Green Eyes | Larry Stylinson ❀

The Waiting Room

  The morning after, everything about time seems to spiral back to normal. No longer slow. No longer fast. It just feels like it's passing, and maybe now Louis can finally think properly. If anything, it all feels empty. As it always does when he doesn't have Harry right there next to him. Or at least awake next to him.

The doctors took Harry in to surgery not too longer after the sun rose into the sky. They had been monitoring quite literally everything that was going wrong with him, and the most important thing was his brain function. The doctors suspected a bleed upon his arrival, and they had hoped it could resolve on its own without the need for surgery. However, this morning proved them wrong. Almost immediately after running vitals and a couple test, they needed to take him to the operating room almost urgently to fix the bleed.

An epidural hematoma, is what they told Louis. And his intracranial pressure was rising at a rapid pace so they needed to drain any excess fluid and remove the hematoma. It's a surgery they've done before. The neurosurgeon felt confident, and that alone eased some of Louis' worry. But, the brain is the brain. It's the functioning center of the body and although the surgeon has had lots of good outcomes, everything post surgical is unpredictable. The brain is unpredictable, and that is what worries Louis.

Aside from the head trauma, Harry sustained more injuries throughout his body. The hematoma was the one causing the most concern and needed immediate medical attention. One of his lungs was punctured from a fractured rib. Most likely from the impact of the collision and the way his body thrusted against the seatbelt. He received a needle aspiration pretty quick and will most likely get put on oxygen to help with airflow. The puncture was not as severe as it could have been so the doctors and nurses expect a proper recovery of his lungs.

Harry's right shoulder dislocated, and the way his hand was on the steering wheel at impact caused his wrist to fracture. His legs are okay, except for the shards of glass that everyone had to remove from his skin. He's pretty banged up and bruised all over. Has big ole gashes placed sporadically around his body, especially his forehead. His left ankle might be sprained or broken, but Louis is not sure yet. He hasn't gotten the full update quite yet because all the doctors were more worried about keeping him stable whenever he entered the hospital yesterday afternoon. They're still running test and scans to see to what extent the damage is.

"Mr. Tomlinson?" The voice of the nurse that has been helping startles him from his thoughts. Louis' been in the waiting room since they took Harry back to surgery, and that was a few hours ago. No one is around where he sits so she walks over to join, taking the seat next to him. "I have an update on Mr. Styles if you would like to hear."

Louis blinks when sudden tears spring to his eyes, hesitantly nodding. Of course he wants to know. He's been waiting since yesterday to know absolutely everything, and he's hoping there is no ball that drops. All he's hoping for is good news. Hopeful news. Any time he lets his mind think to the worse, he absolutely loses it. Hasn't had a dry eye since arriving here.

He called Anne the second he found out what happened. She was on a trip with Robin in America, and the two of them took the first flight out. Gemma was out the country as well with some of her friends, but Louis had to tell her what was going on despite it. It wasn't like he had a lot to update them on except that Harry had been in an accident and is now in the hospital. At the time, they only suspected what injuries he had without any confirmation. But they should be here soon. Hopefully. Being in the waiting room alone is miserable.

"We were able to relocate his shoulder without any complications or need for surgery. He'll need to be in a sling for a while just so the surrounding structures can heal and then follow up with physiotherapy."

So far, good news. That's what Louis holds on to. They already fixed one of his problems. Currently working on the second.

However, the nurses eyebrows begin to furrow, and the fingers she has around the clipboard tighten a bit. Louis braces himself. "There is some internal bleeding that we noticed. It was a complication in the surgery - " Louis' eyes widen horrifically - "But we were able to control and stabilize him. It could have been from the impact of the collision and the seatbelt. Most of the bleeding is controlled, but we will need to monitor it. Most organs can heal on their own with minor lacerations. It'll just need some time."