Infinity || Dan Smith

Forty-Eight.

The nurse holds Lacey who is bundled up in multiple pink blankets. "Oh my god." Dan whispers while the nurse sympathetically smiles, knowing full well that Dan and his daughter are in for a horrid ride.

A lifetime full of pills and checkups...that's only if Charlie comes out stranding.

"She's beautiful, by the way." The nurse smiles while looking at Lacey's little scrunched up pink face.

"She's literally replica of Charlie." Dan admits as the nurse carefully places Lacey in Dan's loving arms. He's never felt this kind of love before...but he likes the feeling

"How is she?" Dan says removing his love heart eyes away from his daughter. He needs to know how his other love is doing.

Dan doesn't find any of this remotely fair, Charlie has already been and done through so much shit. It truly is always the good people who get shat upon time and time again. Just the thought of Charlie suffering makes his entire skin crawl.

"You're daughter is healthy, she has an impressive set of lungs. We thought she never was going to stop!"

"I mean...how is my girlfriend? This one's mum..." Dan's voice trails off while the nurse then feels embarrassed. This is the first time that she has gone unsupervised with a patients loved one. Normally the doctor handles the sensitive stuff while she hides behind him and tries to lighten the atmosphere with much needed compliments.

But now it's completely different for the newly trained nurse. She's the one who is in control, and that fact terrifies her.

"Sorry. Um...I can't tell you anything on her behalf since I was only in there to help deliver this one." The nurse gestures towards Lacey while Dan looks slightly horrified that he has no news of Charlie's condition.

He feels sick knowing that the doctors have told him that it's something cancerous...but they've left him in the dark since. There's been no updates up until a minute ago with Lacey.

To Dan, this private hospital is utterly unprofessional and he will press charges if anything bad happens to Charlie.

Dan then looks at Lacey and tries to fight back his tears, it's what his always been told to do. Be strong for the people he cares about the most. "Do you have any idea where Charlie is?" The nurse admittedly shakes her head while Dan then closes his eyes and nods his head.

"I can go and follow up on her whereabouts, but it's best if you wait here." Dan then laughs. The type of laugh which sounds sarcastic, it's short but stern.

"I know it isn't ideal..." Dan shakes his head.

"Ideal? Waiting in this room is hell. Nobody comes to give you updates and I'm wondering if I'm sitting in this room for the fun of it while my girlfriend..." — Dan's voice trails off while his daughter continues to stare at him. Although, she doesn't see anything at all. Everything beyond 30 centimetres is a total blur...but she can sense she's with her father — "her mum...is somewhere else in this place." The nurse shakes her head. She's ninety percent sure that Charlie hasn't been removed from this part of the hospital.

"I know that they was going to ran scans on her...but I'm not allowed to say where that is exactly. They can't have any distractions." Dan nods his head. He knows they're trying to help Charlie, but he feels like he needs to be updated every single time they find something.

Seeing her in pain this evening was gut wrenching for Dan.

"I advise you to wait here. Charlie's emergency contact will arrive here shortly." Dan looks up from his daughter once again, but this time his face is filled with more confusion than sadness.

"Emergency contact?" The nurse nods her head.

"When you apply here, or any hospital, you have to have an emergency contact. We advise you not to use your partners...but rather someone you know that will always have your back. I know it's...wrong...but it's the guidelines everyone has to follow." Dan then knows exactly who it is.

Sure Charlie hates her...but Isla is right. Aubrey has always been there when Charlie needs her the most. Why would this time be any different.

"Aubrey?" Dan whispers her name while the nurse nods her head.

"I mean I think? She's the director of the film that you're both in." Dan's eyes widen that the nurse knows that Charlie and Dan are obviously together and has a baby, but then he comes to his senses...he doesn't care that a fan knows. He thought he would...but he doesn't.

Maybe it's just the terrible circumstances?

"I think I'm going to wait for her outside..." Dan needs air.

"You can't take your daughter out of the premises until she's had a through checkup. But that takes five minutes...if you would like to follow me." Dan nods his head, but he looks unsure wether he should leave.

"Don't worry, I'll let the doctor who's working with Charlie know that you're coming with me. If anything happens you'll be the first to know." Dan nods his head again, but this time falling a smile through his sadness. He then follows the nurse out of the patient waiting room and down the long scary looking hall.