champagne problems: short story [h.s.]

13 - hold your hand

"and hold your hand while dancing
never leave you standing
crestfallen on the landing with
champagne problems"

February 2022
Day 1

She felt her whole world stop when she first stepped foot into the bustling hospital. Loud beeps from machines and yelling from nurses crowd her ears. A loud ringing overtaking her mind as her eyes frantically search for anyone to help her.

She doesn't even know what to do, just standing in the middle of the madness while her brain goes over every worst possible scenario there is.

Amnesia.

He forgets all about her and the time they've spent together. Leaving his essentially a stranger to her and giving her no choice but to either try to get him to remember who she is, or to walk away from him and leaving everything between them laid at his feet.

Alive but not really there. Machines keeping him alive, but nothing firing in the nerves in his brain. Wires poking and protruding out of his skin to the point where he doesn't even look like himself. Where he doesn't look like her Harry.

And the worst one. He's dead.

Oh god, please don't let him be dead.

"Miss."

Someone calls from a few feet over, and Wisteria finally snaps out of daze and jerks her head to look in the direction the voice came from. A nurse, sitting behind the big reception desk loaded with files upon files on top of it.

The nurse looks at her with what Wisteria can only describe as sympathy mixed with pity in her eyes. "Do you need help miss?"

"I-" Wisteria's voice cracks with the single syllable. Her feet carrying her on unstable legs towards the desk. Her hands reaching out to grasp the ledge to keep her upright. Everything around her feeling dizzy as her mind travels back to the scene of Harry laying on a cold, metal table with his eye closed. The love of her life looking like he's just peacefully sleeping, but missing the key component of his chest slowly rising and falling to indicate that he's breathing.

"Are you looking for someone?" The nurse puts a reassuring hand on top of Wisteria's. Her tone soft and quiet, trying her best to keep the fearful girl calm.

"My boyfriend," Wisteria manages to croak out. "H-he was in accident."

The nurse nods, giving her a quiet, "Okay." She takes her hand off Wisteria's shaking one to start the search on the computer. "What's your boyfriend's name."

"H-Ha-" Her words cut off by the tears finally falling from her eyes. Everything catching up with her. Harry is somewhere in this hospital. He could be bleeding out somewhere, dying on the table as she speaks. She could be losing him forever right now.

"Honey-" The nurse starts but is soon cut off by a voice calling from behind Wisteria

"Wisteria!"

Wisteria knows that voice. It's the voice of her boyfriend's best friend that she's heard for years. But she can't bring herself to turn around to face him, afraid that she'll turn around and be able to know the outcome of Harry's fate by the look of his face. And she doesn't think she would be able to handle it if the outcome came out not to be good.

When she felt Niall's hand on her shoulder to pull her into his embrace, she finally fully broke. "Please tell me he's okay," she hiccups into Niall's chest. "Please tell me he's okay."

She didn't even get to tell him I love you one last time. 

"He's stable, Wis," Niall breathes out and everything within Wisteria stopped again. His hand soothing runs up and down her back, trying to calm down her breathing.