My Babysitter: Harry Styles (harry styles fanfic)

Chapter 20: if i lay here...

Niall's eyes fluttered open the next morning. He rolled over on his side to see that it was only 6am. He groaned and pulled them covers over him. He desperately tried to get some sleep but failed miserably. Something was keeping him up.

He climbed out of bed, yawning and outstretching his arms widely. He glided across the hall and pulled the handle on Carter's door to find that it was still locked. Sighing, he sprinted downstairs and strolled into the kitchen. He searched in the cupboards for something suitable to eat, which in Niall's case, was anything edible. He eventually decided on two slices of toast, scrambled egg and cereal, for starts.

Once he had devoured his feast, he checked his watch to see that it was now only 6:30am. Groaning, he decided to get dressed and go out for a walk.

The brisk morning air ran though Niall, causing him to shiver slightly. He yawned and shoved his hands in his pockets, waltzing down the vacant footpath. He hummed quietly to him while walking aimlessly around the town. As he neared the alleyway, he noticed a young man unconscious on the floor. Looking closely, he realised that the young man was Harry.

Niall raced over to him, bending down beside him. "Harry, what's wrong?" he exclaimed, but received no response. Harry's skin was pale, he had several cuts and bruises on his body and a large wound on his lower stomach. Niall searched for his phone in his pocket, but soon realised he had left it at home. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Harry's phone on the ground. Picking it up, he gazed at the screen before dialling 911.

"Hang in there Haz, You'll be okay." Niall smiled at his old friend, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him. If he and the boys hadn't blocked him out, maybe he wouldn't be in this mess.

* * * * *

Carter gazed at her phone, staring at the blank screen before her. She had gotten no reply from Harry last night, which had left her heartbroken. It didn't come as a surprise though, seeing as she took so long to tell him. But deep down, she felt that there was maybe another reason for him not replying.

She came out of her bedroom last night, which was a massive improvement according to the boys. She didn't engage in much conversation with them, and completely ignored Liam, but hey, it was at start. She went up to bed quite early, and the boys soon followed. Harry wasn't mentioned once last night, but he was on the mind of Carter continuously. Liam knew what she was thinking about, but he tried his best to stay off subject. Sometimes she smiled, but he knew fully-well that she was dying inside.

* * * * *

"Carter?" Louis quizzed from outside her bedroom door. "Yeah?" she replied groggily. "Do you want breakfast?" he asked. "No thanks." She responded. "Are you sure? I mean, you must be hungry!" Louis hesitated. "I'm fine Lou." Carter rolled her eyes. Louis bit his lip before journeying downstairs. Liam was in his own little world in the kitchen, slaving away at the cooker. "What's Carter having/" he questioned as Louis entered the room.

"She claims she's not hungry." Louis sighed. "When's the last time you've seen her eat?" Zayn looked up from his phone. "I don't know." Liam put his head in his hands. "What am I going to do? I can't go back to college with Carter acting like this! She'll end up killing herself!" he chimed, running his hands through his hair. "Liam, it's going to be okay. The nurse is going to be here in under an hour. Who knows? Maybe Carter is on the mend." Zayn mused, patting his mate on the back. "I hope so. I just want my sister back." A tear fell from Liam's eye.

"You'll get her back Liam, I know you will!" Louis promised, grinning widely.

* * * * *

The doorbell echoed through the house, signalling that the nurse had arrived. Liam sailed down the hallway and opened the door, smiling widely at the nurse. "Ah, Mr Payne. How are you today?" she greeted him kindly. "As good as I can be for now, you?" Liam responded. "Very good thank you. Now, where is Carter?" she inquired. "Upstairs. The first door on the right." Liam retorted. "Perfect. Now, if you don't mind, I need to talk to Ms Payne in private. Then we'll take the tests and see how her depression is." The nurse stated. "Of course." Liam nodded.