So... I had an idea for this part and it was coming along pretty damn nicely if I do say so myself. As in 3500 words nicely (I was going to split it up into parts don't worry). Anyway, I do all my writing on word and my laptop seems to hate my guts. It's full of viruses and it's getting old, the screen has problems connecting sometime and it often runs into 'PC problems'. It's nothing new. Usually when this happens word auto-saves what I've been working on and just this time it decided not to! 3500 fricking words! Argh, it makes me want to just scream.
So now I'm going to do all my writing on Wattpad for safety reasons. I do not plan on losing the rewrite version I'm going to write now. Never again. Enjoy :)
***
You met stares with your gorgeous boyfriend and the corners of your lips turned up uncontrollably as he sent you a sleepy grin. "G'morning Beautiful," he greeted, and you felt like you could just melt into the sheets.
"Good morning to you too Harry, if it's even still morning." You curled into the duvets with a content sigh.
You and the band had traveled up to the holiday house just yesterday. The drive had been horrendously long, just over five hours but it was definitely worth it when you got there. Let's just say that their little holiday house was probably five times bigger than the house you grew up in. Everyone had been tired after the drive and had pretty much crashed straight away, not even bothering with dinner. That was probably the reason why your stomach was growling so loudly. A blush to creep onto your face. Harry just chuckled and pulled you close in one swift motion.
"You hungry Babe?" he said huskily.
You twirled out of his grasp and rolled out of the bed before whipping open the curtains and letting the sunlight wake up the room, "starving." Harry hissed and recoiled into the pillows and you rolled your eyes in amusement as you made your way to the shower. As you were about to close the door you peeked your head out and smirked at Harry, "care to join?"
After a very steamy shower the two of you headed out to the kitchen where Louis was whipping up a batch of his famous pancakes.
"Morning, love-birds!" Louis chirped lightly. Harry sat down at the barstool and you took your seat on his lap comfortably. Louis flung a pancake at you suddenly and your mouth dropped open as it landed right in the middle of your plate.
You looked at him, wide-eyed, "how did you do that?"
"Magic." He turned around briefly just to wink at you and you laughed as a pancake landed on Harry's plate.
"You're gonna have to teach me how to that." You said as you drowned your pancake in golden syrup, barely leaving any left in the bottle. Liam shuffled in at the moment, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
"Hey Liam!" Harry said through a mouthful of pancake.
"Hey."
He looked as if he was only just managing to keep his eyes open. He sat down next to Harry and Louis flipped a pancake his way. He simply nodded in thanks and dug in, pretty much shoveling the whole thing into his gob. Then his head shot up and and his eyes sparkled.
"Was there weed in that pancake or something?" Harry raised an amused brow.
"No! Can we go to the waterhole today?" Liam asked loudly, barely containing his excitement.
"I wanna go to the waterhole!" Louis almost dropped his spatula thingy as he began jumping up and down like a child. You glanced around at everyone, grinning and trying not to laugh at their antics.
"We haven't been there for ages!" Harry began jiggling his knee underneath you.
"Where is it?" You asked curiously, wondering why they all seemed so excited about it.
"About a mile away. You walk through the bush for about forty minutes and then you're there" Harry explained. You glanced up at the clock on the wall, 10:15.
"How about I pack some sandwiches and we head down there for lunch?" You suggested, wanting to know what the fuss was about.
"Yeah!" Louis' eyes widened. You smiled before realising that the last member of the group was yet to show his face.
"I'll go wake up Niall while you guys get ready then."
You grinned to yourself as you headed down the hall towards Niall's room. It was at the very end of the hall so it wasn't a short walk. When you finally reached the closed door you knocked politely in case Niall was up and getting changed. There wasn't a sound from behind the door so you pushed the door open.
Inside, you could hear Niall's soft snores and the light coming from beneath the blind enabled you to see his figure curled up in the duvet on the luxurious bed.
You crept up to his side quietly and began shaking his shoulder gently.
"Niall, Ni, Niall," you whispered softly. He blinked slowly, his eyes barely open a millimeter. You grinned at his sleepy appearance and smiled apologetically, "the lads wanna head down to the waterhole for lunch so you've gotta get up sorry."
Niall grunted and you made your way back out to the kitchen, knowing that he would be up and about after a few minutes.
Harry helped you make the sandwiches and you laughed and joked through the boring painfulness of the repeating action. Ham, tomato and lettuce in every single one. It was an awfully slow process. Niall joined you in the kitchen and nibbled on a piece of toast until it was gone. You were a little worried by his behaviour, usually Niall would pretty much shove the entire contents of the fridge down his throat but today he had barely finished a single piece of toast. He shot you a grin as he headed of to get changed which reassured you a little but you couldn't help the bad feeling lingering in the back of your mind.
You loaded the sandwiches into a backpack before changing into your swimsuit and layering your clothes back on top. By this point everyone was ready to go and you started your trek to the infamous waterhole.
Harry had been right, the walk was all forestry, nothing but dirt beneath you feet and trees above your head. You liked it though, it felt freer than being in the city surrounded by frighteningly tall buildings. You and the boys joked and played around the majority of the time, your loud laughter echoing off the trees. After a while, you noticed Niall slowly getting quieter and quieter and beginning to fall behind a little. You fell back next to him, determined to find out what was up.
"Hey, are you okay?" You asked, only seeing then that he was a little pale.
"Fine, why?" He replied a little quickly."
You shrugged as you continued walking, "you just seem quiet today."
"I'm just tired from yesterday."
It just didn't feel right. You mightn't have really known Niall for very long but as someone with younger brothers you could tell when something wasn't adding up. You'd have to keep prodding him
Around three quarters of an hour later you reached your destination and you'd never been more amazed in your life, apart from that one time you somehow got an A in science a few years back.
The trees cleared over the sparkling pool of gorgeous clear water that was surrounded by smooth little pebbles. There wasn't even a speck of moss on the surface and there was even a waterfall running into the water.
"Whoa. . ." you said in complete awe as you span in a complete circle, trying to take it all in.
"Pretty much." Louis grinned as he whipped his shirt off, possibly setting some kind of record. He dashed off into the trees.
"It's absolutely stunning Haz, how did you find this place?" You asked.
"Coincidence," he replied as he lifted his shirt over his head. Noticing everyone was already ready for the water you hesitantly pulled you shirt over your head and shimmied out of your denim shorts, leaving you in a light red bikini. You blushed almost as brightly as the bikini and turned away slightly. Harry only chuckled at your shyness and pulled you into his grip gently.
"You know what the only thing more stunning than this place is?" He whispered in you ear softly.
You shook your head slightly.
"You."
He twirled you once before pulling you through the trees after Louis and you laughed out loud as you tripped over pretty much every root there was to trip over. Luckily Harry was moving to fast for you to actually fall. Soon you were climbing up some tired steps.
"Where are we going?" You asked, unable to stop smiling.
"You'll see," he replied as he dragged you up the last couple of steps. You were at the top of the waterfall looking down at the waterhole.
"I'm just gonna say whoa again," you breathed as Liam and Niall joined you at the top.
Suddenly Louis let out a tribal shriek and flung himself off the edge. He plummeted into the sparkling water below. There was a massive splash and then he surfaced, a grin just as big as the splash on his face.
"First jumper every time!" He called up as he paddled back to the pebbles. You were still standing still in shock, hoping Harry wasn't going to make you do it.
It wasn't even that high, probably only five metres or so but still, flinging yourself from high places wasn't exactly something you did in your free time. Liam flew off next, hitting the water like a pin. Niall was standing behind, looking exactly how you felt.
"Harry, I don't want to do it," you admitted. Screw trying to look brave.
"You'll hate yourself if you don't, I promise you once you do it you'll love it," Harry assured you, holding out a hand, "take my hand, we'll jump together."
He turned to look at Niall, "Niall, are you gonna go?"
"Of course," Niall muttered and stepped over the edge, not looking nearly as excited as the others. Harry stared into your eyes and pulled you to the very edge until you could look straight down and see the glittering water below.
"On the count of three." Harry nodded and you sucked your lips in doubtfully.
"3. . ."
The number lingered in the air and you tightened your grip on Harry's warm hand.
"2. . ."
"Harry, I really don't think-"
"1!"
He shouted and leaped off the edge, dragging you with him. It was over in a second and you were totally immersed in the water for even less. You broke the surface with a squeal and Harry came up moments later.
"Pretty awesome right?" Harry said as he shook his wet hair from his face.
"I will admit, It was pretty awesome." You smiled, "but you still forced me into it!" You sent a wall of water flying at Harry with a loud laugh and ducked under the warm water as he splashed you back.
After a twenty minute swim you set up on the pebbles and got the sandwiches out. The atmosphere was practically glowing as you all scoffed down the extreme amount of sandwiches, laughing about the stupidest of things like little five year old's. You hadn't had more fun in your life.
But you couldn't help the way your gaze kept drifting over to Niall. You noticed that he was looking quite pale now and was barely eating anything. Your best guess was that he was coming down with something, which sucked. The five of you were at the holiday house for just over a week so he'd still be able to have some fun but it would be kind of stink to be cooped up in bed while the rest of the lads were out exploring or whatever.
Soon all the sandwiches were gone and everyone was lying back on the hot pebbles, wondering how the hell they had managed to completely devour a good 30 sandwiches. Suddenly Niall stood up and everyone turned to look at him questioningly.
"I've just gotta go. . . use the. . . ah, you know what I mean," he stumbled over his words and hurried away into the trees.
You stood up as well. "I need to go too," you dismissed yourself and hurried off after Niall.
You kept a good distance as he got further and further away from the waterhole. Soon he ducked behind a tree and you crept closer and closer, knowing that something wasn't quite right. You wouldn't be spying on him if you thought he was just doing his business, that would be weird.
Soon you were close enough to hear the stifled gags emitting from his shaky figure. One hand was wrapped around his stomach and the other was pressed against the tree to keep him upright. Oh Niall.
"Hey Buddy. . ." you greeted quietly, not wanting to give him a fright. He didn't even seem angry that you had followed him, he just stared at you helplessly until another painful sounding retch send him almost onto his knees. You hurried over to him and laid a hand on his back in an attempt to calm him down a bit.. "You'll feel better if you just let it happen Ni," you whispered as he struggled to keep his lunch down.
"I don't want to," he whimpered in reply, leaning back into your hold for a few moments before another gag hit him and he was back to leaning over his knees. You winced at the sight, hating seeing him like this. His hand whacked across his mouth and you slowly persuaded him to move it. He looked at you pleadingly with those adorable eyes of his and you just rubbed his sweaty back, there was definitely a fever there.
"Just let it out. . ." you told him and with that he promptly vomited all over the ground.
***
When he was done you lead his trembling figure back to the waterhole, feeling sorry for the lad.
They all looked up when you appeared from the tree's and Harry slipped his sunglasses down his nose so he could see the two of you properly. "What took you guys so long?" He asked.
"Niall threw up. Multiple times actually. We need to go back to the house," you explained as you sat the sickly boy down between Liam and Louis and began to pack up the bag.
"What?" Louis exclaimed, staring at his friend. Niall smiled shyly, tucking his knees up so that he could rest his head on top of them.
"Why didn't you tell us you felt bad Nialler?" Liam asked with a frown.
"I didn't want to ruin the trip to the waterhole," Niall admitted, leaning into Liam's shoulder.
"You couldn't have ruined it Bud, we could've gone another day when you were feeling better," Harry assured him, pulling him to his feet gently. He grunted slightly but no one said anything.
You finished packing up the bag and then you all made your way back to the house, questions being thrown Niall's way every second or so. By the time you finally got back he wasn't the only one looking tired. Harry had practically carried him the whole way, saying that he was sick and therefore shouldn't be on his feet and Liam had piggy-backed Louis simply because the older lad made him.
You and Harry set up Niall on the couch in the living room with a bucket just in case and closed all the blinds while Liam and Louis freshened up. You put a movie in the DVD player and it played quietly, it was mostly just background noise.
Niall curled into the couch and buried his face in the cushions the second he lay down. You sat down on the arm of the couch and spoke to him quietly. "So how are you feeling?" you asked, not really knowing what to do next.
"My tummy hurts and my head is throbbing like a motherfucker," Niall grumbled almost inaudibly.
"I'll go get some medicine," Harry volunteered before you managed to even say a word. You nodded to him with a thankful smile. He grinned back before leaving the room just as Louis came in with Liam not far behind. They both plopped down into the lazy-boys, the awkwardness of the situation evident on their faces.
Niall let out a whimper and you nudged his shoulder lightly, picking up the drink bottle up off the ground. He looked up and you winced, telling him he looked better would be a lie. "Take a small drink would you?"
He took the bottle from you and gulped down a few mouthfuls before putting the bottle back on the ground. You already knew that it was too fast and sixty seconds later when he was beginning to breathe heavily it only confirmed your prediction.
"The buckets right there if you need it Ni," you informed him.
"I- I don't w-want it," he stuttered, swallowing harshly at the end. He gagged suddenly and you got to your feet.
"Reckon you can make it to the bathroom?" You suggested. Niall just groaned and you took it as a no. He spluttered and sick surged from his mouth, hitting the bucket with a splash.
"Aw, Ni. . ." you rubbed his back like last time, not knowing what else you could do.
"Uh. . .We might need another bucket?" Liam muttered from your left and you glanced his way with a frown. He gestured at Lou. He was paralysed, his eyes glazed over and his face a questionable green colour.
"Take him to the bathroom," you ordered with a sigh. Liam nodded quickly and ushered Louis out of the room just as Niall let loose the next round with an echoing retch. He sagged into the couch when he was done and you laid a hand on his forehead.
"Harry! Grab a thermometer too please Babe!" You called out, causing Niall to grimace. "Sorry." You winced.
Harry returned a few minutes with a box of pills in one hand and a digital thermometer in the other. He cringed at the smell but didn't hesitate as he made his way to his friends side.
"Look after him for a minute, I've gotta go check on Louis," you explained.
Harry rolled his eyes and smiled a bit, "did he puke?"
"He looked about to. I told Liam to take him to the bathroom."
"He can't do vomit, it makes him throw up," Harry explained and you sagged in relief, you couldn't handle two.
"Oh, so he should be alright?"
Harry nodded, "should be."
"Well, I'm gonna go check on him anyway, be back in a sec," you told him.
In the bathroom Louis was just sitting on the closed toilet seat arguing with Liam. "Let me go, I'm fine!" he protested with a whine.
"You almost projectile vomited everywhere!"
"But I didn't!" Louis shrieked.
"I take it you're all good in here?" You butted in with an amused smile.
Louis shied in shame, "yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to just bail like that."
"Harry told me, it's alright," you assured him.
"I want to help though," Louis complained.
You rolled your eyes and smiled, "you can."
Louis was put on night watch. He slept on an air mattress outside the living room doors the entire night listening for any signs of sickness. He was determined to stay awake, you didn't think he even got ten minutes of sleep.
There were a couple of instances where he was rushing into yours and Harry's room, screaming and shouting and you'd tiredly gone out to the living room. You'd been shooed away by Niall both times, saying he was fine as the bucket got fuller and fuller. You would have to remember to clean that out in the morning.
When you woke up it took you a minute to remember yesterday's events. As it came back to you you got out of bed with a groan, rubbing your eyes sleepily. You were unsure of how much sleep you'd gotten, but it couldn't be much. Harry stayed asleep as you got changed and headed out.
You stopped outside the bathroom, a frown etching onto your face. What on earth was that racket? You pushed open the closed door to see Liam frantically searching through the cupboards, the containers and bottles crashing against the plastic.
"Watcha looking for?" You asked. Liam almost jumped out of skin at the sound of your voice.
"Just panadol, or something stronger, my head is killing me. . ."
He groaned, letting his head fall into his hands for a second. Your frown deepened and you stepped inside worriedly.
"You're not feeling ill or anything though right?"
"Nah, I don't think so." Liam shrugged, going back to looking. You eyes caught a box of ibuprofen immediately and you pulled it out and handed it to Liam with a raised brow. "Thanks." He smiled gratefully and drowned a couple with a glass of water.
"You should go back to bed, we can handle everything downstairs," you suggested, ready to fight if he protested.
"Thanks, you're the best." He grinned once last time and then shuffled back to his room. You took a deep breath and made your way to the kitchen, surprised you were even hungry with the smell of vomit wafting around. You made yourself a couple of pieces of toast and spread jam over them as Louis came in, eyes drooped and shoulders slumped. He looked dead on his feet. And you thought you hadn't got any sleep.
"Go to bed Lou," you ordered.
"No. . ." he yawned, "it's fine, just a little tired."
"Don't just a little tired with me Louis, you've been up all night. Go to bed before I kick your ass all the way there," you said, raising a brow in challenge. He sighed heavily and stared you down for a moment.
"Fine," he breathed, giving in thankfully. "I'll be up in a few hours though." He wagged a finger at you as he went past. You rolled your eyes. Why were guys so damn stubborn? After your breakfast you headed to the living room to check on Niall.
He was sound asleep, a thin sheen of sweat on his face. You took the bucket and quickly emptied it out in case on the off chance he needed it in the brief time you spent cleaning it out. Luckily he was still snoring when you returned. Harry came in a few minutes later, placing a soft kiss on your cheek and plopping down on the two seater next to you.
"Where's everyone else?" he asked in confusion, glancing at Niall.
"Liam has a headache and Lou looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion so I sent them to their rooms," you told him with a sigh.
"Leaving us to do all the work?" Harry smiled playfully, pecking your lips.
You smirked, pushing him onto his back and straddling him seductively, "I guess so."
"Keep it PG over there guys," Niall whined.
"How are you feeling Nialler?" Harry asked, pulling you onto his lap like a kid and sitting up.
Niall cringed, "still pretty shitty I guess but definitely better than yesterday. Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it, it could've happened to anyone of us." You waved it off dismissively, glad that he was feeling better about it than yesterday.
There was a crazy shriek from somewhere in the house and you winced as your ears immediately began to throb.
"What the fuck was that?" Harry said.
"It sounded like a monkey," you replied with a shrug. Your name was called suddenly and you got up tiredly, "I guess it's for me then."
You increased your pace as your name was continuously called, like a siren. Then Liam was found over the toilet puking his guts out.
"You said you weren't feeling sick, Liam!" You muttered as you crouched down by his side. He looked nothing but annoyed as his lunch spewed from his mouth and after one more bout it was finally finished and he sat on the tiles with a pout.
"Well, that was all kinds of revolting." He frowned, looking like a five year old whose lollipop had been taken.
"You alright now?" You asked.
"I suppose. . ." Liam sighed and got to his feet, wincing at the pain in his head and his gut. Then he sighed and sat back down, "nope, not done."
He groaned as another lot of his lunch hit the water. He wiped his mouth when it was finished, "now I'm done."
You made sure he got to his bed alright and then went out to Harry.
"Liam's down too."
Harry pulled a face. "Really?"
"Really." You nodded reluctantly, grabbing another bucket from under the sink.
"Is he alright?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, he seems fine. A little pissed off but okay," you replied, filling up a glass of water.
So you and Harry rushed about after Niall and Liam until lunchtime. Thankfully it wasn't so bad, Liam didn't seem to care all that much and Niall only threw up twice after Harry moved him to his bedroom. It was then that the next man fell. Louis' exhaustion let his immune system down and by 3:00 he was spewing every half an hour as well. And with his little fear of puking it was a little difficult.
"M-make it stop!" He howled as his body finally gave him a short break. Until his gaze rested on the puddle of spew beneath him and he was throwing up violently again, tears running down his cheeks.
"Close your eyes Lu," you whispered softly. He did as you asked and his breathing slowly calmed and he staggered into the couch, both arms wrapped around his aching stomach. You chucked a towel over the mess for now and put Louis to sleep before cleaning it up and throwing the towel into the wash.
Harry grinned at you lazily and chucked an apple your way. You caught it clumsily and took a bite. "Are you feeling okay?" You asked him. He was looking a little pale at this point.
"I'm feeling perfect Babe, immune system of steel right here." He tapped his gut with a proud smirk. "What about you, you've been running around like crazy these past two days."
"So have you," you pointed out.
"Yeah but not as much as you, Gorgeous," Harry replied. You rolled your eyes, again, guys and their stubbornness.
"Whatever, and by the way you're on Lou duty next time."
"But I'm not as good as you Beautiful, I don't know what to do!" Harry exclaimed, looking scared now.
You laughed, "tell him to close his eyes and he'll be fine."
"If it's that easy why don't you want to do it?" Harry questioned as you walked away with a laugh.
After dinner you moved everyone back out to the lounge, it wasn't as if they could catch each others germs and it was easier to know what was going on if they were all in one place. It meant not having to run back an forth until you couldn't feel you legs.
The TV hummed quietly as the whole group of you sat there, watching it in boredom. Suddenly Liam got to his feet with a determined look. "I'm fucking sick of this," he stated, sounding raspy and crackly, "I'm going for a walk."
"No you're not," you said, chuckling to yourself. He wouldn't make it 100 metres down the street before keeling over.
"Yes, I am. I can't sit here like this any longer!" Liam whined dramatically, throwing his hands up.
"Just sit down Li, she'll attack you if you even take one step," Louis mumbled quietly.
"I believe you Lou, but I'm past caring. At least it'll be more interesting." Liam shrugged, sitting back down despite his protests. You glanced at Harry who was sitting next to you and looking even paler than earlier. Niall had noticed too.
"You alright Hazza, looking a little peaky there," he pointed out.
"Uh yeah, absolutely fine," Harry stuttered with a forced grin. You shot him a knowing look and he just shrugged innocently under your gaze.
"You're lying," you said, narrowing your eyes.
"No, I'm really okay, so far anyway," he protested, mumbling the last bit to himself.
Louis moaned from his seat.
"You all good over there Lou?" Liam asked.
"No, I feel like shit and you wouldn't believe the pain in my gut." He whined, curling into himself even tighter and squeezing his eyes together tightly as a wave or nausea surged through him. You sighed, knowing what was coming next.
"Keep your eyes closed please Lou," you pleaded.
"Will do."
He retched, burying his head in the bucket as his stomach forced its way up his throat. Harry's complexion paled and a strange little squeak made it past his stubbornness.
"Harry, Honey, you're green," you told him.
"Maybe I'm not feeling too hot, but I can't leave you to look after the whole lot of us!" Harry blurted, flopping back on the couch and blowing his sticky hair out of his face.
"Lie down, I'm getting your duvet and some pills. Just stay here." You stood, picking up the bucket of sick on the way. You returned five minutes later with a clean bucket and a sheet of medication. Each boy swallowed two after a couple of minutes of coaxing and it was silent again, apart from the quiet whimpers and moans.
Twenty minutes later Harry had begun to breathe deeply and you grabbed the bucket under a sleeping Niall carefully, not wanting to frighten Harry. He looked at you helplessly.
"What happened to that immune system of steel?" You chuckled, struggling to lighten the situation. Everyone else had fallen asleep so you kept your voice quiet.
"It broke." Harry gagged suddenly, shooting forwards in shock. He slapped a hand over his mouth and his stomach gurgled loudly. You put the bucket between his feet and rubbed his back.
"Just let it happen and then we can go to sleep," you urged, feeling his sweaty back arch under your hand. He finally burst and round after round of half digested food flowed from his mouth as you whispered to him soothingly, wiping his hair back gently. You were sure it had woken the other lads up but they didn't react, nobody opened their eyes.
Harry dry heaved for a few minutes when he was empty until he finally calmed and sagged forwards, completely exhausted. You caught him quickly and pushed him gently back into the couch.
"Better?"
He simply nodded tiredly and snuggled into his duvet, falling asleep in a matter of seconds.
You rushed around for the next couple of days, barely getting a minute break. Niall thankfully bounced back pretty quickly and he was a great help with everything that was going on. By Friday everyone was back on their feet, feeling absolutely fine despite the tiredness that still lingered. You thought you'd been lucky, you hadn't caught the bug, but by the time you went back home it caught up with you. Harry nursed your sick self back to health, apparently enjoying being on the other side of the nasty virus.
***
5.09.18 update as I struggle to comprehend how awfully written this is. I've just been through editing and I can't believe how much my writing has improved since this. It's madness. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the writing does get better to please hang in there if this is your type of thing. Thank you so much for reading.
The dialogue and the tags are making me cringe so bad.
02.06.19 edited yet again. . . It's still pretty bad though. Without scrapping and rewriting there's not really any hope for this one. I'm just- wow, what a mess. Haha hope you enjoyed anyway.