When Love Heals - A Niall Horan Fanfic

Chapter Twenty Three.

"I'm so glad you're here," Lydia whispered, pressing a kiss to Niall's head which was resting on her shoulder. She was still propped up by the pillows, even though the lights were out and she was meant to be getting to sleep.

Visiting times were over and although Karen, Carmen and Meredith had headed home, Niall had outright refused to leave. Luckily, having spent years in the ward before, Lydia knew most of the nurses and since she had a private room, they had agreed to let Niall stay the night, setting up a pull-up bed next to Lydia's. He wouldn't move away from her, though, preferring to squeeze onto her mattress so he could be close by.

The past two days had been hell for him. He didn't think he had ever been through anything as devastating as this, and he was only barely holding it together.

"I couldn't leave," Niall replied, twisting his head so he could press a kiss to Lydia's pyjama-clad shoulder.

"Niall... why did you come?"

Niall shot up at her question and stared at her. "Are you honestly asking me that?" He snapped, his emotions finally getting the better of him. When Lydia nodded hesitantly, Niall almost growled. "Seriously?" He said, raising his voice even though the lights were out and other people around the ward were trying to sleep. "Why did I come?! Lydia, you're my fucking girlfriend! I love you and I got a fucking horrifying phonecall from your best friend telling me that you were in the hospital and you had cancer! Cancer! I might have stayed away if you had a cold but this is so much bigger than that! Why the hell didn't you tell me, Lydia?"

He stared her down, his sadness having transformed into anger. He couldn't believe this was happening. He thought the worst thing that could ever happen to them was having to be away from each other, but now he realised just how naïve he had been.

"I... I didn't want you to worry," Lydia defended, biting her lip at her boyfriend's raging eyes. "I thought it was nothing, I didn't think it was cancer again."

Niall jumped off the bed and paced to the window, leaning against the window ledge and taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"I'd never have forgiven you if you hadn't been okay, y'know." Niall muttered quietly, still staring out the window so he didn't have to look at Lydia.

"Niall, please don't be mad at me," Lydia pleaded from across the room.

But Niall couldn't bare to turn around. He was so angry, he was so pissed off at the world. Why had this happened to her? Why to the most beautiful, kind, most perfect girl he knew? He wished this had never happened, he wished that he could take it away for her, he wished that he could be hurting instead of her.

But instead of telling Lydia all this, Niall didn't know how to deal with these conflicting emotions and instead he was fuelling into all into anger, and he needed to take it out on something, someone, and unfortunately there was only one person around.

"I'm not mad at you!" He shouted, his words contradicting his tone as he whipped around. Lydia stared back with wide eyes. "But what am I meant to do when my sick girlfriend is in hospital for the next year and I'm all the way across an ocean? What am I meant to do when the treatment doesn't work? What the fuck am I meant to do if you leave me?" His yells were almost certainly drawing attention but he didn't give a shit at that moment in time. "In fact, I bet this was all a massive plot! I bet you did this as a joke, to make me fucking fall in love with you and then break my fucking heart! Well good for you, Lydia! You have succeeded."

And with that random outburst, Niall clenched his fists and stormed out of the room.

Lydia just sat there, wondering what the hell had just happened. She felt like she could cry but she tried to hold back the tears, knowing that it would be twisted crying over a boy when she hadn't even cried after being told she had cancer.