"Call me right away if anything happens. Got it?"

"We know, Brandon. Now go before you are late." I replied to my worried brother, ready to shove him out the door.

"I love you both." He murmured as he kissed my head and then Anna's before grabbing his bag off of the floor and stepping out of the apartment.

"We love you too. Drive safe!" Anna smiled, closing the door behind him and sighing in relief. "I thought he would never leave."

I laughed and helped her sit back down on the couch before grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge.

"Movie marathon?" I asked, handing one of the bottles to her and sitting down.

"Like I'd say no to that." She rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"Have you ever watched Roman Holiday?" I asked, going to my Amazon video account on the tv.

"That's the one with Audrey, right?" She asked, and I confirmed with a hum. "I haven't, actually. We should watch it."

"Yes! You'll love it." I tell her as I open my list and press play on Roman Holiday.

Around twenty minutes in, I got up to microwave some popcorn for Anna while I stuck with a protein bar since I still wasn't allowed to chew on anything too crunchy.

Sadly, Brandon took Leo back to Anna's roommate last night the moment I started sneezing so I felt a little bad about that, but she promised it was fine and that she was sorry for triggering my allergies.

Being allergic to cats is the same as being lactose intolerant. I know my body will react badly but I still choose to put myself through it because I don't care.

After Roman Holiday, we agreed on Funny Face, which was another Audrey movie. I started to become obsessed with Audrey Hepburn a few years ago when I was told I looked like her, which is a huge compliment in my opinion.

Anna got up to use the bathroom around halfway through the movie, but once she came out of the bathroom, I heard the panic in her voice.

"Maddie?"

"What's wrong?" I asked, pausing the movie and standing up to see her stood frozen next to the bathroom door and a small puddle beneath her feet.

"I think my water broke."

"Oh my god." My heart jumped, and I felt myself begin to feel apprehensive because my car was at the shop and I had no way of getting her to the hospital.

"Oh my god." She repeated, before letting out a groan. "You've done this before, right? What do I do?"

"I don't know, I never made it that far!" I panicked, grabbing her hands and leading her towards the door.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I forgot." She cried out in pain while I tried coaxing her to breath along with me.

"It's fine. Where's my phone?" I breathed, letting her of her hands for a second to grab it from the couch, quickly calling one of the guys since Riley was at work.

Zayn didn't answer, and neither did Louis, so I tried my luck with Harry and I was very grateful that he answered pretty quickly.

"Hello?"

"Harry?"

"That's my name. What's up?"

"Please tell me you are home." I asked, sliding on a pair of shoes and grabbing my purse before helping Anna put on her slippers.

"I am. Why, what's wrong?" He asked, sounding worried.

"I'll explain later but can you please come to my apartment and bring your car keys?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just please hurry." I sighed before hanging up and putting my phone in my purse.

"Fuck, it hurts." Anna groaned again, grabbing onto my arms while I held her up.

"I know. You'll be okay but I need you to breathe with me, okay?" I started taking deep breaths, encouraging her to follow along with me.

Around a couple minutes later, there was a knock on my door and I was extremely quick to open it to reveal Harry with a look of worry.

"Is everything okay?" He asked as he stepped inside.

"Does it look fucking okay?" Anna exclaimed, and Harry's eyes widened.

"Oh. Oh."

"My car is at the shop and I would not be asking if I had another choice." I tell him, and he nodded, understanding the situation.

"Come on, love. Let's get you to a hospital." He grabbed one of Anna's hands and placed another on her back, guiding her out of the apartment while I grabbed my keys to lock the door behind me.

We took the elevator down to the parking garage and Harry brought his car around before helping Anna into the front seat.

The situation didn't seem real, and the entire ride to the hospital, Harry held her hand.

Thankfully, the hospital was less than a five minute drive and soon enough, we were walking Anna into the hospital while my shaking hands searched for my brother's phone number.

My heart was ready to burst through my rib cages from how fast it was racing, and Anna never let go of my hand.

"Hello?" Brandon answered.

"Anna's water broke. We just got to the hospital so you better turn that car around and get your ass back here." I tell him, taking deep breaths.

"Shit. I knew I shouldn't have left. Okay, I'm on my way. I should be there in two hours." He said before hanging up.

Sighing, I put my phone back into my pocket just as Anna was set on a wheelchair.

"I need you with me, Maddie." Anna whimpered.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." I reassured her before turning to Harry and hugging him quickly and kissing his cheek. "Thank you."

He gave me a soft smile and nodded. "Of course."

I gave him one last look before following Anna to whatever room she is being taken to, and she grabbed onto my hand.

It felt like forever that she was in labor, when really it was only a little over an hour before she was completely dilated.

I kept Brandon updated up until the moment I had to put my phone away and help encourage Anna to start pushing, which was the weirdest thing I've ever experienced.

Twenty minutes into pushing, I saw the panic on Anna's face after the baby was out and she squeezed my hand incredibly tight, but I never let go.

"Why isn't she crying?" Anna breathed, tears leaving her eyes as she looked at me. "Maddie, why isn't she crying?"

Before I can calm her down, we both sighed in relief when the baby finally let out a cry, and Anna laughed lightly. "Oh, thank god."

Brandon finally made it at the same time Anna got transferred to her own room, and I gave them a little privacy.

It all started to hit me the moment I stepped out of the room, and I felt myself wanting to collapse and start crying as I entered the lobby.

The look on Anna's face when she thought her baby wasn't crying killed me, and it brought up a familiar feeling that I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

I was surprised to see Harry still here, sitting in one of the chairs and waiting. I pushed my hair back and took a deep breath as my eyes began to sting, and I was pacing. Harry noticed my distress and he immediately stood up, walking over to me.

"Hey." He approached me, concerned. "Mads, what's wrong? Is she alright? Did she have the baby?"

"Anna's fine. She's resting and so is the baby." I breathed shakily, but my eyes watered even more.

"Then what's the matter? You're crying." He reached up and wiped away the tears under my lashes, which made me want to cry even more.

"I can't." I whispered, walking past him and sitting down, putting my head into my hands as I tried to control my breathing.

He crouched down in front of me, gently grabbing my wrists so I couldn't hide my face.

"Hey, whatever's wrong, you can tell me." He looked up at me with his beautiful green eyes, showing he was listening.

I shake my head as my lips trembled. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" He asked, rubbing the back of my hands with his thumbs. The touch was too comforting, I felt like I didn't deserve it, so I pulled my hands from his and sat up straight.

The information was starting to suffocate me, and having to watch my friend give birth was damn near triggering. I couldn't keep this from him anymore.

"I was pregnant." I whimpered through my tears, and I watched his face fall below me into one of shock and sadness.

"What?" He nearly fell back onto the floor if he wasn't holding onto the arms of my chair.

"I didn't find out until a month after you left." I sniffled quietly, scared of his reaction. "But I miscarried when I was twelve weeks."

He wasn't saying anything, just staring at me in disbelief. I was disappointed in myself, knowing I could have avoided his anger if I had just told him when he first moved here.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." I cried quietly, putting my face back into my hands.

"Maddie..." He trailed off quietly, and it wasn't until I looked at his face again that I saw his eyes brimmed with tears.

"I'm a dad!"

Harry and I both turned in the direction of my brother shouting in excitement, and I couldn't help but smile at his reaction to his daughter actually being here.

Before I know it, Brandon walked over to us and grabbed my hand, pulling me off of the chair and dragging Harry and I along with him. "Come meet her."

I glanced at Harry, who was still in shock after what I just told him, but not saying anything as we were both taken to Anna's hospital room.

I quickly wiped my tears away before Brandon could question them, and soon enough, we were in the hospital room. Anna was holding a baby in her arms and crying tears of happiness.

"You did it." I cheered in a whisper, and Anna laughed quietly.

"I did it." She grinned, looking up at me as I stood next to her bed. "Do you want to hold her?"

I looked over at Brandon nervously and he nodded, silently letting me know I would be okay to hold her.

Before I could say yes, Anna was already holding her out for me, and I carefully took her into my arms, tears in my eyes once again.

I looked down at the sleeping newborn in my arms, and I chuckled in disbelief. I was holding a baby.

"I was gonna ask you the other day, but I was thinking Aurora?" Anna tells Brandon.

"Aurora?" He questioned worriedly before looking over at me.

"Yeah, after your grandmother." She replied, smiling at the sight of me holding her daughter.

"Uh, I don't think Ma-"

"I love it." I cut him off before he can even worry about my reaction to the name of his daughter.

He eyes me hesitantly. "Are you sure?"

"I promise." I nodded, staring down at her again and smiling when I saw her adorable little lips smiling as well. "She looks like an Aurora."

Brandon put his arm around me and kissed my head. "Aurora it is."

From the corner of my eye, I notice Harry walk out of the room with a frown and I felt the need to go after him so we can finish talking.

"I'll be right back." I tell them, handing the baby off to Brandon before walking out into the hallway, following Harry.

"I know you're upset with me. You have every right to be -"

"I'm not upset with you." He cut me off, his voice wavering as he turned around and looked at me with so much pain in his eyes. "I'm upset with myself... I should've been there."

A quiet sob left his throat and the sound knocked the air out of my chest. I let out a quiet exhale before blinking away any more tears that threatened to fall.

"I'm so sorry." He cried, and a shaky breath left my lips as I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, which only made him cry harder as his arms squeezed around my back until there was literally not even an inch of space between us. His head was buried into my neck while I just absentmindedly played with the ends of his hair.

I don't know how long we both stood there, but eventually his crying subsided, neither of us wanting to let go. I forgot how comforting it felt being in his arms like this.

"Mads, can you - oh, sorry."

At the sound of Brandon's voice, I removed my arms from Harry's shoulders. His hands dropped from my waist as I turned to meet my frowning brother.

"It's okay. What did you need?" I asked, clearing my throat and wiping my face with the sleeve of my jacket.

"I was gonna ask if you could take a few pictures of us with the baby." He asked, glancing at Harry before handing me his phone.

"Yeah, sure." I nodded, taking the phone from him and looking back at Harry while I followed Brandon back into the room.

"What happened?" He whispered to me as we stepped inside.

"I finally told him I was pregnant." I answered lowly, forcing a smile to hide how much this was actually hurting me.

"Oh. If you guys want to leave, I understand." He says, seeing right through my bullshit but I shook my head.

"It's fine. Now go stand next to your family."

After a few minutes of taking pictures, I decided to let Anna and the baby rest considering she just spent nearly three hours in labor.

When I left the room again, I saw Harry sitting in an empty row of chairs against the wall and I walked over there, sitting in the chair next to him.

"It was a girl, wasn't it?" He suddenly asked, turning to me with tired eyes. All I could do was nod.

"And you were gonna name her Aurora." He connected the dots. I remember when we were together, I told him if I were to have a daughter, I'd name her after my nonna because she was my best friend. I guess he remembered that too.

"I guess it wasn't meant to be." I shrugged sadly, which caused him to frown and tilt his head sympathetically. I was a little surprised when he put his arm around my shoulder and allowed me fo lean my head on his, pressing a kiss fo my forehead.

"You're the strongest woman I've ever met, Madison." He whispered. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." I returned quietly.

"I understand why, so it's okay."

The position we were in was comfortable, and I felt a familiar warmth in my chest as he hugged me close to him.

"God, it feels so good that you finally know." I chuckled, and I felt his chest vibrate beneath me.

"I bet it does." He replied, lifting his head off of mine to look at me. "You would have made an amazing mum."

My face heats up at the compliment, because it meant a lot coming from him.

But the look he is giving me is one I know all too well, and it terrifies me to think he still feels that way towards me.

Instead of saying anything, I just rest my head back on his shoulder, allowing the comfortable silence to drop over us.

• • •