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Eighty One

Harry Styles

My body carefully stretches as I awaken, trying to be careful about my broken ribs with the movement.

Though I'm trying to be gentle with the motions I make, it hurts to even breathe right now. The pain is inevitable. I'm on painkillers currently, but those also make me feel a bit out of it, so I'm not really a fan of the entire situation.

I'm not a big fan of anything that's happened in the past couple of days, really.

Aubrey's been making it better to the best of her abilities. She notices my shaking and holds my hand to try and stop it. She quite literally forces water down my throat so I stay hydrated. She sleeps beside me in this cramped hospital bed, gives me extra blankets, and allows me to annoyingly cling to her as a form of comfort for myself. I couldn't ask for anyone better to be by my side during all of this.

Speaking of, I give the body my arms are wrapped around a squeeze, eyes opening with a squint so I can see her. I can practically hear her pestering me to drink water and eat breakfast, speaking as if she didn't let herself go all day yesterday to tend to me.

I'm not eating today until she does, though. This unhealthy and un-Aubrey routine she has going is being put to a halt. Being here is eating her alive due to her past with coming to see Elora, being here after the car crash, and possibly other occasions I don't know about. I understand that, and I've tried to respect it, but she isn't going to let herself go on my behalf. I won't let that happen.

When my eyes open fully, instead of being met with the brown of Aubrey's hair or the blue of her eyes, I'm met with a white pillow. I've been hugged to a white pillow for an unknown amount of time, no Aubrey in sight whatsoever.

I squint my eyes at the revelation, slowly letting go of the cushioned object and shifting so I'm laying on my back. My eyes dart around the room, not seeing her rushing around like I did when she woke up before me yesterday morning.

I sit up more in my place, wondering if she may be finally getting herself something to eat. I hope she is. She can't put her own needs aside for me like she did all day yesterday.

Today is a new day, and it's going to start with Aubrey eating.

Assuming that she's down in the main area getting some food, I reach for my phone on the bedside table, wanting to call her and pester her into getting herself some food in case she gets any funny ideas and comes back here with only things for me.

I pick up the device, wincing at the stretching as I try not to take too deep of a breath to cause more pain. I turn it on, the light of the screen illuminating my face and allowing me to see my missed calls and unread messages.

Two texts from an unknown number, and five missed calls along with one voicemail from Louis.

The most recent message I've recieved is an image, so I don't get a preview of whatever it is from the banner on my lock screen. My heart begins to race already since I know who the unknown number must be, and I don't know how Aubrey's going to react when I tell her. I don't want to make her more anxious than she already is.

I decide on listening to the voicemail first, clicking on it and putting the phone to my ear to hear whatever it is Louis has to say.

"Harry, I- I don't know if you're going to wake up from any of these calls or not, but I- Damn it! They're going too fast!" His tone is frantic as he seems to be having some sort of struggle, the background noise making me assume that he's driving.

I already don't like where this is going.

"Aubrey's gone! She went to get food from the vending machine at the end of the hall and brought a guard with her, and now she's gone! I- I offered to go with her, but she said no, and I didn't want to try too hard and scare her with caring too much or something, but I didn't want her to get hurt! Fuck!" There's another pause as he struggles with what I'm still assuming is driving.