when lacey met harry

week seventeen: part one

MONDAY

Harry and I had spent the weekend seeing each other whenever we could. Mark wasn't crazy about the idea, but went along with it to the best of his ability.

It was Monday morning and I walked into the Paramount Hotel in Times Square, grabbing my key from the front desk. I waited for the elevator and when it came I felt like it couldn't move fast enough.

I got off on the 18th floor and quickly made my way to the room, unlocking the door. I walked into the living area of the suite and looked around.

"Harry?" I called out.

"In the room Lace, I'm coming." He called out.

"Okay." I said, taking off my coat and sitting on the couch. He finally appeared and I couldn't help but giggle when I saw his grin. He walked over quickly, kissing me deeply as he began sitting down.

"God, I missed you, Lacey." He said, searching my eyes. I looked down, then back up.

"I missed you too. So much." I bit my lip, and looked back down.

"Lacey, what's wrong?" He said, lifting my chin towards him.

"I got my results back Harry." I said softly, biting my tears back. I didn't have to say anything for him to know. He shook his head and I nodded.

"So then what happens?" He said softly.

"Continue chemo. Hope it goes away. It hasn't spread. Which is good, but, I don't know." I looked down shaking my head.

"When did you find out?" He said softly, running his fingers through my hair

"On the car ride here." I peeked up at him, and finally let myself cry, "I wasted time, I could have been talking to you. Spending time with you."

"No, baby, stop," he pulled me and held me close to him, sitting back against the couch, "We have time now. I'll be there every step."

I sat up a bit and searched his eyes, "Harry I don't want to hide. I don't care. Please. It's extra stress, I don't need. This weekend alone was a lot. I can't handle everything."

"Okay....but we present a united front. We talk to
your parents together on Saturday. Okay?"

I took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay."

"When does chemo start?" He said softly.

"Next week or the one after, I can't really remember. It's all a blur."

He nodded, "Okay. Well, for now, we enjoy our week off from school. We have this place all week, we have Niall's party on Thursday. And I ordered from your favorite Indian place. We will have the best week, okay? I promise."

"Thank you Harry. I love you." I smiled and he pushed my hair softly out of my face, resting his hand on my cheek.

"I love you too, Lacey Burket."

WEDNESDAY

I woke up in our hotel room, every bone in my body aching. I pulled the comforter tight against me, sinking under it. I heard myself let out a soft groan causing Harry to stir. He turned to look at me and sat up, pulling the comforter down a bit.

"Baby, you okay?" He asked, and I hated the concern on his face.

"My body aches so much. Can you turn the heater up a bit. It's so cold." I said and he nodded, quickly getting up and doing so. He came back to bed and pulled me closed against him, rubbing my arms and back softly.

"Does this help?" He whispered and I nodded.

"Mhm, I just, I need sleep."

"That's okay baby. Rest. I'm here, I won't leave this spot."