Seasons [h.s]

Winter - Part 13

Harry's POV

I never in a million years would have thought that I would be upset that my father was dying.

But being in a gloomy, gray waiting room of a hospital, waiting for a nurse to either say that my father was gone or about to be, was driving me insane. Gemma hadn't stopped crying the entire time we were there. She and my father had repaired their relationship after my mom passed, and I knew that this was devastating for her. Yet, surprisingly I felt crushed myself. My father's death always seemed far away, so distant. For how could a man as strong and cunning as my father allow himself to lose to death? My father never lost at anything. I had waited and hoped for this day to come, and now that it had arrived it felt too soon. I clutched my styrofoam cup tightly, waiting for someone to come with better news.

"They said he suffered another stroke." Gemma sobbed into my shoulder. "You saw what the last one did to him!"

"I know, Gem. But there's nothing that we can do now, so let's see what the doctor says." I said tenderly.

Suddenly, Grace appeared around the corner - her hands full of hospital food items. I couldn't help but smile at her kindness. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyelids droopy. She was a messy kind of beautiful.

"I brought you guys some coffee. Harry, I know you said you're not hungry but I really think you should eat-"

I grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Thank you," I whispered.

She gave a small smile and handed us each a cup of coffee. "Has anyone said anything?" She sat beside me.

"Nope... We've been sitting here for almost 20 minutes now." Gemma muttered as she wiped her tears on her sleeve.

"I'm so sorry," Grace huffed, her brown eyes revealing how exasperated she was.

I patted her leg. "It's not your fault. It's no one's fault." I could secretly sense Gemma's guilt.

Anytime something happened with Dad, Gemma was at his side. She was with him when he had his first stroke, and tried desperately to help him get better. When it ended up landing him in the hospital, she was there every day, making sure that he was being properly taken care of. Even now, she always called in to check on him and came to visit anytime that she could. She even tried to get me to visit him. She knew how badly he wanted to see me, to talk to me, but I didn't want any part of it. And the guilt was beginning to sting me.

A deep voice interrupted my thoughts. "Styles family?" A tall, slender man with caramel complexion stood in front of us. With his white lab coat and a stethoscope around his shoulders, I knew he must be the doctor.

We each stood immediately. I held out my hand to greet him. "My name is Harry Styles, I'm his son."

He shook my hand and gave a warm smile. "My name is Dr. Hudson, I've been taking care of your father."

"How is he?" Gemma asked warily.

Dr. Hudson hesitated for a moment, which caused all of us to hold our breath. "I can't lie... he's not doing well. Mr. Styles suffered another stroke earlier this evening, and he doesn't have much time left."

Gemma began to cry again - I placed my arm around her waist to steady her.

"I would advise you guys to talk to him now, while you have the chance. We will do everything we need to to make sure that he's... comfortable. But I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do for him." Dr. Hudson's voice lowered - I could tell he felt defeated

"How long do we have?" I asked.

"I give it - at the most - a couple of days."

Suddenly, my knees felt weak. Dr. Hudson's voice now sounded like it was in a washing machine. I sat back down, and Gemma sat with me.