"Can we go get some food before we do this? I mean, I'm really hungr-"
Louis span around at me with a pointed stare, "Harry."
I lowered my head and unknotted my hands. They were slick with nervous sweat and I hurriedly wiped them dry on my jeans.
"I'm just hungry Lou," I said quietly.
"You should be Harry, because you didn't eat breakfast. But I get the feeling that you're just trying to avoid getting these shots," Liam said, leaning over and nudging my shoulder.
The blood rushed to my face and my hands went back to being tangled up in my lap. I didn't usually get embarrassed in front of the band anymore, it's been way too many years and I've seen too much of the crazy stuff they've done to get embarrassed over little things.
But they'd all gotten these shots last week. I'd pulled an easy sickie to get out of it then, but today was the postponement date. The shots weren't something I could just worm my way out of, I needed them to get into the next country on the tour list.
I'd always hated jabs. Not needles, all good, I can handle needles, but when they're going that deep into you. . .ugh, it made me shudder just thinking about it.
Apparently these ones hurt too. None of the boys had said anything, but I'm pretty sure that was because they knew how reluctant I was about getting it done. Niall was not very good at lying, and he was rubbing at his swollen arm for a couple of days afterwards.
"Oh really, I didn't notice," Louis said sarcastically, referring to Liam's comment about me trying to avoid the shots.
"I know you don't like this kind of thing Haz, nobody does, but I promise that they're really not that bad," Liam said.
I wasn't at all convinced. I knew that he was just trying to calm me down. It wasn't going to work.
Niall grinned at me sweetly, "you'll be alright, Harry."
"Oh god, I feel sick. . ." I moaned, flipping my head back against the headrest.
"You tried that last week mate, sorry."
Liam patted my leg. I shifted away from his touch, feeling a bit betrayed. Surely we could pay a doctor off to sign and say that I'd had the shot? I would happily take some foreign disease over these injections.
I really was feeling sick to my stomach though. I was just so damn nervous and anxious, sweating through every pore on my body and my hands were shaking so hard. The twisting in my stomach wouldn't let me forget that the clinic was only a few minutes away, that the shots were happening in quarter of an hour or less.
Sure enough, we pulled into the clinic not much later and my heart sped up, threatening to burst from my chest.
"I'm really not feeling well, I think I should go ba-"
"Shut up. Come on Harry, you've got this man. Relax," Louis ordered sternly as he got out of the car. I hesitantly undid my belt with trembling hands and got out of the car with a deep breath. It didn't help that the clinic looked abut as welcoming as a morgue as we stood outside the front doors.
Niall smiled, pushing me forward with a hand on my back, "you probably won't even feel it."
There were a few people in the waiting room, and shocker, they were waiting. I sat stiffly in between Niall and Liam while I waited, tapping my shoe on the ground rapidly and trying to calm my stomach down.
It felt like I waited a lifetime before I was finally called in. My arse might as well have been glued to the seat, and it was a fight against myself to stand up. Louis had me covered, with a yank I was upright and walking in a zombie like way into the doctor's office.
the doctor shook my hand, "hiya again boys, you must be Harry. I'm doctor Arker, it's nice to meet you"
"Nice to meet you too. . ." I murmured back, feeling kind if impolite and rude. Really I was just embarrassed because the poor guy had just shaken my sweat soaked hand.
"Take a seat just there, it looks like we've got two injections to administrate today. . .okay, I've got to tell you that the side effects can include soreness in the area, fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness, and nausea. Experiencing side effects other than a bit of pain isn't very common, most likely you don't have anything to worry about."
Dr Arker smiled as I slowly lowered myself down onto the thin mattress. My arm was hurting already and he hadn't even touched it.
He wiped my arm down with some kind of antiseptic smelling wipe, "relax your muscles kid, it's gonna hurt a bit."
I tried staring at the wall but I could see him lifting the needle to my arm in my mind, there was no escaping. I kind of felt like crying.
I winced and jumped slightly when the steel pierced my skin. I clenched my jaw hard as it slid through my arm and a cool sensation tingled up my arm. It was hurting, the vaccination drained into my body my arm just grew heavier and heavier.
I shuddered as he retracted the needle.
"That's number one done, how was it? Are you okay?" Dr Arker asked, scanning over my face. "You've gone stark white kid, you don't have to be scared."
Louis shook his head, "It's no use Doc, irrational fear."
"It's not irrational! Look at that thing!"
My heart fell into my toes, I really shouldn't have looked.
"This one might be a bit more painful, in shouldn't be anything too bad though, sit tight, it'll be over before you know it." Dr Arker said, lowering his hand so that I couldn't see the needle. I squirmed away with a shake of my head.
"Do I really need that one?"
"It's just one more Harry, you're half way there. Don't turn back now," Liam encouraged.
"It'll only take a few seconds, 3...2...1..." Dr Arker said and without giving me a chance to run out of the room he inserted the massive needle into my arm. And it hurt like a bitch. I bit down on my lip and drew blood with my eyes squeezed shut as he pressed the vaccination into my blood.
"How was that?"
I opened my eyes but didn't answer. He knew damn well how it was.
"You seem okay but according to protocol we have to keep you in the waiting room for quarter of an hour to make sure that the injections don't make you ill. If you do start feeling unwell, tell one of the receptionists and they'll come find me," Dr Arker explained. He opened the door and we all walked out with simple thank yous, walking by him one by one.
At least I was feeling okay after getting the injections. My arm was aching, but apart from that I felt normal. I tucked my legs up when I sat down in a chair in the waiting room, just glad that it was over.
"That wasn't so bad was it?" Liam asked.
"You did really well, I cried a bit last week," Niall admitted with a chuckle.
"I'm never doing that again," I uttered with a firm shake of my head. I absentmindedly rubbed my arm, wincing at the bruising feeling.
There was a young girl, maybe about nine, sitting on the chair a couple down from me, and she caught my eye and grinned widely, mouthing a silent hi. I smiled back and waved my fingers. She was wearing a light blue summer dress that revealed the white piece of material stuck to her arm in the same place that mine was.
She was waiting to be let out too, by the looks of it.
I tapped my fingers on the top of my knee, ready to just leave and forget about what had just happened.
Five minutes or so passed and my eyes followed the little girl as she crawled over the arm rest and cuddled into her Dad's chest, whispering in his ear. I couldn't see her face but his fell into a worried expression pretty quickly and he brushed her golden hair from her face softly before gently putting her back in her seat and going up to the receptionist's desk.
If you do start feeling unwell, tell one of the receptionists and they'll come find me. . .
I looked back to the little girl, suddenly pale with her eyes squeezed shut and her lips shaking.
She was having a reaction to the shot. Or whatever shot she'd been given.
I gulped, rubbing at my arm again.
A different doctor came out and crouched down in front of her, pressing a hand to her forehead and assessing her quickly before gently taking her hand and slowly helping her onto her feet. She seemed okay for a moment, if a little unsteady, but then her little legs folded underneath her and she grabbed onto the doctors jacket desperately with wide eyes and rushed breathing.
"Harry, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Liam questioned from beside me and I snapped away from the girl as she was lead into the office. I was wondering why Liam was asking me what was wrong, before I realised that the speed of my breathing was matching the little girls'.
I shook my head once, trying to swallow down the anxiety at the back of my throat. The twisting in my stomach started up again, "uh, nothing, I'm fine."
She'd been fine five minutes ago, smiling and laughing with her Dad. And then she was struggling to stay conscious. What if that happened to me? I thought I'd gotten through the shots, but apparently I wasn't quite out of the woods yet.
I managed to keep a cool exterior for a couple more minutes right up until the room started spinning around me.
I refused to say anything though. Tell the receptionists my arse, I just wanted to get out of here. If I said I was dizzy they would make me stay even longer. According to my phone I only had another six minutes to go.
Plus it was probably nothing, just nerves or something stupid that everyone would laugh about.
I leaned into the back of the seat to hide the slight teetering my body was doing as the waiting room danced around me sickeningly, only strengthening the feeling in my stomach.
Doctor Arker's voice broke me out of the trance I had fallen into, staring at the walls whizzing by, "alright, if you're feeling okay now, Harry, you're free to go."
"Uh, okay, thanks," I murmured quickly, slowly sitting upright.
Louis' POV:
"It's over Haz," I smiled, trying to bring some of the colour back into his face. He was still as pale as when he'd had the shots done.
He just mumbled in response, grabbing onto the arm rests and pulling himself onto his feet. Niall and Liam started for the door and I followed after, hearing Harry's footsteps behind.
It wasn't quite right. He had long legs, so his footsteps were far apart anyway but they sounded even slower than usual.
I glanced back at him, just to make sure everything was okay.
He seemed okay, staring down at his feet as he moved forward. It was a slow pace, but nothing out of the normal. He didn't notice me watching him so I quickly averted my gaze and caught up with Liam and Niall.
A few steps away from the door I couldn't help but looks back again, instinctively.
Something was going on, I just feel like something was about to happen.
Harry caught my eyes this time and I noticed how unfocused and delayed they were barely a second before he suddenly crumpled into a pile on the burgundy carpet with a thud that had everyone out of their seats and craning their necks to see what had happened.
I think I called out his name as I rushed over and knelt beside him. He was out cold.
"What the hell?" Liam blurted from behind me, falling down to his knees on Harry's other side.
"I'll go get Dr Arker boys, stay with him," a lady behind the counter said before hurrying away.
Harry was completely still as I tried to shake him softly into consciousness. I was freaking out and not even bothering to try and hide it. He'd said that he was okay, that nothing was wrong, and now he was passed out on the floor.
And we'd told him that the shots weren't that bad. I probably should've known that with Harry's shit luck something like this would happen.
He twitched and opened his eyes just as Dr Arker hurried into the room , seeing Harry on the floor right away.
"Sorry kid, looks like you're not ready to go yet after all."
He sighed apologetically as we helped Harry move up against the wall. He looked lost, scared.
"You fainted Haz, but it's okay now," I promised, again just trying to soothe the poor guy.
He whimpered a little, rubbing at his arm with one hand.
Niall went to go run his hands through Harry's hair but he missed when Harry suddenly lurched forward with a gag, and then spilled last night dinner all over the carpet.
The old man who had moved to the edge of the room got up and waddled out as fast as his walking frame would allow.
"It's alright Harry, try not to worry about it. Well get it all cleaned up soon, and you'll be feeling better in no time," Doctor Arker said, grabbing the white bin the receptionist was holding out. He slid it under Harry, and I was actually glad we were in a clinic right now.
Harry cried out and threw up again.
"What's wrong with him?" Niall asked, sounding like he'd just ran a marathon. His voice sounded strained and he was panting a bit by the sounds of it. I knew how he felt, but judging by the look of terror on his face he was struggling a bit more to keep it under control.
"Just a reaction, possibly even nerves, anxiety," Dr Arker replied as I rubbed Harry's back. He was still breathing heavily over the bin as if he was going to get sick again.
"He's gotten himself this unwell over nerves?"
"I wouldn't be surprised, he was so tense earlier when I was giving the shot, his muscles were tightened to the point where they were shaking," doctor Arker revealed as Harry coughed up another lot of vomit.
"Get it out of me," Harry slurred.
The doctor lifted Harry's chin up, "it's completely safe Harry, I need you to calm down, and you'll feel better."
"And if it doesn't work?" Niall blurted. He was pacing now, backwards and forwards with his hand trembling in fright.
Doctor Arker ignored him.
"You're one hundred percent fine kiddo, I'm telling you, if you can take a deep breath and relax it'll all go away just like that."
Harry inhaled shakily and blew out through his mouth, spitting into the bin. Then he took another breath and straightened up a little, pushing the bin away from himself weakly. I sighed in relief and Liam followed suit, he was okay.
"I was so scared that this would happen that I made it happen because I was so scared," he said in a choppy voice, compliments of puking his guts out. I chuckled but before I could give him a hug Niall jumped in and gave him a mighty squeeze around the middle.
Dr Arker smiled with a pleased nod, "There we go. . ." He passed the bin up to the receptionist. "What did I tell you?"
Harry forced a watery smile, wiping a shaky hand across his mouth, "thanks."
"
Just doing my job Harry, you're welcome. Are you ready to leave now do you think? Without passing out again and scaring the day lights out of us all?"
"I think so. . ."
"I gotcha, here."
I let him grab my hand and then slowly I pulled him into his feet. He was still shaking but he didn't have the same dizzy far away look on his face that he had before which meant that the trembling was now just a sign of tiredness from fainting and throwing up multiple times.
He swallowed sheepishly, "sorry 'bout all this."
"Nah, we're sorry we didn't take you more seriously. None of us realised how terrified you were about this," Niall replied and I nodded along, agreeing. I felt bad for teasing him about it now.
" I wasn't that scared. . ." he whined as we started for the door for a second time. Doctor Arker waved good bye.
Liam laughed loudly, " yes you were, Styles."
"Shut up."
Yeah, or nah? I don't really know how I feel about this. Thanks for the unique request though storiesoftheseven, it was cool to write something knowing that nobody else had written it before. So yeah, thanks for reading, please don't forget to press that pretty little star button and leave a comment lovelies!