The Wolf In sheeps clothing

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"Great, Niall. You are going to do so well tonight" the producer told Niall as he finished his final rehearsal for the AMAs. "Let me show you the seating plan for tonight." He led Niall over to where a large chart was stretched across a table. "Here" the man pointed to an area and Niall nodded. Niall's eyes then roved over the chart and another name caught his eye. Zayn's! Niall chewed his lip nervously. He hadn't been this close to Zayn since he'd left the group mid OTRA tour. The rift between the boys seemed to grow wider every day and it hurt Niall but what could he do?

The voice of the  woman briefing Niall droned on and on and he tuned her out as his own thoughts began to swamp his brain. Mind made up, he swallowed. He was doing this.

"Ready?" the woman's voice finally broke through his thoughts. "Follow me then". Niall stood and followed her, closer and closer, then he was there. Niall reached out a hand that was shaking and swiftly grabbed Zayn's and shook it briefly 'Hi' he whispered before he was urged onward and the moment had passed. Zayn stared at him, face shocked.The encounter had taken mere seconds. The rest of the evening passed in a blur of faces though his time with Selena Gomez helped calm his frantically racing mind.

"Frosty Handshake between Zayn and Niall". "Niall and Zayn heal the rift". "Zayn and Niall meet face to face at the AMAs". The headlines shrieked across the various media outlets, none of them agreeing as to the result. Niall eyed them all, frowning. He hoped that the rift between him and Zayn would heal. Time alone would tell. He'd tried. He'd held out the proverbial olive branch. He rubbed his forehead, the stress of the last few days was making his head ache and his chest felt tight. All he wanted was to sleep for days. Niall through down the latest gossip magazine and headed to his bedroom. Sleep was all he could think of right now. He dropped onto his bed and passed out almost instantly, snoring softly from time to time.

"Niall" Doctor Ward sighed as he looked at the young man sat on the examination couch "You have to get more rest". Niall just glared at him mutinously.

"I do rest" Niall's tone was sharp, his Irish accent more pronounced than normal.He felt irritable. It seemed like everyone was ruling his life right now and he hated it.

"Yes, sure you do" his doctor said sarcastically. "That's why you are having another flareup of the Lupus. You have to avoid stress, eat sensibly and get plenty of rest. Right now, you've been doing none of these things."

"I have commitments. I've the Jingle Bell Balls coming up, the album to finish, promo to do. I can't take time off" Niall tried to sound reasonable but he knew Doctor Ward was right. He'd been pushing himself liker crazy and had been a bag of nerves since the AMA show.

"I'll tell you again, Niall. You have to get more rest. If you don't, I'll have you hospitalised to make sure you do rest" Doctor Ward said firmly. Niall opened his mouth to retort that he wasn't going to let the doctor do that when he thought better of it and closed his mouth without speaking. He sighed heavily.

"You can get dressed now, Niall" the doctor said quietly and Niall slid off the couch and started pulling his clothes on before going to sit in a chair facing the doctor. The doctor looked up at Niall, and, smiling, shook his head in exasperation. "What am I going to do with you?" he enquired good naturally.

"I'll try to be good" Niall said "but I'll f.ck up"

"Niall, I'm serious" Doctor Ward . "The Lupus is flaring up. Flare ups are serious. I don't want to act the heavy but I will if I have to do so." He gave Niall a straight look and Niall nodded. He knew the doc was right but he hated this illness, the limitations and the pain. "I'll see you next month, meantime be good". Both men stood and shook hands and Niall left, shoulders hunched and eyes down as he walked out, past the Receptionist, into the heat of the LA sun.

"Selena?" Niall heard the uncertainty in his own voice as he spoke. He felt the tension leave his body as he listened to her sweet reply. "Ummh, I need your help" he admitted. He listened to the voice at the other end, soft and soothing, and a genuine smile washed over his face. "Thanks, Selena. I'll be there shortly" Niall ended the call and smiled as he felt his shoulders relax. Doctors were all very well but they were doctors. Selena knew what it was like, really like, to live with Lupus, the stress and uncertainty. Niall started the car and pulled out of the parking lot of the Medical centre.

Niall's good humor stayed with him, even after he'd returned home after spending several hours with Selena. They had always been good friends, maybe even cherished a little crush between themselves, but suffering the same serious illness had bonded them in a way that they didn't share with anyone else. Niall finally felt...comforted...he supposed would be the description. Yes, comforted. A soft smile lit up his tired face as he put his keys into the lock and let himself into the blissful coolness of his house.

Niall whistled as he moved about the kitchen, chopping vegetables and preparing the noodles. He enjoyed cooking and was good at it. A nice stir fry, healthy and quick, he thought, just what the doctor ordered. He grinned to himself. He'd promised Selena that he'd try to take the illness seriously so he'd do his best. He pulled a cold beer from the fridge. It wasn't exactly healthy but he had to keep some vices, he thought. Niall sniffed appreciatively at the aroma of the cooking food and shuffled impatiently from foot to foot as he efficiently stirred the vegetables in the Wok. Finally he was able to fix his plate and carried it to the kitchen table. Sitting down, he had just raised his fork to his open mouth when his cell phone began to bleep indicating a text had come in. He looked down and his eyes widened at the name displayed.

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