The Way Things Change

Chapter 41

I was warm. I was comfortable. I felt safe. But there was something wrong. A phone was constantly ringing. I squirmed out of Harry's grip, finding my phone to see if that was the one ringing. It was, but when I was about to answer, it stopped. The caller ID said that Liam was the one calling me. Then another phone started ringing. This time it was Harry's. He was stirring in bet, but he wasn't awake yet. I quickly answered it.

"Hello?" my voice was a bit hoarse and sleepy. I coughed slightly to clear my throat.

"Hey Kate?" Liam sounded confused. "Aren't I calling Harry?"

"Yeah you are, but he is still sleeping. But what's up? You keep calling." I sat down on the bed, rubbing my eyes. It was 2:38am.

"Sorry for waking you, but... I'm in the hospital and I really need you here with me." I was awake right away. Liam was in the hospital? What had happened?

"What? Why are you in the hospital? Are you okay?" I almost yelled. If Harry wasn't awake yet, he would be by now.

"I'm fine, but it's Andy. He had an accident. I don't know if he's gonna make it..." and then he broke down. I could hear him sobbing.

"Liam! We'll be there as fast as we can. Don't worry."

I quickly got up looking for my bra.

"What's going on babe?" Harry asked groggily.

"We have to go to the hospital. Liam needs us!" I replied while putting up some sweatpants. Harry shot out of bed and ran out the door without saying anything. I grabbed my phone and since Harry had left without his I took that with me as well and ran out of the bedroom.

Harry was already dressed and holding the door for me. He was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt like me. He had put on an orange beanie to keep his hair in place.

"Do you know what happened?" He asked. He was worried and speeding towards the hospital. To think that less than 5 minutes ago he was still sleeping, that really impressed me. But his love for all the boys was bigger than anything.

"I don't know exactly. But Liam was blowing up our phones, so it was really important that he got a hold of us. He said something about Andy being in an accident and that he might not make it. I didn't ask, we just had to get to him" I answered, while checking myself in the little mirror, removing the worst mascara.

Harry cursed. "How did he sound? Liam would be devastated if he lost Andy!"

"He broke down. I just hope Sophia or Daisie are there, so he's not alone."

The rest of the drive was quiet, we had too much on our minds. Thank god we lived fairly close to the hospital.

We ran as fast as we could and we only stopped to ask for directions. Instead of waiting for the lift we took the stairs. It was quiet in the halls. No wonder since it was 3 in the morning. In the waiting area we found Liam and Sophia, holding each others hands. Within seconds Harry was by Liam's side, taking him into a hug. These boys truly loved each other. I on the other hand took Sophia into a tight embrace. I didn't care that I was sweating, I didn't care that I was out of breath, I didn't care that I barely knew her, I didn't care for anything, all I knew was that she needed a hug. Her eyes were puffy and red, evidence that she had been crying.

"He's gonna be okay" I whispered in her hair. "I just know he is!"

I was reassuring myself just as much as her. I pulled away, holding her an arm length from me. She was dressed up, which reminded me that they had been at a private party.

Liam had also been crying. Not only had I heard it, but you could see it on him also. Harry had let go of him, so now it was my turn to try and comfort him. He was shaking. He was probably exhausted.

"So what happened?" Harry questioned Liam. We sat down. Liam and Sophia opposite Harry and I.

"There is really not much to tell... we had a small party at Andy's flat. Only Andy, Daisie, Sophia and I. We had a barbeque. So while we were in the kitchen preparing the food, Andy was on the balcony getting it started. There was an explosion and Andy was on fire. It all happened so fast. Daisie called for an ambulance and I tried to put the fire out, while Andy was running around like a crazy person." It was difficult for him to tell the story. He was upset and shaken by the experience.

"What happens now? Where is Daisie?" I asked.

"We haven't heard anything yet. Daisie and Andy's family were allowed to follow. We were told to stay here and wait. It was really bad and I'm so afraid he is not going to make it."

Liam's voice cracked. He buried his head in his hands and his upper body started shaking for every sob. Sophia wrapped her arms around him.

"He is going to make it, don't worry about that." Harry reassured. "Andy is strong and you know it! Don't give up on him!"

***

"Kate wake up, they've got news." Harry was softly shaking me. I must have fallen asleep. We hadn't talked much, we just sat there waiting. Liam and Sophia had been sleeping as well, they looked sleepy. They deserved the sleep.

Daisie was walking towards us. Even though she had been crying, there was relief on her face. That was good.

"So what's going on? Is he going to be okay?" Liam asked eagerly. There was so much hope in his voice.

"Andy is going to be okay." All four of us let out a sigh in relief. "40% of his body had second degree burns, but he is going to be okay." Tears were welling up in her eyes. "He is gonna be in a lot of pain and he needs to stay out of the sunlight for a while. But Liam, you saved his life" the tears began streaming down her face, of sadness, happiness and relief, all at once. "If it hadn't been for you he might not have survived."

Liam went over and hugged her. They stood there for a long time. I must say I was relieved by that information. Andy and I might have had a bad start at our friendship, but he was a good guy and he meant the world to Liam. He had been there for him while nobody else was. I, of all people, should know what that meant. I went over to the two of them.

"Liam?" I lightly touched his shoulder to get his attention. "I think we're gonna head home now. Do you wanna come or are you going to stay?"

He let go of Daisie and turned towards me. Much to my surprise he took me into a tight embrace. As a reflex, I quickly hugged him back.

"I think I'm going to stay" he said into my hair. "But thank you so much for coming, it means a lot to me. I really needed your support!"

"No problem" I let go of him and gave him kiss on the cheek. "Anything for you. And you can call me anytime if you need anything!"

Harry and I said our goodbyes, before leaving the hospital. I said a quick 'stay strong' to Daisie and she thanked us for being there. She was really was an extraordinary girl. So much strength was hidden in her. I knew she would there for Andy through out everything.