One of Us (N.H | 1D)

Chapter 5 (Part 2) : Niall

They'd been sitting around Niall's bed for two months. Liam's breathing had improved massively, and he had a smaller, more compact oxygen tank on wheels, that Louis nicknamed "Kevin".

Zayn, being the most mobile, kept on his feet almost twenty-four-seven, doing all the menial tasks they all found so hard.

Louis' back didn't give him as much trouble as it had before. According to the doctor, it was scarring nicely.

And Harry...

His doctor told him that his leg was healing much better than expected, and he'd be able to get up on crutches in a couple of months.

But the thought of walking again was pushed out of his mind as he sat in Niall's room, in the coma ward.

Where people never woke up.

Liam was sitting in the corner, in the same armchair he sat in every day since Zayn woke up. Kevin was at his side.

He looked like he was sleeping, head in hands. He'd been in Niall's room all night.

Zayn had left around five minutes ago. He had unintentionally turned into the new "Daddy Direction", and was getting lunch from the cafeteria.

Louis had gone to the bathroom. They all knew how hard he was taking this. Louis couldn't bear it in Niall's room, just watching, but he pushed himself to stay there for hours on end.

Harry watched an IV bag drip almost lazily into one of the many tubes connected to Niall. Niall himself lay motionless in bed, sucking in air being pumped in by the breath mask.

Harry had told the others how Niall had intentionally swung the car around to himself so he would take the worst of the crash. How he had saved all their lives in a split second.

They were only alive because of him.

His body had been smashed by the truck, which had been driven by a drunk driver.

Massive head trauma, collapsed lungs and shattered bones.

The price he was paying for his friends.

And Harry blamed himself. He had distracted Niall from the busy road, had him laughing, and maybe, just maybe, if Harry had just kept his mouth shut, Niall would wake up.

Harry looked around the room furtively. Louis spent a lot of time in the bathroom these days, Zayn would often speak to passing doctor's about Niall's condition, and Liam didn't look he'd move for a while.

They weren't supposed to be in a coma patients room, but they had been given special permission.

And they certainly weren't supposed to touch Niall.

But Harry needed to feel Niall's pulse, instead of just sitting and watching. He needed to know that the machines weren't tricking him.

So he wheeled himself gently forward, and gingerly took Niall's hand.

Harry let out a gasp. Niall's hand was freezing. He moved his fingers to Niall's wrist. What he felt was hard to describe. There was a pulse, but it was so small, it was almost like a feeble fluttering, instead of a steady pounding.

Niall was alive. Barely hanging on, but alive.

'Oh my God, Nialler...' whispered Harry. 'Wake up, dammit, just wake up!' His sentence ended in a shout. He heard Liam jolt awake to his right, but he focused solely on the sleeping Irish boy. 'Please, Niall. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry...' Harry felt tears begin to make there descent down his face.

Liam moved to the bed side. It was like a spell had been broken, because Liam took one of Niall's icy hands in his own.

They stayed like that for what seemed like hours. They hardly noticed Louis coming to sit at Harry's side, or Zayn pulling up a seat at the foot of the bed.

All eyes were on Niall.

All thoughts were centered around him.

And all they could do was wait.