as it is || harry styles au

fifty-six

i v o r y

I don't know who needed to see the other more—Jamie or Harry.

     Harry's eyes found mine the moment we walked into his room. But as soon as Jamie yelled for his daddy, the rest of the room fell away. I didn't know how painful or painless it was to have a chest tube in, but Harry reached over the side of the bed for Jamie as if he didn't have half a dozen wires hooked in him and on him.

     The nurse cautioned Harry not to move, but Alden stepped in to pick Jamie up and sit him down on Harry's opposite side.

     "You okay, bub?" Harry's eyes dropped closed as Jamie wrapped his arms around him. At first, I thought it was from pain, but the single tear that fell down his cheek screamed of relief.

     "I hurt my hand. But I got protection now!" Jamie lifted up his casted wrist. "It doesn't even hurt anymore. The doctor said my friends can sign my cast, but I told him I wanted my daddy to sign it first."

     Anne grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed.

     "That me?" Harry croaked out.

     "Yeah," Jamie said in a tone that made me certain we were counting down the days until he learned the magical power of duh.

The nurse handed Harry a marker so he could sign the cast. Once he did, Jamie proudly slipped off the bed to show it off to the room.

Harry's outstretched hand found my eye. I wasted not another second. I grabbed hold and kissed his palm. He cupped my cheek with the same hand and pulled me in for a kiss. "Tell me you're alright, Ives."

"I am. We both are. Because of you."

He looked like he wanted to say something about that, but stopped himself.

"Jamie's got a wrist fracture. He'll have to part ways with his cast in about four weeks, but I think he'll try to stretch it to six."

He pulled me in for another kiss. "Are you hurt? You were unconscious."

"I have another concussion—" Harry's eyes flared, but I quickly smothered his concerns. "But I've already healed from my last one, so the doctors aren't concerned. I just have to keep an eye out for the normal symptoms. I'm fine otherwise. Maybe a little sore."

Like a man who almost had the privilege taken from him forever, he kissed my cheeks, my nose, my forehead, then my lips. "Scared the fucking shit out of me, my love. Both of you."

"You got us out. Will said it's a miracle we don't have any sign of smoke inhalation either." His eyes glazed over. I smoothed my thumb across his cheek, then replaced it with my lips, hoping to get that look off his face.

     Jamie reappeared at his bedside with a wide smile. "Thank you for saving us, Dada. I'm so happy you're okay, too."

     I knew my little boy meant his appreciation from the bottom of his heart, but I also knew he wanted to take every chance to keep calling Harry his dad. Little did he know, with the look his dad was sharing with me, Jamie was healing him all on his own.

     Harry laid a hand atop of Jamie's head. "I'll do anything for you and your mum, bub. Anything."

     After a few more minutes of soaking in the company of most of our family all together, Anne suggested they all find a place to sit and eat. She was only trying to give Harry and I a moment alone, which was all too reminiscent of just a couple weeks ago.