To Fall So Deep

Shit.

Harry tried to play it cool as his sister's voice spoke through the speakers. Luckily, Nina didn't know who the voice belonged to and could easily shrug it off as another maid. That was the plan in Harry's head, until Gemma decided to keep talking,

"Have you seen my pain meds? All I see in my drawer are ones from two months ago. My prescription changed, remember? And bring me up a cookie… or five while you're at it. Thanks, I love you!"

Harry sat wide-eyed, and panicked. How could he have messed up and took the wrong prescription bottle? He was usually so careful about these things, and while Nina sat pain free, he felt bad for any discomfort Gemma may be feeling at the moment. He knew he was going to tell Nina about his sister, but was waiting for the right time. This however, was not the right time-- at least not with everything Nina has been through in the past 48 hours.

"Harry, who's that?" Nina looked at him.

"Don't worry about it babe," this was all he could spit out. He leaned in to try to kiss her cheek, but was rejected when Nina pushed him away.

"That's your sister isn't it?" Nina guessed. Harry swallowed, feeling the guilt rise in his system. Leina and Elissia looked at each other, not in bewilderment, but with a face that expressed concern for Harry.

"W-w-why… w-w-what---"

"Just spit it the fuck out Harry," Nina perfectly imitated Joleen's trademark catchphrase, complete with a snarky attitude and a lifted brow. Harry sighed facing defeat,

"Yea… it's Gemma. How'd you know?"

"The paid meds," Nina took the bottle from the nightstand and threw it onto Harry's lap. "It was prescribed a month ago from a clinic from Ashford. If your sister really was in the U.S. then why would you have her prescribed medicine, instead of her… I thought it was just my mind wigging out, but I guess--"

"I'm sorry," Harry apologized, taking Nina's hands with his. "I know I shouldn't have lied to you, but with everything that has happened, I didn't want to sit and explain all my family problems when I should be helping you with yours."

Nina took her hands away from Harry's warm touch, "it's fine. Just go help her."

Harry placed his hand behind her neck, pulled her in, and gave a tender kiss on her forehead. Nina turned away, not looking at Harry. He grew anxious, nervous that he just messed up something that barely started,

"I'll explain everything when I come back. I promise you."

He stood up, pain medication in hand, and exited the room. On the other end of the second floor, was a door that seemed like any other coat closet, but behind it were a set of stairs. He flicked on the light and proceeded upwards. At the top, he turned the knob of the door in front of him and entered the huge loft where Gemma lied on her bed watching the television. She turned her head to look at Harry,

"Where the cookie I asked for?"

"I need to tell you something," Harry opened the bottle of pills and handed one to Gemma along with the cup of water sitting on her nightstand.

"What's going on?" Gemma asked, patting the empty area by her feet. Harry sat down, as Gemma lowered the volume on the TV.

"It didn't work," Harry declared. Gemma looked at him with confusion.

"I don't understand, what didn't work?"

"Warning her,"

"Warning who?"

"Nina Dela Vera. About Robbie… she, she," Harry couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, let alone admit it to himself inside his own mind. Memories of finding Nina hurt and distraught on the wooded ground made him feel sick. His nose flared out, his eyes began to gloss, and he exhaled deeply.

"Bro, are you okay? What happened? Is Nina alright?" Gemma questioned, taking Harry's hands into her cold ones. She had a genuine tone in her voice, and Harry wanted to kick himself in the ass for not telling her about Nina in the first place.

"She's okay now, but Robbie hurt her at the party I was at. She's in my room… recovering," Harry informed. Gemma gasped, her hands covering her mouth in shock.

"Is that why my meds went missing? Because she needed them?" Gemma pressed. Harry nodded, dropping his head down and a tear fell from his eye. He quickly wiped it away. "Can I meet her?"

Harry looked up, surprised at his sister's question, "wait, what? Are you not angry? Aren't you going to lecture me or something?"

Gemma shook her head and smiled, "I told you, I'm not wasting my energy on negativity. Obviously, I think you should've taken her to the hospital, but since the hospital is basically here in this house, I understand what you were thinking. Just get her out of here before the parental units come home… which will be any hour now."

Harry didn't know what to do but to hug his sister tight. The amount of grace that came from Gemma was astounding, and to be born from the people who value social standing and power over the simple notion of love and family, was unbelievable.

Harry wanted to race to his room, throw Nina over his shoulder, and run back up to the loft. Keeping Gemma a secret from Nina, didn't have to happen anymore, and maybe meeting each other could provoke Nina to forgive him. But that idea failed before Harry could even step forward.

He heard a car door slam shut, and an engine roar. He walked to the window that faced the front, and saw Leina's black Lexus drive away with Nina in the back seat. Harry's head dropped, as he trudged back to Gemma, a frown etched on his face. He felt so upset that Nina left without an explanation. But also angry that she didn't care enough to listen to him.

"Fuck," Harry mumbled under his breath, ramming his hand against the cream-colored wall in anger.

* * * *

Leina sped through the streets of Ashford with high concentration. With no distractions, she maneuvered her way from the Styles mansion to the only major hospital in town. Nina sat on edge, feeling the anxiety takeover her system. At this point in time, there was none-- not to explain to Harry why she left in a rush, why no matter how fast Leina drove, it will still be too slow. Nina's mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts and fear that when she finally snapped out of her own venomous thoughts, only then did she notice her death grip on Elissia's shoulder.

"Hang in there sweetie," Elissia winced through the pressure on her shoulder to give Nina's hand a loving rub.

"Almost there," Leina mentioned, taking a right turn towards the emergency care unit. Leina stalled her car in front of the main doors and in an instant, Nina was out the car and running inside the hospital.

Nina stood alone for a moment, looking at her surroundings. She shuddered at the sterile smell of the air, the walking scrubs, and the lingering feeling of hope and terror. The last time she was in the hospital, Nina woke up from an induced coma only to find out that her mother had died. She refused to let her mother's fate be the same for her sister…. Kathleen.

"Kathleen Dela Vera, where is she?" Nina hastily asked the woman behind the counter.

"Ma'm may I ask who you are?" the woman spoke, only angering Nina.

"I'm her older sister!"

The woman typed away on the computer, looking through the files before speaking once more, "ma'm your sister is in surgery."

The words that fell out of this woman's mouth stabbed Nina with a pang of dismay. Surgery? This couldn't be happening. This was all too much for her to handle, and she wasn't exactly sure how to deal.

"If you'd like, you can wait in the waiting area, and I'll inform you once your sister is out of surgery," the woman was standing now, and she gestured to the area of tables, chairs, and a television screen on the wall.

"No, I don't think you heard me. Kathleen is my sister, I need to be with her!" Nina started for a pair of double doors that she noticed nurses walked in and out of.

"Ma'm, you can't go through there!" the woman shouted. Nina ignored her, and pushed the double doors. The woman brought a walkie-talkie to her mouth, "I'm requesting backup near the main lobby of the emergency unit. A woman, possibly dangerous, has just run through hall-B."

Nina galavanted down the hall in a panicked rage, searching for the room her sister was in. Nurses called out to her, asking if she needed help, but Nina pushed their offers out of her head. Suddenly, a group of co-ed nurses in scrubs ran down the hall past her.

"Patient Dela Vera, surgery room 120B," a nurse said to another.

"Kathleen," Nina whispered to herself and followed the band of nurses through another set of double doors. Just as she entered, a pair of security guards seized her arms, stopping a persistent Nina from going any further.

"I'm sorry ma'm but you can't be in this area," one of the guards stated.

"My sister is there!" Nina screamed, wriggling her whole body in an attempt to escape the tight grasps.

"You're going to have to come with us," the other guard said. The two men began to walk down the hall with Nina still in their clutch. Nina kept fighting, this time harder than ever.

"Kathleen! Kathleen I'm here!" Nina shrieked at the top of her lungs, using every ounce of strength she could muster to combat against the guards. She kicked, and spat in the face of one of them.

"Requesting backup, emergency room hall C!" a guard spoke through his walking talkie. Within the next 20 seconds, two more guards appeared, along with a nurse holding a syringe.

"Hold her down securely," the nurse declared. Nina's eyes widened at the sight of the shiny needle in the nurse's hand.

"Don't you dare! No! Kathleen!" Nina screamed, as all four guards held her tight.

The nurse approached, quickly swabbing an alcohol wipe on an open area of Nina's skin. She pulled out the safety from the needle, and with a quick swift movement, stuck it into the sterilized skin and pushed down the lever. Nina's body slowly succumbed to the medication, her fighting ceasing.

"Kathleen," Nina's last words before her eyes closed, and her body became limp-- collapsing into the arms of the guards.

Notes

Hey everyone!

I hope you all are doing fabulous, I know I am. I'm currently on spring break, and I spent today with my family-- I even starting formulating a new story in my head since I was so inspired by today haha. Thanks everyone again, for reading this story, rating it if you have, and any feedback you have left. I really appreciate it, and it means a lot to me. I hope you liked chapter 21! I may or may not update tomorrow. It'll be another full day with fam... just check, or subscribe to be automatically updated. Have a wonderful day,

-Erica Jaine <3