*HARPER'S Point of View*

Thursday morning, after being discharged from the hospital, I was sitting on the floor at my father's house, in front of my suitcase. Everything had been shoved in, creating one big tangled mess. I sorted through, trying to remember what was clean and what was dirty so I could run a few loads of laundry. My fancy dresses were all wrinkled and matted. I took them out and threw them on the couch in exasperation. I had filled a small basket with dirty laundry when I my dad walked in. 

"Come on, Dimples, you should be resting," he insisted.

"Dad," I whined. "I have to do some laundry so I have clothes to wear. The evening gowns are ruined, and I probably won't need them anyway," I said, laughing.

"No, I guess they wouldn't be very practical here would they?" He said, joining me in laughing.

"I just want to wear my own clothes," I pressed. "Can I just do a load or two?" 

"I'll wash them. You get rested up," he ordered as he picked up my basket and headed to the laundry room.

I laid on the couch and pulled the suitcase towards me so I could keep sifting through it. "Dad, you know I'm not sick, right?" I yelled to the other room. "All the drugs are out of my system and I feel fine now." 

"The next few days are going to be tiring and probably emotional," he said, coming back into the room where I laid. "Just don't want you to get worn out."

"Speaking of emotional," I said, rolling to my side to look at him. "With all the craziness of the past few days, I haven't had a chance to talk to you, but it's really important that I do, before things get crazy again."

"All right," he said, sitting down in the armchair near my head. "What's going on?" 

"I told you that Harry and I had an overnight date in Dublin."

"Mmhmm." I could sense him tense up. I wondered if that was because he knew what was coming, or just because the idea of Harry and me spending the night together made him think about things that a father would rather not think about.

"We went to a brewery and...umm...shit, Dad, there's no easy way to say this. I saw Mom." 

I looked at him to see how he would react. His face held an expression of shock as if someone had just delivered a sucker punch to his gut. I knew he couldn't decide what to say. 

I sat up so I could face him more directly. "I saw her two daughters." I choked on the emotion, even though I thought I had already worked through it. "She had other daughters, Daddy," I trembled, and once again, I was sobbing.

He came and sat next to me, gathering me into his arms. "I know, sweetie, I know." I cried against his chest while he shushed me. "I'm so sorry." 

I finally sat up and caught my breath again. "She told me she sent you a letter, and that she called on my 18th birthday..." I left it there and looked into his eyes for an explanation. 

"I'm sorry, Harper. I couldn't tell you when she sent that letter. I just couldn't. You were crushed when she left, and so was I. We were just learning how to live again when I got that letter. It helped me to move on, but I didn't want you to think there was any chance..." His words caught in his throat, and I knew he was crying. He cleared his throat and continued, "That there was any chance she was coming back. I couldn't stand to see you hurt all over again." He squeezed me in a tight hug and said, "I'm so sorry."

"No," I said, laughing through the fresh tears. "I completely understand why you kept it from me. I would have done the same thing if I were you. And to be honest, I'm glad it helped you to get some closure. I was just...shocked that you knew all along." 

He gave me a sheepish look and told me, "It was out of pure selfishness that I told her she couldn't talk to you on your 18th birthday." I shook my head in confusion. "I'd spent the last eight years raising you alone. She had no right to celebrate a milestone birthday with you when she wasn't here!"

I broke into laughter. "I totally agree with you there, too. You know, if you had let her talk to me, I might have just decided that I was mature enough at 18 to go and find her, to demand some answers. I wouldn't have been able to handle it back then, finding out that she had a whole new family. It wasn't the best timing to run into her when we were filming the show, but I'm so glad Harry was there for me. In fact, it made me all the more confident that he would be there for me during difficult times."

"I'm glad you have each other," he smiled warmly. "I think  you're a perfect match." 

"I don't have him yet," I said in a forlorn voice.

Dad gave me one more squeeze and said, "Don't worry, it will all work out." 

* * *

The doorbell rang about two seconds before Allegra came practically flying into our living room. She lunged at me and hugged me like a sloth clinging to the branch of a tree. 

"Oh, my god, I can't breathe," I gasped. 

"I'm so happy you're out of the hospital and look at you!" She remarked, releasing me and sitting on the couch beside me. "You look fantastic."

"I feel fine, physically. But I'm an emotional wreck. I just want this to be perfect," I said. I had filled her in on the entire story when she called the hospital late last night. She had been with Jason, visiting his parents a few hours away, which explained why she hadn't come to see me. This was her first opportunity, and she proved her loyalty by coming straight to me. Well, she actually went shopping first, but there was a reason for that.

"You will be absolutely fine. You and Harry were meant for each other," she beamed. "I wish I could go with you. Oh, wait til you see what I found!" She dove into the largest bag and pulled out a completely stunning red gown - halter style with a belt of diamonds sewn into the fabric, falling down into delicate ruffles at the floor. Okay, they probably weren't real diamonds, but the effect was truly magnificent.

"Legs," I gushed, and she cringed at the nickname. "This must have cost a fortune."

"Oh, and these," she said, pulling out silver strappy heels that accented the diamonds in the dress. 

"Allegra!" I chided her. "You weren't supposed to spend that much. I'm broke as it is, and-"

"Hush!" She snapped. "This is my gift to you. For going through with the show and finding the love of your life!" 

"I should be thanking you," I giggled. "But it's not over yet. I just hope things go well once we get there." 

"Are you kidding?" Allegra laughed. "Don't you remember how he looks when he's singing? His whole heart is consumed with it. I can tell he loves music as much as he loves life itself."

"Yeah," I've noticed that. I smiled as I closed my eyes and remembered Harry's passion for music. For everything, really. "What does that have to do with me?" 

"Girl, are you paying attention?" Allegra chastised me. "I can tell Harry loves you because he was looking at you that way the whole time we were in New York City." 

I blushed slightly. "You're right. And I mean, he told me he loved me. And well...he showed me, too." I wiggled my eyebrows, feeling like a little bit of a pervert for dishing on our sex life.

"You didn't!" She cried. I nodded shyly. "Okay, I'm officially fangirling over you two," she squealed. "I can't wait for your wedding." 

"One step at a time," I reminded her. "For all I know, he might think I left him. What if he's pissed when he sees me?" 

"Not gonna happen," she said, shaking her head confidently. "I just wish I could be there to see it all happen."

"With any luck, you'll watch it on TV in a few months."

"Right! Oh, my gosh, my BFF is a celebrity!" I just rolled my eyes at her, secretly absorbing her excitement for what was about to come.

We chatted for a little bit, knowing time was running short. She gave me a quick pep talk and got ready to leave as my father made his way back into the living room. Instead of forcing me to rest, he was now nagging me to get ready.

"Dimples!" He said in an exasperated tone. "Why aren't you packed yet? Louis is going to be here any minute!"