Stories we already told | Larry Stylinson

Chapter Eighteen

September 3rd 2005, Good Hope Hospital, Birmingham (UK)

The first thing I saw after I opened my eyes was Niall's blond hair.

I blinked, trying to process what I was seeing.

"I think he's awake!"

"Is he?" I recognized Zayn's voice. "I need to call Liza."

Niall? Zayn?

Finally my eyes were able to focus on the space around me. It was a hospital room. A modern hospital room.

I was back in 2005.

"What happened?"

Talking hurt my throat.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Harry's dead body lying on the ground next to me.

"I-"

"I think we should call a doctor, Niall. We can talk later," Zayn said.

"I tried to kill myself."

"We know, Louis. It was obvious it wasn't an accident. Mr and Mrs Wilson saw you driving into the lake. He's the one who rescued you, while she called and ambulance and then your grandmother, who called me and Niall."

"You really scared us, Lou."

"I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stopped taking my antidepressants."

"You stopped taking them?" Zayn yelled at me. "After all we did to try to help you, why would you sabotage yourself like that? And why didn't you talk to us instead of doing this," he continued, pointing at my hospital bed. Oh, Zayn, always so calm. I had missed him.

"I missed you," I said, which, thinking back about it, was a really stupid thing to do.

"What are you talking about? We saw each other just two days ago, when you had the courage to lie to me and tell me you were feeling better than usual," Zayn replied, rising his pitch to imitate my voice.

"You don't need to worry now, I no longer want to die."

I wasn't so sure of that. More time I spent awake, more the knowledge that Harry was dead crushed me, but the one thing I was sure of was that I wasn't going to break my promise to him.

"I'm so glad to hear you want try again to scare the shit out of me, you asshole," Zayn said, before pulling me into a hug.

"What changed your mind?" Niall asked.

"I made a promise to someone," I explained.

"Who?"

Oh, and I was also another thing I was sure of: I was going to make Carl pay for what he did but, for this, I needed help.

"I need to tell you something, and I need you to promise me you will try really hard to believe me. I don't care how crazy you think my story is, okay?"

"Okay, we promise. Shoot."

I thought about how Harry reacted when I first told him about my time travel. If I wanted my friends to believe me, I was going to need proofs and I wouldn't find them in a hospital room.

"Not here," I said.

"Where then?"

"Gillmoor Woods."

***

When they realized I wasn't going to tell them anything, Zayn got up and went to call my grandmother.

It was so strange seeing her old self again. I was no longer used to her hair being grey. I also wasn't used anymore to her calling me Louis, but I was so glad to see her.