Chapter 55

H A R R Y

They were so tiny.

So fragile. So delicately adorable.

I stare at them from outside the glass window while I glance at the tubes and machines that were surrounding them to help them survive and grow. I watch as their chests go up and down while they were breathing as they were moving their tiny hands around and subtly kicking their small feet.

I feel so proud of them already. Surviving that tragic incident and how they managed to be strong like their mother.

They are already making me proud.

“Please survive.” I placed my hands against the window.

After visiting my twins in the NICU, I headed back to Lindy’s room where she was still asleep. It has been 24 hours and she was still in her slumber. The doctor said that we need more time before they would acknowledge her being in a coma.

That, I couldn’t accept.

Lindy is the strongest woman I have ever met and I know she will get through this.

Gemma volunteered to buy some dinner while I stayed with Lindy.

I sit on the chair next to her bed and held her free hand while my eyes were glued on her, “You know babe, you should have seen how much of a strong fighter our babies are. They’re very much like you.” I say, trying to to choke a sob.

I sigh before placing my lips over her hand and kissed it, “Please wake up. It hurts me seeing you like this. Please we need you. I need you so much.”

I lowered my head as I cried in silent.

“Don’t leave me, please.” I begged as I cried. “I cannot live a day without you. You have to see our babies grow… Y-You have to wake up so that we can make more pairs of twins, even triplets.” I continued to as my tears were falling.

“I.. am…not…a pig.”

My eyes widened and as soon as I stared at her, Lindy was already awake. “Oh my God Lindy!!” I exclaimed joyfully as I threw myself towards her gently.

She holds me with her weak hands, “Hi.”

I pulled myself away and kissed her forehead, “Hey…” I cup her cheeks with both hands as I smile at her. “You’re awake. Thank God you’re okay.” I kiss her cheeks, left and right before I hug her again.

“I’m.. so happy to see you.” Her voice was soft and weak.

“I was so worried about you.” I tell her. “I will call the nurse.”

I begin to grab the phone and made a call to the nurse’s station for assistance before she asks me, “Harry, where’s my bump?”

I look over to her and finally ended the call. I rushed to her side, “They’re alive, baby.”

Her tears were quick to fill her eyes, “Oh my God… Really?”

I nod as I cry with her. “You’re all so strong. I admire you. I am proud of you.”

She smiles happily as her tears falls out from the corner of her eyes, “I wanna see them.. I… I wanna know if they are okay.”

“They are, baby. They are.” I reassured her. “We will check them when the doctor tells us it’s okay for you to move around okay?”

She nods obediently, “I’m so happy you’re back.”

Two days after Lindy’s surgery, she begins to recover fast since Gemma and I were feeding her healthy meals. We would buy a lot of fruits and vegetables. The lads call from time to time to check on her. Her family arrived and they were able to spend time with her in private. Although her dad still has a little grudge on me, I tried to make amends as soon as we talked one on one inside the chapel.

He told me everything he wanted me to know and I appreciated how honest he was. I gave him my word that I will be taking care of Lindy even more and wished for him to trust me since I have no bad intention towards her anyways. He told me that he was gutted after he found out about what happened to her daughter and detective Martin had already explained to him and his wife about everything.

I owe Detective Martin for clearing my name to her parents.

The doctor still advised Lindy to stay on the bed since her internal wounds are still healing and that she needs more rest. Lindy was a very good patient and even though she has been anxious to see the twins, I told her to wait a bit more until she is ready.

A week passed, Lindy was back to her usual self and it was the happiest thing I could ever witness. She was stronger and happier, and it was something that I would always want to see for the rest of my life. When we first saw our twins together, she was crying and I was crying too while we were witnessing them from afar in the NICU.

She was crying while we were holding each other’s hands and I can never forget the words she told me, “I have never been this happy.”

I missed a lot of days from the tour and I felt so bad that I was not able to join the lads but then everyone understood the situation. Although I had to go back soon, I don’t want to leave Lindy all alone again after what happened to her.

One night, while we were having our last dinner in her hospital room.

“Harry?”

“Yes babe?”

“What ever happened to Griffin? And… And Bailey?”

I sigh heavily and this was the first time she talked to me about what happened that night. “Umm.. Are you sure you want to… talk about this?” I ask.

She nods. “I want to know what happened after I passed out.”

“Well.” I breathe out heavily. “Griffin didn’t make it to the hospital after his multiple stab wounds. Bailey also didn’t make it.” I said as I lowered my head.

She was silent.

I pulled my head up and she was just staring at her plate. “It was not your fault Lindy.” I tell her.

She pulled her head up, “Do you think there are other people who wishes me demise?” She asks me. “B-Because…. I’m… I’m still frightened.”

I pulled myself up and hugged her as she begins to cry. “I try to move on from thinking and recalling about that night but I always end up having this worry inside me.” Her voice was shaking. “I always… feel like someone is watching me and… and…” She sobs as she hugs me. “I’m so scared.”

I cupped the back of her head and I kept rubbing her spine with my other hand. I feel so sad seeing her breaking down like this for the first time.

“You don’t have to be scared.” I tell her. “I promise to stay with you and protect you. No more secrets and no more lies.”

With that, I will always keep that promise now.

I will protect you with everything I can.

“I don’t want to live in fear anymore.” She says to me.

“I promise you, you will never go through that kind of pain again.”

A lot of things happened after she was discharged from the hospital and she seemed a whole lot better. She transferred to another house which her parents rented since she insisted that I don’t need to buy her another one. The twins were still in the hospital since they had to stay in there for a couple more days until they are ready to be discharged. She was still off from her classes, as what her doctor requested her, since she needed more time to heal, physically and mentally.

I stayed for more days with Lindy in her new home just to reassure her that nothing and no one will harm her again. I took my chance to spend more time with her after that traumatic night because there are still times when she would feel so sad and she would cry thinking about it. It was heartbreaking for me to witness but then I have to be strong for myself, for Lindy and for our twins.

Also, I stayed with her to give myself reassurance that the neighborhood she was living, is safe from any harm.

Martha comes around to visit and had decided to move to Connecticut to help Lindy with her healing since Lindy was utterly hurt when she saw her own best friend placed in prison. Lindy was still struggling about that and Martha was the only one who can help her cope up with that aspect. Martha made sure that their friendship is stronger and that it was never stained by that kind of trauma.

Lindy was getting better, at least I thought so.

About two months passed, I kept flying back and forth to visit her in the middle of our band’s touring. I call her all the time when I am away and she says she has been doing better since she left the hospital. When the twins were finally discharged, I made sure that I was there to witness it. The twins were now finally available to be seen to the outside world and seeing the two of them finally healthier, is such a rewarding feeling a parent can ever feel.

Lindy and I were throwing in names for the twins and had a lot of discussion about it since we both wanted the opposite things, the lads even joined in the debate too. Her parents and my mom had managed to join the discussion too whenever we have a video conference call. Even Gemma wants to name our daughter as Gemma since she’s the claimed coolest aunt.

Finally, we were able to pick names for our twins after a long debate. Lindy and I named our son, Ezekiel Edward Styles, while we named our daughter as Emerald Sophia-Anne Styles. They were beautiful and empowering. I loved it. I love them.

Lately, I have noticed a few changes in Lindy which I didn’t want to consider alarming know she is going through her post-partum. Although Lindy made sure she was fine, I thought the opposite. She looked like she loss some weight and looked tired all the time. She had dark circles under her eyes to which she said were all from school and studying, which was believable.

Despite all that, I have a hunch that it was something else because the past days, Lindy gets angry easily, she gets irritated too often even with my jokes which she used to laugh with me, also she was very much too irritable and... there was just something off about her.

Yet she still has the beautiful smile but a sadder one.

One night, when I was in Connecticut, as I was in my deep sleep I woke up in the middle of the night without Lindy next to me. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around the room, she was not here.

“Lindy?” I hollered but my voice just echoes through the room.

I slipped out from my bed and tried to look for her inside the twin’s bedroom but she was not there too. I decided to walk downstairs after hearing clicking sounds and there I see Lindy walking from one door to another to a window and repetitively locking and unlocking and locking them again.

She was muttering words to herself while I see her hands shaking.

“Lindy.” I called out.

She halted and looked back at me with wide eyes, “Harry.” She breathlessly.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as I look over the clock. “It’s already two in the morning.”

“I… I can’t sleep.” She answers.

I looked over the door where she just locked, “What were you doing?”

“I… I..” She glances at the door behind her before she answers, “I was just making sure that everything is locked and… Bailey or Griffin won’t enter and harm me or you or the twins.” She mutters while clasping both of her hands together.

“Lindy.” I says softly. “They won’t be bothering you anymore.”

They’re dead. Those were the words I wanted to tell her but decided not to.

She nods vigorously. “I know…. I .. I still hear… I still hear their voices in my head.”

“What?”