Bloom

Chapter 23

"Daddy! Where are we going?" Zayn asked from the back seat.

"We're going to get a Christmas tree!" Harry said.

"Really?!"

"Yup! You guys can help choose the color lights we use," Louis said.

"I Wannas help with ZeeZee!" Eric cheered.

"We should get rainbow lights Eric!" Zayn cheered.

"I wike wainbows," Eric smiled.

"Okay bub, we will see if they have rainbow lights," Harry said pulling into the Christmas tree farm.

Harry and Louis got out of the car before letting both of the boys out immediately ran towards the building. Zayn ran as fast as he could but of course with an intention of stopping before he reached where cars were entering the parking lot, however Eric did not get that memo.

"Eric! Stop running!" Louis yelled.

However, it was too late, a car came flying towards Eric but luckily slammed on the brakes just before they hit Eric.

Louis ran to Eric and picked him up making sure to check for any kind of damage while Harry picked up Zayn and held him close.

"Eric what is the matter with you? When I tell you to stop you stop! Same with you Zayn, you know not to run. We are going home and you Zayn are going to do your homework and Eric you are going into timeout. Maybe we will try this again tomorrow," Harry said.

Both parents were livid, however they were just as worried that one of their children had almost been taken from them.

Everyone got in the car and no one said a single thing, it was completely silent the whole ride home. When they got inside Zayn went to doing his homework and Eric was sent to timeout in the corner.

Eric did not realize he did anything wrong, he didn't understand what was wrong with what he did, he was just copying Zayn. So immediately the first thought that popped into his head was why Zayn wasn't in trouble also? He watched Zayn finish his homework within five minutes and then run over to give Louis and Harry a hug. Eric sighed as a tear fell down his cheek, he didn't know that Harry and Louis were so worried that he almost got hit, in fact he thought the opposite. He thought that they didn't care for him as much as they did Zayn, and then came the realization Eric had had so many times before.

"Zayn is their real son, you're not, you don't have real parents anymore, Harry and Louis were just pretending to love you," Eric's mind told him.

Eric sat there as tears pooled into his eyes and he quietly sobbed in the corner for the remaining fifteen minutes. He heard the timer go off but he didn't get out of the corner like he usually did.

Louis turned off the timer in the kitchen while Harry was making dinner and they expected to hear Eric's little feet running towards the kitchen but they didn't.

"I'll go check on him, he probably fell asleep again," Harry chuckled as he left the kitchen and went to the living room.

"Hey bubba, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Harry asked while kneeling in front of him.

Eric didn't say anything and turned away from him.

"I know you don't like being in time out buddy but you did something wrong so you had to be punished."

Harry didn't wait for Eric to answer so he picked him up and took him to the kitchen as he continued to avoid everyone while tears fell down his face.

"What happened baby?" Louis asked taking Eric from Harry.

Eric just shook his head in response making Louis frown.

"Dinner won't be ready for about an hour in a half so why don't we go upstairs and take a little nap, that will probably make you feel a bit better boo," Louis said as he kissed Zayn's head before walking upstairs to his room.

He placed Eric on the bed and climbed in next to him and held him close.

"Can you tell baba what's wrong baby?"

However instead of an answer Eric just let out a heart wrenching sob, not the kind like when he hurts himself or when he doesn't get something, the kind that shows how much someone is hurting, the kind you never want your child to let out.

"Oh sweetheart what's wrong? Please tell me bub," Louis said close to tears pulling Eric to his chest.

At this point the boy just wanted comfort no matter who it was from, he buried his head into Louis' shoulder and his sobs slowly reduced to a sniffle.

"Eric sad."

"Why are you sad baby boy?"

"Only Eric gots in troubles."

"Sweetheart Zayn got in trouble too, usually he gets to wait to do his homework tomorrow night but we made him do it a day early. And Zayn stopped running before he got to the car. That car almost hit you baby and me and daddy were so worried, you have no idea."

"You and daddy stills loves me?"

"Of course we do buddy, we never stopped and never will stop, you are our baby boy."

Eric smiled and cuddled closer to Louis' warm chest and slowly fell asleep.