Walking Through the Time Capsule

Chapter 3

Walking Through the Time Capsule

Chapter 3

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Niall...

"I don't know if I can do this, Louis." I mumbled as we both walked through the main doors of the hospital.

"Sure you can." He assured with a gentle pat on the shoulder.

After the eventful day we had yesterday, we both went and crashed at his place. After we had a late breakfast this morning, he had persuaded me to come down with him to the hospital. As much as I wanted to decline and mope about, the hopeful part of me thought that maybe it was just a misunderstanding, and that today she'd suddenly remember.

How pathetic of me, right?

As we made our way to the elevator, my heart was pounding at the thought of seeing her again. The black hole that had been sucking me lifeless for the past month, had left me exhausted. When she finally woke up yesterday, I thought it would be healed and disappear, but it only closed up, trapping me inside the never ending darkness. I was so determined to change that, but I just didn't know how.

"Niall."

"Hm?" I turned to him as he snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Well, come on then." He beckoned, making me realize the elevator was open and it was time to step out.

When had we even stepped on?

"Stop blacking out on me, mate." He joked.

"Sorry. I'm just feeling really..." I paused while I tried to think of the one word that stuck out in my black hole of crazy emotions, "drained." I finished, with a small slump of my shoulders.

I heard him sigh as I dropped my head down and held my face in my hands. Drained. That's how I felt most. I'd been sucked of every bit of life and I could never get a break. 

"Niall, it'll be alright." He said quietly. I couldn't say it at the moment because of the lump of oncoming tears in my throat, but I eventually would have to thank him for all he'd done for me the past few days. He really was the definition of a great friend.

He put a friendly hand on my shoulder, and started to gently push me towards the waiting room. Once we rounded the corner, we saw Harry, Liam and Zayn huddled into one section against the wall. They stood when they saw us approach them.

"Hey man, how you feeling?" Harry asked as he pulled me into a hug. "You okay?"

His voice was hoarse as if he had been crying most of the night, and when he pulled away to face me, my suspicions were proven correct. His eyes were rimmed with red, and his checks were shinny with dried tears. It was another reminder that I'm not the only one who was hurt by this. I may be the one hurt the most, but I was not the only one who was hurting.

"No." I said blatantly. There was no point in trying to cover it up. "I feel absolutely awful." 

I glanced over at Liam and Zayn, who both gave me sad smiles. It just then occurred to me that I barely even got to see them. They had arrived when Annabelle was declared to be in a coma, and I had shut everyone out from then on.

The tears I had been holding, broke into soft cries as I walked over and embraced the two of them in group hug. "I missed you guys so much." I whispered into their shoulders as they let me cry on them. "I'm so sorry you guys came to visit and walked into this mess. And I'm so sorry I ignored you and made you see me in such a bad light after you guys hadn't seen me in so long." I apologized, referring mostly to that night when I nearly jumped over the edge of my own rock bottom.