Stumbling through the dark

Smoke gets in your eyes.

Niall peered out into the mist, trying to see just where his golf ball had ended up. Even though the mist was heavy, Niall was determined to play a round of golf. It had been ten weeks since he'd been able to do so but now the boot protecting his fractured foot was off and he was fully mobile once more. He was anxious to see if it really was fully healed. Damn, he could see nothing. Sighing, he grabbed his bag of clubs and trudged off into the gloom in search of the elusive ball.

The mist had cleared slightly as Niall moved downwards and he spotted his ball on the green. He grinned when he saw it's location wasn't too far from the flag marking the hole. He lined up his shot carefully then stopped and squinted at the ball. His vision blurred. He blinked rapidly to see if that helped then  looked again. Still blurred. He rubbed his right eye and realised it felt sore. Must have some grit or something in it, he thought. He screwed that eye shut and, looking with just his left eye, he took the putt. There was a satisfying clunk as the ball dropped obligingly into the hole. Niall grinned in delight before retrieving it and preparing his next shot.

Niall finally completed the course then went into the club locker rooms to shower and change before heading home. He, Liam and Louis were meeting up later to go clubbing at a new place Liam had found that he reckoned could be a good replacement for his beloved 'Funky Buddha'. Niall stared into the mirror at his face. His right eye looked red and puffy and it felt really sore. His vision wasn't too good. Niall tried to think if he had gotten something in it but didn't recall any problems. He certainly hadn't banged his face either. His eyebrows drew together as he thought back as to what might be causing it. Louis and Liam ! Of course. He , Louis and had been clubbing together last night and Niall had unaccustomedly had accompanied them out the back of the club when they went to smoke. That was it, he remembered he'd got a lot of smoke into his face. No wonder his eye was sore. He was lucky it was just the one eye!. Mystery solved, Niall finished showering and dressing and headed out. The problem with his eye temporarily  forgotten.

"Hey Basil" Niall greeted his bodyguard as he slid into the passenger side of his Range Rover. Niall hadn't really felt like driving through the heavy mist so he was glad to leave that to Basil. He absentmindedly  lifted his right hand and rubbed his sore eye. It had started irritating him again having given him a brief respite while he was in the shower. Basil glanced at him and enquired what the problem was. Niall just brushed it off as just a minor irritation in his eye. Basil  thought for a moment or to then said he'd pull over at the nearest pharmacy. He suggested that maybe getting some eyedrops would help sooth the eye and put paid to the soreness. 

"Here" Basil threw a small paper bag into Niall's lap. "The pharmacist recommended these. There's an Optic bath solution and also some eye drops. He said that should do the trick but to see your doctor if it doesn't improve" Niall rolled his eyes, as if he'd go to his doctor just because on of his bandmates had blown smoke in his eyes. Anyway, this stuff would do the trick and he'd probably be back to normal by tomorrow. He'd just avoid the smokers, it was that easy.