When Love Heals - A Niall Horan Fanfic

Chapter Twenty Nine.

"NIALL GET YOUR IRISH ARSE BACK TO LONDON!"

Niall cowered at the screaming voice coming through the speaker of his phone.

"Meredith?" He gasped after a second, recognition clicking in his brain.

"Get in a car, get on a boat, get on a plane, I don't care. Please, Niall. Just please get back here," the voice begged, and Niall was pretty sure Meredith was crying.

"What? What's happened? Are you okay?" Niall said, refusing to panic as he began to rush around the room, stuffing random clothes into his suitcase.

"Lydia asked for you."

And that's all he needed to hear.

***

The flight took seven hours and twenty one minutes.

Thankfully, the boys came too and helped to keep Niall's mind off whatever devastating scene was waiting for him at the hospital in London. Some unknown force must have been with them, because these were some of the few days that the band had free, no interviews, no promo appearances scheduled. They were the days that Niall had planned to go back to see Lydia anyway, to be with her for the start of the chemotherapy. He was thankful that, if she had to have taken a down turn, it had been at the time that he could at least be there for her.

Niall hadn't stayed on the phone with Meredith long. He didn't know why Lydia had asked for him specifically, she had been ignoring all his texts, all his messages for over two weeks. Two long weeks. But Niall kept reminding himself that she had asked for him,  and that sliver of hope was enough to keep him going.

"We'll be there in a second, mate." Louis turned around from the front of the minivan to give Niall a reassuring smile.

Niall took a deep breath, recognising the road leading up to the hospital entrance.

"Thank you," he said, glancing around at the four boys sat in the band. "Really boys, thank you for coming with me. I don't think I would have got through that flight if you weren't with me."

"No problem, Ni."

"Love you, mate."

"Good luck, Niall!"

"Say hi to Lydia from us!"

The boys chorused and shouted over each other as Niall stepped out of the minivan and walked at a fast pace into the hospital. His heart was beating faster and faster as he got in the lift and waited patiently as it made its way up to the oncology ward.

He wasn't sure where to go... Lydia had been in Room 206 last time he had run through this corridor, he remembered. Maybe he should check there first, he thought.

He didn't have time to reach the room, though.

A little girl came sprinting through the corridors, her face scrunched up in sadness and the sound of her little feet running echoing on the polished floor.

"Carmen?" Niall gasped, frozen to the spot. He had never seen Carmen looking this devastated. The day when Doctor Hanson announced the cancer was back, the seven year old girl was the strongest of them all. But not today.

Carmen skidded to a stop, her jaw dropping wide at the sight of Niall. And then suddenly she burst into tears and Niall kneeled down just in time to catch the girl who flung her arms around his neck. She sobbed into his shoulder and clutched his shirt, refusing to grant any space between them. Niall just hugged her tightly back, swaying slightly from side to side as her tears stained his shirt.

When it became apparent that Carmen wasn't going to calm down, Niall picked her up, her arms still around his neck. She leaned her cheek on his shoulder as he carried her silently down the corridor to the empty family waiting room. He sat down, but she refused to move off his lap.