Even If It Hurts -H.S. AU

61

I'm holding Harry's bruising hand in mine as we ride back to the hotel. I run my thumb along his knuckles and I can feel him watching me, but I don't turn to look at him.

I'm not angry, not at all. Vince put his hands on me and shoved me into a wall. If I hadn't have been stunned with the wind knocked out of me, I probably would've choked him out myself.

It's the look in Alex's eye as he stared at his bleeding father on the ground that got me. It's the same look I had for my mother the last ten years of her life. Their relationship is dead. It will never come back from this, and I can't help but mourn that for him. Alex is a grown man and his eyes have been opened. Vince is not his father anymore.

We turn down the street my building is on, and my eyes immediately search for it. It's Sunday, so no one should be there, but I have a gut feeling to check on the place anyway. We start to approach it, and something on the ground catches my eye.

We're too far away to see what it really is, but it appears to be a big red blob of fabric. Maybe a blanket? Could've been left there by the homeless people that come around sometimes.

It's not until I see a mess of dark blond hair sticking out of the top that my stomach sinks to my feet.

"Stop the cab!" I shout, making the driver look back at me, but he doesn't listen. "Stop the fucking car!"

The tires squeal as he steps on the brakes and before we come to a stop, I push the door open and run toward my building.

"Phoebe! Phoebe!" I scream as I hurry to where she lays on the sidewalk. I fall to my knees next to her and cradle her head in my arms. "No, no. Harry!"
I turn my head to find him not far behind me, his eyes wide when he catches up.

My hands are covered in blood, but I'm not sure where it's coming from, and I'm scared to move her. Her eyes flutter open for a second and I inhale a breath of relief.

"Hey, Phoebe, look at me." Her eyes open for a moment before they close again. "Open your eyes, baby. You're okay."

"An ambulance is going to take too long." Harry says snapping his phone shut before he bends down on the other side of her.
"Phoebe, I'm going to pick you up, okay? We need to get you to a hospital."

She nods her head ever so slightly and he immediately slides his hands underneath her, scooping her up bridal style and we take off back to our cab. The driver gets out, panic on his face when we open the door and I climb in first, before Harry places Phoebe across my lap.

"I can't have her in my cab!" The driver shouts.

"I will pay you a thousand dollars to get us to the fucking hospital." Harry says firmly as he shuts the rear door and opens the passenger door for himself.

"Get in." The cabbie mumbles and I exhale in relief.

"Phoebe?" I say through tears as I cradle her face in my lap. Her eyes open to look at me. "You're gonna be okay, I promise. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

The driver races through traffic, honking and swerving like a mad man and I couldn't be more grateful. I push open Phoebe's jacket, realizing it's the one I gave her, and try to keep my face neutral when I find a slash in her white shirt and see she's bleeding from her abdomen. She was stabbed.

I close the jacket again and attempt to put pressure on the wound as she holds onto my arm, tears falling from her eyes. I look up to see Harry turned toward the back seat, his eyes wide and glistening as he looks down at Phoebe. When our eyes meet, more tears fall down my face and he turns back toward the road, telling the driver to hurry the fuck up.