Everything About You

Chapter 79

“Harry, Harry!” Louis shouted. “Come on mate, you gotta ride with them to the hospital.”

Louis shoved me towards the gurney. My feet shuffled ahead yet my mind would not catch up. We boarded the ambulance and the sirens blared as we sped towards the hospital. I spent the ride trying to make sense of what happened. It seemed surreal. I was on stage and suddenly panic struck and paramedics and officers covered the backstage area. Then I saw Lauren… and all I could do at this point was pray she would be alright.

Once we arrived at the hospital I was pointed to the waiting room. I paced back and forth until the rest of them arrived. Eleanor told me to sit down, whispering that we had to appear calm because of Lillie. We were all scattered around the waiting room for what felt like the thousandth time. I looked up as Ashton and the rest of the band entered. Whether it was sadness or anger, I stood up in rage. I should not hold Ashton responsible, yet a part of me did. If he would have left his stupid girlfriend home, we wouldn’t be having any problems-

“Harry, don’t,” Louis put a hand to my chest, blocking me from Ashton, “Do you really think the hospital will let you stay if you start throwing punches? This isn’t about your anger issues, this is about Lauren. If she wakes up to find you got kicked out, how do you think she is going to react?”

My body shook as I sat down, still filled with an abundance of emotion. I should have listened to Lauren the first time and maybe somehow I could have prevented this. Why would I leave Lauren alone with someone we barely knew? I should have asked one of the security guards to watch over the girls. I should have… I don’t know what exactly, but I should have done something more than I did.

We waited in the room for hours. Occasionally a doctor or nurse would share bits of information, but never enough to tell me what state Lauren was in. The birds were chirping as I sunk deeper into the chair, my headphones blaring music obnoxiously loud in order to keep myself awake.

“Harry Styles?” A woman called.

“Th-that’s me,” I said, her voice jolting me to full alertness.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Laneway, I’ve been taking care of your wife.” She shook my hand as she introduced herself. “Lauren had two fractured ribs and one of them punctured her lung. This is known as a pneumothorax. We were able to treat it by inserting a needle in between her ribs and with an attached syringe we were able to pull out all of the excess air. Lauren also suffered from a concussion but seems to have regained her memory well. She is awake and doing great now and I’m sure she would love to see you.”

“Thank you,” I said as she led me through the double doors.

“Lauren?” The doctor called out, leaving a light knock on the door although it was already open. “I have someone here who I think you’ll be happy to see.”

“Harry!” Lauren shrieked, her bed squeaking as she sat up.

“Oh thank God,” I murmured, nearly running to her.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled back just enough to catch a glimpse of her face. I lightly brushed my thumbs across her cheeks as she smiled, trying not to cause her face any more pain. I didn’t want to think about how much pain she must be in. I wish I could take it away for her and make it better. I would take fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and a swollen, bruised face a thousand times if it meant she didn’t have to go through it once.

“Is Ashton-“

“He was up and walking so I think he is alright,” I answered, “I haven’t talked to him though.”

“Good, she made it sound like she hurt Ashton pretty badly.”

“I’m sure he’ll come to visit you later. So are you feeling okay?”