The Accident

Chapter six

He woke up the next day in a horrible mood. He was such a failure. Useless.

Zayn got the worst of him when he came in the morning to help him with his mourning routine. He had all of this built-up anger over his hopeless situation and he had no way to cope with it. Before the accident football had been his escape. He could always run a lap or two or kick a ball around. He had no way to deal with all these negative emotions that hit him and they just poured out of him on the innocent people trying to take care of him and that only made him feel worse. He used to be a nice person.

After Zayn almost got a container of water over his head while he helped him shave Liam came into his room. He was carrying a box.
"So I hear that you're giving Zayn a hard time this morning."

"Y...yeah." Louis muttered.

"We need to find a way for you to channel your anger. I get it. We all do. You're in a difficult situation. Your PTSD isn't helping you manage your anger either. Here." Liam said and handed him a stuffed animal.

Louis stared at it and wrinkled his eyebrows. He wasn't five years old for fucks sake.
"Throw it on the wall, as hard as you can. Put all your anger into that stuffed bear and throw it away. Scream if you need to. Cry. Curse. Whatever you need, but don't take it out on my staff. Okay?" Liam said.

Louis just stared at him in disbelief. Liam put the box down on a chair next to the bed and picked up a fluffy stuffed, pink rabbit from it. He turned to the wall and threw it hard. The rabbit bounced against the wall with a soft dunk. Liam looked at him with a humorous smile.
"Your turn."

Louis sat up and threw the teddy bear as hard as he could with a growl. Liam handed him a new one, a duck this time. He threw that too. It actually felt good. After ten more he was laughing. This was so stupid but it felt great. Liam picked up the stuffed animals and put them back in the box.
"Whenever you need to blow off some steam, pick up a stuffed animal and throw it. Doctors order."

"T...thanks. Sand. No. Z...zayn?" Louis asked.

"I'll send him in if you want to apologize. If you're gonna throw a stuffed animal at him I'll keep him away. You don't want to mess up his hair, then he will throw things at you." Liam said and winked.

Louis burst out laughing. Good to know.
"Ap..apol..apologize."

"Okay, I'll tell him." Liam said and smiled before he walked out of the room.

Louis sighed. They were all so freaking nice. Zayn had told him that he, Liam, Niall, and Harry had been friends since Uni. Niall, Harry, and Liam had started this rehabilitation center together. Zayn's passion was painting. They had employed him as a caretaker, which allowed him to follow his dream but still have an income while he tried to make a name for himself.

Zayn showed up. Louis immediately tried to apologize.
"Ssssssorry."

"Don't sweat it. We all have bad days. Wanna get out of here for a while?" Zayn said with a smile.

"Y...yes." Louis immediately agreed.

Zayn put his wheelchair in front of the bed and helped him sit down in it. He almost managed to do it by himself and that filled him with a sense of pride. He let Zayn take the wheels and push him outside. Zayn walked around in the garden for half an hour small talking and Louis just enjoyed it. His accident had forced him to be a good listener, something that hadn't necessarily been one of his good qualities before. He was getting tired and Zayn noticed.
"We better get you back in bed for a nap before your physical training."

Louis got butterflies in his stomach and smiled. Zayn crushed that.
"Harry has a day off so you just have to play nice with Mrs. Grayson. Right, Louis?"

"F...fine." Louis muttered.

"He can't be here 24/7 even if I know that he would like to. I've been trying to get him to date for ages." Zayn laughed.

Louis' mood dropped and he let out a snort. The thought of Harry dating someone didn't sit well with him for some reason. Zayn petted his shoulder and chuckled.
"He's gorgeous, I know."

This felt like an inappropriate conversation but Louis silently agreed. Harry was indeed gorgeous.

He fell asleep as soon as he was back in his bed and dreamt that nightmare again. The woman's dead eyes staring at him through the cracked windshield would forever haunt him. He woke up. His heart was beating erratically and that now-familiar anxiety pressed his chest tighter. He tried to breathe deeply and managed to calm himself down with the breathing techniques Liam had taught him. He grabbed a stuffed animal from the box and threw it against the wall, feeling satisfied with the squeaking sound the sparkling unicorn made when it hit the wall.

Mrs. Grayson came to do his physical training after dinner and he played it nice. He watched some tv after that, waiting for the day to end. He had really caught up with the soap operas nowadays. There was a soft knock on his door and he looked up just to find Harry standing there.
"Hi."

"H..hi."

"I just wanted to check up on you." Harry said with a smile and dragged a chair next to the bed.
"Why?"

"Why? You're my favorite patient, but don't tell the others that. Mrs. Larsson down the hall would be heartbroken." Harry grinned. Louis noticed that his cheeks were flushed.

"Telling her." Louis smirked.

Harry laughed softly.
"How has your day been? Good? Mrs. Grayson told me that your physical training went well."

"She...not you." Louis huffed.

"Was that a compliment? Well, thank you, Louis. I'm gonna let you sleep now. I'll see you tomorrow." Harry smiled.

"Night." Louis answered, happy that Harry came in on his day off to see him but wondering why he did that?