Stumbling through the dark

Harry And Liam Need Your Support, Louis.

"I..uhhh...yeah, I guess" Louis mumbled sounding ashamed.

"Well, may I suggest you stop doing that and allow them to look after you. After all, Liam and Harry will need your support even more now" Paul stopped speaking momentarily  as he studied the nails of his right hand. He waited a beat then continued " Yes,  I suspect a recovering Niall is likely to be even more of a handful than you Louis" He met Louis hopefully gaze, smiling at the look of delight and wonder on the young man's face. "He's still very sick, things could still go wrong, but it's looking promising"

Louis scooted forward in his bed until he was kneeling up." Tell me?' He pleaded.

"Well, after you had been removed from Niall's room and brought down here, Niall   went into cardiac arrest" Louis gasped and Paul put a calming hand on his shoulder as he continued speaking. " It was pretty close. They were just about to give up when Niall's heart restarted. He remained stable then  had respiratory distress.He regained consciousness, we removed the life support  and  he's now just  on oxygen, breathing on his own. It's early days but we're hopefully. 

Now, if I ring your friends with the news they may just panic. Would you like to do the honors?" Paul asked, smiling. Louis grabbed his phone and quickly placed the call.

"Lou, mate" Harry mumbled. He'd been dozing on the couch when his phone started to ring.

"Hazza, great news" Louis screamed down the phone " It's Ni! Wait, I'll get Paul to tell you!" He handed the phone to Paul and bounced in his place as Paul filled Harry in with the latest update. "Can I go see him?" Louis asked anxiously  as soon as Paul had ended the call. "Please?'

"I'll do a deal with you, Louis. If you do as the nurses say, I'll let you visit him later"

"But I want to go now" Louis whined like a small child.

"Later" Paul said firmly, getting up to leave.

"Now Mr Tomlinson, time to eat" A nurse came in and placing a tray on the bedside table, swung it over the bed. Louis huffed and folded his arms, ignoring the meal before him.

"Louis" Paul said as he stood by the door " No eat, no Niall" He left as Louis glared at his retreating back before reluctantly picking up his fork and scooping up some scrambled eggs, shuddering at the taste.

"Do I have to?" Louis said petulantly "I can walk, you know"

"Hospital rules" he was firmly told " You go in the wheelchair or you don't go at all" Louis snapped his mouth into a thin line and frowned but allowed himself to be settled into the wheelchair with a blanket tucked over his lap. The male orderly pushed him out into the corridor then headed towards the elevator. Louis fidgeted the whole time, anxious to be with Niall. 

"Well done" The nurse smiled sweetly at her patient before putting down the dish of food she had been holding as she carefully spooned jello into her patient's mouth.  Niall had managed a few mouthfuls of his first solid food for weeks. Now he just had to keep it down. He felt his tummy roll in protest but so far he only felt faintly nauseous. "You've a visitor coming" she continued as she  moved about Niall making sure he was comfortable and supported. A brief check on the bed sores confirmed that they were responding to treatment but she added another pillow to make sure Niall didn't roll back on them. He had been carefully turned from side to side every few hours. This time he was now facing away from the door of his room , his eyes closed, and unable to see who had just entered the room. He didn't recognise the voice of the male orderly speaking to the nurse, as he  pushed Louis into the room. 

The orderly left and the nurse pushed Louis around to the other side of the bed. "Your visitor is here, Niall"  Niall opened his eyes and a small smile lit up his thin, palid face "Lou." His voice sounded rusty from lack of use.

"Hey Nialler" Louis said softly as he reached out and took Niall's hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. " I've missed you". Louis' voice hitched then he started sobbing as if his heart was breaking " Ni, M'sorry" was all he could say . The nurse came up quickly and pulled the wheelchair away from the bed , pushing it swiftly out of the room to where the orderly still waited. A quick discussion and he  took Louis away, back to his room as the nurse returned to Niall.

"He's been really worried about you" she told her patient softly. "He'll come back later. When he's calmer" Niall gave a tiny nod of his head to show he'd heard then he let his eyes shut and he was asleep in moments. The nurse quietly moved around checking Niall's catheter , oxygen flow, blood pressure and temperature before  writing up her notes. The room was quiet now, with only the medical equipment to be heard. Things were definitely improving. Her patient was still sick, his hold on life still fragile  when even a spoonful of jello was a  major success but he was holding on. He was a fighter, this one.