The Wolf In sheeps clothing

Long Showers

Despite medication, Niall didn't sleep well and woke early, his mind going in to overdrive as he thought through his situation. He hated feeling trapped by this illness and being in hospital was stifling. It made him feel like an object , rather than a person. It seemed like the doctors and nurses controlled his every moment with their constant fussing over his temperature,  whether he'd eaten, to if and how long he had slept. And the seemingly endless poking and prodding from the doctors. He didn't feel like a person , like Niall, but  more like a collection of symptoms. He'd had enough. His eyes roamed around the room as he grew more and more fractious.

"Knock, knock" Louis entered the room and smiled at his friend who glared back at him grumpily.

"Hey" was the terse response from Niall as he twisted the sheets between his fingers in  continuous and restless motion.

"I've come to save you from boredom" Louis said as he lifted the bag in his hand and shook it gently. "FIFA!"

"Great" Niall's face lit up in a smile as he pushed the control on his bed, making it rise so he was sitting up more. He fidgeted impatiently as he watched Louis set everything up. Louis chatted as he did so, passing on messages from the other lads  who were heading over to the US and would also come and spend time with Niall.

"I'm getting out of here . I got to get away." Niall replied to one comment Louis made about Niall's hospital stay.

"When?" Louis sounded confused "They discharging you, then?" He was puzzled. He had spoken to the nurse that morning and she had indicated that Niall would be a patient for some time as they needed to get this flareup under control. Niall had also managed to lose quite a bit of weight in a very short time and that was also a concern."You're not going to do anything stupid, mate, are you?"

"Nah" Niall said quickly. " Just fed up, ignore me. Let's play" He took the controller from Louis with a murmur of thanks and they were soon engrossed in a game, the silence occasionally broken by yells or groans from either man. 

"I'm sorry, but Mr Horan needs to rest now" The nurse stood in the doorway, a stern look on her face. Louis reluctantly stood and took the controller from Niall before placing it on the chair , along with his.

"I'll leave it set up, mate. We'll play later, yeah?" Louis suggested and Niall nodded despondently. He didn't want Louis to go and he didn't want to rest but the nurse held the power. "I'll be back, later, Ni" and with a casual wave, Louis was gone.

The nurse started to bustle about Niall, doing all her observations.Niall flushed with embarrassment as she asked questions about his urine output. The doctor had explained that Lupus could affect the kidneys and Niall's showed signs of possible problems. . He couldn't wait to get out of this place.

"Oh dear" the nurse spoke softly, almost too quietly for Niall to hear.

"What's wrong?" Niall queried.

"Nothing, nothing" the nurse smiled at Niall then pulled the bed clothes back up over him. She then wrote somethings on the chart she had brought into the room with him. "How about some lunch, now?"

"Not hungry" Niall responded instantly.

"You must eat, Mr Horan" was the firm response. The nurse gathered up her equipment and left the room. Niall stared at the ceiling as he thought, a slight frown marring his features. "Here you go". The nurse had returned , a tray in her hands. She put it down on Niall's table;e and swung it across the bed before lifting the cover off the plate. Niall looked at the meal and groaned loudly. 

"Fish, uggh" he pushed the table away, prompting the nurse to push it back.

"You need to eat it, Mr Horan" the nurse said sternly . All of a sudden Niall had an idea.

"If I eat it, would you let me out of bed to shower later today" he asked in a wheedling tone.

"Well, doctor wants you to rest as much as possible but I think, if you eat this, have a rest then I'll let you shower before dinner" the nurse bargained."How about that?"

"Great" Niall said, a grin on his face. He picked up his knife and fork and started to eat, pulling a face at the bland and tasteless food. But a bargain was  a bargain and he didn't want the nurse to withdraw her consent. He'd be good..........for now!

"Good, you've eaten everything" the nurse praised as she moved the table back out of Niall's way. "Now let's get you settled for a nap then you can shower when you wake up. She went through her little routine of removing pillows before settling Niall back and lowering the bed flat, before pulling down the window blinds .plunging the room into gloom. A quick glance around the room then she departed. Niall let out a sigh of relief then closed his eyes. He hadn't planned on napping but he hadn't had that good a night and he could use a power nap. He closed his eyes.

Doctor Martin stood at the nurses station scanning the notes the nurse had just passed him, nodding slightly as he read. He walked swiftly to Niall's room and let himself in quietly and stood looking down at the sleeping man. Niall's face was relaxed in sleep, showing no sign of the fretful expression he wore when wakeful. The doctor observed the hint of pink in otherwise pale cheeks. The blood transfusions had begun to make a difference although Niall still was far from well. The doctor slowly lifted the  sheet at the bottom of the bed to study Niall's ankles which, as the nurse had noted and reported to him, were swollen. Evident sign that Niall's kidneys were definitely not functioning properly. He replaced the sheet carefully then, picking up his notes, left Niall sleeping and totally unaware that the doctor had been in to see him.

Niall felt groggy when he woke up and took a few minutes to wake up fully. He finally pressed the nurses call bell and his regular nurse hurried into the room.

"You had a good nap" she cooed at him. "Now you're awake, I'll just do my checks" She bustled out , returning very quickly with her equipment. She wasted no time in doing her checks. "Just need some blood, sweetie" she said cheerfully, making Niall groan. He hated needles with such a passion. The nurse, however, was very skilled, and soon had taken the blood required. Niall let out a sigh of relief.

"Can I get my shower now?" Niall asked "You promised" he reminded her.

"So I did, sweetie. Yes, you go ahead" the nurse smiled at him then poked her head into the bathroom that adjoined the room. "Plenty of towels in there. Pull the emergency cord if you feel unwell though, won't you?"

"Yeah, but I feel fine. I want a long, long long shower" Niall told her as he through back the bedding and swung his legs over the side of the bed ' and out of this dumb gown".

"Oh yes, your friend left you some sweats and Tees to sleep in. They are in your locker with your wash gear, sweetie" the nurse informed him and Niall smiled with pleasure at the news. "Enjoy your shower." With that, the nurse left.

Niall bent down to the locker and pulled out the bag Louis had stuffed there. He rummaged through and saw Louis had thought of everything. His eyes lit up as he grabbed what he needed and headed into the bathroom. He stripped off quickly and set the shower going. Yes, he was taking a very long shower.

"He's in room 139, Sir" the nurse told Liam when he stopped at the nurses station "He's just hopped into the shower but you are welcome to go in and wait for him.". Liam thanked her and headed to Niall's room. The shower was running full blast  so Liam made himself at home in the comfortable recliner chair that sat in the corner of the room and pulled out his phone to check his social media while he waited. After half an hour had passed and Niall still hadn't appeared, Liam frowned. Niall's shower seemed never ending. He got up and knocked on the door, calling out Niall's name but there was no response. Maybe Niall hadn't heard above the sound of the gushing water. Liam knocked again then entered and stopped in astonished horror. The shower was running at full power, there was a crumpled hospital gown on the floor. But there wasn't a sign of Niall. The small Irish man had vanished.

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