Mrs. Styles //h.s au//

Chapter 22

We finally got to the hospital. I pulled the suitcases out of the trunk while Harry paid the driver. We walked hand in hand into the hospital. "Hi what room is Mary Wilson in?" Harry asked.

"Are you family?" The lady behind the desk asked.

"Yeah, I'm her son in law and this is her daughter Riley." He replied.

" Alright, she's in room 302." The lady replied.  He nodded before he grabbed my hand and started to walk towards the elevator with me trailing behind.

******************

We saw a nurse standing outside my mother's room. We walked up to her. "What is your relation?" She asked.

"I'm her daughter and he's her son in law," I said.

"Okay." She said while stepping aside. We walked in and I saw her sleeping on the bed. My father was sitting in a chair next to her. He looked beaten up and tired. He looked up at me and Harry.

He stood up slowly making sure that he didn't hurt himself any worse than he already was. "Hello, Riley." He said.

"Hi, Dad," I said with tears in my eyes. The sight of the both of them was almost too much for me. I could've lost them both today, and I will be forever grateful that I didn't. He walked over to me and gave me a small hug. I wrapped my arms around him, careful not to hurt him.

He pulled away. "I'm going down to the cafeteria I haven't eaten all day, I'll be back soon." He said before walking out of the hospital room.

Harry pulled me into a hug. He rested my head on his chest and laid his on top of mine. I hugged him back and started to cry as he swayed side to side trying to calm me down.

I pulled away and wiped my eyes. Harry grabbed my hand and walked me over to a small chair not too far away from my mom. He sat down pulling me onto his lap. I reached over and took her hand in mine.

I sat there for a few minutes staring at her. I let go of her hand and looked at Harry. There has been a question that I have been wanting to know the answer to for some time. "Harry, what was the secret that you and my parents have been keeping from me?" I asked.

"I would've thought you would've forgotten about it by now." He replied.

"No, and now that we're married I don't see why you should still be keeping it from me," I said. He looked at me and nodded.

"Our parents used to be really close, and as we were growing up they wanted to ensure that our futures would be stable. My parents wanted me to marry a good girl with good values, and your parents wanted to make sure that you would be financially stable for the rest of your life. They decided that when we hit certain ages that we would marry each other. They also thought that it was a sure way they would end up getting grandchildren." He replied.

"They've decided our futures since we were kids," I said. He nodded. "What were they going to do if we didn't click?" I asked. Not that we did click, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"I don't know, I guess they would've made it work." He replied.

"So all life my mother was training me to be the perfect wife?" I asked.

"I guess." He replied.

"So what was your childhood like?" I asked.

"It was good, I guess like any normal childhood was. Played sports. My parents took me on trips and stuff like that. We're very close." He replied.

"You wanna know what my childhood was like?" He nodded looking at me smiling. He looked happy I was finally sharing a piece of myself with him.

"I never got to play sports. My mother thought they weren't lady-like. Instead, I got to learn how to properly set a table and how cook. There was this kid that lived on the same street as me, like a door down. All I wanted to do was play trucks and make mud-pies because I was six and thought it was cool, but I was never allowed to because girls don't do those things. I wasn't allowed to be a kid, I had to grow up fast, and do grown-up things. My father was always working so most of my time was spent with my mother. We didn't get along which I think made things even harder between us.'' I said the smile that was once on his face has now disappeared.

"I'm sorry I didn't know." He replied.

"It's okay, it's not your fault, it's her's. She's the reason we don't have a close relationship." I said. I looked at her lying there and let out a breath. "I need a minute." He nodded and I stepped out.

He was the only one I had ever told about my childhood. It wasn't something that I liked to share. I didn't even share that with Paige. I didn't blame him for my terrible childhood, I blamed my parents. More my mother than anything. She's the one that took it from me. Looking at it now it's not like my father did anything to stop her.

I resent them both for that. I didn't get to live. I wasn't allowed to make mistakes. I wasn't allowed to grow as a person. Everything that I've ever done has been decided by my parents. Who I'm friends with, who I date, and who I ended up marrying.

And I don't think I can ever forgive them for that.