Afraid [zayn malik//niall horan au]

epilogue

Epilogue

(briefly edited)

 "You're joking, right?" Zayn asks Niall, who was staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Snapping his eyes towards Zayn, he huffed.

 "Who in the right mind would joke 'bout something like this?" Niall shakily replies, burying his face into his hands. "Zayn, they're in the ICU. She probably didn't even know they left after we all talked. This is just so screwed up," he mutters.

 "I know," Zayn mumbles, "I know."

 Fumbling with a few magazine and newspapers, all headlining about Miley Cyrus' new fiasco, the two teens didn't notice the man who sat beside them until he called out their names. Snapping their eyes to the main, Niall and Zayn's jaws dropped, an ounce of confusion circling their eyes.

 "Mr. Johnson?" Zayn asks, sitting up straight and putting the magazines aside. "Are you alright?" With a nod of his head, the man smiles.

 "Just fine, a little fender bender on my part is all," Mr. Johnson attempts another smile, but fails miserably.

 "What about your wife? The nurse's wouldn't tell us anything," Niall inquires, his hands running through his hair repeatedly.

 "A broken arm. She'll be here soon," the grey-haired man whom has practically raised the both of them answered, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry we couldn't answer our phones. Look boys, the doctor told me some things about Flo, and they're not even close to slightly good," he reveals.

 "We thought so," Niall mutters, rubbing his eyes. "What is it?"

 "There's no hope," Mr. Johnson shakes his head in attempts of removing the tears threatening to poor from his eyes but, once again, failed miserably to do so.

 Watching their fatherly figure break down in front of them, Zayn and Niall didn't know what to do or how to react, but both decided to console him.

 "Look," Zayn begins, his voice hoarse, "we've just got to be thankful for the time we have left with her, and cherish every minute."

 "Yeah," Niall butts in with a watery smile. "We are all suffering, but imagine how Flo's feeling right now? She does know about this, right?" Watching Mr. Johnson with a questioning look as he shuffled around in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with the question.

 "Mr John-"

 "Boys, call me Joe," he interrupts Niall before continuing. "She does know. Apparently, she's known for a bit. Clearly she's been feeling worse every day, but there's been talk going around that she's been hounding the nurses for her information," he explains.

 Looking at each other with puzzle expressions, all three of the men burst out laughing at the blonde haired girls antics.

 "A laugh fest without me?" Mrs. Johnson walks into the waiting area, one arm in a sling while the other is set on her hip. Sitting down, she weakly smiles at the men before her.

 "Sorry, just catching up on the antics of our daughter," Joe replies, a small smile on his face as he nestled his arms over his wife's shoulders in a protective, yet caring gesture.

 "Honey," Marlene looks up at her husband with tears in her eyes, a cue for Niall and Zay to avert their eyes as the couple began consoling themselves.

♫♫♫

 The days after that swept by with the wind - constant wisps of fear, heartache, struggle. There wasn't much the Johnsons could do but pack up their lives and move forward, leaving the once lively red-bricked home all alone. One thing the Johnsons forgot to take with them were the memories. The constant memories of the little girl with the pigtails running after her two best friends with paint covered hands, their giggles echoing down the street.

 Niall and Zayn stayed with those memories - sometimes even stopping their motion and staring at the blank, vacant house between them, and they remembered. They could never forget the blonde girl with pigtails.

 They'd never forget Flo Johnson.

(A/N) This is rushed, but I couldn't continue with this story.  I love everyone who followed this story - whether it was the start, the middle or even right now - thank you so much. I hope you forgive me for ending this fan fiction so quickly and abruptly, but I couldn't go on with these characters - specifically Flo - since it just gave me bad memories.