Anna || HS

Anna 2- CHAPTER 9

~December 2016~

Anna- 22
Harry- 22
August- 1 Month

~December 21st, 2016~

Harry POV:

The first Christmas Eve with August we planned to invite all of the grandparents over. So, Elinor, Sofie and Nate will join us then, but Mum and Robin decided to come to London for a few days leading up to Christmas because Gemma and Michal will be traveling to be with his family on Christmas Day. I had the idea to host them all at our house for three days as our early family celebration.

Shortly after Mum and Robin arrive, Robin excuses himself to head upstairs to go to bed following the drive down. With Anna and August upstairs getting ready for bed, as well, Mum asks if we can go and have a chat, just the two of us. So, I lead us outside to the back patio.

"Darling, I really do love this house. It's a perfect mix of you and Anna," she says, staring out over the manicured lawn freshly coated with a light dusting of white snow. Nothing deep enough to play in, but definitely enough to make it all look magical.

"So, are you going to tell me why we're out here, mum?" I ask her, knowing that she has a fondness for having important conversations in the outdoors.

She sits back on the cushioned patio chair, admiring the snow softly falling around us under the covering over the patio. Her eyes fixed on anything but me as she leans forward on her knee's, obviously preparing to tell me something. "Robin has been told that the treatments are no longer working as they had hoped they would," she finally says.

"What does that even mean?"

"That means that we hope and pray for a miracle, Harry."

"And if there is no miracle."

"Well, we all have a finite amount of time on this planet. I'm afraid that his time might be up sooner than mine or yours."

We share a tear-filled embrace at the desperately sad news. Despite my early reluctance, Robin has been every bit as much of a father as my own dad, if not more so, at times. I'm so gutted, but mum doesn't need to worry about my heartbreak over this news. I can feel hers from my position sitting next to her.

Mum and I sit in comfortable silence, being there for each other as both of our minds, and hearts, process the possibility that this could be our last Christmas with Robin. Mum is the first one to get up from her chair, telling me that she needs to go and check in with him, squeezing my shoulder before heading inside.

I sit in solitude, looking out over the garden for a bit, before finally deciding to head inside. I quietly make my way back to my room, where Anna is passed on on the bed, with August snoozing in his cot in the corner. She has a book laying open across her chest, and her glasses are sliding down her nose so adorably.

I gingerly teeter on the floor towards her, removing her glasses and carefully lifting the book from her body, placing the open pages down on the nightstand for her to pick back up reading tomorrow.

I grab my items off the end of the bed, the pajamas that she set out for me before she fell asleep mid-chapter and head to take a quick shower before bed.

Turning the lights to dim in the bathroom, I hope that my late night rinse doesn't wake either of the two sleeping beauties in the room on the other side of the door. As I stand under the falling water, I get overwhelmed with sadness, thinking about the conversation I just had with mum. Partway through my shower, Anna opens the glass doors to find me crumbling against the wall in the shower.

"Harry, oh my god! What's wrong?" she says, climbing into the shower with me, fully clothed in her pajamas.

"Y...you are getting all wet," I stutter.