Kiss Me Before the Sky Falls

-Chapter 23- Slipping Again -

"I think there's Louis' three S's: Stripes, Sass, and Suspenders."

"Dunno, he likes scarves and sweaters too." I smiled and Zayn further scrutinized the sleeping Louis cuddled up to me. I still continued to stroke his wispy brown hair, as he slept. He'd been so persistent on me spending more time with his hair.

"Shelby."

"Aw, Harry. You cheeky monkey." He flashed a smile.

"Sherbert." Louis groaned sleepily, wiggling a bit and readjusting himself. His brow didn't relax because Niall was still busy laughing until his jaw fell off.

"Niall! Don't wake him up now, he's so hard to put to sleep!"

"You'd think she had Jamie."

"I will soon enough."

"But then you'll lose Louis."

"You guys are just going on tour for a month I'll be alright." I mumbled. I admit I wasn't particularly thrilled about the tour's timing. Just having Jamie and all...I'm sure we'll be fine. Wily Cat always comes over and stays until the boys come home, we even have people shipping us on Twitter.

Taily Cat forever.

I know it'll be tough for Jamie though. And at his age neither of us will be getting much sleep. He had inherited our energy, yes, before this shix went down I was hyper. ADHD. Focused with Louis this long, though. Two years the day before he leaves to Italy.

Louis wriggled again, trying to get closer, find something to hold onto like he was spooked. I found his hands, and mustered all my strength to heave him further into my lap. He latched his arms around my waist and buried his face in my chest, I don't think it was a...conscious move. His whimper was muffled by shirt and boob.

"What's the matter with him?" Harry said softly.

"Nightmare, I think. He's been getting a bad recurring one lately, I'm nervous it's reared it's head again." I rubbed the back of his neck, praying he'd relax and move. The time for that never came....I fell asleep too fast.

"Bel? Baby bunny wake up...I swear I she doesn't wake up I'm calling the hospital. I will sit with her until she's home, and better, this isn't happening-!" Louis' voice was faint, as if it were far away. There were echoes of his touch on my cheek.

"Louis relax. Maybe she's just sleeping really deeply." Harry sounded like he was talking away from the microphone, I struggled to decipher what he'd said.

"She doesn't DO that! Shes not a deep sleeper, she doesn't sleep past ten, and she does NOT twitch! If anything she kicks me in the junk she doesn't have minor Tourettes, she doesn't just DO that! There must be something WRONG!"

"Or she's exhausted and you should let the poor thing sleep." I barely heard Wily. I wanted to wake up, but I was caught in this abyss again. I hated it.

"IF SHE WAS EXHAUSTED SHE WOULD'VE BEEN AWAKE AT SEVEN I KNOW MY BEL!" Louis howled in the distance.

"We're not saying that you don't, Louis. We're saying give her some space, she's probably fine." Wily sounded calm, odd, she rarely was.

"But, but...I know her. She doesn't sleep this well...her hunger will wake her up, or her mind, she's constantly thinking...you can always, ALWAYS wake her up by rubbing her left temple, counterclockwise, with the tip of your thumb..." It was true. I loved it when Louis was my alarm clock. I'd wake up giggling and happy, warm. He'd figured it out one night on a tour bus. He'd never tried anything different to rouse me since. How was it not working?

"Try again, maybe?" Harry suggested softly. Louis must've been weighting his options before he took my hand, or so I thought, it's my best guess, and took a shaky breath.

Usually it was so gentle. A caress. It felt like someone took a stake through my temple and was further lacerating it by hollowing it out in a circular motion. I woke up with a start, sitting up and putting my hands over my temple. It still throbbed. A pair of warm but crushing arms squeezed me half to death.

"There's my button! Told you, told you it always works..."

"Louis, please. That hurts." He pulled away, eyes concerned.

"What hurts?"

"Your bear hug."

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice...-"

"He barely hugged you." Wily eyed me with suspicion. The images kept getting fuzzy, but when I moved my head I felt a strike through my whole head, like I wasn't supposed to move.

"You okay, baby bunny?"

"Louis I think I need to go to the hospital." His eyes widened.

"Wha-what makes you say that?!"

"Louis I can't see." The room had become a swirling mess, blurred into the very basic, loud colors of our living room. I couldn't see Louis, but I felt his presence, inches from my face. My eyes rolled back in my head and my body went limp.

I felt like a spirit, floating about a body, trying to wake it up. Everything was crystal clear, except I couldn't see. But everything hurt. The faintest touch felt like they'd socked me. Louis was frantic, voice high pitched and he kept running his fingers through his hair, I know. He always does when he's stressing out.

"Someone call the hospital! She's paling by the second!" Louis tried to fan cool air on my face but it felt like it was peeling the skin off me. He had an arm around my shoulders and it was crushing.

"Oh my God what do we do about Jamie?!"

"You take care of him! SHALICE!"

"They've been called, they're sending an ambulance! Yes, she's had previous head-trauma...when? Dunno, a few months ago or so? Uh, amnesia. Semi-wreck. Huh? OH MY-Her -husband- is going to like that...Poor Tails..."

"What's going on?"

"They think she's going brain dead."

"WHAT?!"

"Is that legitimately possible?!"

"She said it hurt when you touched her, and it did, I watched her face! And the sleep dilemma...Louis they don't think she's gonna make it." No! No! I'm here, I swear to Jesus fucking Christ I'm fucking alive! I won't die, there's too much being left behind...Please...

"WE'RE TAKING HER NOW!"

"Louis, hold on a minute-!"

"I WON'T HOLD ON THEY'RE TAKING TOO LONG IF SHE'S DYING THEY SHOULD BE HERE ALREADY HARRY YOU TAKE JAMIE-"

"LOUIS THEY GET PASSAGE OF ROAD LAWS YOU ARE NOT MOVING HER." No one yells at Louis. Hell, I don't yell at Lou. This whole thing was going downhill...was I really about to...just DIE?

Louis took my hand with a agonizing weight, breath high and ragged. He pressed his face to mine, I almost cried out, would've if I could, and I listened to him lose it. I felt a single tear slip from his gorgeous blue eyes and sidle slowly, oh so delicately, down his cheek.