Broken Together

Chapter 4: I Understand

"What you pulled is serious Niall. Do you understand that?" I'm sat yet again in Dr. Grendales office being lectured at with Maura beside me.

"Yes" I mumble barely understandable

"So from now on a caretaker will scan your bracelet at every meal, therapy session out door time, everywhere you go aside from you dorm to make sure you haven't run off. Also if a caretaker notices your bracelet has been tampered with in the slightest way your punishment will become more severe. Understand?"

"Yes" I sigh

"Good" he clips a new bracelet on my wrist "now let's go back up to your dorm" he announces after Maura gives him the paper a mile long of all my medications

Maura helps me stand up because basically any way I move pulls on the staples in my side and hurts like hell, I also can't put weight on my knee at all for a few days.

"Thanks" I say to her and we go up to the dorms

"Hey mate!" Liam says sitting on his bed as I walk in

"Hey" I reply as he climbs down the ladder

"I'll take your bag" I take my bag off my shoulder and hand it to him

"Thanks" I say

"Well," Maura comes over to me "I'll see you on Tuesday alright?" She says hugging me

"Okay" she then leaves with Dr. Grendale

"That your mum?" Liam asks after the door closes

"Ah yeah" I lie "so where are the other boys?"

"Playing footy I assume? It's all Louis really does" he jokes smiling

"You want to go outside? Or would you rather rest?"

"Um" I suppose I should try and make friends with him since I may be here a while now. There's no way I'm getting out anytime soon now "I'll go out"

"Great! C'mon" I follow him to the first floor and we go out the back door after a nurse/caretaker scans my bracelet

Out back is a large area fenced in by barbed wire fence. It has a football field, basketball court and an open grassy area with benches.

We go and sit on one of the park benches next to the footy field. Watching Louis and Harry play with two other boys.

"So, you were gone for a while" Liam says breaking the silence between us

I shrug "didn't feel long I wasn't awake for most of it"

"Yeah Grendale told us what happened, said you were out for 3 of the five days..said you almost died" he talks to me keeping his eyes trained on the game though

"Not going to lie mate wish I had" I sigh looking down at my hands shaking my head

I expect him to act shocked give my the usual 'pity look' but all he says is "I understand" he nods still watching the game closely

I look over to him shocked "what?"

"I understand that feeling of just wishing you were dead" he nods "completely understand"

"Why? I mean what happened to you? If you don't mind me asking?"

He chuckles shaking his head "I'm not going to tell you. Not unless you tell me what happened to you" He reasons

I shake my head "I don't know if I could."

He nods "You'll be able to eventually I've been here five years and have known Louis for four of those years and I was only ready to talk about it with him after a year of knowing him."

"How come Louis was so quick to talk about what happened to him though?" I ask confused "I mean he just spit it out as if it was nothing."

He shrugs "We all process what has happened to us differently. That's how Louis processes it. He talks about it. He talks it through to every last detail. I know the details of what that man did to him so well I feel like I was there. He talks about it a lot honestly. Every nightmare, flashback, he talks it through it's just what he has to do to not let it kill him."

"I wish I could do that. Talk my emotions through but I can't. don't know how." There's a brief silence between us

"You play?" He nods he head towards the field

"Ah no. I don't even know how" I shrug

"You don't know how to play!? Oh mate you've been missing out on the greatest sport in the world!" He then goes on explaining every single aspect of the game smiling the whole time making me smile along with him for the first time in god knows how long!

"Payno you gonna play or you just gonna talk it to death!?" Louis shouts over to us from the field

"Not now tommo maybe later!" He shouts back

"What's that? Payno? Tommo?" I ask curiously

"Oh just nick names my last name is Payne and his is Tomlinson. I don't know we just started calling each other that" he shrugs "we call Harry Harold cause when he first came they assumed his full name was Harold which it isn't! So for the first 3 months he was here his bracelet said Harold on it" he explains laughing and I laugh along also "I'll think of a name for you mate" he says squeezing my shoulder

I laugh "I've never had a nickname!"

We all went inside when someone came over the speakers telling us it was time for supper. Supper was going fine until Liam started have another one of his weird talking to himself fits again.

"This always happens?" I ask Harry and Louis referring to Liam across from me

"Unfortunately" Harry says sighing looking at Liam as he literally pulls his hair out talking to himself

"Shut up. No. I won't. Shut up! Just shut the bloody hell up!" He stands screaming with tears streaming down his faces as he holds he's head in his hands

"Liam! Relax!" Louis shouts standing up also

"No!! Go away! Please go away!! Shut the fuck up already you bastard!!!" He slams his head repeatedly into the wall next to us

"Oh my god!" I stand up from my chair terrified

"Nurse help!" Harry shouts and nurses run over pinning Liam to floor trying to get him to stop hurting himself as he screams and cries

"Shh Liam it's alright it me it's Louis you're okay!" Louis says on the floor next to the crying lad held down by nurses

I stand there terrified as he finally starts to calm down 5 minutes later

"Okay it's alright Liam you're okay I promise" Louis soothes him as they slowly allow him back up

"My head.." He whispers through the tears holding his bleeding forehead

"We know, mate, c'mon you'll be okay" Harry and Liam take him with the nurses and walk him out of the cafeteria

I just stand there staring at the scene before me "what just happened..."

Hope you liked the chapter! Please tell me your thoughts in the comments and leave me some questions for the authors/Characters  Q&A at the end of the book!! All the love always~HXx