February 2nd 2008
"What do you mean there's nothing wrong with him? Clearly there's something!" Johanna exclaimed at the doctor in exasperation.
"He's likely sleep deprived Mrs. Tomlinson." The doctor sighed, "We've looked him over, and did a couple of neurological exercises with him, and he's perfectly normal. Are you sure he wasn't under the influence of any drugs or alcohol last night?"
"No, for the last time, I told you he wasn't! The police tested him!" Jay exclaimed. "Call them if you don't believe me!"
Louis just sat there quietly as his mum argued with the doctor, feeling pretty pathetic for getting lost on his way home from somewhere he knew so well.
"Well he must've been sleep deprived then. That's the only conclusion I can make." The doctor said arrogantly.
Jay pressed her fingers to her temples, with a heavy sigh. "I hope you're right."
"I am." The doctor assured. "Make sure he gets enough sleep every night and he should go back to being just fine."
Johanna rolled her eyes, but nodded nonetheless, wrapping her arm around her small son and leading him out of the doctor's office.
"M'sorry mum." Louis mumbled, looking down at his feet ashamed.
"It's not your fault sweetie." She kissed the top of her son's head. "I just hope the doctor's right."
"I'm sure he is." Louis said, not only trying to convince his mum, but trying to convince himself.
***
April 12th 2008
It had been a little over three months since the 'incident' and Louis had been getting plenty of sleep each night. Strangely though, his symptoms weren't improving. Not in the slightest. In fact, it seemed they were worsening. Since that night, Jay wouldn't allow Louis to walk anywhere alone. The thought of him getting lost again terrified her, though Louis assured her he wouldn't, she didn't want to risk it.
Louis' grades continued slipping. He kept explaining that he was trying so hard, and that no matter what he did he couldn't remember to do it. His mum believed him. His teachers, didn't.
"What day is it today mum?" Louis asked as he ate his breakfast of honey nut cheerios. His favorite.
"It's Monday. I've told you this three times Lou. Are you feeling alright?" She asked, always worried for her son.
"Yeah, fine mum." Louis sighed, getting frustrated with himself for forgetting again.
She frowned, "Okay." She said as she heard a knock at the door, "That's probably Harry."
Louis nodded standing up and kissing his mum's cheek as she handed him his jacket and backpack. "Have a good day Lou."
"You too mum!" He said smiling brightly, excited to see Harry.
"Hey baby." Harry greeted as Louis' pulled the door open.
"Hi, Mr. Always on time, you're five minutes late" he smirked, knowing Harry had broken his record of being on time everyday so far that school year.
"You cheeky little thing," he muttered as Louis laughed at him for being late.
"I'm not little!" Louis protested with a huff.
"Oh but you are darling." Harry chuckled.
And well, Louis couldn't argue.
***
"So I was thinking we could go out tonight? It's been a while since we've had a proper date." Harry suggested as Louis opened up his locker taking out his books. It seemed like a miracle that he hadn't forgotten his locker combination yet.
"Sounds great." Louis smiled, "What were you thinking?"
"Nothing too unique, just dinner and a movie?" Harry suggested. "Shutter recently came out and I was really wanting to see it."
"Isn't that the scary one?" Louis inquired raising an eyebrow.
"Maybeee....." Harry responded his avoiding eye contact.
"Hazzzzz you know how I feel about scary movies." Louis whined.
"Yes, but I'd be there to protect you." Harry bargained.
Louis sighed, "Isn't there anything else you want to see?" He asked hopefully.
"Hmmmm" Harry pretended to think for a bit. "No."
Louis rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll go."
"I'll pick you up at 6?" Harry grinned.
Louis nodded, as they each turned to head to their classes. "You're lucky I love you!" He called over his shoulder, because honestly, there was no way he'd go see that movie if he weren't totally whipped for Harry.
The small boy wandered through the halls, suddenly forgetting what class he was supposed to be going to.
Was it math? No Spanish. Wait, or was it History?
"Shit." Louis muttered sinking down onto the floor leaning against the row of blue lockers.
Why couldn't he just remember?
Sighing, he buried his head in his hands, trying hard to think of where it was he was supposed to be.
"Louis?" The chestnut haired boy heard his name, and looked up to see Liam's concerned face looking back at him. "What're you doing out here?"
"Forgot my first class..." Louis mumbled, nibbling at his fingernail.
"Again?" Liam frowned, his forehead creased.
"No, not again. I'm lying." Louis replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes before speaking once more, "Yes, again."
"Well we put your schedule in your bag remember? So you wouldn't forget?" Liam said, sitting down beside him and trying to help.
"Well, Liam, don't you think if I remembered I would've gotten it out by now?" Louis snarked.
"Oh uh yeah," Liam scratched his head awkwardly. "I suppose you would've."
Louis sighed and dug through his backpack finding his schedule. "English." He read aloud, he'd been way off with his guesses.
"Why don't I walk with you there?" Liam suggested as he and Louis got up off the floor.
"I'm fine. I don't need a bloody escort." Louis retorted.
"Well, uh... my class is that way anyway so you're stuck with me." Liam lied lamely.
Louis though, didn't catch his lie, forgetting that Liam's homeroom was on the other end of the school. "Fine." He grumbled as he and Liam walked along.
It was after Louis walked into his English classroom that Liam realized that Louis' forgetfulness might be more than just being a bit spacey. And it scared him.
***
"I'll be here at 6 to pick you up babe." Harry said kissing Louis' forehead sweetly, "Don't forget."
"Uh... pick me up for what Hazza?" Louis furrowed his eyebrows.
"Our date. I asked you this morning remember?" Harry prodded gently.
"Oh..." It took Louis a moment but he eventually remembered, "Yeah, yeah of course. I'll be ready."
Harry bit his lip nervously, Louis was scaring him. "Okay boo, I'll see you then."
"Okay, bye Haz." Louis responded softly heading inside. He definitely needed a nap. Before going to sleep however, he set his alarm for 5:30 so he could get ready.
When 5:30 rolled around and Louis' alarm went off, he looked at it confused. He didn't have anything going on. Why the hell was his alarm going off? Shaking his head, he shut it off and rolled over going back to sleep, not ready to be awake again.
At exactly 6 pm, Harry was knocking on the front door.
"Harry!" Jay opened the door. "Come in! Louis didn't tell me you were coming over. He's upstairs taking a nap, you're welcome to go on up." She smiled at the curly-headed lad.
"He... he's asleep?" Harry frowned, tugging at his shirt.
"Yeah, why? Is something wrong?" Jay asked.
"Well, we umm... we had a date planned for tonight. I told him to be ready by six." He said, causing Jay to immediately start heading toward Louis' room.
"I'm done with this 'sleep deprived' bullshit." She muttered as Harry awkwardly followed her, "Sorry Harry but your date is going to have to wait. I'm taking my Lou to the hospital."
Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He's that bad?"
"He asked me the day three times this morning, I asked him to grab my phone charger yesterday and he went upstairs and never came back down -I found him playing video games, he hasn't remembered any of his homework in ages... this isn't sleep deprivation." She explained as she opened Louis' bedroom door.
"Louis, wake up love." She said softly, shaking his shoulder. "We need to go."
He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Hmmm? Where we goin?" He mumbled sleepily.
"To the hospital." Jay told him flatly.
"But... I'm not... I'm not sick?" Louis asked, sitting up, confused as Harry grabbed his shoes from his closet.
"You might be Lou. You might be." Jay said sadly.
***
After a mylogram, CT scan, and an MRI, Louis was exhausted and ready to be done. "Can't we go home now mum?" He begged, "I'm done with all this testing."
She shook her head, "We're not leaving this hospital until we have answers."
"Harry probably wants to go home too though." He whined, looking at his gorgeous green-eyed boyfriend who sat beside him holding his hand.
" 'Fraid not Lou." Harry said, "I'm with your mum on this one."
Louis groaned audibly and leaned back against the uncomfortable ER bed. "I hate this." He muttered. "I'm just fine."
"Actually, you might not be." A nurse said with a hint of sadness in her voice as she stepped into the room. "Doctor Corden has some suspicions based on your scans, and believes a spinal tap will determine whether he's correct."
"A sp-spinal tap?" Louis gulped, his face paling. He'd seen one once on some medical show and it didn't look like a pleasant experience in the slightest.
"Yes, now if you'll lay on your side for me, and keep your knees to your chest." She instructed, Louis was shaking as he followed her instructions, squeezing Harry's hand so tightly Harry thought it might break.
The nurse snapped on her gloves, and cleaned a spot at the bottom of his spine with an alcohol pad. "Okay you're going to feel a little pinch for a moment." She told him as she pressed the long needle into his back.
Little my ass Louis thought, as a sharp fiery pain shot through his entire spine, the pain reaching from his shoulders clear down to his toes. He whimpered quietly, trying to be tough and brave, as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"You're alright Lou. It's gonna be alright." Harry assured the trembling boy, who was pale and sweating with pain.
In that moment, Louis didn't think he was going to be alright. This pain, was excruciating.
Once the nurse extracted enough cerebral spinal fluid for testing, she withdrew the long needle. "See, that wasn't so bad was it?" She smiled at him.
"Actually it was hell." Louis muttered, glaring at her. "So thanks."
"Louis!" His mum scolded, "I'm so sorry." She apologized to the nurse who accepted the apology with a smile.
"No worries." She replied, almost too cheerfully, making Louis really want to punch her in the face right then. "We would like to keep him for observation tonight, and we should have results in the morning." She spoke to Jay as if Louis wasn't even there.
"I'm right here you know." He said grumpily, still curled up with his knees to his chest, not wanting to move. His back was throbbing, and for whatever reason his head was now too. He vaguely remembered the nurse saying something about extracting spinal fluid causing headaches, but he was in too much pain to try and recall that.
"Sorry, I meant to address you both." She replied.
"What about Harry?" Louis sassed.
The nurse let out an aggravated breath. "Alright, I meant to address everyone in this room."
Louis nodded, satisfied with her answer, and closed his eyes. "You'll stay tonight? Won't you haz?" He asked, knowing his mum had to get back to his siblings, and he really didn't want to be alone.
"Of course Lou. Now get some sleep." Harry said gently, tucking a blanket over his little boyfriend and kissing his forehead.
Louis didn't have to be told twice and soon the boy was snoring softly.
"I think that's my cue to go. You going to be alright here?" Jay asked.
Harry nodded, "My mum is coming by to bring me some toiletries, I'll be fine. See you in the morning." He said as Jay left.
"I hope you're okay Louis." Harry whispered to the sleeping boy. "You have to be."
***
Jay arrived early the next morning, anxious to find out what was wrong with her poor son.
"Any news?" She asked walking into the room, seeing Louis sitting up in his bed, eating some nasty hospital pancakes for breakfast, Harry beside him.
"They have the results, but wanted to wait for you." Harry said smiling at her, "I'll call them in." He said, pressing the nurse call button.
"How are you feeling Louis?" Jay asked coming over to hug her son.
"My back's pretty sore, and my head hurts a bit, but I'm alright." He said softly, only to be interrupted by a nurse, along with Doctor Corden, walking into the room.
"We have the results." Doctor Corden announced, "Louis, we've seen large plaques of beta-amyloid on your scans, your brain appears to be inflamed, and in your spinal fluid we've found traces of presenilin 1 and 2."
"What does that mean?" Louis whispered.
"I'm sorry but we're diagnosing you with Adolescent Alzheimer's Disease." Doctor Corden replied somberly.
Chapter four is complete! Please leave comments and feedback!! And if you enjoyed, please vote. (: btw, spinal taps are super painful. I've had one, and it was not pleasant. Anywho... until next time! xxx
-sunnie