WRONG // (Harry Styles)

t w e n t y t w o

Chapter 22

Claire's point of view

"Hello, this is Los Angeles city Hospital, am i speaking with Claire Tomlinson?"

My palm immediately turns sweaty with her first sentence. Hospital? I feel my grip on the phone loosen as my muscles weaken. What happened?

"Y-yes, this is Claire," i confirm weakly, my stomach twisting in anxiousness for why the hospital has called me.

"Hi, a patient was taken in at the emergency room about 5 minutes ago," the calm voice worries me and i'm left with a nauseated feeling. It must be someone i know. Why else would they call? I scan my brain for people i know in LA, but the thoughts all boil down to one person.

"His name is Louis Tomlinson, and he is in critical condition,"

My vision blurs and i feel all the air escape my lungs. I fall back on the couch and i get chills running down my spine and legs. My mouth falls agape and i struggle to keep the phone on my ear.

"He was involved in a car accident, and we believe he was intoxicated." I want to beg the woman on the phone to stop, beg her to tell me it isn't true. But i can't seem to get a single word out. Instead i feel my mind swirl further down in misery as i feel the blood drain from my face. No, this can't be happening. Please... I beg myself for it to be a dream, but when i feel Harry sit down next to me and stroke my arm, I slowly regains sense. The phone falls out of my hand.

"Louis," my lips feel like sandpaper when they touch, and i feel like it takes every ounce of energy i have to say his name.

"He's in the hospital," I stare blankly ahead, unable to react properly.

"What? What happened?" Harry freezes, same as me, as he waits for my answer. But as i feel my heart pound in my chest, i have to close my eyes for a few seconds, finding my balance again.

"Car accident, critical condition, Los Angeles City Hospital," the words fall out of me, as i fail to construct a logical sentence in my head. The next couple of minutes i can only register a few moments. Harry running to his room, coming back with a bag and finally dragging me out of the house and into his car.

I regain feeling in the tips of my fingers and toes, and as fast as a flash, i am suddenly aware of the situation. I turn my head to look at Harry, and i hear him shouting my name over and over. I feel the car going fast, racing through the neighborhood.

"Yes," i say loud enough for him to hear, and for him to stop shouting.

"Yes, i'm okay," i repeat myself, trying to remember how long we have been driving. He sighs and looks back at the road, and i hold the seat underneath me, feeling a bit nauseous. Louis is in the hospital. He was drunk while driving. And he is in critical condition. I take a deep breath as a lump forms in my throat. My palms are sweaty and my heart is beating furiously fast. At this point i would usually get a panic attack but i'm left just staring at the road ahead, glancing a few times at the GPS above the radio. 5 minutes till were there.

All i can do is imagine Louis laying on a hospital, clinging on to life, and i can't do nothing about it. But when the hospital worker called me about 15 minutes ago, she said he was rushed in 5 minutes ago, and if he is in critical condition, it must mean that he needs serious medical attention.

We arrive at the hospital and i'm the first person to get out of the car and start running towards the hospital entrance before i'm swarmed by a flock of paparazzi. We have no body guards and Harry is still at the car, so no one is stopping them from getting really close and shoving a microphone in my face. The consistent noise, hundreds of question and the swarm of people prevents me from getting to the entrance, so i'm left utterly helpless until I hear Harry shout from a distance, pushing the paparazzi away to get to the center of the crowd, where i am.