Okay, so a few of you said on the last chapter that you don't like how my story is Harry/Eleanor, not Harry/Louis...
But don't give up reading it yet!! Because alot of shocks and confessions to come in the next lot of chapters!! :) xx
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Wednesday morning, 10 am
Louis groaned in pain as he woke up in an unfamiliar place. He pulled back the covers and saw that his body was covered in a hospital gown. Hospital gown... Oh that's right, Louis thought, I had my operation last night. He carefully hitched up his hospital gown so he could clearly see his stomach. There were 3 plastic patches over his skin, each covering an incision. Blood was trapped in big clumps underneath the patches, and Louis instantly felt sick. He pushed his gown down and lay back down, closing his eyes. His body ached; his stomach was in agony, he couldn't stand up, and the tube in the crook of his arm hurt like hell. And what's worse is that he reaaaalllyy needed to pee...
His thoughts were interrupted by the quiet click of the door opening, and footsteps heading towards his bed. He opened his eyes and saw Liam standing beside him, with Niall and Zayn close behind... But no Harry, Louis noticed.
"Hey babe, how are ya this morning?" Liam said cheekily, ruffling the older male’s hair.
"Hello my loves," Louis muttered, referring to them all, "m'not too well." He said, pouting. Niall presented him with a package and patted Louis' head in sympathy. The Irish lad planted a kiss on his forehead before stepping back.
"We bought you a present!!! I hope it cheers you up," Liam said cheerfully. Louis smiled a weak smile, and opened the package. He pulled out a navy blue pair of sweat pants, followed by a red and white striped top. A confused look appeared on his face, as he looked to Zayn for an explanation.
"They're pajamas!!!" Zayn said brightly. "We figured that you couldn't really walk around the hospital naked, so we bought you some new pj's," he explained further. Louis laughed and thanked them all.
"You might need some help to put them on... Here, I'll take you to the bathroom," Liam offered, carefully helping Louis sit up. Louis yelled as pain shot straight up his leg to his abdomen.
"You okay?" Liam said calmly, trying not to freak out. Louis nodded, and continued to slowly swing his legs out of the bed, and onto the floor. Liam and Niall gripped his side and helped him to stand up, waiting for Louis to recover from his head rush. Liam then lead him step by step to the bathroom, carrying the bag with Louis' new pajamas in it under one arm, and supporting Louis with the other.
"By the way, I need to pee..." Louis said awkwardly to Liam. Liam let out a loud laugh.
"Well I'm not helping you with that!!" he said, guiding Louis through the door and shutting it behind them.
"So where'd you disappear to last night?" Niall said, nudging Zayn. He had ventured over to his band mates apartment the night before, only to find that he wasn't home. Zayn smiled a shy smile.
"I was at Shannon's," he said quietly, still smiling. Niall admired the older lad. He had been in a relationship for 8 months and still got shy when talking about his girlfriend. Niall and the other boys could tell that she meant the world to him, and totally shipped "Zannon". Zayn was going to be the first one to settle down, and they all knew it.
"Good for you mate," Niall said cheerfully, patting Zayn's back. Zayn laughed, but his expression soon turned into one of concentration. He sat down on the bed and leaned into his thoughts.
"Niall, can I let you in on a secret?" he asked, his face suddenly bursting into a smile. Niall nodded eagerly and sat next to him.
"I think I'm going to -"
"Ta da!!!!" Liam shouted, as he and Louis burst out of the bathroom door. He lead Louis over to the other boys, and they all oooooh'd and aaaaaah'd over his nice new pajamas. Niall and Zayn leapt up off the bed to let Louis lay down. Niall mouthed to Zayn "tell me later", and Zayn nodded, offering a smile in return.
"So, where's Harry?" Louis questioned, sad at the absence of his best friend. Harry promised he'd be here, didn't he? Niall, Liam and Zayn exchanged a confused look between them.
"We actually don't know," Liam said honestly, "We figured he'd be here..." Louis face turned into an expression of hurt. "But he'll definitely be here later!!" Liam said quickly, noticing Louis' expression. Louis nodded weakly, secretly wishing Harry was there now, not later. He wanted a baby Hazza hug, he wanted Harry to make him feel better. But Harry was a no-show.
At that moment, the door handle turned. Louis face lit up, but soon changed to an unsatisfied expression as he saw that it wasn’t Harry, but Eleanor standing at the door. He forced a smile to his face. It wasn't Harry, but Eleanor was the next best thing and he loved her. Eleanor smiled awkwardly in return, and made her way to a chair, sitting furthest away from Louis. No kiss, no hug, nothing.
"How are you doing?" Eleanor asked absently. Louis noticed that she was being strange, but chose to ignore it. She was probably just tired.
"m'kay, hurting a lot though," he replied. Eleanor nodded, but still refused to look at him. Liam, Zayn and Niall felt an awkward tension in the room as they sat and watched the usually loved-up couple. Something wasn't right...
"Hey, do you know where Harry is?" Louis asked her, changing the subject.
"No, why would I know?!" Eleanor shot back at him, surprising everyone in the room. Niall got up, and announced that he was going to get some food, dragging Liam and Zayn with him, and hurriedly left the hospital room. Louis looked at Eleanor, shocked by her outburst. Eleanor wasn’t one to yell, but when she did, everyone felt as though they should stay at least 100 meters away from her. She sighed and hung her head to the floor.
"I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to yell," she said, standing up and moving to a chair right next to Louis' bed. She took his hand and kissed it, before playing with his fingers. "I'm just really tired and stressed..." she continued, "I'm sorry I took it out on you." Louis cupped her face and looked her right in the eyes, his expression softening.
"It's fine, El. I understand," he said. She leant forward and gave him a kiss, apologizing again.
"So, when can you go home?" Eleanor asked after a long silence. Her eyes sparkled as Louis looked at her mischievously.
"Nurse says that if I can walk okay tomorrow, then I can go home... What did you have in mind?" he asked her, licking his lips. It had only been a day, but he missed having his beautiful girlfriend in his arms.
"Oh, you'll see..." Eleanor said, winking. She got up and gave her boyfriend a kiss, before picking up her bag and walking to the door.
"I'll be back later, okay Lou?" she said, blowing him another kiss.
"See you then babes," Louis responded, 'catching' the kiss in his hand.
"Love you,"
"Love you too."
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Anne heard a knock at the door. She sighed and put her spatula down, and headed out of the kitchen to open it. Whoever it was better be important, she didn't want the pancakes to burn...
"Harry, love!!" she exclaimed happily at the sight of her son on the doorstep. "What brings you here?" It wasn't every day that Harry ventured over to her house. Usually he was busy doing band stuff, and he only saw his family once a month. Harry stood awkwardly on the door step, switching his overnight bag to his other hand.
"Mom, I've done something terrible..."
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Eleanor stepped out of the hospital room and into the corridor, shutting the door firmly behind her. She clutched her bag in her arms, sighed, and slumped down the wall.
Did Louis know that something was up? Did he notice the hickey on her neck? But most importantly, when he finds out will he ever forgive her?
"You okay El?" a voice said, startling Eleanor. She looked up to see Liam standing in front of her with an outstretched hand. Grabbing his hand warily, she pulled herself up and brushed herself off.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine thanks," she said, flustered. Liam nodded at her and smiled back. She nodded and muttered a quiet 'bye', pushing past Liam with her head down. Liam turned around and watched her walk away, confused. What he could see was a model rushing away to get ready for an appointment. But what he didn't see, was a single tear roll down her beautiful face, as she slowly but surely broke to pieces,
-*-
Louis lay on the bed admiring his new pajamas. It had been 3 hours since he had a visitor, and he was getting quiet bored. Louis didn't like being alone. He needed to be around people, he needed to talk to people and laugh. But the hospital room was so quiet, almost mocking his loneliness, the faint sound of the TV being his only friend. He laid his head back and stared at the roof. Why didn't Harry go and see him? Harry wasn't one to slip up on a promise. Louis knew Harry like the back of his hand, and he knew for a fact that the curly haired lad would never let anything get in the way of helping a hurt friend/family member. So, what was it then? Did Harry not care about Louis? No no no, that couldn't be it. Just the other day, Harry was whispering into Louis' neck just how much he meant to him, as they lay in each other’s arms and drifted off to sleep. Louis knew that Harry meant every single word he said... So, once again, he was questioning why his best friend wasn't at the hospital. Maybe Harry had hurt himself? Louis stopped dead in his thoughts. His body turned cold and his heart beat quickened. That must be it. That was the only allowable answer as to why Harry wasn't with him. Harry might have fallen over and hurt himself. He might have been in a fight. He might be lying in a ditch, covered in blood and faintly calling for help with his last breath....
Louis jolted upright and yelped at the pain in his head and abdomen. He fumbled for his phone in the draw beside him, frantically pulling things out. Finally he found his phone, and pressed speed dial 1. It rang and rang and rang. Louis, who was biting desperately on his nails, shook his head when the phone eventually went to message bank. He called again, ring ring ring, message bank. Louis cried out in distress. His thumbs moved quickly as he frantically wrote a text to Harry. Finishing the text, he sent it, and held the phone in his hands, desperate for a reply.
-*-
Harry, where are you? I need you please tell me you're okay.
Harry stared at his phone, confused by the needy text from Louis. This is probably a trick, Harry thought, he probably just wants me to come in so he can hit me. I'm a disgrace. Suddenly, Anne walked thought the door and into the lounge room, where Harry sat on the couch. She carried two cups, and handed one to Harry, which turned out to be filled with hot cocoa. Harry thanked her, and nursed the cup in his arms, finding the silence rather soothing.
"So Harry.... What happened?" Anne said softly, sitting next to her son and placing her hand on his knee reassuringly. Harry sat. He just sat, and thought of every possible thing he could say. He could lie; tell his mom he just really wanted to stay with his family for a bit. Yeah, that would probably be easiest. But no, Harry mustered up the courage and decided to tell his mom everything. He sighed, and put his phone down beside him, looking at the text one more time.
"Mom, you know how much I love Louis, and you know that I would NEVER do anything to hurt him deliberately?" Harry asked his mother, hoping to gain some approval before possibly losing all the respect he had earned. Anne nodded and cocked her head to the side, wondering where her son was taking this. Harry took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was going to say next.
"I-I-I.. Slept w-with Eleanor."
The words tumbled out of his mouth and shattered on the floor beneath him, leaving him filled with only guilt and sorrow. He hung his head and blew out a shaky breath. His hands shook and his heart bet faster than ever before, as he waited for his mother to say something, anything. Harry studied her out of the corner of his eye. His mother sat still with a calm look on her face. Harry felt a bit relieved. At least he knew his mother wasn't going to yell at him. Anne processed the information for a long time, making Harry feel incredibly nervous. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm, and her eyes were locked with Harry's.
"Harry darling, I understand." Harry's head snapped around to look at her. What??? He slept with his best friend’s girlfriend... And his mother understood?? Anne gave him a reassuring smile, before taking his hand in hers.
"I've known since the day we all met Eleanor that you would end up having feelings for her. She's beautiful, funny and kind - perfect for you. But she chose Louis, Harry. She loves Louis. She looks at him, they way you look at her. And I know how much that must hurt you. It's infuriating seeing someone you love not reciprocate the feeling... And I guess that your feelings just grew over time, out of your control. But what you did is not okay, Harry. Just because you were both drunk and it only happened once, does not mean it's over. She will most likely show an excessive amount of love towards Louis for a while, in attempt to prove that she loves him. But I know you Harry. And you will fall harder for her now that you've had a taste of what it's like to be with her. But you have to remember that Louis is your best friend. By loving her, you lose them both."
Harry stared at his mother, his eyes wide and his mouth open. She just told him everything he needed to hear, everything he wouldn't let himself believe. Hearing it from his own mother made his heart ache. The words swiveled round his head, and burn themselves into his brain.
"So," Harry choked out, "what do you think I should do?" He asked her this, because simply, he was lost. His conscience refused to function, and his heart kept its mouth shut. Anne sighed and shook her head.
"Honestly Harry, and I know that you’re not going to like this, but I think you need to stay away from them both for a bit." She shushed Harry as he began to protest, and continued with, "I know Lou's in hospital babe, and I know you want to be there, but Louis knows you better than you know yourself. Straight away he will know something is up, and straight away he will want to know what it is. So unless you're ready to fess up to him right now, you’re welcome to stay here for bit..."
The comment made Harry's heart sink. His hands trembled and a small tear rolled down his face. Would him staying at his moms make his friendship with Lou in a dangerous place? Harry sighed and shook his head. He just didn't know anymore. It was as if one little incident was going to change his entire life... And Harry was yet to find out that it would.
-*-
Louis waited impatiently as the clock ticked ever so slowly. His hands shook and his breath was quick, as he sat on the edge of his hospital bed in the dark, his room lit only by the moonlight. Beep beep. The clock ticked over to 12 am. This was his chance. He slung his overnight bag over his shoulder and carefully pushed himself up to standing position. Pain shot through his entire body and his vision blurred, but he took a shaky step, then another one, and slowly made his way to the door. By the time he had quietly closed the door behind him, his headed was thudding like a drum. He raised his hand to his forehead and slumped on the door, attempting to lessen his headache. He took small steps down the long corridor, holding his arm where he abruptly pulled the drip tubes off his arm, leaving only the cannula. As he reached the stairs his eyes bean to see double, but that didn't matter. He hadn't hurt back from Harry, and he was more worried than he had ever been in his life. Not even Liam or Niall had text him back. He would endure even the worst of pains for Harry, and as he slid his foot onto the first stair, that's exactly what he was doing. His vision spun, and suddenly he felt as if his brain exploded. His vision was no longer spinning; it was blackening, as he fell head first to the landing on the stairs. To watch it would be like watching a car crash in slow motion; a frail young man fainting down the stairs, hitting his head multiple times on the way down, and laying motionless on the stair landing, blood beginning to trickle from a tiny cut on his forehead.
All he was trying to do was make sure his best friend was okay, when in fact, his best friend was not. Physically he was, but emotionally he was falling apart by the second.
TBC xx