Niall, answer the door please

Broken Harry

Louis walked further into the room and looked about him as if he expected Niall to magically appear back in the bed. Liam and Zayn stared at each other helplessly and Harry?.................................

Harry broke.

Harry slowly shook his head from side to side , face blank and expressionless, as he backed out of the room and collapsed into a chair in the waiting area. Niall was gone? All the waiting and praying, the wanting and hoping, all those hours talking to him, trying to pull him back into life. All wasted. His breath caught in his throat as his breathing rate increased and his heart started to race. His forehead grew cold and clammy and the pain in his chest increased until he felt he was being crushed by a heavy weight. Every breath was agony and no matter how he tried to drag the air into his aching lungs, there didn't seem to be enough air in the world . Harry felt like every atom of air was being pulled from him and there was none to replace it. He started to cough but it felt like his lungs were blocked by thick tar that left not even the smallest amount of space for the oxygen he so urgently needed. His lips turned blue and he lost focus, his vision greying.

"Harry, Harry! Louis, go get one of the nurses quickly. Harry is having an asthma attack, a major one. Don't just stand there. GO!" Liam yelled as Louis stood still, frozen on the spot, just staring at Harry. "LOUIS! NOW" Still Louis didn't move. Liam looked desperately across for Zayn but he had slid down onto the floor, his head buried in his knees., seemly unaware of anything around him.Liam ran.

Although it seemed like hours, in reality it was less than a minute when Liam returned with two nurses who were pulling a gurney with them. Liam grabbed Harry off the chair and bodily threw him onto the waiting gurney and the two nurses hurried Harry away. Liam, who had tried to hold it together for the sake of the others finally let out a stifled sob and the tears he had been holding back for so long, poured down his cheeks like an avalanche. He collapsed onto one of the seats. Something penetrated Louis daze and he broke from his place, moving slowly towards Liam.

"Li? Why? Why?" Louis voice sounded small, like that of a child. " What did we do wrong? What did I do wrong?"

Liam raised his sore, red eyes to look up at Louis. It was like the older man had suddenly shrunk. He looked like a small boy who had been told the world had ended. And it had, thought Liam. Why hadn't they heard? Nobody had told them anything. What had happened to Niall? Why had they stopped phoning and asking about Niall? Why? So many 'whys' and none of them with an answer. First Niall, and now Harry. What if Harry didn't recover?

They sat there for the next few hours, not talking or moving, barely daring to breath. Harry had been gone for three hours now and they had heard nothing. Time dragged it's feet and Liam felt like the clock on the wall was moving backwards. Zayn still hadn't moved from his spot on the floor whilst Louis alternated from pacing up and down to sitting slumped over in the chair next to Liam. Louis used to believe that no news was good news but now he felt the exact opposite.

"Harry Styles?"

Liam's head jerked up and Louis and Zayn scrambled to their feet. "Yes, that's us. I mean, we're his brothers" Liam managed to stutter out.

"Will you come with me, please" .The three men followed the nurse as she lead the way to another floor and into a darkened room.

"We have managed to stabilise Mr Styles but his asthma attack was particularly severe. He has been on a nebuliser to help get the medication into his lungs to help open out his airways and his breathing has improved. I must warn you, however, that often when a patient has one major episode, there is often another within the following 24 to 48 hours and Mr Styles will need to be monitored so he can receive the necessary treatment if intervention is required. We have him on oxygen at the moment which is helping him. Another treatment will be done shortly and we hope it will aid his breathing further. Mr Styles is exhausted and needs to rest. You may sit with him but please do not encourage him to talk. Sleep is the best medicine for him at the moment". The nurse glared at them in warning before leaving the room.

" Hey Hazza" Louis whispered as he sat on the edge of Harry's bed, holding Harry's large hand in his own much smaller one. "You have a good sleep. We'll be here when you wake up". Harry mumbled quietly only vaguely aware of the voice yet taking comfort in the familiar and soothing sound. He allowed himself to tumble into sleep.

The boys remained sitting with Harry until the same nurse reappeared several hours later. She pushed the boys from the room while she checked on Harry. When she reappeared, she was looking marginally more cheerful . "I think you'd be better going home, gentlemen. I'll be starting another breathing treatment shortly then Mr Styles will probably sleep again until morning. He will rest better undisturbed and you all look like a decent night of sleep would benefit you all". They all nodded reluctantly.

Liam pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time . Now they had moved away from all the medical equipment, he turned it on to discover that he had unanswered voice mails and texts galore. Zayn and Louis found the same. Liam listened to the first call

"LIAM " Maura's normally quiet and calm voice seemed to reverberate from the phone. "Liam, Ni..........................................."