Half a heart ( Book 1)

Chapter 35

Trigger Warnings: Anxiety, Mental Health, Emotional Distress

Harry's POV

The house felt eerily quiet as the tension mounted. We had all received the same alarming texts from the school—Charlie wasn't in class, and worse, he hadn't been seen on campus. Panic was setting in. Niall swore he dropped him off this morning and saw him with Nick, who always waits for Charlie. But now it was 10:30 am, and I wasn't supposed to pick Charlie up until 2:30 pm for his appointment. We needed to figure out where he was, and more importantly, if he was okay.

I couldn't sit still. My feet wore a path into the carpet as I paced the living room, phone clutched so tightly in my hand that my knuckles turned white. Every worst-case scenario played out in my mind, each more terrifying than the last. The clock ticked agonizingly slow, each second a reminder that we still didn't know where Charlie was.

"Niall, are you sure you saw Nick with him?" I asked, trying to keep the panic from overwhelming my voice. My heart pounded in my chest, the anxiety bubbling dangerously close to the surface.

"Yeah, Harry. I saw them together. Nick's always punctual," Niall replied, his tone steady, but the worry in his eyes mirrored my own. His usual carefree demeanor was replaced with the same unease gnawing at all of us.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to take a deep breath. My thumb hovered over the screen before I dialed Charlie's number. The phone rang, and rang, and rang... each ring felt like an eternity. When he didn't answer, a cold dread washed over me. I tried again, hoping, praying that this time he'd pick up.

Finally, on the third attempt, someone answered.

"Charlie, where are you?" I blurted out, relief mixing with the frustration that had been building inside me.

"Hi Harry, it's Nick," came the calm reply, but it did little to soothe my nerves.

"Nick, where's Charlie? Is he okay?" I asked, the urgency clear in my voice as my heart thudded loudly in my chest.

"Charlie's okay," Nick assured, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Okay, that's good. But where is he?" I pressed, needing more information, my thoughts racing a mile a minute.

"He's asleep on me at the moment," Nick explained, his tone soft, as if trying not to disturb Charlie.

"Is he okay? What happened?" I asked, trying to piece together what led to this morning's events.

"When we got to school, I took him straight to the music room. He looked very overwhelmed when we arrived," Nick began, his voice gentle, as if recounting a fragile memory.

"Oh dear," I muttered, guilt gnawing at me for not being there when Charlie needed me most.

"He had a breakdown and told me everything that went on when he locked himself in his room after he got out of the hospital," Nick continued, the weight of his words sinking into me.

"Thank you for being there for him this morning," I said, my voice thick with sincerity. The thought of Charlie going through all of this alone was unbearable, and I was immensely grateful that Nick had been there.

"He has been in and out of sleep since his breakdown, but we've been in the music room all day. I have a feeling that we're going to be here until he gets picked up," Nick said, his voice filled with a quiet determination to protect Charlie.

"I will be there to pick Charlie up at 2:30 pm," I promised, the thought of holding my son close giving me a small measure of comfort.

"Thank you, Harry," Nick replied.

"Look after Charlie for us," I added, my voice breaking slightly as the weight of the situation settled on my shoulders.

"Of course, Harry," Nick said before the line disconnected.

I slowly placed the phone down, my hand trembling slightly, and sat heavily on the couch. A mix of relief and sadness washed over me. Charlie was safe, but it was clear he was far from okay. I knew we had a long road ahead of us. I made a mental note to talk to him about everything once we got home. I needed to be there for him, more than ever.