Forever and Always (A Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

CHAPTER 11: Now

It had taken a while, but eventually, I forgave him. The situation really hadn’t been under Harry’s control and the other boys had testified to that. Even so, it had been difficult for me to acknowledge the fact that he had kissed someone else. Finally, I realized that a relationship is built on trust and without it, we would get nowhere. Love can be a struggle and sometimes you feel like giving up, but you know when it’s worth saving.

With a renewed sense of willpower, I stand up and head inside. I enter the waiting room, where our friends are waiting. All of them are asleep except Zayn, which comes as a surprise to me since he is usually the first to fall asleep anywhere. Zayn gives me a small smile as Sarah unconsciously shifts her head in his lap.

“You should probably take them home,” I whisper, glancing at the analog clock hanging on the wall. We had only been here for a little more than two hours, but it was already past midnight.

“Are you sure? We can stay with you longer,” Zayn says softly.

“Mrs. Styles?” I turn around to see the doctor standing stoically in the doorway. The expression on his face is neutral as he scribbles something on his clipboard.

I glance back at Zayn. “I’ll be fine,” I say, more confident than I feel. Zayn nods and gives me a reassuring smile.

 I turn around and follow the doctor toward Harry’s hospital ward. He stops just outside the door, blocking me from going inside.

“Mrs. Styles,” he begins calmly. I brace myself, the rushing of blood in my heart thudding loudly in my ears. “Before you go in, I just want to let you know that it may not look good now, but there are no indications that his condition won’t improve.” His voice is low and somber, but there is a softness in his eyes that gives away his sympathy. He turns the doorknob and pushes the door open for me to go inside.

In a trance, I walk past him and toward Harry, who is lying on the bed, hooked up to several IV tubes. His eyes are closed and his mouth slightly open. I sit down on the chair next to the bed and carefully take Harry’s hand. The first thing I notice is how unnaturally cold it is.

“What’s going on?” I ask the doctor without turning around to look at him. Instead, I stare at the heart monitor beside me, each beep accompanying a green wave depicting Harry’s heartbeat.

“His core temperature is abnormally low and he’s lost his sense of feeling in most parts of his body,” the doctor says in a low voice. “We had thought he was warming up, but his body temperature has lowered unpredictably.”

The doctor continues speaking, but all I can do is look down at Harry’s hand in mine, knowing that he may not even be able to feel my skin against his. My eyes wander to the IVs snaking from his body, like lifelines anchoring him to reality. I finally notice the doctor has stopped talking and an uncomfortable silence settles in the room as he waits for me to respond.

“Will he…?” The words catch in my throat and I find myself not being able to finish the question.

“I can’t promise anything at the moment. We’ll see how the intravenous fluids affect him,” the doctor says gently. “You can stay with him in the meantime, and we’ll be back to check on him in about an hour to see if he has made any progress.”

The door clicks shut behind me as the doctor leaves the room. I pull up the chair next to the bed and let out a shaky breath as I stare at Harry’s fragile figure. His once strong hands lay limply at his side. Tenderly, I slip my hand into his, hoping to give him some warmth, but it seems useless.

I feel useless.

So many times Harry has been there for me, but when he needs me the most, I am unable to give him anything. I will stay with him, even though the only things I can give to him now are my presence and my memories. As long as Harry is here, I will be too.