Lifeline (Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

Chapter 41

{Chapter 41}

"You're beautiful, Katelyn." Her mother cooed as she rubbed the back of Katie's hands with her thumb. Their hands were intertwined on top of the table as Katie bit back tears. Her father and mother sat in the booth across from Katie and Harry.

They had just finished up their breakfast, even though Katie could barely take a look at the pancakes that had been in front of her. To her disappointment, she wasn't even able to order her infamous Strawberry Milkshake, knowing it wouldn't stay down very long.

"I still can't believe you're here." Katie croaked, as the waitress collected the empty dishes with a smile on her face. Her father gave her a tightlipped smile.

"Thanks to Harry here, we were able to board the first plane to London." Her mother smiled at the curly haired boy. "He's been in contact with us for just over a week now."

Katie turned to look at her boyfriend in surprise, who shied away from her gaze of disbelief.

"I didn't know that." She whispered as his green eyes turned to meet hers.

Katie's eyes turned back to meet with her mother's watering ones.

Some used to say that Katie looked a lot like her mother, and it was only now that she realized she truly did. Even though age had taken a toll on the older woman's appearance, she still had her big brown eyes full of life, and her dark hair that fell to her shoulders. She was a slender woman, the kind, who at the age of 48 would still be running marathons.

Her father was the opposite. A jollier man, with a thick dark must ache that sat under his nose as he squinted through the glasses perched on the tip of his nose.

"I've missed you." She said quietly, only bringing more tears to her mother's eyes as her father now reached across the table to pat the back of her hand.

"We've missed you." He started, in a gruffy voice. "-More than anything."

Her father's words hit her below the belt as her heart ached.

"I'm-" She started, inhaling a deep breath before continuing. "I'm-I'm sorry."

A small whimper escaped from her mothers throat, as she stared at her daughter with bloodshot and tearful eyes. "No." She stated, with a smile on her face. "We're sorry."

"Mom," Katie stated, her voice shaking as she picked at her fingernails onto of the table. She glanced down at her hand, cocking her head slightly to the side. She knew she had to state the inevitable, perhaps her mother and father already knew. Considering the headlines for the past 2 weeks had been all about her and her-

Harry's hand found her thigh under the table, and he squeezed her knee comfortingly. One touch, and she suddenly felt the courage to meet her parents awaited gazes.

"Mom, Dad-" She started again, heart racing. "You know what's happening to me, right?" She tried to smile, but her eyes pooled with tears as she tried to laugh. The only thing keeping her relatively tied together was Harry's warm hand that never left her knee under the table. "The Cancer-" She stuttered. "It's not-I'm not-"

Katie mother silenced her almost immediately as her father's gaze dropped to the table top and his bloodshot eyes pooled once more.

Her mother gave her a faint smile, something she hadn't seen in a long time. It was the kind of smile a mother gave to her child after the child had fallen and cut themselves and the mother had to patch it up with a trusted band-aid.

Her mother's hand rested softly onto of her on the table. Her bloodshot eyes met her mother's warm but tearful ones. 

"We're not going to talk about that, Katelyn." She said softly, trying to smile through the tears. "It's been 3 years since I've seen my daughter, and I'd prefer not to think about that right now."