Highest Rank: #3 in Fanfiction! :D
Ellie is a bright and bubbly, yet dedicated new nurse in the Emergency Department at Chicago Medical Institute. Dr. Harry Styles, meticulous, hardworking, and driven, is the head of the department. Ellie's little q...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Harry was quiet the rest of the way home, after I asked him not to drink anymore. I followed him to his place, but he continued the silent treatment until after he had taken a shower. I had changed out of my scrubs and I was vegging on the couch when he came and sat down, lifting my feet to place them on his lap.
"Are you mad at me for what I said?" I asked cautiously.
He looked up at the ceiling as if searching for an answer in the patterned swirls. "No, I'm not mad," he sighed. "I just...I know I drink too much once in a while, but I don't want to say I'm never going to have another drink." I sat up and tucked my knees under me as I leaned closer, waiting for him to say more. "I promise I won't overdo it anymore, all right?" His puppy dog eyes almost convinced me, but I was skeptical.
"Harry, I don't think that's the answer," I replied softly.
"Ellie, I've been a casual drinker for years, and I've never let it get the best of me. So, maybe I've had a few too many lately. That doesn't mean I have a problem." He grabbed my hands and smiled hopefully. "How about if I give you full permission to cut me off when we go out? We're almost always together anyway."
I hesitantly agreed. Harry had never been an angry drunk, but I wondered if that would change if I tried to cut him off some time.
"I love you, Ell. You know that, right?" He said, kissing the back of my hand sweetly.
"I do, babe. I love you, too. I just want you to treat yourself right, you know?"
"That's why I love you," he responded. "You always want the best for me. You're such a good-hearted woman."
I gasped. "You know that song?! It's one of my favorites!"
He threw his hands over his face and laughed. "Oh, no, is that a country song?"
"You bet!" I said, grabbing my phone and pulling up iTunes. I queued up the song and sang along with Waylon and Willie, complete with country twang.
"Oh, my god," he said, laughing harder. "Remind me why I love you again."
I shrugged and said, "I don't know, but now you're stuck with me."
"Stop grumbling," I reprimanded him, but he knew I was teasing. "You're all going to look silly doing this for the first time. I think it was incredibly sweet of Bridget and Ian to suggest this. And besides, it is my birthday."
It approached so quickly this year that I hardly saw it coming. I was officially on the downward slope to 30, now that I was closing out my 26th year. Bridget had asked me a few weeks back if I wanted to go out on my birthday and said that she and Ian would handle the details.
"But it's line dancing," he whined. "If anyone catches sight of me, my life will be over." He took an exit, following the instructions on his GPS.
