Reticent

Chapter Twenty-Nine; news

"It's not like he's my boyfriend anymore, but I'm hot and he's single, I'm just saying." Halley says, talking about her first boyfriend.

"That's gross!" Avery nudges her older sister.

"You don't understand it, you're like five." Halley says.

"I'm almost thirteen?" Avery argues.

"Ave, you have another year and that's after the four months until you're twelve." Becca says to Avery.

"Why are you trying to grow up so fast?" I joke. I reach over the table and wipe away some chocolate from Avery's chin. She whines and slaps my hand away, telling me "she can do it herself". I take the opportunity, when they're all laughing with each other, to take a picture with my phone.

After I take the picture, I get a call. I look at the ID, seeing that it's John, and answer it without hesitation. "Well?" I ask. The three of my girls are now quiet, looking at me.

"He's asking for you." John says. I take a deep breath and feel tears streaming down my cheeks. "St. Joseph's." He says through chuckling. I hang up and grab my keys and phone, telling the girls we have to go. In the car, I don't speak to the girls, even though they're constantly asking me what's wrong. All my mind could do right now was get me to the hospital.

I parked the car in the drop-off section and ran inside, not caring that the girls were failing to keep up with my speed. I ran through the first floor, looking for him in each room on both sides of the hallway. I pressed the elevator button a couple hundred times trying to make it get to me faster. While I was waiting for the elevator, the girls caught up to me and kept asking me what's wrong.

"Screw this." I say and ran up the stairs. I repeated my moves from the first floor, looking in each room. Then I saw him. He was standing at the end of the hallway, pacing back and forth. I smile at the familiar sound of his boots tapping against the floor every time he walked.

"Harry." I said until he heard me. His head snapped in my direction and I could see the relief wash over his face. He ran towards me, his eyes never leaving mine. I hear the girls behind me, just leaving the elevator. I turn my head and they see me. Their eyes light up and they start to sprint towards me when they notice their dad right behind me.

His arms wrapped around my entire body, my head hiding in his warm chest. I can hear his heart beating so fast with my ear pressed against it. My hands reach up to his shoulders, never wanting to leave my sides because of how nervous I was. Then we were separated when the girls literally ran into his arms. Avery and Becca were fighting Halley to get the same hug that she got. Halley's arms were wrapping around his neck, while Harry's hands were on her upper back, his arms seeming to squeeze her.

After Halley moved to the side, Avery actually climbed him to be the same height at Halley. Becca was near his waist, hugging him so tightly. Harry was holding Avery in his arm, his other arm wrapped around Halley, his eyes looking at Becca. I couldn't stop wiping my tears away. Halley was bawling like a baby, while Avery and Halley were laughing.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked Halley. She was crying too hard to answer him. "Avery," he looked at her, expecting an answer. Her head was still hidden in his shoulders. All we could hear from her was a loud sob. I couldn't help but laugh, just like Harry. I smiled at the sound of his laugh.

"We were so worried about you." Becca sobbed. While Harry was talking to the girls, making them feel better about what's happened to him, John found me. He stared at me, a smile on his face, somehow saying things with his eyes. I nodded my head and thanked him again, then I watched him walk away.

"Harry Styles." A woman yelled. Harry had to let the girls go in order to get his check up. I gave Halley my credit card and told her to get her dad some food. I gave her my car keys and told her to be careful. Then I walked towards Harry, grabbed his hand in mine, and walked to the little room with a curtain.