Delicate

Chapter 100

HARRY STYLES
April 2024

Three Days Ago

"Hey, Harry?" Haven called out from down the hall in the bedroom.

Lily gave me a look of exasperation as I glanced at the door.

"I'll be right back," I chuckled and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Don't touch anything, Daddy!" She shouted at me, referring to my wet pink fingernails.

"I won't!" I laughed and shook my head, but I could feel the color leaving my face as I walked into the bedroom to see Haven standing there with her hand on her belly in an unsure stance. There was a puddle of water on the floor right between her thighs.

"I think we might have to go to the hospital now," she said in an eerily calm fashion. My mind was reeling.

"You–that's–okay," I looked to my right and left and turned around in a full circle before remembering that what I needed to do was grab the hospital bag in the bedroom next door that was built as a dressing/fitting room for us both.

"Daddy, I'm waiting!" Lily called for me.

"Get your shoes on!" I retorted. "Tell Jack to get his shoes on! Shit, I have to call Dr. Becks, I have to call your mum and dad, I–"

"H," Haven chuckled, as in, she laughed. She was laughing. Why was she laughing? "Calm down, baby."

My eyes widened. "You want—your water just broke, Hay! We've gotta go!"

"I'm aware, thank you," she wrinkled her nose and placed her hand on her round belly.

I obviously knew she was due any day at that point, but it was surreal to know that her bump was officially done growing. She wouldn't be getting any more pregnant than she already was. She had reached max-pregnancy. By the end of that day, most likely, she would no longer be pregnant at all and we'd have a third child. Fuck.

"But please just calm down," she exhaled. "We can't both be panicking and if you keep freaking out, I'm going to freak out."

I swallowed any argument I might have had against that. "Okay. You're right. Do you need anything or can we just get in the car and go?"

"Well, I need to change," she kept her hand low on her bump. "Can you help me change?"

"Yes," I dropped the overnight bag on the ground and gently guided her to the next room. "Jack and Lily! Get your shoes on now! We're leaving!"

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Jack yelled from the playroom on the opposite end of the hall.

"To the hospital! Mummy's gonna give birth to baby sister today!"

Thankfully, the statement brought a smile to Haven's face as she stood still and I helped her out of her white cotton maxi dress. I gave her new underwear, despite the fact that it would be coming right off not too long from then, and I helped her put on the same dress she was just wearing but in black. The fabric was soft and stretchy and it would be easier to strip off in the hospital than bottoms and a top.

"Good?" I asked her.

"Good," she nodded. "Let's go."

Jack and Lily were still occupied playing while I helped get Haven down into her Mercedes parked in our wide driveway. I called Miss Honey to ask if she could meet us at the hospital and I called my in-laws next to let them know that their daughter was going into labor with their second granddaughter. Margaret just about had a heart attack and I could hear her yelling at James to hurry up and get dressed. I'm not sure what that was supposed to mean or why he wasn't already dressed at 7:22 p.m. on a Friday, but I'm glad Haven didn't have to contemplate that. She didn't need more discomfort than what she was already dealing with.