Liam yawned quite loudly and stretched his arms wide as he could without hitting his boyfriends. He glanced sleepily to his right and spotted Louis, Harry and Zayn cuddled up together sound to sleep. Making sure he did not wake them up with his yawn, Liam smiled. They all were in their penthouse they had rented out for the next week as they were doing several shows in Japan. Hearing someone snoring softly, Liam glanced down to see that Niall was curled up against him.
Liam got a good look at Niall to see that he was pale. Well, more pale then he normally was. Thinking about last night as they all were talking about some rumor that was going around about how all five of them were not talking to each other and all, Liam noticed that Niall had seemed extremely jet-lagged and didn't have much to say. He did not seem like he intended to be anti-social, but as they all went up to penthouse, it was clear that he was too exhausted to talk or even eat. On the elevator, he had been gently rubbing his stomach and mumbling something about needed his sleep, so when they got to the pent house, no one argued when Niall just went right to sleep. Even though they knew something was wrong.
Liam was slightly worried about Niall. Niall had denied food as soon as they had gotten to the pent house. Niall was never the one to not go without food.
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt movement from the three of his right. "Morning."
There were murmurs and sighs as Louis sat up. "Morning Payno."
"Sleep well?" Liam asked.
"Yes, did he?" Louis had pointed towards Niall. Liam sighed; he was not the only one who noticed Niall.
"Yeah, I've had worse," Niall, said with a yawn. "I am fine. Just a bit tired." He curled back into Liam's chest.
"Do we have anything today?" Harry asked, as he was the last one to wake up.
"No," Louis said, "but we have sound check tomorrow and then concert a few hours after that."
"Great," Harry said sarcastically.
Louis sighed. "I know, Haz. These are a few of my favorite shows. I love how they are so quiet and just listen. I mean we do not even have to use microphones to sing."
"I know." Liam smiled as he had started to run his finger through Niall's slight blonde hair. He had let the blonde grow out a bit this time.
"Come on Louis and Zayn. We can go order food from downstairs. Your phone on you, Li?" Harry asked as he and the other two threw some sweatpants and jumpers on.
"Yes, Haz." Liam showed Harry his phone as he laid it next to himself as the three went out the door.
"Ni?" he said quietly, rubbing his hands through the hair that was laying on Niall's sweating forehead.
Niall didn't stir at all. Soft snores continued to come from the little blonde.
"Niall," he said with a bit volume in his voice, shaking Niall's shoulder gently. "Come on, Love. You need to wake up."
Niall hummed softly but did not move or even open his eyes. "I just want to sleep, Li."
"Ni, babe. It's almost ten in the morning. You need to eat. You did not eat last night."
"Not hungry, Liam." Niall sat up.
Liam just sat and looked at Niall. Observing everything.
"Breakfast is here!" Harry's voice came into the room. "Come on Niall! We want to go see the city."
Niall opened his mouth to say he was not hungry only for Liam to give him a look that closes his mouth.
Niall and Liam had finally gotten out of the bed and headed into the living area where the smell of breakfast came from.
The rest of the boys sat around a table as Niall and Liam came to join them. They all were playing on their phones as they grabbed food and started to fill their mouths.
Niall did not miss the side eye that Liam was giving him as he sat down and just stared at the food in front of him.
Every time they made eye contact, Niall made sure to smile reassuringly at Liam, hoping to make his boyfriend worry a little less. He knew that it didn't work, but what was he to do? Truthfully, Niall's headache had gotten a little worse, making the lights seem to bright and causing his stomach to turn a little bit as well as looking at the food in front of him.
His throat went from scratchy to sore, making it nearly impossible to swallow and there was a small ringing in his right ear. He was definitely sweating a little more. He was cold though, so he knew he must have been coming down with something. He figured he could just sleep it off after they go and see the city. He had convinced himself several times that he could make it through the day.
Niall knew that Liam had figured out something was wrong. In all honestly Niall has not been feeling good since the last show in Australia and that was several weeks ago.
His head was hurting. It had felt like Josh was playing drums in it. His neck has been stiff for the past several days. He had been sweating non-stop.
Niall had just convinced himself that he was not sick. He was just tired.
Liam was not convinced at all. Nor were the other Lads. They saw how Niall winced due to loudness and light. They knew that Niall was getting sick and would not tell anyone about it. So they had decided a couple of days ago to watch Niall, if he got worse to get a doctor to check out everything.
Niall let out a sigh and mumbled something that none of the Lads could understand. Zayn raised an eyebrow and glanced at Liam as Niall stood up and left for the room.
"I don't think he's feeling well." Liam stated.
"Wonder how long he has been feeling like this." Louis questioned.
"He has not said anything about not feeling good." Zayn pointed out.
"Of, coarse. He has not. It's Niall. He does not want to admit that he is sick. He does not like to be babied and all." Harry stood up grabbing everyone's dishes to put outside of the penthouse door for the room service people to pick up later.
It was time where the Lads were ready to go explore when
Zayn went and sat down on the bed beside Niall reaching out to feel his forehead. Niall's skin was unreasonably warm to the touch.
"Niall," Zayn said softly, frowning that Niall had once again just came in fallen asleep.
"Hmmmm?" Niall hummed back, not opening his eyes. He could not. His eyes felt heavy. He was fighting the feeling of falling sleep and just staying like that till the concert tomorrow night.
"How are you feeling, Babe?" he asked, concerned. Niall had never been the tired before. He was always the one that was bouncing around if when he was a tad bit tired.
"M'fine," he muttered back turning around away from Zayn. He just wanted to go back asleep.
"You've got a fever," Zayn spoke. "You're not well. Why are you hiding this from us?"
"M'fine," Niall repeated once more. How many times are they going to keep asking him that? He was fine. There was nothing wrong with him. So he said.
"Niall," Zayn warned. He hated that Niall was being stubborn.
"You're ill. Face it."
Niall mumbled something in response. Zayn sighed and looked up as the rest of their boyfriends appeared in the doorway.
"He says he is not sick," Zayn said. "But I and we all know that he is."
Niall let out a sigh and slowly rose to a sitting position, letting out a wince that the Lads did not miss.
"Niall?" Liam asked, sitting down on the bed. "What hurts?"
"Nothing," Niall mumbled leaning careful into Zayn.
"That's bullshit Nialler," Louis said. "We cannot help you if we don't know what's wrong."
"Just tired." He mumbled.
"Ni, babe. We know, and that's what scares us. You are normally not this tired. You have not done much since you slept most of the time on the jet also." Harry said with concern once more growing in his voice.
"Seriously, Babe," Liam said. "We need to know what is wrong."
"Just a headache. I think it is a migraine. Maybe the flu since it is hard to breathe a bit. I just did not want to tell you, since we have several shows to do here in the next week," Niall said, allowing his heavy-lidded eyes to close. "Do you want to stay here while us four go out? One of us can stay with you." Zayn said.
"That's fine," Niall said. "Mark can stay with me or Basil. Either or Both, is fine with me. I do not want to ruin your chances of being out of the hotel, so go. Have fun. Bring me something back."
"Sounds good, Love you," Liam said as he bends down to kiss Niall's sweaty forehead as the other three copy his actions afterwards.
Tomorrow came as quickly as possible and Niall was up and about, like nothing had happened. He was acting normal which scared Liam. You just do not go to normal that quickly without medicine and all. Liam knew he should be keeping a closer look than normal on Niall.
He felt it in his guts that something was going to happened to Niall.
His gut was telling the truth. It all started when they were starting their first show in Japan, everything was going great until right after they had started their encore when Niall started to feel worse than he ever did.
Black dots form in his line of sight, Niall close his eyes for a second and then opening them to see Liam staring at him. Mouthing help before he felt pain in his neck and his head pounding worse and worse, Niall fell in Liam's arms.
"Li. Make it stop please. It hurts badly." Niall mumbled as he was losing the battle of keeping his eyes open.
As the crowd got louder and louder as terror rise in them seeing Niall in the Lads' arms as they yells at him to keep his eyes open. Liam was yelling at Niall as Zayn and Louis were yelling for Paul and the others to help. Harry was just sitting there holding Niall's hand praying that he would be okay. Looking around the arena, trying his hardest to tell the crowd that Niall would be okay, but only if he could convince himself that also.
An hour or two later, the Lads were rushed into a private waiting room, tears streaming down all of their faces, prayer going up for them and Niall from all around the world. Their hearts heavy for Niall as they wait for news on their blonde boyfriend, Harry and Louis were seating on the couch as Zayn was looking out the window, and Liam pacing back and forth.
"Can you please, stop?" Harry's small voice came out of nowhere. This was the first time they had heard his voice this broken and small since the very beginning of One Direction.
"What?" Zayn asked as he and the others looked towards Harry.
"Liam." Harry glanced up at the Lad. "Love, you are going to dig a hole in the carpet if you keep doing that, and plus you are giving me a headache."
"Yea, well that does not compare to Niall's, does it?" Liam snapped at Harry.
"Liam." Zayn spoke shock at all coldly Liam sounded. Harry frozen at Liam's voice.
"Well it is his fault that Niall is fighting for his life."
"Liam. That is enough! We do not know what is going on with him right now." Louis interrupted what Liam was going to say thank goodness.
"But would you like to know now?" The doctor somehow came into the room without the Lads knowing he came into it.
"Yes!" Four voices yelled.
"Good news is that we know what Niall has. He has meningitis, and we caught it before it got worse than it is now. Bad new is, I am sorry to say, but Niall is in a coma. We had to put him into a coma to let his body fight the disease and heal."
Silence filled the room until Liam and Zayn step closer to the doctor.
"How long will he be in a coma?" Liam asked.
"I honestly do not know. It will be until his body wins the battle against the infection. It is a touch and go at the moment."
"Thank you doctor for everything you are doing, but can we see him?"
"Yes, you can." The doctor led the Lads to the room N1993.
Harry looked at the room number and laughed.
Three head looked at the curly-haired in confusion.
Harry pointed to the room number, "The room number is N1993. Ha Niall 1993. Ha he was born in 1993."
Three mouths turned up but the smile was gone as quickly as it came as the boyfriends went into the room.
"How did we let this happen?" Harry said as he took Niall's pale and limp hand in his warm, large hands.
"It was your fault anyways," Liam snapped once more.
Harry's head spun around to look at Liam.
"I."
"No. I am not doing this. I am done."
"Liam, what are you talking about?"
"All of this. What if he dies? Do we carry on? No. I am done with this band and relationship. I can not do it right now."
"Liam!" Louis grabbed Liam's arms before he went out the door. "You are not thinking straight. Li, we need you. You are our strong rock. Please do no leave us. Li. We need you. I need you."
"I am sorry." Liam started out the door, but not before whispering to Louis, "Keep me posted." Looking at Zayn and Harry for the last time, and walking out the door.
"Lou-" Harry saw that Louis was also about to walk out the door.
"I am also sorry. He is right. Good-bye. Keep me posted on him, please." With that Louis was gone too.
"What just happened?" Harry looked at Zayn. "Z. No. Please do not leave too." Seeing the look on Zayn's face, Harry knew he would leave too.
"I am sorry Haz. I cannot do this. There are too many what ifs. Keep us all posted on everything, please."
With that Harry was the only one with Niall now. Was One Direction done for? Would they come back? What about Niall?
Harry just let it all out. "I will never leave you, Ni. I love you too much."
3 months.... 13 weeks... 91 days... 2191 hours... 131487 minutes... was too long to wait.