WRONG // (Harry Styles)

t w e n t y t h r e e

Chapter 23

Claire's point of view

"Louis is..." the doctor begins before taking a breath and my body feels completely numb, having to wait a second more.

"Going to be okay," he completes his sentence and i blink a few times, looking at him.

Niall breathes out in relief behind me and hugs me from behind. With each passing second, more weight is lifted off my shoulders as i realize. He is going to be okay.

"It will take a while for him to recover, and he will need a lot of care," the doctor explains and pulls out a notepad from his shirt pocket and writes something on it.

"This is my number, call me if anything occurs," he hands my the piece of paper and clicks his pen in his hand. He smiles at me and i can't help but hug him.

"Thank you," i whisper and i hear his chuckle as i release him.

"He is resting now, but you can see him in about an hour," he says and smiles once more before walking off. I turn around to Niall and i surround him with my arms, and he feel him bury his face in my neck and for the first time, i'm not the one crying. He backs up and laughs an apology as he slowly wipes away the tears with his hand.

The hour passes quickly, the mood is much more light now that we know Louis is going to be okay.

Right when the clock hits 8 AM, i march into his room and my eyes sting when i see him nearly lifeless on the hospital bed. He has cuts and bruises all over his face, with a cast on his leg and bandages over arms and stomach. His right eye is swollen shut, and his other is also shut. He is sleeping.

I slowly approach him and sit down on the chair beside the bed, placing my hand on top of his and pressing lightly.

It's surprisingly cold and i stroke his hair back, witnessing how bad his injuries really are. A light knock on the door makes me shift and look up, looking right into the green eyes.

"Can i come in?" his tall body stands with tense shoulders.

"Yes," i say and nod, just glad that he is here. He holds a bouquet of flowers, all light blue, except for one rose in the middle. A card on top reads "Louis". He approaches me and puts the flowers on a table by the bed, then picking out the red rose and holding it out to me.

"I'm so sorry," he says and brings the flower closer to me, wanting me to pick it out of his hand. I stare at him for a few seconds and even though this is the most cliche apology i've ever experienced, i reach out and take it. I don't really know what to say. Lately i just feel like he doesn't care about me, just having me. But i can't stand the thought of arguing about that right now, so i nod at him and give him a hug.

"Thank you," i breathe out, resting my chin on his shoulder, looking at Niall at the other side of the room. He hugs me tightly as i breathe in, and somehow it feels like the first fresh breath of air i've had in hours.

"How is he?" he asks, putting a hand on my waist and standing beside me, looking at my unconscious brother.

"He's going to be okay," i say for the first time, and the smile spreading across my face is my frown afterwards. Although he is going to live, it will take months for him to fully heal, and that's only the physical pain. Something drove him to get drunk and drive recklessly. And the thought of it being because of me and Harry is something i've tried to avoid until now. My body clouds with guilt and i sit back on the chair and grab his hand.

"I'm so sorry," i whisper, tightening my grip around his hand, trying to make it warmer. My eyes sting and a lump forms in my throat, but i don't cry.