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23

No one argued against that one.

I wiped my tears with my good hand, feelings Calum suddenly pull me into a careful hug, making sure not to touch my hand.

"Just relax, I'm not mad at you- we're going to talk and I'm going to do your stitches, that's it" he spoke calmly, making me nod.

I kept my head back like he told me to as he did my stitches- asking several times if I was okay throughout the process.

"I'm surprised you didn't pass out" Calum spoke quietly.

"I felt like I was going to, whats why I went to Luke" I told him slowly.

"You didn't want to tell because you thought it would lower her score?" Calum asked me slowly.

I contemplated what to do

"Don't tell Luke or the state workers, but I told her" I almost whispered,

"She saw it seconds after it happened- she cleaned the mess and everything and just told me to to wrap it, I got her when I bled through the wrap and she told me she'd take me to the emergency room as soon as all of you left." I explained quietly.

His silence told me he wasn't happy.

"And she's acting like she never knew to save her ass" he finished for me, making me slowly nod in agreement.

"I hate that bitch" he spoke oddly calmly, staying focused to my hand.

"I do too" I mumbled.

He finished the stitches, letting everyone back in as he wrapped it- explaining to me that I would have to keep it in a brace due to it being inside my hand and the stitches being easy to bust.

"So, can we talk now?" Luke asked, arms crossed over his chest as Calum slowly put a brace onto my hand.

"I got the story" Calum spoke calmly, making me instantly look to him.

"Calum-" he looked me straight into my eyes
"The building is getting shut down either way, might as well not get fussed at for the next three days over a lie." He spoke calmly.

"Veronica knew the entire time- veronica told her she would be fine until after we left. None of this is Harley's fault." He spoke, making all eyes move to Veronica.

She looked to her feet.

"I panicked-" "you realize she could've passed out?" Luke shot to her as the state workers stared in shock.

"It was a stupid decision- I agree-" "and on top of it all you lied and let us yell at her and yelled at her also," the state worker chimed in.

"I'm sorry" she spoke straight to me as Calum tightened the brace, making me wince lightly.

"Tomorrow morning our bosses will be here to officially shut down your foster home, you'll be lucky if they don't press charges against you for child endangerment." A worker spoke to her.

"No-what about the kids?"

I felt a familiar tightness in my chest
I felt the tears in my eyes
The lump in my throat
The lack of air in my lungs

"We'll be sending them all to different foster homes across the country"

And that made a sharp pain strike through my chest, down into my arm.

This had to be a heart attack

I ignored it for a minute, until it struck again, making a tear almost instantly fall down my cheek.

"Luke" I cried out- making all of the talking and arguing in the room stop- all attention flying to me.

"My chest" I cried out, patting it lightly as all the doctors swarmed to me

Luke,

I had never seen her so panicked.

She was sobbing, clutching her chest tightly, gasping for air, continually repeating

"My chest"

Michael got an oxygen mask around her face, holding her head and telling her to breathe as Calum hooked her to monitors and listening to her heart.

"Is something wrong with her heart?" A state worker yelled to us as the monitors went off- her blood pressure and pulse through the roof.

"Get them out and get me an IV" Calum yelled, throwing gloves on.

"Luke" she cried- trying to get the mask off of her head and to get us from holding her still.

"You're okay Harley" I promised her, kissing her head.

"Ashton- take another listen to her heart and lungs for me" Calum stressed out as he got her IV into her arm.

We all went as quiet as we could as he listened- myself holding Harley's crying body, making sure the oxygen mask stayed on her face.

We had no fucking idea what was going on

"It's a panic attack, we gotta make her calm down" Ashton spoke.

Tears rolled down her face as she almost begged us to help her, panicking us all because she had to listen to us in order for us to help her.

I fully climbed into the bed with her, catching all the guys off guard as I hugged her into me, feeling her crying body just relax into me.

"Breathe Harley, you have to breathe or it's not going to get better"