You just can't do enough for some people, I guess. A Zayn Malik Sickfic

Appendicitis

Zayn woke again to feeling movement around him and found that Josiah had returned, this time accompanied by a much older man who had the air of calm authority about him.

"Well then, young man, it looks like you need my services. I'm Doctor Jacobs and my friend, Josiah, tells me that you've been pretty sick and are obviously in pain. How about you tell me what's happening?"

Zayn described how he had been feeling ill for some time, the churning stomach, not wanting to eat the pain that seemed to move from the centre of his stomach and was now in his side.

"It's just stress" he tried to brush it off . " I just split from my Fiancee and also from my workmates and I've been under a lot of pressure. It's only stress. I need a break, that's all"

"Let me be the Doctor , son" said Jacobs as he pulled the bed covers down and started pressing gently over Zayn's tummy. He moved his hands to the side and pressed again and Zayn screamed in pain then bit his lip in embarrassment of appearing to be such a wimp

"I think your stress is actually appendicitis and from the way things are going, we need to act quickly before you become even more sick than you already are."

The doctor stood up and started to converse with Josiah in their own language then he turned and  to Zayn and said he was going to help Katy get everything ready for surgery.

"What!! " Zayn shouted.

"The nearest hospital is too far from here. I have everything I need to do the operation here. You'll be quite safe, I promise. My nurse and I will get it all arranged with Katy and then we'll get you ready. Don't worry, you really will be fine. Josiah here will keep you company" And Doctor Jacobs walked out of the room.

"Who is Katy?" Zayn asked  in an effort to distract himself from forthcoming events.

"My wife, Katy. I don't expect you remember seeing her though she has been looking after you . I think you've seen my twin daughters and one of my sons"

"Three children, you don't look old enough" Zayn said only to make Josiah laugh.

"I'm twenty six and I actually have six children, four girls and two boys.Katy and I have been married since we were eighteen. We tend to marry young and have large families though our family now consists of just us and the children" Josiah's face grew grave and Zayn looked at him very puzzled at Josiah's  sudden change of mood"

The door opened and a middle aged woman appeared. Zayn was rather relieved to see she was at least normally dressed in recognisable hospital scrubs. She had a cheery face and came towards him carrying a covered dish. She explained that she was going to give him something to make him relax before they prepared him for surgery. As she talked, she cleaned the skin in the crook of his elbow with an antiseptic swab then injected into the site. She was obviously very skilled as Zayn felt only the smallest jab sensation. The nurse, who said her name was Joyce then sat and quietly talked with both men whilst keeping an unobtrusive eye on the dark skinned boy in the bed. She nodded in quiet satisfaction as his features relaxed and his eyes half closed. He watched her as she pulled the bedclothes back then she and Josiah helped support Zayn as they walked him out of the room and into the kitchen. 

The kitchen table? Really? Zayn's brain felt muddled. Why was the kitchen table covered in all those white sheets and why were they  stretching him out on the table. A canula was put into his hand and something injected into it and a quiet voice asked him to count backwards from twenty

"twenty, nineteen, eighteen........seventeen.......five , no.................................." Zayn sank into oblivion yet again.

When Zayn woke it was dark again, the oil lamp still glimmered in the corner. He felt exhausted and still sick but the burning, stabbing pain was gone and had been replaced by a dull aching feeling that was much easier to bear. He turned his head and saw a young woman sitting, sewing, in the chair next to his bed. She was wearing an old fashion white nightgown and had a shawl wrapped over her shoulders. Her hair was in a long plait that had fallen over her shoulder and reached almost to her knees. He tried to speak but his lips felt cracked and dry so he stretched out his hand. She looked up and smiled at him before putting down her needlework. Slipping her arm around his upper back, she raised him up just enough for him to drink from a small bowl. The water was soothing and he wanted to drain the bowl but wasn't allowed to. It was carefully removed and Zayn was settled back on his pillows once more.

"Hello," he whispered "are you Katy?"

Zayn got a warm smile in response and she nodded.

"Is it all over now?" Again, another smile and a nod but no verbal response.

Katy then picked up some pills,handed them to Zayn and, supporting him once more, helped him drink so he could swallow the medication. As she moved away, the sleeve of her nightgown was pushed up and Zayn saw rows of thin white lines across her arm. He recognised them for what they were and trapped Katy's arm ,pulling it towards him.

"Why?" And why did I ask that he thought as soon as the word had left his mouth. She doesn't know me and I'm asking why? He cursed mentally. Katy just smiled in response and moved her arm away. She dimmed the oil lamp even more and resumed her seat in the chair, still not speaking and Zayn sat looking at her as she sewed, his vision getting more and more blurry until he was once again asleep.