After The End: Book 2

50. We All Are Broken

Louis POV

"I can't believe it's been a year," Naomi said to me with her warm smile. She and I stood in the living room with Oliver. She was leaned over holding his hands while he stood below her practicing his balance. He was so much bigger than I remembered him being. I didn't remember him growing so fast. I didn't want to think about it.

I could hear Niall and my sisters in the kitchen. They'd been there gossiping since Lux and our mum had left to retrieve Harry. Niall wasn't quite the same novelty to them that Harry was, but they'd still known him a very long time.

"I feel like it was just yesterday," I muttered looking back at the two of them. But it wasn't just yesterday. So much has happened in the last year. So much has changed. I didn't even feel like either of us were the same people that we had been, definitely not to each other.

With that, came the reminder to me that Oliver was growing up. He was a year old now. I was running out of excuses to deny Naomi her rights to having him with her. Most people would argue that a year old was kind of where the line was drawn.

"Thank you," Naomi said, suddenly looking up at me watching them. "For still letting me be a part of things with your family."

"Of course," I said quickly. "Naomi, you will always be family."

I saw a little color rise in her cheeks. Before she could respond, Phoebe came zooming into the room holding my phone above her head. It was ringing loudly still when she handed it to me. The screen showed an unknown number which likely meant a work call. Harry's idea of releasing his song on the same day as his anniversary/Oliver's birthday meant for complications. The idea had been cute and meant that celebrating could be done with everyone here all at once, but the downside was I was on call for my own sons birthday.

I sighed and answered the call. There's a part of me that would wish later that I hadn't picked up at all. That I could pretend for just a few more minutes that nothing had happened. That everyone was okay and unharmed and that we would still have a party later.

Instead what followed was panic and fear and confusion. I was given just enough information to formulate where I needed to go and exactly none extra.

There were 3 truths I knew:
-There had been an accident,
-That accident had been bad,
-I was needed at the hospital where I was the emergency contact for some of the victims.

That meant my mum and Harry. Lux had to have been in the car too, but they wouldn't call me. I didn't know who they would call for her other than Harry. I was given no update on the condition of any of them, only that I needed to come.

Phoebe tried calling Harry while I tried our mum and Naomi called Lux. Niall and Daisy seemed to hear the panicked communication I was offering, as they appeared in the living room with us. We all stared at each other with a perplexed looks while I tried to keep my brain moving forward. I needed to go. I needed to go to them and I needed to stop shaking.

"I'm going," I said finally grabbing my keys off the coffee table.

"We're coming!" Daisy said quickly.

"No," I decided out loud. I looked at Naomi. "Please keep them here until I figure—"

"No!" Phoebe practically shrieked. I flinched at her tone. "You can't keep us away from our mum! You're— you're not in charge of us!"

I leaned down a little towards her. "Phoebe," I started.

"You're not," Daisy agreed. "Take us with you!"

I looked up at Niall and Naomi defensively as if hoping they'd step in as the other adults. They were both looking at me with varying levels of concern. Naomi had picked up Oliver and she was holding his rather tightly to her chest. I knew she wanted to come. She was worried about Lux, but she wouldn't want to bring Oliver into that. We didn't even know what that was going to be yet.