Gotta Be You [Complete]

Chapter 24

Harry’s POV

I woke up, taking a while to realize where I was. I sat up off of the floor, rubbing my eyes. My back ached a bit seeing as I’d slept on the floor the whole night. And then I looked at Isla’s door. It was still closed. 

I really wanted to talk to her. I had to explain to her that, as much as I hated lying to her, we had to. For her health. We had to tell her about the possibility of her going back into a coma if we had told her the truth. And that she might’ve never woken up again.

I could tell how hurt she was yesterday, she wouldn’t stop crying for hours as I listened to her through the door and it hurt me that I couldn’t be there to comfort her. I tried talking to her last night after she’d stopped crying but she wouldn’t say anything back. I decided to let her sleep and I waited for her outside her bedroom door.

Now, here I am. I needed to talk to her. I needed to tell her that we only did this because we love her.

I stood up and walked over to the door. I lightly knocked.

“Isla?” I whispered. No response. I knocked once more. Still no response. She had locked the door yesterday so no one was able to go inside but I tried again and this time…

It opened.

I slowly opened the door. 

“Isla, may I plea--”

And my heart shattered into a million pieces once I looked into the room. 

Her bed was made. All of her things that used to be on her dressers and table were gone. Some of the drawers were open and they were empty and the closet, too. I stood there frozen, thinking I was dreaming.

But no, this was real.

I slowly walked into the room, looking around. All of her things were gone.

She was gone.

Tears started welling up in my eyes and they escaped once I saw something on her pillow.

Letters.

I walked over to the top of her bed and grabbed the letters. I looked at them, my hands shaking like crazy. The letter on top said ‘To everyone’. The next one said ‘To Niall’. And the last one, the one that made my breath catch in my throat, the one that made my head spin, it said ‘To Harry’.

I didn’t know what to do. I felt like someone had pulled the ground from under me. I started crying right then and there.

And then suddenly I heard someone come up the stairs.

“Hey, Harry, is she--”

It was Niall. I turned around and saw him frozen at the door. He looked around the room, realizing what had happened. He looked at me and then he started tearing up as well. Neither one of us said anything.

And then we heard the front door open and many footsteps coming up the stairs. Everyone was here and they had worried looks on their faces.

“No! No! NO!” El said, looking into the room and crying. Louis put his arms around her and started crying.

“Isla texted El about everything and we came straight here,” Liam said, sadness in his eyes.

I swallowed, feeling the huge bump in my throat. “She…she…wrote us a letter.” I took the letter after I had secretly hidden the one that was personalized to me and Niall. I didn’t want to read it in front of them and I know that Niall would want the same thing. I’d give it to him afterwards. So, with shaking hands, I opened the letter and cleared my throat.