Valerie’s POV:
Someone was shaking me awake and I groaned. I didn’t want to wake up. I didn’t want to wake up from my dreams and find myself in a nightmare again.
I opened my eyes and saw Harry looking down at me. I rubbed my eyes.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We can go and see him now,” Harry said and I sat up straight, a little too quickly. I held my head as I started to feel dizzy, “You alright Val?” I nodded.
“Yeah, just sat up too quickly I guess,” I said and Harry chuckled. If he was chuckling… then things must be okay with Louis.
“Why don’t we go and see him?” Harry said, standing up, “I’ll explain what happened on the way.” I nodded, stood up, and followed him out of the waiting room.
“Well,” Harry started, “When Richard stabbed Louis, the knife punctured his lung. The doctors stitched the puncture together and he’s doing okay now, but he’s still unconscious. Last I heard, he wasn’t able to breathe on his own.” We walked down a couple halls and turned a corner.
“What happened to Richard?” I asked.
“He’s dead,” Harry said, “Dead before anyone could get to him.” I nodded.
We turned another corner and saw Liam, Niall, and Zayn waiting outside a room. Liam looked up when he heard us coming.
“What’s going on?” Harry asked.
“The doctor’s taking his vitals,” Liam said, “We can go in in a few minutes.”
We nodded and Harry and I sat down next to the boys and we waited in silence for the doctor to come out.
A few moments later, the door opened and the doctor came out.
“You all here for Mr. Tomlinson?” she asked. We all nodded, “Okay, well, Louis is doing fine now and he’s stable for now. He’s not awake yet, but he’s able to breathe on his own now; we’re expecting him to make a full recovery.”
“Thanks doc,” Harry said, “Can we go and see him?”
“Sure,” the doctor said, “But one at a time until he wakes up.” She walked away and the boys all turned to me.
“What?” I asked. Harry rolled his eyes.
“You go in first,” he said.
“Oh,” I said. I got up and walked to the door. I glanced back at the boys and I saw Harry give me a thumbs up. I turned the door handle and went inside. What I saw made me want to start crying again.
Louis was pale, and with all the tubes and wires attached to him, he looked so frail. I bit my lip, walked over to his bed and sat next to him. I held his hand and drew circles on the back of it.
“Louis,” I started, “You have no idea how much that meant to me. You saved my life and there’s no way I can ever thank you enough.” I began to tear up and I wiped a tear away; I was tired of crying, “I love you Louis.” I looked down at the ground and closed my eyes. Everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours had exhausted me and although I had just woken up, I wanted to sleep again. It was quiet for a few seconds and then I heard the one voice that could make me happy.
“I love you too, Val.”
Louis’s POV:
It was dark, but there was no pain. I wanted to slip away and let the darkness consume me, but something kept me holding on. I was vaguely aware of what or who that was, but I couldn’t put my finger on it yet.
The pain began to come back slowly and when it came on full force, I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t move, yell, or scream.
I was slowly becoming aware of my surroundings. I heard a beeping sound and footsteps around me. I was able to locate the source of the pain and I wanted to clutch my chest.
I heard a door open and close and the footsteps I had heard before were gone. I was alone in whatever room I was in but the beeping never stopped. I heard the faint sound of voices outside and after a minute or two, the door opened again. The footsteps I heard this time were softer and lighter than the ones before. I heard a chair being moved and someone began to draw circles on the back of my hand.
“Louis.” It was Valerie. I tried to move, tried to open my eyes so I could see her and so I would know she was alright, but I couldn’t yet. I guess I’d just have to be patient…
“You have no idea how much that meant to me,” Val said and I yearned to talk to her, but my mouth was locked shut, “You saved my life and there’s no way I can ever thank you enough.” There had to be a way to unlock my mouth and break the bonds that held me still. Just as I thought this, Val whispered the four words that freed me.
“I love you Louis.”
My eyes fluttered open and I slowly turned to Val. She was looking at the ground and she had no idea I was looking at her.
“I love you too, Val.” My voice was rough and my throat hurt when I talked, but that pain was worth seeing Val look up at me and smile.
“You’re awake!” She jumped up and hugged me, which caused a sharp pain in my chest. I winced and hissed in pain and she let go of me, “Oops, sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I said and I held my arms out for her. She smiled wider and hugged me again, more gently this time. We stayed like that for a while and didn’t move. I played with her hair and she buried her face into my shoulder. I felt her shaking and my shoulder started to feel wet.
“Val, don’t cry,” I said, “I’m okay now. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know,” she said. She stood up a little straighter and wiped her eyes, “I’m crying because I’m happy Louis. You have no idea how happy I am.” I reached up to her and touched her cheek. She leaned closer to me and we kissed.
It was as perfect as our first kiss. Yes, I was in the hospital, yes, I had been stabbed, and yes, Val was crying, but it was perfect in my book. Someone knocked on the door but we didn’t break apart. At least, we didn’t until someone yelled.
“BOO!” Harry yelled. He ran into the room and nearly tackled me. He probably would have if Val didn’t block him.
“Harry, careful,” she warned him. Harry nodded. He was jumping up and down and looked really eager to give me a hug.
“Oh, come here Haz,” I said. He ran at me again and hugged me. I winced again but hugged him back. I heard Liam, Niall, and Zayn laughing and I looked over Harry’s shoulder to look at them.
“Hey guys,” I said. Harry let go of me and the others came up to hug me.
“We’re glad you’re okay, Lou,” Liam said.
“Yeah,” Zayn said, “I don’t know what we’d do without your sass!” I chuckled and the boys stepped back. Val walked over to the other side of the bed and laid down next to me. Harry went to get the doctor and Liam, Niall, and Zayn found seats around the room.
A few moments later, Harry and a doctor came into the room.
“Ah, Mr. Tomlinson, you’re awake,” she said. No… I’m still unconscious…
“Please, call me Louis,” I said.
“Well, Louis, you’re an extremely lucky guy,” the doctor said, “The knife did puncture your lung, but the cut wasn’t too large so we were able to stitch it up without any complications. We’re going to keep you here for a few days to monitor your progress and then you can go home.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said. The doctor smiled and left.
“So,” I said, “What happened to Richard? Did the police get him?” Val and Harry exchanged glances.
“No,” Val said, “He died.” If I could have, I would have done a happy dance…
“So that’s what the gunshots were,” I said. Val nodded.
“At least we don’t have to worry about him anymore,” Harry said. We all agreed.
Val and the boys stayed until visiting hours were over. We spent the whole time just talking and cracking jokes until one of the nurses came in and told them they had to leave. Harry pulled me in for one last hug and Val gave me a quick peck on the cheek before they left. Val was the last one out the door and I watched as she closed it.
YOU ARE READING
Never Broken (A Louis Tomlinson Fanfiction)
Fanfiction{Being Edited} [Book 1] Valerie Styles was taken away from everything she loved. For three years, she's been locked away in a basement, tormented by her kidnapper. She promised herself that she would never let him break her, but she can't help but f...
