We MaDe It

30.

Zayn bolted upright in bed, waking up suddenly from deep sleep. For few seconds he was disoriented looking around, blinking away sleep. The room was familiar. As it should be. It was his bedroom. Him and Harry were back home. Have been for four days.

It was daylight. He would make a guess it was two or three in the afternoon. What even woke him up? Was it the sound of screams and laughter coming through the open window as his girls played in the backyard?

Perhaps it was the sun shining directly to his face. His head was pounding, he had a migraine to add his ill woes. His eyes started tearing up sensitive to the light.

The blinds were open he had no strength to get up and shut them. He groaned lying back down, facing away from the sharp spring light. He was sweating. His face, neck, chest, in fact his whole body was damp.

Why was he asleep in the middle of the day? He had the flu. Not man flu but proper nose clogged with snort he could feel his heart beating on his sinuses, ticklish burning sensation on his throat type of flu. Real flu.

It felt like sandpaper was being rubbed on his throat every time he swallowed even his own spit. Weirdly everything tasted like marmite. And his body ached everywhere. Even the soft duvet irritated his skin.

He touched the empty space in bed next to him where Harry should be. With him having flu, Harry having chemo they had to socially distance from each other sleeping in separate bedrooms to shield Harry from catching the bug.

The flu struck him two days after they returned home.
Zayn had cried when he woke up feeling rough. There he was ill when he promised Harry to be there for him every step of the way. He wanted to hold Harry's hand while reading him his favourite book during chemo. Harry's mom was doing those things on his behalf.

Harry was having daily chemo for a week then three weeks off. He was on day three and actually doing okay, effects of chemo hadn't overcome his body yet.

Harry told him so himself. He brings a chair, sits by the door talking to Zayn, blows him kisses good night before retiring to sleep in Elijah's room where he'd moved after insisting Zayn stayed in their room as he recovered from flu.

Elijah was bunking with Mason who's room was spacious, he had to accommodate his brother who turned the temporary arrangement into a camping adventure, brought a small tent with him for privacy.
Much to Mason's dismay. Elijah would zip up the tent then talk to his friends for hours.

Zayn hated his own arrangement with his husband. He wanted him near but couldn't. Wearing Harry's t-shirt was as close as he could get to him. He sniffed it and closed his eyes seeking Harry's smell, that was futile all his senses were gone, he could smell nothing.

"Aitchoo!" He sneezed then groaned in pain, his head felt like it would explode.

"Bless you." A voice said.

Zayn propped himself on his arm, squinted his eyes searching the room. "Niall?" He saw him sitting in a chair on the corner of the room.

"How are you feeling?" Niall asked.

"Crap." Zayn plopped back down on the bed. "Paff me wotor." He mumbled inaudibly.

"I didn't catch that." Niall said.

"Pass me water, he said." Elijah provided the insight to Zayn's mumblings. He was lying on pillows he'd placed on the floor by the foot of the bed playing games on his phone. That was his base for the day. Since everyone in the house was staying away from Zayn to avoid spread of germs, he chose to stay there for peace and quiet.
"There should be a glass of water on the nightstand, uncle Ni."