Lifeline (Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

Chapter 44

{Chapter 44}

There was something about 'Goodbyes' Harry had read in a book a very long time ago. He couldn't remember the name of the book, or much less why he had read it. Perhaps it had been for school.

He remembered a line in the book that he had never truly understood until this moment. The moment he stood in the waiting room of the hospital, just after 4 am as he watched  Andrea say goodbye to her best friend. Goodbye, for good.

"I guess that's what saying good-bye is always like-like jumping off an edge. The worst part is making the choice to do it. Once you're in the air, there's nothing you can do but let go." 

"Do you remember-" Katie started, grabbing Andrea's hand and holding it tightly in hers. "Do you remember when we were fourteen and we used to run around my bedroom, pretending to be engaged to Olly Murs and dancing to Spice Girls?"

Andrea furrowed her eyebrows and laughed, allowing more tears to spill from her eyes as she nodded frantically. Harry's heart shattered for the blonde haired girl, who looked much more like a broken angel in her rumpled wedding dress and spilt over eye make-up.

Katie smiled softly at her best friend. Her chocolate brown eyes filled with tears as she grasped desperately at Andrea's hand which she held in hers.

"We pretended we were popstars and that we lived in a million dollar mansion in London, remember that?"

Harry shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to tear his eyes from the crying girls in front of him. It was a sight that simply broke his heart. They were the only ones left in the waiting room. Dr. Andrews had said his goodbyes, and returned to one of the hospital rooms. The nurses had left them alone and the only sound that echoed through the empty, cold waiting room was the sound of the ticking clock that hung over Niall's head on the wall behind him.

That and Katie's breathless laugh.

Her eyes full of whatever desperation she could muster as she brought Andrea's hand up towards her chest.

 "So we're going to do that right now, okay Andy?" She said softly. "We're going to pretend."

"Pretend?" Andrea croaked. Harry watched as Zayn approached his wife, standing behind her protectively as Katie nodded, her brown eyes never leaving those of her best friend.

"We're going to pretend that I'm just going away for a little while." Katie nearly whispered, but it echoed throughout the empty waiting room. Harry didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear any of this and more than anything he wanted to bring his hands up to his ears and plead her to stop. He didn't want to hear the final goodbye.

"-You're going to go to Heathrow, and you're going to get on a plane and you're going to have the best honeymoon with Malik here." Katie's watering eyes looked up to smile softly at Zayn, who smiled back just as sadly. Katie looked back at her best friend, who now had a hand to her mouth to muffle her sobs.

"You're going to write me postcards, okay?" Katie asked, desperately. "And you're going to come back and even if I'm not here, know that I'll be seeing you soon." She choked on her words. Her fingers trembled as she held Andrea's in hers. "-I'll always be with you, just like I always have been."

A sob tore from Andrea's throat as she closed her eyes. Zayn pulled the blonde into his arms and held her as the girl's cries echoed off the white walls.

Behind them, Niall was holding Ashley in his arms as they both stared blankly with tears down their cheeks. Louis had his head in his hands as he sat in one of the chairs and Liam patted Louis on the back, with his own tears staining his shirt.