The Side You Don't Hear (1D)

Chapter 25

Wow, an update?  Yeah, but its not edited!  sorry:)

Zayn's POV

                I had just come up the stairs and turned the corner to head to Louis' room when I was met with the strangest scene.  Closest to me, there was a pair of police officers speaking sternly to a man in handcuffs.  His face was downcast , glasses precariously hanging off the end of his nose, but he didn't look sad or apologetic.  He seemed angry; muttering under his breath instead of answering the officers' questions and repeatedly scuffing the floor with the toe of his shiny shoes.  His blonde hair was tousled, but not in a styled way, and a massive shiner was accenting the number of scars and bruises on his face and exposed arms. 

                Past him was Paul, who was nervously pacing back and forth in front of Louis' door.  The pacing part was normal, as he was constantly worrying about us doing whatever we're up to, but this time he seemed particularly frantic.  Maybe he just wasn't used to being out of control, which seemed to be the case with all the unknown noises coming out of Lou's room.  Paul was clearly dying to be in there and to know what was happening, but I can't blame him.  Even I'm curious to know what's going on with Louis, but that could just be because the door was closed.  Must be something big, and hopefully positive, seeing as most people in comas don't need that much attention.

                Maybe the strangest thing of this group, which is certainly saying something, is the newly formed couple literally sitting on top of each other.  Alice was strewn across Liam's lap, head on his shoulder, which a sweet smile on her face.  He was looking at her with the same smile and obvious adoration in his eyes.  They were whispering quietly to each other and sneaking kisses, which was sickeningly sweet.   Peter was sitting beside them,  eating the contents of a box of chocolates which was probably intended for Louis.  Every once in a while, he would turn and glare at the man with the police, only to sadly advert his eyes and go back to eating his chocolate.

                Despite all this weirdness, the thing that shocked me the most was how calm Liam was at the moment.  He may be with Alice, but if Paul's demeanor was any indicator of what is happening with Louis, then Liam should be freaking out twice as much.  Paul has even made me instantly nervous, but Liam seems to have forgotten everything that is happening. 

                "Hey man," Niall's voice said cheerily as he walked up behind me and slung his arm over my shoulder.  He scared me a bit, making me jump, before I indicated with my chin the crazy scene before us.  He turned and looked, seeming equally as surprised as I was, letting his jaw drop a bit.  "Holy Shit," he exclaimed a bit too loudly, earning a glare from the police.

                "You're telling me," I mumbled back to him.  His arm dropped from my shoulders as I began to walk towards Paul, who looked even more stressed up close.  "What's going on?" I asked him.

                "Louis flat lined," he answered shortly.

                "WHAT!?" Niall bellowed in my ear, making us both wince.

                "Is he okay?" I questioned at a more appropriate volume with my voice full of concern.

                "I have no idea!  They threw us all out into the hallway twenty minutes ago and haven't told us anything since then." He huffed angrily.

                "Well there's a lot of noise in there, that's a good sign, right?" Niall offered hopefully, giving Paul a sad smile.  Paul simply shrugged and continued his pacing.  I looked at Niall, who seemed a bit scared, and put my arm around his shoulders the way he had a minute ago.