Keep A Heart (Sequel to Fix A Heart)

Chapter 16

Keep A Heart

Chapter 16

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." -Judy Garland

Harrys POV:

The sparkle in Blair's eyes as she watched Brynn and her father together was the best thing to witness. She is so happy, and that makes my heart ache with complete joy. It's been a while since I've seen her this happy.

"You know, I think I'm going to ask the nurses about what we talked about last time." Blair speaks, perched on the edge of her chair, ready to get up and get anything her dad asks for, or anything Brynn needs.

When her father raises his eyebrows in question she laughs, "For you to get out of here sometimes? Remember?"

"I do get out. You push me around outside all the time." He tries to joke with his daughter.

"A push around the hospital isn't getting out daddy." She laughs. I still can tell he loves it when she calls him that.

"Would you want to come hang out with Harry and I for a day? Oh and Brynn of course." She says.

"Of course I would."

And there it was again. The look in his eyes that I've been seeing the last few visits. The look that Blair seems to not notice at all. And by the look in his eyes, I mean how they turn dull when we talk with him about certain things. How the color and sparkle drains from them when Blair asks him if he wants something to eat. I'm sure something is going on, but of what, I have no idea.

"I'll go try to find your nurse okay? And I'll ask her about it." She tells him, giving me a smile as she gets up from her chair. I glance down to Brynn who is sleeping in his arms and smile a little.

"How are you doing Peter? And I mean the honest truth." I ask him, giving him a gentle smile.

He looks up to me, eyes still at a loss of color. "I'm just fine." He tells me, a forced lift at the corners of his chapped lips telling me different.

"I....I've been noticing things." I admit to him, watching as his eyes glance over to me again.

"And what's that?" He asks curiously.

"How you don't eat whenever we are hear." I begin.

"And how you always cover up with that blanket as much as possible when we're around. How you avoid talking about getting out of the hospital." I add on, studying his face curiously.

He stays silent, eyes planted on my sleeping little girl in his arms.

"And I thought I hid it pretty well." Peter laughs. This is the things about him, he tries to remain so positive and happy about everything.

"Are you uh, sick?" I ask softly, shuffling in my seat. I can tell he's lost a little weight, that's why he covers up so much.

The nod of his head only confirmed my guesses. The thing that popped into my head was Blair, and how utterly saddened she's going to be. She's going to be crushed. She's going to be heartbroken and hurt, again.

"Cancer. Found out three weeks ago." He admits, looking up to me with a small smile.

"But you know what, I'm doing good Harry. There's not need to be telling Blair." It's like he read my thoughts.

"She has to know, I mean-"

"No, she doesn't." Even when he's serious his voice is still calm and gentle. He's such a caring man that it tugs at my heart to know he's here, cooped up in this hospital and now, sick.

"She's happy. My baby girl is finally happy and I'm not going to ruin that."

The silence in the room is so powerful, my fingers picking at my jeans. Doing something to contain my clammy hands.

"You're trying to fight it right, though?" I gush.

"I've accepted what's happening, son. I've decided to just let it take it's course. Who knows how long I have left." He says calmly. My eyebrows cross in sadness as he smiles softly, but saddenly again.

"And soon I'll be joining my wife." He adds.

"I could have a while left, a year maybe." He tells me, maybe in hopes of trying to make the situation better. But he can't. Because Blair can't lose another parent. Not now. Not when she's finally happy again. She can't break again.

"You have to tell her. I have to tell her." I say.

"No....I will. Soon." He speaks.

The door creaks open and he looks down at Brynn, my lips pressing into a straight line.

"Couldn't find your nurse around." Blair speaks as she sits back down in her chair.

"Maybe we will find her on the way out." I manage to speak, eyes still fixated on Peter.

"Shes a beauty Blair." Her dad tell her, still looking a Brynn. She smiles widely in agreement.

He looks up to me, and by the look on his face, and the pleading in his eyes, I know he wants me to keep his secret. To keep his sickness a secret. To keep the thing that will break Blair's heart once again to myself.



Blair's POV:


"Harry, she's not going to eat it!" I laugh loudly, perched against the kitchen countertop as I watch Harry offer Brynn a animal cracker, her stubby fingers shoved into her mouth as she glances up at her dad curiously.

"Don't you want the cookie baby girl?" Harry cooes, flaunting the cookie in front of her face again. Her hands remain stuffed in her little mouth.

"She isn't to that stage yet Harry, she still needs baby food." I tell him once again. He eats the animal cracker instead, spinning on his heel, grasping the jar of opened baby food in the process.

"This shit is gross, babe." He tells me with a chuckle, grimacing down at the green bean mush in the clear jar, stirring it round with the purple baby spoon perched inside.

"Its annoying. And she doesn't even like it. " Harry says, turning round again with a spoonful of the baby food, offering it to Brynn.

"Harry, you've gotta encourage her."

He turns to me with an amused expression, "Encourage her?" He laughs.

I walk over, taking the glass jar from Harry long, clumsy fingers and into my own. He steps aside to create some room in front of the high chair for me.

I lean down to eye level with my daughter, getting a spoon full of the green bean baby food to hold it up to her closed mouth. "It's yummy yummy Brynn." I say in a higher pitch than my usual tone.

She takes her hands from her mouth, kicking her chubby little legs from under her high chair.

"She never eats it when I try and feed her." Harry tells me, trying to convince me that she really won't eat it.

"Mummy likes it." I tell her, bringing the spoon a few inches from my lips before making some 'num num num' noises.

When I put it to her lips again she finally agrees to eating, taking the green mush into her mouth, most of it coming out during the process.

I turn around with a playful smile to Harry, handing back the jar before patting his chest in a mocking manner before passing him, being stopped by his nimble fingers wrapping round my wrist to stop me. When he presses his lips against mine, I laugh against his them, soft lips still trying to get a response from mine as he moves them frantically against my parted, laughing mouth.

"Harry." I giggle. I can feel a smirk against my skin as he presses affection to my jaw instead.

"What's gotten into you?" I laugh.

"I like seeing you like this." He murmurs.

"Like what?"

"Being a Mum to our baby." He tells me, lips trailing down to my collar bones, by bum meeting the counter behind us.

"Harry stop, not in front of Brynn." I giggle, pushing gently against his chest.

"Oh come on, she's occupied with that mess she's making." He tells me. I look over my shoulder, seeing Brynn spreading her baby food all over her tray.

"Brynn, baby, no." I call to get her attention, beginning to unwind my arms from Harrys hold. He doesn't loosen it one bit.

"Harry!" I squeal, his hands gripping at my waist to squish me against his chest.

When his fingers begin the torture of tickling me, I break out into loud, almost embarrassing laughter. I try to slide down his front to sit on the ground, but he holds me to him too tight. I was about to screech at Harry again to stop his attack when a high pitched, beautiful laugh echoes throughout the kitchen. We both instantly stop our movements, looking across from us at Brynn who has a bright smile on her little face from watching her parents laugh and play with each other.

I look to Harry with a smile, "That's the first time she's laughed like that!" I gush, his hold on my waist now loosened, but I don't slip away from him. Instead, I press a quick kiss to his grinning lips before we both look back to our baby. All she's ever done is little giggles every now and then.

"You think we're funny?" Harry asks her, my heart fluttering at the way he speaks to her. The way his deep voice can sound so sweet and caring.

I stay back as Harry approaches her, her chubby feet kicking again in excitement as she continues to rub her hands all over her now greenish tray, looking up to Harry with bright eyes.

"Now look at what you've done." He tells her, looking down to her mess, no anger or irritation in his voice whatsoever. He reaches to the counter in front of him, plucking two wipes from a container.

He glances back at me with a gentle smile before turning back to her. "Now Love, lesson of the day, food goes in the mouth." He tells her, taking a hold of one of her messy hands, making it look so terribly small inside of his large palm as he wipes it clean, proceeding to the next.

I continue to watch the two people I love most as he wipes down her tray as well for me, one of Harrys long fingers reaching up to poke the little dimple that has begun to form in Brynn's left cheek, almost in the exact same place as Harrys. He kisses her forehead before throwing away the dirtied wipes.


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