fix you // liam payne

chapter twelve // a little push.

liam's pov

Ellie's familiar laugh, paired with her iconic - and incredibly adorable - crinkle of her nose brings a smile to my own face. After the two of us had recovered from our peculiar little moment, which I still have playing in my brain on repeat, Ellie came back to my room to wait with me for my parents to show up. 

It's still hard for me to grasp how much of an affect Ellie has on me. I have to avoid looking her directly in the eyes, otherwise I can hear my heart monitor speeding up, displaying my excitement for the world to know. 

Earlier Zayn had popped in to check on me before the lads and him moved all their things to the hotel they're staying at permanently. Of course, him being my best mate and all, I told him about my little incident with Ellie and the sweater. And Zayn being Zayn, he said something slightly ambiguous and incredibly deep, leaving me alone to think it over a million times in my head. 

I had hoped he'd have something realistic to say to pull my heads out of the clouds, but instead he just brightened the already impossible scenarios that I already play over in my mind whenever I'm alone. 

"You're doing it again," Ellie speaks up, pulling my attention back to her and back to reality.

"Doing what?"

"You're wandering off like you always do," She smiles at me, resting her cheek upon her palm as her eyes fix themselves upon me, "You always get that serious expression on your face as if you were trying to solve the meaning of life," She jokes, her blue eyes making it hard to even breathe anymore.

It's rather funny that she should say that, because during these past few weeks, Ellie has been the meaning of life. I know how dramatic that sounds, but if she weren't here, I'm not sure if I'd even be here. She's kept me sane when my mind was in one of the most chaotic places I've ever seen. 

"Or maybe I just have the attention span of a pea," I try to laugh it off, knowing that there's no way in hell that I could tell Ellie about these feelings that are starting to develop deep inside me. 

I've barely started to admit it myself, but when she's the only thing you can think of when you're alone, and you find yourself playing her laugh over in your brain as if it were your favorite song, it's hard to deny it. 

"One of these days I'll figure out what you're always thinking about," She shakes her head, wearing that cute little grin of hers on her soft pink lips that were so close to gracing my own this morning. 

"Maybe one day," I return her smile with a sad one of my own, knowing that could never happen.

Ellie is my doctor. Ellie is my doctor. Ellie is a professional. Ellie is my doctor. 

Ellie furrows her eyebrows together and opens her mouth to say something, but before the words leave her tongue, a knock on the door pulls both of our attention. I can feel my heart beat quickening as I realize that my parents are actually here. Ellie looks over to me, wearing an incredibly excited expression on her face, happiness radiating off of her smile, making it damn near impossible not to grin like an idiot myself.

She sits up with much better posture as the door swings open, allowing a pair of very familiar voices to fill up the small hospital room. I struggle to sit up in bed as I look across, making eyecontact with my mum, seeing her dark brown eyes, identical to my own, bloodshot and full of tears. 

"Liam," She murmurs and hurries across the room, a sad smile placed on her face.

I can feel my chest tightening as tears fog my own vision. No matter how old you get, there's something about having your mum at your side when you're sick. She pulls me into a bone crushing hug, burying her face in my neck, moistening my skin with her tears.