By Your Side (on hiatus)

Chapter Three

Harry's gut twisted in circles. He looked down at Niall's sleeping face which was red from either his sobbing or the fact that he's had a growing temperature for the past week. He thought it was strange that he could just roll over and nap after getting hit in ways Harry still wasn't sure of since he didn't pause and interview him about it.  Louis was still nowhere to be seen, and that wasn't helping Harry's anxiety one bit. It felt wrong to just sit and wait in their room while he was probably fighting for his life, but he also knew that Louis wouldn't want either of his brothers around when it happened. Every time Jake blows up, it's Louis' job to take it and Harry's job to make sure Niall doesn't get hurt, and today he failed. He frowned at Niall's troubled face, traces of purple stains around his neck. No four-year-old should ever know what it's like to be strangled and hit, to be afraid of the one person they should be able to trust. He knew the same could be said for himself, that six isn't nearly old enough to know about being an adult, but it wasn't within Harry's character to wish he had a normal life. If he had the choice to give his beatings to a different kid, he'd never decide to. Sometimes it's easier to let go and accept that the hardest things only grow you into someone strong, and Louis was positively the strongest person he knew. 

After maybe twenty minutes of hiding, he thought to go and look for his brother. It wasn't normal for him not to sneak back in this long afterward. So he gently laid Niall's head on their sweat-stained pillow before quietly opening their door, taking care to shut it behind him on his way out. He wandered down the hallway again, pausing in front of the bathroom when he saw the light glowing from under the door. The sounds of running water and faint splashing caused Harry to tap on the handle, making it jingle softly, just loud enough for whoever on the other side to hear it, and quiet enough that no one else in the house would be able to notice. There was a quick silence before the lock on the other side rattled and the door eased open for him. Harry entered eagerly, and gasped audibly when his gaze landed on Louis face. Swollen eyes masked in a shadow of blue were agitated and crusty. His lip was busted, fattened and cut up, still oozing. He was damp, as though he was spending a considerable amount of time cleaning up.

"Are you okay?" Louis asked, voice shaking, "You looked like you were unconscious." Harry rubbed the tender spot on his head at the mention of it, noticing the tension there for the first time, 

"Yeah. Niall took care of me." Louis gave him a tired look, 

"Is he okay? That was the worst I've seen Jake do to him. I-I'll kill that guy."

"He's sleeping, Lou," Harry replied sadly, "He's not functioning well. This sickness has him all mixed up." Louis nodded vaguely, shutting the faucet off,

"I need to see him."

Harry grabbed him by the wrist before he could make it far, "Are you okay? You look a mess."

"Wow, thanks, Harry," he chastised, blue eyes flashing with hostility, "I've been great, yeah. I feel wonderful right about now." He shut his mouth with a snap, taking a deep breath before sighing rather loudly, "Sorry. I'm just really on edge. Let me see Niall and we can talk." Harry nodded in response and let him lead the way back to their room.
Once inside, Louis sat beside their younger brother, brushing the hair out of his eyes, "God, he's burning up."

"We never got the medicine," Harry sighed, joining them on the mattress, "Now there's no way he'll buy it." Louis froze for a moment before looking back up, blue eyes dilatated and glassy, 

"He's bruised all over. Look at his neck," Gently, Louis pressed two of his fingers on Niall's discolored skin, hand shaking a little as he did, "I wasn't fast enough to stop it."

"It's not your fault," Harry reminded softly, hushing when Niall stirred again. Their little brother's crusty eyes peeked open slowly, a sad gleam in them being replaced by a slightly kinder one when he saw Louis beside him.

"You're okay," Niall murmured quietly, sitting up a little before slumping back down, apparently too weak to even manage that, "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry," Louis said decidedly, gently pulling him closer, "It's not our fault."

"Yeah, it's Jake's," Harry added scornfully, but stopped himself from continuing when Louis sent him a look that said, 'now's not the time'. 

"Are you still feeling poorly?" Louis asked, though Harry knew he already was aware of the answer. Niall nodded shortly, little fingers playing with the hem of Louis' shirt which, Harry noticed, had several blood stains,

"I'll be tough though."

"You're the toughest ever," Louis encouraged, smiling kindly. He had one arm swung around Niall's shoulders and the other moved to poke him on the nose, "But if it gets much worse, you gotta tell Harry or I, okay?"

"Alright," Niall agreed softly, a weak giggle escaping when he tried to catch Louis' hand. He paused, looking from Louis to Harry before attempting to grin, "I love you guys." Louis caught Harry's eye, sticking his bottom lip out at the cuteness of his impromptu comment,

"Aw, we love you too, baby." But Niall didn't seem to have heard the response, eyelids fluttering shut again. Harry's gut shifted with worry,

"He shouldn't be sleeping this much, should he?"

"Should I keep him up?" Louis asked, concern replacing his previous ease, "I don't know what's best to do."

"No, let him rest. That's what helps, right?"

With all the uncertainty, Harry wasn't sure what was right anymore. Before he could say as much, Louis jumped up in a panic,

"Wh-"

Harry looked down and saw the reason for this: Niall was convulsing on the ground, arms and legs twitching wildly. He threw himself beside him, trying to shake him up, but nothing changed. Niall was tense beneath his touch, neck falling backward when he tried to pull him into a sitting position. When he looked up for Louis' help, Harry found that he was already out the door, screaming for Jake. 

"Wake up, Ni. You promised to be tough for me," Harry sobbed, reversing their rolls from earlier, pulling his brother into his lap and holding him tightly. Louis reentered the room with Jake on his heels, looking annoyed as ever. Harry didn't have time to be worried though, swiping at his tears when Louis tried to take Niall from him. 

"See? He's-"

"Watch out," Jake ordered, pushing Louis aside and grabbing the youngest boy. He slumped into Jake's arms without dispute, no control over any of his limbs. Harry bit his nails when he listened to Jake's conversation with the 911 dispatcher. His voice was calm and forward, narrating every one of Niall's movements, but Harry noticed not a lick of fear. 

Minutes of waiting in dread passed before sirens could be heard blaring from down the street on their way over. Louis held Harry's hand when a couple EMTs entered their home, taking Niall away from their sight and loading him into the back of an unwelcoming ambulance, red and white lights flashing in every direction as people were yelling each other directions. Jake spoke to one of the EMTs, detailing the most fictional story Harry had ever heard.

"He woke up with a temperature this morning. I made him a warm breakfast and was just on my way to purchase some pain relievers, but this was all so sudden." 

When asked whether he would want to ride with Niall in the ambulance, he opted to drive there in his own vehicle, probably because he didn't want the inconvenience of bumpy roads. Louis' grip on Harry's hand tightened with each word he said, gaze narrowed at their stepfather, likely wishing every bad thing upon him. Harry didn't even care though, he only wanted to be next to Niall, and each second they were away caused him more and more anxiety.