harry styles imagines

rewind: part three

But now, he has to go to work and she's not here. What happened to the girl who always arrives ten minutes early? The one who takes his daughter from his hold so he can get ready? The one who doesn't mind adjusting to his daughter's needs without a second thought?

Harry sighs and checks his phone one more time as he shuffles to his bedroom to pace around the room and mentally check off his list of things he needs for the day. Pacifier, hearing aids, squeezable applesauce, four bottles of formula, an extra pair of clothes, the crunch of gravel...

Wait. What?

The sound of a car rolling into his driveway breaks him away from his thoughts. His heart goes through the motions of a rollercoaster. Is it her? Is it the mail carrier? Is it an intruder? It's too early for this.

Harry grabs his heavy tote bag of baby necessities and slings it over his shoulder before making his way back to the kitchen. He slowly treads toward the window above the sink, picking up Marlowe on the way so she doesn't leave his eyesight, and then reaches out to move the linen curtains aside.

In his driveway, he sees Reese's familiar car parked a bit crooked. The maple trees shake in the wind and blow orange and yellow leaves onto her windshield, yet he can still make out her figure. He doesn't mean to eavesdrop, but he can't look away when he sees her head leaning back against the seat with her eyes squeezed shut. She looks to be in some sort of pain; physical or mental anguish, he's not quite sure. Does he go out there? Has she passed out? Is she always in this much distress when she comes over to his house?

Harry closes the curtains and locks eyes with Marlowe. He signs "What do I do?" to her and only gets a tiny hand harmlessly slapping his chest in response. He sighs sharply and kisses her fingers.

After about five minutes of sitting and then standing up from the kitchen chair several times, the tuneful chime of his doorbell echoes throughout the house. Fixing his hair, Harry twists the doorknob and gently swings the door open. Reese stands on the other side with puffy eyes and rubescent cheeks in all their glory. A frown seems permanently stuck on her face, her chapped lips downturned enough to make Harry's heart speed up with alarm. Her hair is thrown up in two tight buns and the coat she wears drowns her body.

What in the world has caused his bluebird to appear on his doorstep with clipped wings?

"Reese," Harry says cautiously, "is everything all right? Please come inside."

She breathes out a puff of air and nods quickly. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm so sorry I'm late. I, uh... there was an emergency I had to take care of."

The contradictory statement throws him for a loop. She claims she's fine, yet there was an emergency. He wishes she'd just be honest with him.

"An emergency?" he repeats, ushering her inside. Marlowe coos happily and reaches out when she sees who it is. "Are you sure everything's okay? You weren't answering any of my calls or texts."

The quiver of her lips is quickly hidden by a smile. An extremely fake smile, Harry notices. "I'm fine," she tells him. "I can stay an extra couple of hours if you need me to since I'm late. Again, I apologize."

Her behavior is strange. She's not herself right now. She looks out of it like there's static behind her brown eyes.

"Reese," Harry gently says, taking a step closer. "Tell me what's wrong. I'm not leaving until I know you're okay."

"I'm okay, I—"

"You're not. I saw you in the driveway. Reese, you're not okay."

Her lips quirk to the side as her eyes gloss over and her eyebrows sadly pull together. She shifts her weight on one foot and says, "My grandma is in the hospital. I had to take her this morning because she fell."