Love Thy Neighbour *editing*

"I want sausages. Lots and lots of sausa-"

Sirens blaring.

Shouting echoing.

Rhythmic beating.

Flatlining…

My eyes snapped open, glancing warily around the room. Body heavy, but no longer aching, I wondered if I had died; the walls were white, and gossamer curtains blew gently in the breeze coming through the open windows.

It was as though each sense was starting to come into tune very slowly, one after the other; the familiar smell of disinfectant wafted into my nostrils, making my head spin. Then the clatter of noise reached my ears, and the irksome sound of someone’s mobile going off.

Never mind.

Death didn’t have neurotic ringtones.

I tried to sit up, wincing as numerous stabbing pains shot through me. Whatever had happened before, remained hazy in my head; vague flashes of sound and colour coming to me every now and again.

Weight shifted on the side of my bed, and I looked down to see Niall lying with his head on the side of the mattress, the steady stream of his breathing making his hair lift slightly with every lungful of air. Perhaps we were taking it in a turn when it came to who was wearing the hospital bands.

His shot was long overdue if that was the case.

Tapping his head experimentally with my fingers, I waited until the familiar groan of annoyance escaped his lips. It was always the same when I woke him up, whether it be with my cold feet, sleep talking or…anything else.

“Evie?” he breathed, his head slowly rising.

“The one and only!” My voice sounded hoarse, none of the brightness I had been trying to convey coming across. How long had I been in that bed? My breath tasted completely rancid!

He flung his arms around me, making my eyes widen in pain. Wow, that hurt. He must have sensed the newly found tension in my body, because he quickly let go and looked me over.

Niall’s eyes had tired, dark rings beneath them, and his hair was completely static. He smelled about as bad as I did, and that was saying something. It suddenly struck me that he might have been by my bed as long as I had been in it.

“I thought you were dead,” he admitted shakily, sinking back into the seat. I swallowed, my throat dry. No wonder the poor guy looked like death warmed up; at least I had been out cold for most of it. He had had to deal with the aftermath.

“Is Riley okay?” I asked quickly, looking around for him. If anything had had happened to him, I wasn’t ever going to forgive myself. What if Denny really had drowned him? What would happen then? Oh God; living without Riley would be agony. I wouldn’t be able to do it. I might as well curl up and die no-

“He’s fine,” Niall murmured, taking my hand. Relief shot through me, making my eyes roll back into my skull and Niall jump to his feet.

“Thank you,” I whispered to no-one in particular. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Everything would be fine as long as my wee boy was alive and healthy because, in comparison, nothing else really mattered.

Smiling at Niall, I tried to push away the question that was niggling in the back of my head. Perhaps it was because I didn’t really want to know, or because I was scared of the answer. Either way, the thought of asking what had happened to Denny made me want to throw up.

Maybe it was better not to find out his fate, or what had happened to him.

Then again.