Salvation (Harry Styles)

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Talk all night, stay awake

Listening to records that we like

It's the soft breath and heavy weight on my arm that I wake up to. Then I realise that I'm really uncomfortable. My neck is stiff, my arms and hands feel numb, and my back is screaming. My eyelids are weighty and puffy before I even open them.

I ignore the protest in my spine and roll my head to the left when an annoying beep continuously sounds. I force my eyelids to part, giving me my sight. It's dark, dark enough to make my vision blur until everything comes into focus. There's only a small lamp in the corner of the room to light the bland features of the pale gray walls.

Though I haven't ever seen this room, I know where I am immediately. The hospital. The motors that keep track of my vitals are the main things that give it away. Next I notice the needles in my arm, probably painkillers and anaesthesia. God, I hate needles.   

I finally look to find the person behind the breathing other than mine, and, unfortunately, it's not who I wanted it to be. Mum looks uncomfortable as she is leaned forward with her head resting on my arm, her hand grasping mine tightly. I hate to, but I shake my arm to get her awake. It takes a few tries, but she comes to, disoriented.

"Rae," she says in a thick, sleepy voice. "What's wrong, Baby?"

My throat feels raw and scratchy as I speak. "What happened? Where's Dad?" I only vaguely remember the scene in the kitchen, and my dad rushing to carry me to the car, my mum following in hast. Everything after that were flashes of bright lights and pain. Now I'm here.

"Your father is down in the cafeteria. He didn't want to leave you, but his sugar was dropping, so I made him go eat," she explains, and then she takes a deep, shaky breath. "You were experiencing violent, violent shakes, Honey. By the time we got here, you were having a full on panic attack. They had to sedate you to make you stop, and we were to stay in the waiting room until further notice, but things are going to be fine now. You're still only in stage one, but they're going to give you strong medicine to help. Good thing is that you'll be released tomorrow after lunch."

I nod, telling her that I understand before she added, "You scared us so much."

Mum looks like she could cry, and I can't deal with that right now. "Mum, please don't," I beg. She runs a hand over her face to make herself stop. Then a thought hits me. "Has anyone told Harry?"

Her lips roll back into her mouth, and her eyes no longer stay on me, but to the space beside me. I follow her gaze and I find a small sofa against the wall the head of my bed is against. I know that it's Harry at once laying long ways on the sofa, a huge, white, stuffed bear cradled to his chest, his head snuggled into its neck. His breaths are almost undetectable if it weren't for the twitches every so often.

I'm honestly surprised to see him here, because that means one of my parents had to have called him and he came. It's got to be some ungodly hour of the night ─ or so says the darkness outside ─ so that means he was woken. But he's still here.

"Do you want some time?" Mum asks. I silently thank her for knowing with my eyes and nod. "Okay," she whispers, "I'll be back in a bit with a nurse."

I wait until the door has shut behind her to make sure Harry and I are completely alone. I call his name in a whisper at first, and then louder each time, but nothing works. I glance around at anything in my reach, something I can throw at him with all of my strength to wake him up, and I settle on the extra pillow I don't really need. It hits his form and Harry's head pops up, confused.