Ringing the doorbell, Lizzy waited for Moira to open up.
Mere minutes ago, she'd been standing in the same position at her brother's front door, but to her utter surprise no one had opened up. And when she tried calling his phone, it instantly went to voicemail. It was unlike Harry to turn his phone of. He was the kind of person who always had his phone fully charged, in case of emergencies. Hence why she was feeling so anxious with worry.
As the door opened, Lizzy gasped at the sight that greeted her. Moira's eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks read and puffy from all the crying, presumably.
'Shit,' Moira thought to herself. She hadn't expected any company today, especially not while looking like hell. She was sure her sudden panic was evident to Lizzy, because her shocked demeanour quickly softened, and she began speaking encouragingly. She raised her hands in a gesture meant to placate frightened animals. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah sure," She tried to say casually, though her voice sounded hoarse.
Walking inside, she lead Lizzy to the living room and offered her a drink. Settling on tea for two, she went to the kitchen to boil water. Once that was done, she dipped the tea bags into the cups a few times, then tossed them into the trash can. Making her way back to Lizzy, she set the cups of tea on the coffee table and plopped down next to her on the couch.
"What's wrong?" Harry's sister got straight to the point.
"N-nothing."
"You can trust me, babe. I promise I won't tell Haz." She whispered, and Moira felt her start to rub her back soothingly.
Hesitating for a moment, but then deciding Lizzy would be the best person to help her. She choked out, "Harry left." her lips beginning to quiver. Oh no. she could feel the tears coming again.
"What? Where did he go?"
"Sweden, for three months."
Lizzy was so shocked. Her mouth was hung open in pure astonishment, and all she could do was gape at her.
"And the worst thing is," Moira continued. "He didn't even say goodbye, he just left a fucking note!" She began sobbing on the couch. Weeping echoed through the living room, surrounding her in thick sound waves. Her shoulders shook terribly as she cried into her hands. She'd never felt so betrayed, just when everything was going according to plan, just when she'd let him in. He left.
"What did the note say?" Lizzy asked gently, picking up her tea and taking a sip from it.
She wiped her eyes, trying to get her rapid breathing under control. Rising from her seat, she ventured off into the kitchen to grab the note from she'd left it that morning. "See for yourself." she murmured when she got back, tears falling past her flushed cheeks.
Lizzy took the note from her outstretched hand and began reading.
Baby,
The reason behind Finn's visit yesterday wasn't because he wanted to hang out, I lied. He came by to tell me we'd leave for Sweden today, for three months, to record the new album. I didn't want to ruin our last day together by telling you the news, not when everything has been going so well lately. I love kissing you, I love holding you, interacting and seeing you interact with Ollie. What I'm trying to say is: I didn't and still don't want to leave the two of you. But I don't want to disappoint the boys or the fans and I'm so sorry. I'm only a phone call away so please don't hesitate calling if you need me or just to talk want to talk. I'll when we land, I'm hope you're not too angry. I hate that I can't be there with you the first three months of Ollie's life, so I'd love it if you could send pictures and videos of him. He's very lucky to have you as his mother.
I already miss you.
Harry
When she was done reading, she looked at Moira who was blankly staring out of the window, evidently deep in thought. "He didn't want to hurt you, judging by the way he wrote this," Lizzy gestured at the note. "He's probably just as hurt as you are."
Moira wiped at her eyes quickly, sniffling to herself. She straightened up, leaning forward to grab a tissue from the coffee table. She dabbed at her eye, determined to stop crying. Not wanting Lizzy to see how absolutely broken she felt.
"Maybe you're right," She croaked. "But that doesn't take away the fact that he's on the other side of the planet while I'm here." She wasn't about to admit how much she actually needed him. His mere presence set her at ease, took the stress away. And now, he was going to be gone for three months. The prospect depressed her beyond belief. She'd promised herself never to be dependant off another person again, and here she was, falling right back into her old bad habit. She needed Harry with her, so much it hurt.
"Where's Ollie, anyway?" Lizzy was suddenly bright and chirpy again, "Gosh, I can't wait to see him!"
She noticed that Moira was peering out the window again. She had a cup of tea in her hand, but she was no longer interested in it. At the sound of her voice, she turned her head back to Lizzy. "Sleeping," she replied, frowning. "He barely slept last night, and I don't know why."
Lizzy tilted her head to the side, "Ahh I'll see him some other time then. Perhaps you should call your doctor for advice?"
"Good idea."
They continued talking for another half an hour, taking on the lighter subjects now. Such as how Bella was doing. Showing her pictures of her baby girl, Moira gasped. Not believing how much the little girl had grown since the last time she'd seen her. She wondered what Ollie would look like by the time Harry returned.
Checking the watch on her wrist, Lizzy sighed and stood up. "I have to get back to work, I'm sorry."
"That's fine, thank you for talking to me."
"Don't worry about it, babe. Anytime!" She kissed Moira's cheek in goodbye and pulled her coat back on, making her way to the door. "I'll call you ASAP!"
****************************
Through the next eight weeks, things were tough. Moira's mother came by three times a week, to help her with her chores and watch Ollie while she had errands to run. It was reassuring to have someone she could always count on, and even better that person was her own mother. Ollie was a challenging one to get to sleep, he refused to close his eyes until she had read at least an entire book to him. The sound of her voice was what made him sleepy, apparently. So she'd tried playing a recording of her own voice, but the little bugger didn't buy it. All in all, she slept terribly; waking up every half hour or so. She tried to catching up on her sleep whenever Ollie was napping, but most of his naps only lasted for one to three hours.
In a few months, she was going to have to get back to work. Mr. Starck had kept contact with her throughout her entire pregnancy, sending her a bunch of stuffed toys and a 'congratulations' when word got out she'd given birth. She dreaded going back to work, because it meant spending time apart from Ollie. And she didn't know whether she'd be able to handle that or not.
Harry called her every night at the same time, and though it pained her as well as made her feel extremely guilty; she couldn't bear pick up the phone or answer his texts, facetime calls or emails. Because it would either make her or break her. And she couldn't take the risk, not now that she had to take care of her son. Her main focus was Ollie, she couldn't afford getting distracted.
One moment, Harry made the butterflies flutter in her stomach. The next, he made her feel like bees were stinging her heart. She was confused, her feelings a big, messy clutter of everything and nothing at all. And thus, she decided to postpone talking to him until he got back. Some might judge it as cowardly, but to Moira it was a way of survival.
Ollie had had his first postnatal check-up and immunisations. He was developing normally, healthily. She had encouraged him to smile at her, by pulling funny faces and making noises. Dr. Patel had told her during the check-up that with time, he would start trying to copy her. To no avail yet, the silly little babe kept staring at her blankly. He'd grown so much, his hair had gotten thicker, his cheeks chubbier.
He was gaining more control over his body, which meant he could hold his head a little steadier while lying on his tummy or being supported upright. He continued to have a strong sucking reflex, she noticed him sucking on a fist or a few fingers. She read in a book this was one of the best ways babies have of comforting themselves, and Moira couldn't help but feel proud of her little fighter. He didn't yet have the coordination to play with toys. But he did bat at a colorful object hanging in front of him, and even briefly held toys that she placed in one of his hands. Her favorite thing about her son's appearance however, had to be his eyes. They were a piercing green color, that shimmered like emeralds in sunlight. She could practically see the mischief emitting from his eyes whenever she watched him. It was an adorable sight.
Oliver was a little more than two months old, when Lizzy called up to tell she was finally coming for a visit to see him. They called every few days, and had grown much closer together. There was an unspoken rule not to talk of Harraël, which worked well. Lizzy was a good person, full of humor and easy to talk to. And the fact she was also a young mother, only worked to Moira's advantage whenever she had questions or needed advice. She was like water in a desert, a saviour of some kind. Moira didn't know what she would have done without her, she was her only friend, after all. As sad as that sounds, she wouldn't have it any other way.
After dropping off Bella at her mother's place, Lizzy arrived at Moira's apartment. Since Ollie was still having his afternoon nap, they first had lunch: Indian curry soup with chicken. Their meals were nearly finished when small whines were heard through the baby monitor.
"Aw poor, boy! Go get him, mommy!"
Moira laughed at Lizzy's enthousiasm, grabbing the baby monitor and leaving for the nursery so she could go get her son.
When she entered the room, her heart broke a little. No matter how many times she'd heard him cry, the sound never failed to make her feel torn on the inside. Ollie instantly stopped crying when his mother came into view.
"Hi baby," she cooed softly, carrying him out of his crib and cradling him to her chest. "Did you sleep well?" she kissed his cheek, laying him down on the changing table to change his diaper. Once she was done, she dressed him into a dark blue with white stars onesie and pulled on a pair of tiny white sneakers.
Halfway down the hall, Oliver started to wail. His face twisted, and his mouth opened to let out a disagreeing scream. She figured he was hungry, which was somewhat unusual since she'd already fed him barely two hours ago.
"Lizzy?" She called down the stairs.
"Yeah?" Lizzy's answer was heard from the kitchen.
"I'm just going to feed Ollie first, alright?"
"Of course! I haven't finished my soup anyway."
Moira giggled, "Alright, I'll be right there!"
She breastfed her baby boy, only taking about ten minutes. And then proceeded to make her way downstairs with little Ollie in her arms.
"Here's Ollie!" Moira said chirpily, proudly presenting her son to her friend. She couldn't help but silently stare in awe and she gazed down at her son. His wide, green eyes were watching her intently, his wide, baby cheeks flushed from eating earlier.
When Lizzy took too long to reply, Moira looked back up. Only to see her stare at Oliver with nothing but pure and utter terror. Her eyes wide, mouth agape, she was frozen in place. The look made a shiver run down Moira's spine. What the hell was going on?
"Oh my god." She exclaimed, breathlessly.
"What's wrong?"
"I-I have to go, I'm sorry." Lizzy stuttered, and then proceeded to literally run out of the door. Leaving Moira more than confused and with a head full of unanswered questions.
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I AM #6 IN GENERAL FICTION HOLY FUCK HERE'S A NEW CHAPTER ILYSM!!!! I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think, please. Or what you hope to see in the next chapter.
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