Timeless [h.s]

Thirteen

Stuart

Hospital accommodations were definitely not comfortable or designed to give people much rest. During the night, many nurses came by, tended to Harry. My favourite part was, by far, the small words he'd let slip during his drug induced slumber. It was adorable, making my heart warm.

"Good morning Mr and Mrs Styles." I spoke, smiling at them. If I was being completely honest, I felt like the girlfriend meeting the parents; moreover, I wanted to be the girlfriend meeting the parents. It was slightly past six in the morning and we were waiting some hotshot doctor's visit.

"Thank you so much for your time, Charlotte. You're really a special girl." I dismissed Anne's compliment, looking at Harry one more time. His face was peaceful but I knew he was awake, I could see a small, supressed smirk. He obviously loved my newfound friendship with his family.

"It's the least I could do." I said, looking down at my scandalously pink tennis. When I looked up, I saw a smiling Harry.

"Morning Barbie." His father smiled at us, whispering something in Anne's ear. They weren't being subtle, but I hardly worried about them. I knew I had left a good impression, and that would grant me access to Harry, proximity to keep an eye on him until he recovered fully.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"High and in pain." He mumbled, looking down at his IV. I chuckled slightly, rubbing my eyes due to sleep deprivation. I kissed Harry's forehead affectionately, casting aside my embarrassment. Our days together would end soon enough; I knew that, so I was embracing the doomed relationship for as long as possible.

"I'm going outside for a bit. I need a tea." He tried to snort at my choice, hissing in pain once his movements disturbed his badly injured ribs. I felt my heart constrict at the sight of him. His mother gasped and his father looked away. At least I wasn't the only one with difficult in accepting this lively, amazing boy tied to a bed because of a beating.

"We'll see you soon, Charlotte." His dad spoke, looking at me with reassuring eyes. He could see I was feeling guilty for leaving Harry, but I believed he would never come close to knowing the depth of my blame. Charles squeezed my shoulder one last time before I left the room, turning back to his family and immersing himself in conversation with them.

I wanted to hear every word Harry's doctor had to say, but I also didn't want to pry. I felt like they needed alone time. His sister hadn't even had the chance to see him yet due to work schedules and I felt like a stranger, like I didn't belong in their inner circle during such a terrible moment.

After paying for an overpriced, terribly flavoured tea, I sat down in the cafeteria, alone with my thoughts. I wanted to pretend I was thinking about pressing life or death matters, but I wasn't.

I was going back in time, considering Miles' theory, feeling betrayed. I wanted to believe Harry had never been with other people during our time together, but dead men did tell no tales, and I knew he had no journal or whatsoever. Whichever secrets he kept from me went to the grave with him.

The fact that I had never visited his grave hurt me. I had never been back to the place that turned my life around. I was a coward, but I did it to preserve my mental health. My mind jumped from that old memory to a recent one, Harry's match. That had been our only date, and yet I felt like I had been going out with him for years. There was an effortlessness to it all, something I had never felt, not even with his predecessor. I wanted to believe in a positive outcome for everyone involved in this mess, but being inside a hospital didn't help much.

Throwing away the empty cup, I made my way back to his room. When I opened the door, his doctor was still inside. I waved at Harry's father, receiving a small, encouraging nod in return. I walked in; paying more attention to the words his physician spoke.