Hold My Girl

Chapter 16

March
33 Weeks

"Hello?" I woke with a dazed start to the sound of my phone vibrating on my pillow, only inches from my face. My voice didn't sound like my own, it was husky and scratchy from lack of use in the past couple of hours.

"Nora? Where are you?" Harry's voice sounded frantic and urgent and immediately I felt like someone had plunged me into an ice bath. My body ran cold as my mind reeled at the possibilities.

"In my room. I was napping" I looked at the clock on my wall and realised it was a little past noon but I'd been asleep since 10:30 after a really crappy night sleep.

"I just came by your place. There was no answer." The wind whooshing through the phone around Harry's voice made me think he was running which filled me with more dread.

"Sorry, I was out cold. Is everything okay?" I asked pushing myself into a sitting position and trying to straighten my T-shirt around my body.

"No. Not really. I need to go up to Manchester. It's my mum..." His voice choked and my heart lurched at the prospect.

"Oh shit Harry, is she okay?" I didn't know what else to say. My brain was frantic with sudden worry.

"She's in hospital. I don't really know much. I need to go and see her. Will you... will you come with me?"

"Of course, Harry" I didn't even consider my answer.

"I'll be back round in 20 minutes" and suddenly the line went dead. I lay back against the headboard, staring at my phone before my body kicked into action.

I pulled out a leather, overnight bag from the bottom of my wardrobe and packed it with enough stuff to do me a few days. I didn't know what the hell was happening and who or what we were going to meet in Manchester but I didn't have time to plan outfits, I just grabbed the necessities.

I pulled off the leggings and T-shirt I'd went to sleep in and exchanged them for a clean grey T-shirt and khaki cargo pants. They were over-bump trousers which just made them about the smartest, comfy trousers I had. I pulled a brush through my hair which was getting ridiculously long, threw on a skip hat that I'd picked up in TopShop a few days ago and before I knew it I heard Harry thumping on the door.

I unlocked it unsure what I would find on the other side and I was shocked to see how dreadful he looked. His eyes were red and puffy, an indication that he'd been crying which meant this situation could be a lot worse than I was hoping. He had on a black T-shirt and black track pants. He immediately reached for my bag as I opened the door. Without saying a word he headed back to the car that was idling by the curb. I grabbed my grey duster coat, locked the door behind me and headed for the car.

The weather had started to brighten up as we headed in to the end of March. The air wasn't quite so nippy and the sun tried to make more of an appearance but it was still cold and I was happy to see Harry had the air conditioning on warm when I opened the car door. He closed the boot and got in the front. He didn't say anything for a long minute and I didn't know how to comfort him. I wanted to ask what happened and how his mum was but I was so scared it wasn't good news and I'd upset him more. He pulled away from the curb and into the traffic and we drove in silence for a few minutes before I finally picked up the courage to speak.

"What's happened Harry? Is your mum ok?" I asked quietly. I watched his eyes for his honest reaction. I knew if things were bad he'd sugarcoat it for me so as not to upset me. But his eyes would tell me the truth. Immediately his eyes looked for me. I could see the pain and uncertainty before the darted back to the road in front of us.

"I don't know Nor" He exhaled a breath he sounded like he'd been holding for a while. "Gemma phoned half an hour before I phoned you. When Mum woke up this morning she wasn't feeling well, she lost sight in part of her eye and said her arm was tingling, Gemma phoned an ambulance, the doctors don't know if it's a stroke or not."