Across the Hall

Chapter 5

     Two weeks had passed since Niall's surgery, and he was already seeing some improvement. He knew he'd be in the chair for a while, with both knees being operated on at the same time, but he began looking forward to physical therapy, even kindling some kind of friendship with Glen, who was glad to see Niall's eagerness to heal and strengthen himself.

     Niall was also busy kindling another relationship, with the blonde that happened to live across the hall from him. Ever since the football party, the two had been "snuggle bunnies" as Harry had taken to calling them. His best friend knew it right away; Niall was smitten. Whitney fit next to him perfectly,in pretty much every way possible. She'd been going with him to therapy, being his coach, his motivation to keep going. He wanted to surprise her soon with an official date, maybe even get a kiss out of the deal, but for now he was content being able to pull her close to him, her warmth radiating off on him.

     Waking up that morning, Niall knew he was in for a rough day. It was before sunrise, and his legs were on fire. Reaching blindly across the bed to his nightstand, he grabbed his prescription, shaking the bottle. Empty. Cursing wildly under his breath, Niall fumbled for his chair. There had to at least be some Tylenol in the cupboards. Trying to get into the kitchen without waking Harry, Niall poked around in the darkness until he heard the familiar sound of pills rattling around the plastic bottle. Popping the top, he dry swallowed two in a flash, grimacing at the bitter taste. Wheeling himself into the living room, he stretched out onto the sofa, turning on the telly to the boring local news, in hopes of maybe falling back asleep.

     Harry was up around seven thirty, planning on meeting Annie for a morning run, when he noticed a very grumpy leprechaun perched on the couch. It didn't take long for Harry to see the pure pain etched in Niall's sleep deprived features, wondering how long he'd been up.

     "Well look who's the earlybird this morning."

     "Fuck off, Harry." he winced at Niall's gruff tone, biting his tongue to remember that the blonde didn't mean it, that he was just in pain. Walking into his room, he saw the empty bottle lying on top of the disheveled sheets.

     "Tell you what. Annie and I will get your pills and some breakfast, if you want." Sitting next to Niall; Harry was alarmed at how quickly Niall's mood changed, leaning his head onto his friend's shoulder, blonde hair tickling his cheek.

      "I just want to stop hurting." he whimpered, letting Harry pull him into a hug. After that many years of being on tour together, being this close was nothing for them.

     "Think about things that make you happy. It'll help. Let's see. Food. Football. Whitney." he waited, smirking when he saw the tops of Niall's cheeks go pink.

     "You two have been pretty close lately. Don't you dare say it's platonic." Niall shook his head, grimacing as another wave of pain shot through his body. He knew Harry was trying to distract him until the pharmacy opened, but his body was having none of it.

     "She's sweet. And I really, really fancy her. But I don't want to rush things. This feels right, y'know?" Harry only nodded quietly, reaching up to rub circles across the nape of Niall's neck. He could see those famous blues sliding shut, hoping his best friend could get some sleep despite the pain. When Niall did finally drift off, Harry sat for as long as he could, trying to be a good pillow. Annie texted him close to nine in the morning, saying she was ready. Harry did his best to lie Niall down on the couch without waking him, leaving a note in case he woke up. Sliding out the door, he made one last check to make sure Niall was sleeping before closing it behind him.

     Waking up on the couch, Niall growled out in pain, using the back of the couch to pull himself up. Where was Harry? His mood had drastically gone downhill; hungry, cranky, and in some serious pain. He could hear someone on the other side of the door, hoping it was Harry, not knowing how to feel when Whitney peeked her head around the corner instead.