Liam did not look impressed when he came back into my room. Nostrils flaring and eyes burning hot he stood tall at the end of my bed.
"You have to get up Louis," he growled, "I've already told you twice."
"And I've told you twice, no. I'm on strike. I need a fucking break or I'm gonna fall apart," I stated stubbornly. Liam inhaled a deep breath, biting down hard on his lip as he tried to keep from screaming at me.
"You do this and the rest of us will get an earful of it too," he said in a low, controlled voice.
"Stay here with me then." I smiled toothily, rolling onto my back and fluffing up the pillow beside me, "come on now Lili, you know you want to!"
Liam clenched his fists. "Immature. . ." He muttered to himself as he slid through the door and left.
I grinned to myself and got comfortable, taking my phone off its charger. Liam had always been a bit of a tight ass, we didn't even have any concerts today. The only thing I was missing was a rehearsal and a radio interview. Not even important. I was tired and unmotivated but give me a day and I'd be back to loving every second of my job. All I needed was a day. Liam would just have to deal with it.
Harry chucked a shoe into the room as he strode by. It hit the wall right beside my head, "you're a lazy shit Louis Tomlinson!" He yelled. His voice lacked the hatred Liam's had but it was clear he wasn't happy with me either. Then Niall farted in my room and closed the door, making his opinion on the matter as crystal clear as the others.
I rolled my eyes, listening to him stomp away. And Liam said I was the immature one.
I heard the hotel door open and then slam shut and knew that I'd been left on my own. With a sigh and threw my phone to the other side of the bed and rubbed at my eyes tiredly. I had the entire place to myself, I could've done anything, but for some reason I was super keen to just go back to sleep. I wasn't even hungry.
I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I rolled back over, I was going back to sleep and there was no one or nothing that could stop me.
Alright, so maybe there was one thing.
The longer I stayed in bed, flipping around and trying to get comfortable, the more defined the weird pain in my head got. I couldn't remember if it had been there when I first woke up, or if it had only just started, but it wasn't nice and I couldn't sleep because of it.
In the end I gave up, sitting up straight and pushing my covers down to my knees. I was sweating a load and moving about just made my head hurt more. I couldn't believe my luck, the day I decide to stand up for myself and have a fun day I get a migraine.
Fuck the world. Just, fuck the whole thing.
All I wanted was to watch some netflix movies and eat shit food all day.
You know what?
Not even gonna let it stop me. I'm not weak.
I groaned loudly and expressively as I climbed out of bed. Nobody could hear me, so it didn't really matter. Despite all the sweating it was freezing now that I was out of bed so I trudged over to grab a thick pair of socks and a sweater from my suitcase, one hand pressed against my aching head.
One my way to the TV remote and the couch I stopped in the kitchen and loaded my pockets with all Liam's snacks, because he'd been particularly rude to me that morning. I even grabbed his healthy shit, just to spite him. With a bag or caramel popcorn swung over my shoulder I stumbled over to the couch and got myself situated with a couple of blankets, all my food surrounding me like a nest.
I snorted as my movie started and I remembered that the rest of the lads were holed up in some studio recording an interview. I felt kind of bad. Maybe I should've tried harder to get them to stay. I knew that I would've had more fun if they were here. Plus, Niall gave great scalp massages and right now, with my head pulsing like a friggin heart, that would be wonderful.
The movie finished quicker than any other movie I'd ever watched. I don't know, maybe I'd fallen asleep for a section. The food was all untouched still and I'd turned the Tv down to its dullest brightness with subtitles rather than sound.
The plan was to watch another but I was beginning to feel weird and I wasn't sure I wanted to after all. My neck was aching and stiff from the stupid couch so I went back to my bed instead and tried going back to sleep again.
When I woke up it was dark out. I'd literally slept the entire day away. My head still hurt like hell, maybe even worse than it had been earlier, and when I stood up to go see if the others were back yet I almost fell straight back over. I didn't even know what it was. My legs just didn't feel right and my head swum a bit sickeningly. Man, I really needed a Niall scalp massage.
A hand pressed to my temple I stumbled out of my room, scanning blearily for another human being I could complain to.
First I ran into Harry, quite literally. My body collided with his as I rounded the corner. Harry huffed, straightened his shirt, and then looked at me with narrowed eyes for a split second before walking away.
"Uh, sorry?" I called after him, confused. Maybe the radio interview hadn't gone well.
Next I found Niall. When I asked him for a massage he ignored me and continued watching TV, not even looking at me.
"Piss of Louis," Liam said as he walked past me, rolling his eyes.
"Oi, I thought we were ignoring him! Liam!" Niall exclaimed.
Liam sighed and pursed his lips, locking whatever else he had to say inside.
"You can't be serious?" I licked my lips, eyes darting between the two of them. Harry must've been in on it too, it explained his coldness out in the hallway.
Niall shrugged as Liam sat down, refusing to look at me.
"Well, that's just- great. You guys, great. . ." I muttered. My eyes had begun watering in the artificial lighting so I turned and dragged myself back to my room where I could be in the darkness, hopefully sleep off this headache.
It wasn't looking particularly promising. My stomach was beginning to turn over itself threateningly, it was sudden but it strong enough to make me wonder whether a quick stop in the bathroom would be smart.
Wearily I glanced down the hall toward the bathroom. I was right outside my door and feeling totally exhausted, although I kind of felt like I was about to blow my top I also couldn't really be stuffed making my way all the way to the bathroom.
I grumbled and swallowed before heading into my room, it'd probably pass. Migraines usually weren't enough to actually make me sick.
I lazily tore off my clothes, staggering about like a drunk. I couldn't even balance on one foot and when I pulled my shirt over my head and it grew dark I almost fell, completely disoriented. Maybe it wasn't just a migraine after all. I mean, usually they made me feel pretty shitty but not like this.
I was about to clamber into bed when my stomach lurched. I froze, contemplating my next move. My brain had grown foggy and when my mouth started watering I panicked and took off for the bathroom. I caused a right racket on my way, slamming doors and crashing about like a wild animal, and then over the toilet nothing even came up.
Breathing heavily over the bowl I could sense someone behind me. It took a couple of minutes to feel ready to turn around. "You're not gonna rub my back or nothin'?" I croaked after spitting into the water.
Niall's lips twitched as Liam came up behind me. "What a performance, Oscar quality Louis." Liam clapped his hands patronizingly.
I groaned and hung my head, "idiot. . ."
Nobody seemed to hear me.
I didn't know what had crawled up Liam's butthole and died but he was inching toward my last nerve. So I took a day off, he'd survived the day. He could've stayed with me if he'd wanted. He needed to suck it up and let it go. If I was coming down with a bug or something I wanted comfort, which Liam was normally happy to give. It didn't seem very likely at the moment.
"Can't handle being ignored?" Harry poked his head inside, "thought you'd try something else to get us to pay attention to you?"
"That's insane," I whispered, turning to face the toilet again as my gut whirled. Sitting on the bathroom floor with all the bright lights I was quickly realising that I'd been lying to myself for the majority of the day. I didn't just feel mildly ill, I felt seriously dreadful. I didn't think I could stand back up if I wanted to.
"It's clever," Liam corrected, "and we know you Louis. We're pissed, we're not just gonna forgive and forget. We got screamed at today, because of you."
If I could conjure the strength I'd strangle some sense into him. Why everyone was being so dramatic was above me. The sick card was a humor topic in the band, we'd all played it a couple of times. Not that I was this time, but why were they taking it to the heart now?
My thoughts were too out of control to figure it out, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to convince them of anything in the state I was in.
"Turn the light off and go," I ordered weakly.
Liam scoffed and took off, leaving the light as it was. Harry followed him, leaving Niall on his own in the doorway. He seemed the most reachable, and I shot him a grateful smile as he reached towards the light switch panel.
Wordlessly he flicked them all off before leaving me all alone in the welcoming darkness. My puke must've been shy or something because the same minute he disappeared I heaved and coughed up whatever was in my system. Gagging on stomach acid I realised that I still hadn't eaten anything.
I shook and shivered as I curled up on the floor, but I was quickly creating an impressive puddle of sweat. The darkness made it impossible to tell whether my eyes were open or closed. It was the exact opposite of comfortable, my neck and spine ached from the harsh contact.
I didn't think that I got back to sleep before throwing up a second time. It was more painful and more exhausting this time around. I did not feel well at all. I knew I had a fever and my scrambled thoughts told me that it was high.
Something wasn't right.
"Niall!" I called as loudly as I could. I crawled over the door and opened it to yell again, "Niall!
Slowly he appeared, "what is it?"
He was less irritated than Liam and Harry, most likely because he couldn't hold grudges. It wasn't who he was.
"Drive me to the hospital, please?" I rasped, struggling to heave myself up with the help of the door handle. Everything swum around me sickeningly and I felt nauseated again, although I knew I had nothing else to vomit up.
Niall eyes widened for a split second. He took a couple of steps closer, "you don't look great Lou. . ."
"Don't be stupid Nialler, he's playing you," Liam called from his room. He must've been eavesdropping, the sneak.
Niall looked at me once more and then backed away into Liam's room.
I sagged against the wall with a heavy moan, gripping a patch of hair in one hand. Niall was my only advantage, and now even that was gone. Liam was going to hear it when I could give it to him.
Seeing no other options I left the hotel room on my own. I got a little lost but made it to the car-park in the end, letting out a tense pant as I dropped into the driver's seat. I closed the door behind me and buckled myself in. My hands were slick on the steering wheel. This wasn't safe, at all. Best case scenario I caused an accident where I was the only casualty.
I pulled myself together best I could and backed out of the park and out onto the street, keeping the speed slow. I tried my best to concentrate on the road as I drove. I got a few horns blared at me but considering I could hardly see or think straight I reckon I did I fairly good job.
I must've looked atrocious because I skipped the whole line at the hospital and moved straight into a room.
Three hours later I was hooked up to intravenous antibiotics, fluids, and who knows what else. I'd woken from a short nap, puked, and now I was going to call the lads and make them all feel really guilty. I skipped a day of work, but they could've killed me. They deserved to feel a little bad at least.
I called Liam's number first, hoping to rub it in his face, but unsurprisingly he didn't answer. Harry's was next, still no answer.
I was about to dial Niall's number when my phone started vibrating and Liam's name flashed across my screen. I answered.
"What? You drunk somewhere or something?" he accused in a blank voice. I wasn't mad before, but now I kind of was because he was being a total dickhead. I didn't even drink a lot anymore.
"I'm in the fucking hospital Liam, since you wouldn't let Niall take me I took you car and drove myself!"
"You took my car?!" Liam repeated angrily, ignoring the rest of what I'd just said.
"There wasn't exactly another option, unless of course you'd rather I'd died in the bathroom," I snapped, my voice dry.
Liam scoffed, "died? Don't be over dramatic Louis."
My hand itched to throw the phone at the wall across the room. Why was he being so frustrating?
"I'm not being over dramatic, I have fucking meningitis you arsehole!"
I tapped my fingers impatiently on the plain bedspread, waiting for the awkward silence to be broken. I'd said my bit, the stage was all his now.
"Did he just say meningitis?" I heard Harry mutter from the other side of the line.
"You better not be joking about-"
"Liam, you said you knew me. Why the hell would I lie about having meningitis?" I questioned stiffly.
"Oh god. . ."
Finally, I could see him coming, the Liam I liked, the one who actually gave a shit about me.
I fiddled with the edge of the sheet, "look, I'm sorry I got you and the lads into trouble. But would you please just come up and see me? I'm lonely."
"No, it's okay Lou, I was being seriously uptight. I think I was just looking for someone to let all my anger out on, I'm really sorry it was you. I'll pull Harry and Niall together, we'll be there as soon as possible."
Louis sighed in relief. "But I took your car."
"Oh well, I'll find a way, hold tight."
"Will do."
Not accurate information guys, I've already said, but again please don't take anything I say about medical stuff seriously.
Managed to get this one done fairly quickly, which is cool. I love being able to update fast, makes me feel like I'm keeping you lovelies more happy with what I'm doing.
Next request for: storiesoftheseven
***Extension***
After his phone call with Liam, Louis' mind was put to ease knowing that his friends were on their way and he wouldn't be on his own for much longer. Everything still hurt a lot, his head was probably the worst, but he was so exhausted that he simply turned to his side and drifted right off, chapped lips parted ever so slightly.
He managed to sleep a while too. Nurses and doctors passed through the room a few times before Louis returned to consciousness, and even then it was prompted. His fever had been steadily increasing, and now they wanted him awake. It was all too hot and fuzzy for Louis to make a whole lot of sense of , but one thing he did know for sure was that the visitors seats along the side of the room were still empty. That, and that his head was for sure was about to split in half.
Something cold landed on his chest and then he was out to it again, limp on the bed. There were six icepacks on him when he woke back up with a start, nearly yanking out all the equipment attached to him.
"Relax. . ." A soft voice said. Too tired to protest, Louis laid back and licked his lips.
"You're okay Mr Tomlinson, we're working on cooling you down now," someone else added.
Louis blinked a few times and raised a weak arm into the air. It was replaced by his side but Louis shook his head, "I'm gonna throw up!"
He'd much prefer one of the lads to be holding the container beneath him while he struggled to hurl his empty stomach up but apparently they still had better things to do. Louis collapsed back into his pillows with his chest heaving for air, perhaps he hadn't slept that long and they were still on their way?
Quarter of an hour later the last nurse left Louis' room. The icepacks were still intact, but they said his temperature was going down. Someone would be back to check in on him in an hour. Louis' eyes were begging to fall shut again but first he reached blindly for his phone on the small table next to his bed.
He dialed Liam again and nearly fell asleep while he waited for the call to be answered. All the effort was wasted on a voicemail, and then it was the same with Harry and Niall. He flicked each of them a text but it didn't say anything specifically, just a string of letters that he hoped would catch their attention.
Then he allowed himself to fall asleep again.
An hour later he was woken again, feeling just as hot and shitty as he had before. The fever hadn't gone down anymore despite the icepacks. The doctors wanted to switch his medication. Louis was sick and tired but he could see the worry on their faces and it made the ball of panic in his chest grow in size until it was uncomfortably pressing against his ribs and making it hard to breathe. Then again, that could've just been the meningitis.
The seats were still empty, and when one of the nurses asked Louis about breakfast he nearly had a fit. It was morning? And still no one was there with him while this damn fever continued to rage? What the fuck was going on?
He swiped up his phone and tried calling again only to get the same response as before. His head throbbed when his phone smashed against the wall on the other side of his room but his frustration had gotten the better of him and there was no taking it back.
***
Back at the house the remaining three lads were moving into the kitchen for food. Harry couldn't believe Louis still hadn't showed up. He rolled his eyes as he retrieved his toast, Louis had probably hooked up with some slut from the dirty bar down the road and spent the night wasted and knocked out in her bed.
Liam came out next, rubbing his eyes and scanning the room for Louis. He'd already checked the rest of the house, and he wasn't sure whether he was glad or sad that Louis was still nowhere to be seen. Yesterday Harry had managed to convince him that there was no way Louis had meningitis, he'd been just fine that morning after all, but Liam thought that he would've turned up before now.
"Hey," Harry greeted him.
Liam nodded and started making his morning coffee.
Niall hadn't gotten much sleep. He kept thinking about how pale, shaky, and clammy Louis had been yesterday in the bathroom, asking him to drive him to the hospital. He'd definitely looked sick. But Liam and Harry were so sure that he was just faking it to get them to stop ignoring him, Niall felt that saying anything would make the both of him snap at him.
He couldn't help but wonder if Louis really was in the hospital with meningitis. He stared up at the ceiling and kicked his blankets down and huffed as he sat up abruptly.
There was a photo-shoot in a couple of hours but he was going to have to check the hospital first to put his mind at ease. If Louis wasn't there then he'd have to find him anyway because he'd already missed yesterday's stuff, Niall hated to think what might happen if Louis' 'strike' lasted another day. Management was already mad.
Niall quickly got changed and washed up in the en suite before sneaking quietly out of his room. He ducked past the kitchen entrance way without being spotted by Liam or Harry and then slipped through the door as he ordered an uber on his phone. It picked him up at the end of the street and Niall tapped away anxiously at his knees as he waited impatiently to just get there already.
He recognised the feeling of dread and anticipation brewing in his stomach, and he knew that it didn't mean anything good. He'd royally screwed up, and so had Liam and Harry.
Like he'd thought, the receptionist at the hospital told him that Louis Tomlinson was in fact a current patient. He was in room 302 but was allowed visitors right then so Niall was forced to sit in the waiting room for an hour.
He grabbed his phone from his pocket to tell Liam and Harry what was going on and saw the twenty calls and messages that he's missed from Louis. They kind of made him want to cry, because he'd been ignoring them all night long meanwhile one of his best friends really was in the hospital just asking for him to come.
He cleared them all and texted Harry, unable to call him. He was so annoyed at himself for listening to Harry in the first place, and he was angry with Harry for even placing those thoughts in his head. Stupid.
Finally a nurse tapped on his shoulder and told him that she'd take him upstairs to see Louis then. Niall hurriedly stood and chased her down the hall to the lift. Harry hadn't texted back or rang, Niall knew that his phone was probably still on the charger but he was surprised they hadn't noticed he was missing yet.
"Here we are. We've just changed his medication and we're hoping that he'll start improving soon, so don't be too worried just yet," the nurse said as she stopped in front of a closed door.
Soundlessly, Niall nodded. She opened the door and waved him inside, shutting him in afterwards.
Niall was glad that Louis was asleep because he wouldn't appreciate being stared at so intensely. Louis looked worse than he had yesterday even sleeping and Niall had no trouble at all believing that his friend did in fact have meningitis.
He scooted a chair closer to the bedside and sat down, feeling like total shit. Him and the others had been the worst friends ever. He couldn't believe that everything had gotten so messed up over such an immature idea.
"Ni?"
Niall's excitement forced him onto his feet. "Oh my god Lou, you couldn't possibly know how fucking sorry I am! When you called yesterday we all got our shoes and then Harry started jabbering all this stupid shit about you still playing us, he convinced Liam and I that it was the truth! I'm so sorry that you've been here by yourself so long," he blurted, touching Louis' arm.
Louis winced and shushed him with a hushed moan.
"Sorry. . ." Niall whispered. He rubbed the back of his neck and sunk back into his seat.
"I should be mad, but I'm just really glad you're here. . ." Louis mumbled after a while.
Niall smiled slightly, "me too."
Niall ignored Liam's and Harry's phone calls when the photo=shoot time rolled around and instead stayed at the hospital for the rest of the day while Louis' temperature slowly began decreasing and although still feeling tremendously crummy Louis could tell that whatever they had him on now was working. By late afternoon he was at 102 which although still high was a whole lot better than where it had gotten earlier. The migraine was still present so he mostly slept and groaned, sitting up every now and then to puke or cough. Niall would be lying if he said he didn't get a little bored, but there was no other place he'd rather be.
He stayed over night too. He wasn't allowed in the room, but he slept in the waiting room and went straight back the minute he was allowed to the next morning. At this point his phone was loaded with texts and missed calls from Liam and Harry. He was beginning to feel kind of bad about it, because not both him and Louis were missing and it had been two whole nights.
He'd get back to them after he'd seen Louis.
"Did you really stay here all night?" Louis asked in amusement as Niall stepped inside. His voice was all torn up and still weak, but it was more than he'd said at once all day the day before.
Niall shrugged and smiled, "yeah. Killed my back on those plastic chairs."
Louis croaked out a laugh.
Niall sighed as he sat down and pulled his phone out.
"Gonna call the lads?" Louis asked.
"I should, but I don't really want to," Niall replied, his face screwed up. He still didn't want to talk to Harry.
An uncertain knock came from the door before it ever so slowly creaked open.
Niall pursed his lips and and gritted his teeth.
"About fucking time!" Louis rasped. The volume and texture of his own voice made him flinch and shut his eyes in an attempt to keep from angering his headache even more.
Liam was pale and stiff as he stepped into the room, "we were so sure you were just pissing around Lou, you know-"
"Shut up," Louis said.
Harry finally picked his gaze up off the floor, "it's my fault."
"That's what I've heard," Louis responded. Although it had sucked yesterday, he was glad that they'd waited until this morning to finally check the hospital. While still sick as hell, he was able to at least show his anger. If they'd come yesterday he wouldn't have been able to at all.
"I guess I was pissed of about you skipping out on work, I was sure you were just trying to miss more, and get us all sympathetic in the process. It's not an excuse. I shouldn't have doubted you," Harry said.
Louis rolled over and closed his eyes, finished with talking for now. His mind easily drifted away into unconsciousness.
Liam looked at Niall, "we called you like a thousand times."
"I'm pissed off at both of you, I didn't want to talk to either of ya," Niall growled.
"Fair enough I guess. . ." Harry mumbled. He twisted his fingers together to the point where they were nearly snapping, he felt horrible. This whole thing would've been avoided if he hadn't opened his fat mouth. Well, not the meningitis thing, but the drama that came with it.
It was three more days until Louis managed to talk his doctors into releasing him from the hospital. It was lucky he was such a smooth-talker, because they wanted to keep him until the end of the week. He'd improved enough to survive without the IV fluids and medications, just, but even Louis knew that he wouldn't be going far from his bed for the next few days back at the house.
He needed help just getting inside. Thankfully there weren't any stairs in the house and he was able to get straight to his bed without too much effort thanks to the human crutches on his each side.
"We've got the next week off, by the way," Niall said as Louis got comfortable.
"Yay," Louis yawned blankly.
"We're going to look after you the whole time," Harry spoke up.
"As an apology," Liam added.
Louis smiled as his eyes fluttered shut, "thanks, but I don't really expect anything less."
***
Asked for by the sweet 10trail19nc! I hope you like it Love!