Honest Illusions [niall horan]

Chapter 19

Niall's P.O.V.

A luminous gleam blinded my vision the moment I went to open my eye lids. Along with the bright light irritating my eyes, a loud and obnoxious beeping noise sounded every two seconds. While I waited for my eyes to peel themselves open, my nostrils in shakes a very strong odor- something that imitated the scent of chlorine or another household cleaner. Aches of all kinds ran all throughout my body. The mid-section of my body is what ached the most. It almost felt like someone had removed my entire rib cage, broken each portion in half, and put it back.

Some seconds after waking up, I finally peeled my eyes open and observed the room I was in. Bewilderment and drowsiness mixed together and poured into my mind while I attempted to make out my surroundings. At first my vision was a bit blurred, but after focussing my mind, I realized I was in a hospital. What the hell? How in the world did I end up here? Both my shirt and jeans I had been wearing earlier were neatly folded on the cubby adjacent to me. Two clear wires were hooked up to my right arm, leading all the way to an intravenous liquid bag. On my torso, I felt more wires sticking to my skin and making me uncomfortable every time I tried to move.

As my eyes trailed around the room, realization quickly struck me once I locked eyes on the sleeping brunette in the corner. Strands of her chestnut hair fell all around her face. Her head lied against the beige wall of the hospital. A blue fleece blanket covered her middle half while her hands wrapped around herself. It seemed as if she were cold even with the blanket covering her. Small bags could be seen under her eyes despite the distance between us. Puffy cheeks and chapped lips could also be made out as I continued analyzing her. Aubrey looked so exasperated while she slept, and I could tell her heart was slowly shattering.

Events from earlier in the day flickered through my memory. Still in shock Aubrey was being cheated on, I couldn't even begin to imagine how she must feel now. I don't even know if my words registered in her mind. Aubrey showed every sign of being distraught during our argument. It seemed as if she were having two arguments; one with me and another with herself. One minute I'm yelling at the top of my lungs to keep her from making a stupid mistake and marrying a jerk. The next, I find myself lying in a hospital bed in New York. This was definitely going to be one for the books. Ending up in the hospital never crossed my mind while I was on the plane here.

Breaking me away from my thoughts, a woman dressed in light blue scrubs, holding a clipboard, walked in. She appeared to be in her early to mid twenties with her short brown hair and petite frame. Now beside me, she offered me a warm smile before looking down at her clipboard. "Niall Horan?" She pursed her lips while her eyes continued to scan over the clipboard. "Never thought I'd ever see the day I actually met you," she chuckled as she scribbled something on her clipboard. I raised an eyebrow at her statement. In all honesty, it would have never crossed my mind she was a fan. Probably because that was the farthest thing on my mind right now.

"Ya were a fan?" I asked as she inspected the bag filled with a clear liquid.

"Used to be, when I was like seventeen," she replied. "I'm twenty-five now," she added with a slight chuckle.

"Oh," I nodded my head at her. Not fully focussed, that was the best reply I could muster out. Sucks, I know. "I can give ya an autograph if ya want," I added, feeling slightly guilty for my shitty reply. She was taking care of me and monitoring my health, so in my mind it was the least I could do.

A light chuckle sounded out from her, "It's fine, maybe later when you get released. All you need to do is relax. Good thing you didn't injure anything too major." Placing her clipboard besides us, she pulled down the blanket covering me, and re-adjusted the heart monitor sticker placed on my left pectoral. After doing so, she turned to the heart monitor screen and pressed a few more buttons.