Prove It (H.S)

Chapter Forty

Claire's POV~

My knees are hugged against my chest, tears stained onto my cheeks. The smell of peppermint invades my nose from the tea my mom had set on my bedside table minutes ago. I sniffle, burying my face into the sleeves of my shirt.

I can feel the emptiness in my chest. The space where my heart used to be, now holds nothing. He took it with him as he walked through that door. I thought that once my heart was broken, nothing worse could happen, but it's more painful not to have one at all.

Suddenly, I hear the buzzing of my phone vibrating against the surface of the table. I lift my head up, warily snatching my phone to see who's calling. The hospital's caller ID glows from the screen and I slide my finger across the screen, confused.

"Hello?" I ask with a sniffle. "Hello, I'm sorry to bother you, but we have a car accident victim here at Portland Shriners Hospital, who gave us your number to contact," a woman's voice says through the phone. My stomach twists and I shakily respond,"Um, who's the victim?"

"His drivers license says Harry Edward Styles?" I nearly drop my phone at the woman's words. My breathing becomes quicker, panicked. "Is...is he okay?" I gasp into the phone. "Well, he's in surgery at the moment, he gave us this number before we sedated him. His injuries are pretty severe...," it sounds likes she flipping through pages.

"I'm on my way," I quickly say before hanging up. My hands shake as I gather my phone and keys and rush down the stairs. I glance in the mirror, my eyes are red and puffy and I look awful, but I simply don't care. "Claire? Where are you going? Are you okay?" My mom asks from the dining room. "Did you drink your tea?"

"Harry's in the hospital, I have to go," I say, slipping my feet into my black Vans. "What? He just left here a little while ago," my mother says, concerned. "I know, but he was in an accident and I have to go," I rush, running my fingers through my hair, trying to stop my lip from trembling.

"I'll drive you," my mom says, taking the car keys from my hand and opening the door. Her eyebrows are furrowed and she looks worried. We both hurriedly walk to the car, getting inside and pulling out of the driveway in seconds.

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It's been well over four hours when a nurse in mint green scrubs comes walking over to my mom and I, a tired smile on her face. "Mr.Styles is awake, if you'd like to see him," she says. I smile and thank her. My mom begins to stand up but I quickly stop her. "I think I should go in alone, at least for right now."

She nods, understandingly, with a smile. She gives me a tight hug before letting me go. I follow the nurse into a room down the hall from the waiting area. She slowly opens the door and holds it for me to go inside.

I proceed into the room when I hear the door close. Past a corner, I see him. His eyes are glued to the ceiling, a bandage on his forehead and over his cheek bone. Bruises are starting to form on his beautiful face.

He soon drags his eyes down to me. I suck in a breath when they connect with mine. "Claire," he says, his voice soft. "I'm here," I say, rushing to the side of his bed. I don't even notice when a tear falls down my cheek. "Wh-what happened?" I ask, resting my hands on his bicep. He winces.

"Sorry," I mutter. He smiles slightly before saying,"I don't know. I guess I just wasn't paying attention and a car rammed into the side of mine, causing my car to tumble off the road," he frowns as he recalls the memories. I nod.

He looks so small like this, like a little boy, almost. I almost lean in to plant a soft kiss on his lips, but I don't. "I'm so sorry," I whisper before sobs escape my mouth. "Shhh," he hushes me. "Please, don't cry." I look up at him and his eyes too, are glossy. It doesn't seem like we had the most difficult conversation of our lives only hours ago.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. I did the unforgivable and I know you'll never forgive me...," he begins but I cut him off. "Don't start," I say, closing my eyes momentarily. "No, I deserve this Claire. Say what I know is bottled up inside that head of yours, say it, now is as good a time as any."

I look him in his emerald eyes and sigh. I open my mouth to speak, and before I can start, tears fall one by one down my face. This is really getting ridiculous.

"When you came by today, that was too much," I whimper and he looks down, nodding. "And when you left, you took every piece of my heart with you...and I need it back, Harry. I need my heart back."

I tear slips out of his eye and races down the side of his face since his head is against the pillow. His lips quiver before a cry escapes his lips. I squeeze my eyes shut. I'm an awful person, saying this while he lays in a hospital bed.

Then, I hear the door open, and a middle aged doctor with gray hair and a white lab coat walks in, a clipboard in hand. He smiles at me and mutters a 'hello'. He turns his attention to Harry and I notice his silver name tag says 'Dr.Elsey.'

"Well, Harry, we just got your test results back, and they aren't looking too great," Dr.Elsey says with a frown. I cover my mouth with my hand and look at Harry who's jaw is clenched. "Not only did you break three ribs, which we were able to fix in surgery, but you have several internal injuries that are concerning."

"So, what does that mean?" Harry asks, his tone slightly harsh but more so scared. "Well, you have some pretty serious bruising on your spleen, so I'll be keeping you here for at least a night to watch that and make sure that you're blood pressure is regulated, so you won't need another surgery. During that time, you need to stay in bed and take it easy, take the medicine that's brought to you so you can heal properly."

I can see all of these words processing behind Harry's eyes. His eye brows are lowered and I bite my lip. "Do you think you can do that for me?" Dr.Elsey asks, and Harry nods.

"Great, well I'll leave you be then," Dr.Elsey says, smiling at me again before leaving the room. Once he's gone, I turn back to Harry, who won't look at me. My eyes trace down to the IV in his arm. How is this real?

Of course, tears pour down my face without permission and Harry brings his hand to my cheek. He grunts in pain and quickly lowers it back to the bed. "I'm gonna be okay," he says, his accent softened by his hushed tone. "Prove it," I respond, looking up at him. He quickly looks down then back at me, his eyes lowered and watery. "I can't."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hello loves! I'm so very sorry about this extremely late update but I've just been so busy! Please please please leave comments and votes and tell me what you think about what's going on in this story! Nothing makes me happier than to see your comments! Thanks for your endless support!
xoxo
Lila