Honey

Chapter Two

Louis' pov

The silence was starting to get uncomfortable as we sat in the hospital chairs. It had been a day and a half since Elle had been attacked and none of us were taking it easily. Purple bruises and bags hung under our eyes as we stayed awake overnight worrying about the girl strapped to machines and lying in the hospital bed barely twenty feet away. 

We had swiftly been informed of her condition as the doctors ran test after test on her. It was suspected by doctors and the police these facts:

1. Ella had not been raped. Her aggressors had not gotten past undoing her jeans before being confronted by a group of men willing to fight to save her.

2. Elle was treated for minor frostbite on her hands, nose, feet and stomach. The unusually cold November air and snow she was found in had only started its effects on her body before the paramedics arrived.

3. The monsters she was attacked by couldn't be charged yet.

Which led to the last two facts.

4. Elle, amongst a collection of scratches and bruises had suffered a concussion from having her head collide with a brick wall and was lying in a hospital bed, in a private room, in a coma.

5. Elle, at any moment, could wake up. Or she could never wake up.

I watched Zayn walk out of her room and return to where we were sitting. In his hand was a beat up paperback copy of the Perks of Being a Wallflower. 

"Any luck?" Niall asked as Zayn sat down in front of me and gently tucked the novel into his bag. I knew it was Elle's by the way he handled it. It was her favorite book and the frayed cover and faded ink were lucid of the number of times she had curled up over the yellowed pages, soaking in the words like they were sacred.

"I swear her lips twitched when I read over her favorite part," he smiled weakly and informed us of the positive reaction the nurse had given him on her progress. 

The conversation continued as I surveyed around me. Niall was smiling slightly as he checked his phone. Probably a text message from his girlfriend had caught his attention. Next to him was Zayn, chatting away about something. Usually he was slightly quieter, but the good news about Elle's improving condition probably was the cause for his high spirits. Liam sat by my side as he eagerly listened to Zayn's news. Both had known Elle for much longer than the rest of us, Liam being her childhood friend and Zayn having had a few classes with her in University. All that had happened before he auditioned for the reality show that brought us all together as a group. 

I watched them interact, hope shining through their exhaustion. My gaze then shifted to the last member of our group. The young curly haired one sat outside the door to Elle's room, waiting for the doctor and nurses to finish the most recent tests. From the way he was sitting, I could tell he was crying. His lean back trembled slightly as he sheltered his face with his. Out of all of us, Harry had taken the greatest brunt from the accident. Even Liam, who had known Elle since they were toddlers was in better shape than Harry. We were all aware of the ugly fight and breakup that had led to Elle's attack and we could only sit and watch him suffer emotionally and physically over the loss of his girl. 

Elle and Harry had always been and interesting couple. The most noticeable thing about them was the fact that they looked alike. Their curly brown hair was only shades apart and their green eyes had different flecks of colour from each other. Only half a head apart, they both looked fit and toned. Together, they made a striking couple. They truly complemented each other, matching each other's emotions in a way that complemented one another. With a bit of observation, you could tell that they grounded and reflected each other in ways hardly any other couple could, not to mention they could barely keep their hands or wayfaring eyes off each other.