The Queen (Harry Styles)

Chapter 43

It was as if that day was playing over and over again. Harry's blood on my hands, his screaming into the white cloth....and Trish's loud sobs as she collapsed to the ground in front of her blood covered boy. Perrie's screams when it clicked that the love of her life was gone from this earth. The breath of life gone from his body.

"No," Perrie whispered, her pale blue eyes going wide when she saw Trish laying on top of Zayn sobbing. "No!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

"My baby," Trish sobbed, her gentle hand pressing against the softness of his cheek. "Oh my baby."

I felt the tears welling in my own eyes as I took the sight in before me. The family that I considered myself a part of torn apart by the death of a son. I knew how much Trish adored her only son, and this (like any other child), will undoubtedly tear her apart. Her heart is probably shattered to pieces.

"Your Majesty," Waters said, coming up behind me. "We must return to the palace. Lucas brought Harry to the emergency room."

"Isn't there something we can do?" I whispered, glancing over at the family. "They—"

"I'm afraid not, Queen Emerald," he said softly. "The artisan is gone, I'm afraid. I will call for a team of maids and a new assistant when we get to the castle for you. For now, leave them to grieve."

"But—"

"It's not your family," he reminded me. "We must go. The counsel will want to know what happened with the King."

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. He was still in the hospital from the gun wound. He had to get some blood and he was unconscious for most of yesterday. He reached over to me with his good arm, his hand stretching over to the swell of my belly.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you?" I asked, teasing.

"I'm fine," he answered. "How are you feeling?" he repeated, his hand gently rubbing up and down my stomach.

"I'm just worried about Trish and her family," I sighed, leaning back into the chair, his hand falling to the side of the bed. "I've never seen so many heartbroken faces in my life."

"It's sad," Harry said, nodding mindlessly.

"His wife's pregnant," I said. "He was going to be a father."

Harry's face fell, and his eyes dropped to his lap and he rubbed his hands together. His eyes looked down at my stomach briefly before looking back up into my blue eyes.

"I didn't know that," Harry said softly. "Did you?"

"Not until that day," I said quietly. "I can't imagine what she's going through."

"I don't want you to, Em," he said, reaching over to me with his good arm. "It was a close call, and it could have been you as well. So don't think about it."

"I can't help it," I said quietly. "I don't know how she is feeling and her screams...they were soul piercing."

He nodded, seeming to understand my thoughts on the subject. A heavy sigh escaped Harry's lips upon the silence that seemed to settle between us. I looked down at my rounding stomach, my hands resting below the curve. Harry's eyes looked over me, as if he were unsure of what to say.

"It's hard to believe Christmas is coming up," Harry noted randomly, changing the subject. "The last Christmas of just the two of us."

"Yeah," I nodded. "It means it's all that much closer. Our lives are changing and it's hard to even begin to think what it's going to be like."