as it is || harry styles au

forty-seven

e m e r s o n

f e b r u a r y   2 7
—   3   d a y s   l a t e r   —

It was time.

Harry was against Jamie and Dena making the trip to Boston, but it was the only logical decision when Ivy still hadn't woken up yet. Jamie missed his momma, and it was time to tell him the truth. Nobody wanted to say it, or even think it, but Jamie also deserved the chance to say goodbye if Ivy's health turned for the worse.

That was the predominant reason behind Harry's reluctance in having Jamie here. To Harry, the act of flying Jamie and Dena here felt like giving into the possibility that Ivy wasn't going to be okay.

It was hard to believe that just a couple days ago Ivy was smooth coasting, and we were only waiting on the morphine to wear off for her to wake up. At some point in the early morning after we found out Jake was at the same hospital, she started showing signs of infection. Each time she ran a fever, it got more and more difficult to get it down.

     Ivy was running a fever again this morning, so the likelihood Jamie would get to see his momma today was slim to none. One positive in having him here under these circumstances was that Jake was handcuffed to a bed in a hospital across the city.

     We kept the hotel room Will had booked for us, and apart from Harry, we rested there periodically. Jenna, Mick, and I all hoped that Jamie's presence would convince him to take care of himself a little more. The most self-care he'd done was eat one meal a day and brush his teeth. He hadn't shaved, hadn't showered, and hadn't slept much at all. It'd been three days since any of us had been able to sit by Ivy's bedside.

     "Hey, how about you and I go across the street to the hotel and you can rinse off real quick before Jamie gets here," Mick offered. "Maybe shave, too, so the kid at least recognizes you."

     I expected a refusal from Harry, but it seemed that where Jamie was concerned, he'd bend his boundaries a bit.

     "What time do they land?" Jenna asked once the two of them left.

     I checked the time on my phone. "In an hour."

     She cradled her head in her hands. "Fuck." After a few seconds, I heard her sniffle. I moved over a chair so I was next to her and pulled her into my chest while she cried.

     We all had been trying our best to keep our cool, especially in front of Harry who we all knew was teetering on the edge of sanity. None of us could imagine being in his shoes. To have your soulmate back after years and years apart only to have her nearly ripped away from you.

     I smoothed my hand through Jenna's hair, letting my own tears fall down my cheeks. "Will said Dena told Jamie was that his momma got hurt and she's in the hospital so that's why they're visiting."

     I was aware of the story they'd been telling him about Ivy being in Boston. She was helping to get rid of a "bad guy". I wasn't sure if Jamie would be able to connect the dots, or if he'd be given any more information on how Ivy sustained her injuries.

     "She doesn't deserve this," she expelled. "Jamie doesn't deserve this. This is bullshit."

     "I know, babe."

     We held each other until Mick and Harry got back. Mick lifted his shoulders with a deep breath as he looked between us and Harry's retreating figure to the nurse's station. From the glimpse I'd gotten of him, he didn't look great by any means, but he looked a hell of a lot better shaved and with his hair washed. He'd even changed into the clothes I got us at a Goodwill across the street yesterday.