The Fortune Teller (One Direction)

Chapter 13 - No Flowers

Am I dead?

I mean, you hear about near-death experiences all the time. People talk about blinding light, a sense of calmness. Maybe that’s what this is?

No. No, of course not. I’m not dead. If I were dead, my abuela would have been at the gates with St Peter to greet me. Still…where the heck am I?

I force my eyes to open, and the dim light in the hospital room nearly blinds me. The room is entirely white. In front of me the door is shut, and the blinds on the two windows on either side are drawn tightly closed.

I tilt my head to the right, where another window has been placed. This one seems to overlook the gardens outside, because over the noisy beeping of the machines wired to me, I hear birds singing to welcome a new day.

“Issy, you’re awake,” I hear someone whisper softly into my ear. I blink and my vision alters slightly, and I see him stroking my hand delicately at the other side of my bed. Harry’s beautiful, dimpled smile is visible, causing my whole body to relax.

I open my mouth to talk, but Harry silences me before I can let any words escape. He leans over the bed and hovers just in front of my face, “I’m sorry for everything I did. I really am. I just hope when you see me again, you can forgive me.”

Again I try to speak, but no words can be formed. I desperately try to force out one tiny sentence ‘I forgive you, completely.’ but it doesn’t work.

Harry laughs quietly at my attempt. Smiling, he bends down and kisses me lightly on my forehead, whispering “Go back to sleep, Issy, you need your rest.”

My body obeys him, and I feel myself falling back into a sleeping trance – but my mind is screaming. I want to talk to him; I want to tell him that I’m sorry. Even more I want to jump from my hospital prison and hug him so tight that we may just fuse together.

But there’s no energy in me. My vision is shielded by my heavy eyelids, and before I know it I’m lost beyond the real world.

-

It was like a dream. I could’ve sworn it was just a dream – Harry visiting me…whenever it was. But it was real. I know it.

The sound of loud footsteps squeaking along the floor outside my room alerts me. My eyelids flutter open as through the door comes two of my best friends – Wendi and Raya.

Raya almost drops her coffee. Mid-sentence she had stopped, babbling on to Wendi about the food at Nandos last night, “Issy! You’re awake!” she breathes, rushing to my bedside and plonking herself on the seat to my right.

Wendi rushes to my left, looking equally relieved and ecstatic. Wendi is positioned further away than Raya, and I think it’s because of the chair in the way…Is someone else here? Is someone else coming back?

“Yeah, yeah I am,” I breathe, rasping the words, making them barley audible. However much I love my friends, there are a couple of people who should be here: my parents.

Coughing quietly, I force out an audible sentence, “Where are my parents?”

“Oh my God. I can’t believe they’re not here!” Raya squeaks, slapping her hands to her face and pulling her mobile from her bag.

“We sent them home for a rest and to get new clothes.” Wendi tells me, “They’ve been here non-stop for days.”

“Days?” I splutter. What on Earth happened to me to keep me in hospital for days?! I don’t remember a thing! “Seriously, what happened?”

“…You don’t remember?” Wendi says, looking panicked. Raya isn’t paying attention, she’s shouting down the phone, probably trying to get across to my apparently deaf father.

“Not a thing.” I tell Wendi, looking at her expectantly.

She picks something from the chair beside my bed, moving it to the next chair, and sits down, “You were at the Youth Club with Raya…and Harry and Louis.” She recites, and I begin to remember small details. Talking to the Moon drifts through my head, and it’s a few seconds before I remember why. “After you ran out, you were sat with Raya at the side of the building,” I distinctively remember a lot a graffiti, “And…you got hit, by a door, and got knocked out-”

“There was blood everywhere,” Raya says. I hadn’t noticed she’s stopped talking on the phone and had been listening to Wendi’s telling of the story, “God it was awful. I was screaming, panicking. Liam had to calm me down.” She nearly starts crying, but composes herself quickly, “Harry was brilliant though. Took charge and made Louis call for an ambulance, mopped up a load of blood with his jumper…” she trails off, adding more and more to the list, but tears are already falling down my face.

I love him.

I feel two hands patting my shoulders comfortingly, and the three of us stay like this for a few minutes. I’m sure there’s something missing.

After another few minutes, I pull myself together and hear Raya whisper, “Wen, have you got the card?” I look over and see Wendi lift something from the chair beside her and drop it onto my lap.

I may have lost some of my memory, but I instantly recognise the writing on the front of the envelope in my hands as Harry’s. I tear it open:

Dear Issy,

By the time you wake up I probably won’t be here. If I could I’d stay I’d never leave your side until you wake up. I can’t because we’re touring still and I’ve been away from rehearsals too much now. I have to go to the next venue alone because the guys have been there a while now.

Obviously, you’re asleep right now as I’m writing. You woke up not long ago, but you didn’t say much. You might not even remember.

I’d have bought you flowers, but you know they cost a bomb, and well I had to buy a new jumper ;)

I just have one thing left to say.

I love you.

-Harry

The tears come back. Once again the girls try to comfort me for a few minutes.

“I’m gonna go find your parents,” Raya says, “They should be here any second.” She flees from the room quickly, letting the door fly open. That’s when I see Darcy.

Hovering outside the room like she doesn’t know if she should come in or not, Darcy is stood holding a tray of hot drinks. Wendi looks over us like there may be some odd form of old-west shoot-out, but I smile at Darcy and she enters slowly.

“Long time no see,” I croak, still smiling at her frowning face.

She sighs, “For you, yeah.” She looks so tired. Dark circles are beginning to form under her eyes – how unlike Darcy to let that happen.

I peer up at Wendi and she nods at me, which answers my unasked question to her. “So have you been visiting and stuff, Darce?”

“Only recently…since Harry left town. I didn’t think you’d be too pleased by us being in the same building or anything.”

Ouch.

“Darcy I wouldn’t have minded. Besides, I’ve been in a coma! What difference would it have made?!” I laugh, “Honestly, Darce, it’s your life, you can do what you want, without worrying about my reaction.” I say, having to push the word ‘cheater’ out through my ear.

Darcy looks at me properly now and says, genuinely, “I’d never do that to you again, Iss. I’ve missed you.”

I smile hugely, “Missed you too.” Raising my arms as high as they could go, I invite her to hug me. She sighs jokingly, and wraps her arms around me for a few seconds.

I see Wendi is almost bursting with joy, but Darcy can’t hiss at her to not say anything because my parents barge into the room, dad carrying seven bags himself, and Mama ranting away in her fluent Spanish.