Forwards // Book Two

Chapter 22 // The Final Chapter

"Harry?" A distant voice says above me.

My head is buried in my hands as the sudden pain that I once felt shooting through my head subsides as does the crushing sensation that swept across my chest. I suddenly feel okay. There's no pain. There's no breaking glass or squealing brakes. There's no one screaming. Instead, I can hear the obnoxious repetitive sound of beeping and the sound of murmured voices. The same sounds that I would hear in my nightmares.

"Harry?" The voice speaks again.

I can feel my warm hands up against my cold face, causing darkness to consume me. I'm afraid to remove my hands from my face. What if all I see is the emptiness of bright white lights? What if I once again find myself going nowhere and instead keep dragging on and on into nothing? What if I can't wake up from this nightmare? What if this is Heaven?

"Harry?" The voice speaks again, reaching out and touching me.

The feeling. It's the same feeling that I once felt in my dream. The one that was barely a touch but was just enough to jerk me awake. It happened again, just now. It was against my shoulder. I decide to slowly remove my hands from my face and take a glance at who or what is touching me. Better than that, I'm going to ask them what they want and what I'm doing here.

I slowly remove my hands from my face and am blinded by bright white lights. Yup. Just as imagined. I'm stuck in that nightmare again. I fight to keep my eyes open against the bright white lights but after a few seconds, my eyes begin to adjust to the light. As my eyes adjust, I find myself staring at an empty wall before me. The walls are white with a single black line going across it.

I then turn my attention to the floor beneath my feet. The tiles are black and white and are scruffed with a few marks here and there. The sound of constant beeping continues as does the sound of the murmuring voices. Where are those voices coming from anyways? I turn my head and peer up at the person who just touched me, the person who just awoke me.

A petite young nurse stares down at me in bright pink scrubs. She has her black hair pulled back into a long ponytail and she's barely wearing any makeup. She has her stethescope wrapped tightly around her neck and she's wearing a friendly smile. Of course, I'm in the hospital. I was in a car accident, I remember now. Of course I'm in the hospital.

"Hello Mr. Styles..." She whispers, smiling her friendly smile again.

"Hi..." I whisper back, nodding up at her.

I'm surprised to find that I'm in no pain. As I said before, the pain that once was radiating through my head is gone and there's no more of a crushing sensation in my chest. Instead, I can breathe fully and freely. Better than I've ever been able to in fact. It's a great feeling. In fact, I've never felt better really.

"I'm glad that you're awake now. You've been asleep for awhile..." She says, crouching down next to me.

"I have?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"Yes, for about twelve hours I would say..." She whispers, patting my shoulder.

"Oh, I guess I needed it then, huh?" I laugh, nodding my head.

"I guess so. It's been a really long day for you and your family..." She whispers with a nod.

"Yeah, I would say so. How is everyone by the way? How's Lucy and Gracie?" I ask, remembering leaving Gracie behind at home.

"Well, Lucy is right next to you and Gracie is perfectly healthy..." The nurse smiles, nodding her head to the area next to me.

As I turn my head I find that I'm not in a hospital bed. I'm in a chair. In a hallway. Lucy sleeps on the chair next to me. Her long blonde hair is pulled back into a high ponytail and she swears a t-shirt with jeans. It's the same outfit that she was wearing when she convinced me to leave Gracie behind during the tour. But what are we doing in a chair? Shouldn't we be in a hospital bed?