Stumbling through the dark

"Say Something, Anything"

Jacey raced into the kitchen, her heart pounding in fear. Niall was sprawled on the floor surrounded by broken glass. He was conscious but one of his arms was bleeding profusely and there was already a small puddle of blood. Jacey crouched down beside him and, grabbing a dish towel, used it to try and stem the bleeding. It soaked through almost instantly. She quickly elevated his arm to slow the bleeding down and pressed hard against the gaping wound. She held her breath as she watched, releasing  her breath out slowly as the bleeding slowed down , until it was just a slight flow.

"Niall?" She spoke quietly into his ear and he blinked at her slowly, looking bewildered. "What happened?"

"Pain" Niall whimpered "Please make it stop, Jacey. It hurts so much" He closed his eyes and hissed through his teeth as his body jerked as another bolt of pain jolted through him. A single tear slid from under his closed eyelids.

Jacey pulled her phone out of her back pocket and quickly called the emergency services. The cut in Niall's arm needed stitching and he had already lost a lot of blood. This wasn't something she could deal with alone. Jacey gave them concise information then ended the call, to wait for the Paramedics to arrive. It seemed to take forever but they were soon at the house. Jacey stood back as they loaded a barely conscious Niall onto a gurney and wheeled him out to the waiting ambulance. Jacey followed, climbing into the back with Niall and prepared to assist the Paramedics as they began checking Niall, monitoring his vitals.

Jacey paced up and down the waiting room as she tried to calm her nerves whilst waiting for news. They had whisked Niall away immediately on arrival at the hospital ,and though she was a doctor herself, and knew he was getting the best of care, she was anxious. Her stomach churned and she swallowed convulsively. Now was not the time to be sick.

"Jacey, how is he ?" Liam hurried towards her, his face pale and strained.

"Don't know, Li. They are working on him now. He's a very deep cut on his arm from broken glass and he's lost a fair bit of blood. He was also in intense pain but whether from the cut or the MS, I don't know. He had been in pain earlier this evening but he swore he was OK and it was nothing." Jacey crumpled into a chair and the tears she had been holding back flooded down her cheeks. Liam sat next to her and pulled her into a comforting hug as he reassured her that Niall was being looked after and the doctors here would get it sorted. Jacey nodded numbly. "Does Aoife know?" she suddenly asked.

"Yeah, she and Taylor will be along as soon as they can. They are just waiting for my mum to look after the baby." Liam responded. Aoife had been nearly hysterical when he'd called her with the news and he hoped that Taylor had managed to calm her down.

"Horan family?" A doctor stood by the swing doors as she glanced across at Liam and Jacey. They hurried over, scanning her face apprehensively.

"How is he" Liam asked quickly

"He's as well as we can expect right now. The gash in his arm has been stitched and should heal well although there will be scarring. He's lost a lot of blood so he is currently receiving a transfusion. Fortunately we did have some of his blood group available otherwise things might have been a little awkward. He is in shock."The doctor paused a moment then continued "He has been experiencing a lot of pain due to the MS. He has been able to tell us that he'd experienced a lot of pain this evening which resulted in him dropping the glass. It seems he then lost his balance and fell onto the broken glass resulting in the gash on his arm."

"Can we see him?" Jacey asked worriedly. She just wanted to see him with her own eyes. Until then she couldn't convince herself that Niall was going to be all right.

"Yes, certainly. They'll be moving him to a room shortly, so I shall sent a nurse to take you there as soon as we have him in bed ,and comfortable" The doctor smiled at them briefly then turned and went back through the swing doors. Jacey felt herself stumble as her knees went weak so Liam quickly supported her then walked her back to the chairs where they both sat again and waited .

"How is he? How's my Da?" Aoife ran towards them, Taylor close behind. She flung herself at Liam who hugged her gently.

"He's OK, babe. They are just getting him into a room and then we can go see him. Calm down, honey. Your Dad doesn't want to see you in a panic. It won't help him any . Deep breaths, now" Liam instructed firmly and smiled encouragingly at Aoife as she strove to master her emotions "OK now?" he asked and she nodded.

"Horan family?" This time a middle aged nurse stood by the door "If you'd like to follow me?" She led them through the doors , along a corridor towards the elevators. Once the doors opened at the fifth floor, she led them down another hallway, and indicated a door. "This is Mr Horan's room. He does need rest so please keep your visit brief. One person is welcome to stay with him overnight , however. I shall be at the nurses station if you need me. Just press the call button" She gave them a nod and walked away.

Niall appeared to be sleeping when they crept into the room. His face was as white as the sheet that covered him. An IV was slowly dripping blood into him, replacing what he had lost. He looked more child than man, so small did he appear in the bed. Aoife gently kissed his cheek and whispered "Da?". Niall's eyes opened and he looked confused for a few moments then he smiled weakly at his daughter, reaching out with his free hand to stroke her pale cheek with his fingertips.

"Hey pumpkin" Niall's voice sounded rusty. Liam grabbed the glass of water that was on the bedside locker and held it so Niall could take a few sips. Niall smiled his thanks to Liam "M'sorry" he spoke again, more easily.

"What are you sorry for, mate?" Liam said.

"Just causing trouble for everyone. Seems like I am always sick and I hate it. I wish it would end. " Niall sounded very despondent.

"Mate, you don't cause trouble. You can't help getting sick" Liam said reasonably but Niall just shrugged and turned his head away. Liam was about to say more but there was a sharp tap at the door heralded the arrival of the nurse to tell them that their visit must come to an end in order for Niall to rest. Jacey waited until they had gone before pulling her chair closer to the bed and reaching out to hold Niall's free hand. He turned back and looked into her eyes, not speaking, but sighing gently before staring up at the ceiling. They sat there in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Jacey felt her stomach do the all too familiar flip and drop sensation. She held her breath, willing it to go away but the nausea only increased. She released Niall's hand and bolted for the bathroom attached to Niall's room, making it just in time.

"Jacey?" What's wrong?" Niall pushed himself up and tried to get out of the bed, only to feel the tug of the IV in his arm. He could hear Jacey vomiting but was helpless to do anything. He kept pushing the nurses call button in blind panic and gestured wildly at the bathroom when a breathless nurse appeared, at a run. He lay back anxiously as he heard the nurse and Jacey talking in soft voices, too quiet for him to hear the conversation. After another ten minutes, Jacey and the nurse emerged, with the nurse leaving immediately.

Jacey sat back down on the chair and took slow, deep breaths, willing her stomach to relax. Eventually it did and she looked at Niall whose face wore an anxious and strained look. She managed a half smile then reached out and held his hand again. He wrapped his hand around her fingers and squeezed softly as he continued to look at her, waiting for her to speak, to reassure him that she was all right.

"Ni, I.....I don't know how to tell you this. Please don't be angry with me. Promise?" She looked at Niall, a small crease of worry between her eyebrows. "You remember I told you that it was almost impossible for me to get pregnant because of health issues from the past? That if I did, it would be a miracle ? Well............." her voice tailed off. Niall just stared at her, his face expressionless, closed in. She waited but Niall still didn't speak. The silence grew longer and longer but Niall's expression didn't alter, his mouth remained closed. "Niall, please, say something, anything " Jacey pleaded.