will hear something soon. I will ring you as soon as I do." I smile softly as I see Scarlett now standing in the doorway watching my every move. "Thank you Stuart. I will keep my phone with me where ever I go, just in case." I assure him and myself as I hear him let out a small sigh down the phone. "Okay Lizzie, I'll speak with you soon." I can already feel the tears building in my eyes at his change in tone, hearing how worried he is. "Thank you again Stuart, and if you or Maisie need anything, don't hesitate to ring me." I try and comfort him, like he always does for everyone else. "I'll let her know, thank you Lizzie. I'll let you go and I'll be in touch soon." I nod to myself as I start to bite at my finger nails in my free hand as I carry on pacing again. "Okay Stuart, talk soon." I hear my own voice breaking as we say goodbye before coming off the call..

As soon as I bring my phone away from my ear, a wave of panic washes over my entire body, my chest tightening making it hard to breathe as my knees begin to buckle underneath me. I reach out for the table beside me with my free hand as my body begins to fall to the floor as my vision blurs over with tears clouding over my eyes. "Lizzie? What is it?" I suddenly hear Scarlett's voice as her blurred body appears infront of me, her hands holding onto me. "I-I.. Scar.. It's.." I try and find my words but I can barely breathe at this point. My mind racing, worrying about Harley. I close my eyes but it only makes things worse as all I can picture is her lying there without anyone to help her. The vision of her hurt is enough to push me over the edge as I fall to the floor. Scarlett catches me and follows me down as I land on my knees infront of her, her hands moving to my arms to keep me up facing her as I try not to cry but breathe instead. "Lizzie.. Breathe. What's happened?" I hear Scarlett loud and clear but I can barely bring myself to reply to her. "It's.. Harley." I manage to get out past my erratic breathing. "Okay tell me what's happened. Let me help.." I nod and take a breathe so I can get more words out. "Another Earthquake.. They lost all contact.. Scarlett she might.. She might be hurt and.." As I say it out loud, my heart begins to hurt at the thought of her not coming back to me safe, like she promised she would. "She will be safe and sound, I promise you Lizzie. She will be on the phone telling you the same thing as soon as she can." I try and process Scarlett's words but my fear is taking over.. Tears streaming down my cheeks as I hold onto Scarlett. "I'm scared Scar.." I whimper before falling onto her shoulder to finally let myself cry.. Her soft touch rubbing up and down my back as she whispers into my ear.

"I know Lizzie, just breathe. Harley will be okay. She will come home to you, safe and sound, to make you laugh and smile again.. I promise you."


A/N ~~ Feel for Lizzie already :( how we feeling about this one?