Many hours and updates later, they were rolling Harry back into the room.
The sound of pressurized air from the door woke Louis with a start, and he looked around, shaking off his sleep as he noticed Harry, asleep, peaceful on his gurney, a bandage wrapped around his head. Louis knew part of his head was shaved, and he felt a pang of sorrow in his chest, it would devastate Harry, the loss of his hair.
Louis rubbed his eyes signing, the last remnants of sleep evaporating as he took Harry's hand gently into his own, kissing it lightly, muttering a silent thank you to whoever was responsible for Harry being returned to him.
Then he turned to the doctor
"So he's going to be okay right?" Louis asks wanting to be one hundred percent sure
"Yes, it looks that way right now, but we won't know for sure until he wakes up, which should be within the next 4-6 hours" the doctor tells him, and Louis nods, thanking her. She nods at him with a smile and then leave. Sparrow puts her paws up on the bed and rests her snout on them, whining slightly. Then she carefully leaps onto the bed and settles at the foot, against Harry's covered feet, but not putting any pressure on them, spare her head pressed to the side of his calf. She huffed and closed her eyes just as Gemma woke up.
When she noticed Harry was in the room she looked to Louis, not speaking but Louis understood
"Less then five minutes, I was just about to wake you. The doctor said he should be fine but they won't know until he wakes up in a couple of hours" Louis says, filling her in and she nods.
"She's not going to hurt him is she?" Gemma asks, tipping her head towards sparrow and Louis shook his head
"No, that dog is smart" he says watching her with kind eyes "she knows better then we would I reckon"
Gemma nods and leans in, eyes closed to press a kiss to Harry's temple, just below the first white ring of bandages start. Then she stands
"I'm going to get coffee, do you want anything?" She asks and Louis nods
"Coffee, two sugars and a milk is good. Thanks Gem" he says and she nods walking out.
When Louis is left alone with his unconscious boyfriend, he takes a deep breath, finding his hand move to press gently, carefully against the firm tight bump present on Harry's abdomen. He curses himself, trying to stay distant, to not grow attached, Harry doesn't want this baby, he was planning on aborting it for christs sake. Louis can't help himself despite this. He strokes Harry's bump with his thumb wondering if a son or a daughter lay under his touch, or if it was more then one what they would be. Visions of himself and Harry raising kids flashed though his mind, taking over his thoughts and clouding his mind.
"Daddy, daddy! Come push me!" The little girl with the dark curly hair called towards him, and he obeyed, walking towards his daughter, pushing hard on her back to send her swing into the air, while Harry sat in a sandbox a few feet away, a baby boy slapping the sand and giggling as Harry helped her build sand castles and little animals.
The scene faded away and another replaced it, Harry sitting on the couch, a tiny baby cradled in his broad arms, both asleep with the tv on low, another child curled against Harry's side also asleep, her curly hair covering her face.
Another scene whisked in, a family playing in the snow, dark curly hair popping up over a snow mound, playing peekaboo with a toddler who was fat with snow clothes, sitting in the snow he topped back kicking his little legs gleefully as Harry revealed himself again, crawling around the front to scoop the baby boy into his arms and fall onto his back, rising the giggling baby above him into the air, while a another child, a little girl called for his attention, slowing off something she had learned, gliding across the ice on her skates.
Louis was snapped back to reality as Gemma called his name, pushing his coffee towards him.
"Earth to Louis, we have your caffeine Louis" she says and Louis chuckles, rolling his eyes and removing his hand from Harry's belly, taking the cup and sitting back.
"Thanks Gem, I was just imagining if things were different" Louis says, staring wistfully at Harry's stomach
"You gotta understand Lou, he was on the way home that night from a movie in the park, me and him went to see some crappy comedy that was playing, to get his mind off of everything that was happening. I offered him a ride home on the way to my friends house, but he told me it was okay, he would walk. So he did. Some asshole jumped him, beat him nearly to death, stabbed him right here" she indicates the spot for him, fingers gently touching the fabric of his hospital gown. "Whoever it was took his wallet, his phone, anything of value, including his daughter, my niece. We were all so excited for her, the first grand-baby for mom, my first niece or nephew, Harry's first kid, but it was all taken from him. He blames himself, I can tell, right from the get go. I don't think he can mentally take another pregnancy, or another loss. The last one broke him." Gemma says looking at her brother worriedly, and Louis could see how vulnerable and young Harry looked, a shell of himself, a child trapped in a mans body having to undergo the terrors of the world.
"Yeah, I understand Gemma, but it's hard not to get attached you know? I can't help but wonder if he or she would like football, or what toppings they would like on pizza, their favourite colour, hell even if they would like to read or not, would they be more like me or Harry? I like to think they would take after Harry, I don't deserve someone as amazing as him, he lights up a room the minute he walks in and he embraces who he is, he's confident and loving, loyal, determined, faithful, he's just perfect Gem, I don't know what I would do if he doesn't pull though this" Louis says a deep frown set on his face, but underneath Gemma picks up on the tone of utter devotion and love Louis's voice takes on when he speaks of Harry, in love not only with Harry's physical being but his soul, his values and true, raw person as well.
"Me either Louis, but you know, we both know Harry loves us, no matter what happens" she says and Louis nods, bowing his head.
The hours stretch into day, and the days into weeks and Harry still hasn't woken.
It was closing in on a week after Harry's surgery and Louis was once again alone with Harry. Gemma hated to leave but she had no other choice, her flat was left unattended and the woman was was watching her cat had broken her hip and could no longer take care of Hal (Harry had always laughed at his name). Gemma looked for another place, but finally have up, not wanting to surrender her cat to the SPCA even if it was only temporary, she had to go home again. She returned to classes and over the past week tried to catch up on anything she missed, which turned out to be a fair amount. Louis gave her updates once a day, which mostly consisted of things such as urine output (which remained normal) and how Harry's wounds were healing.
His incisions and cuts, aside from his head, were all healed thankfully, but his bones were still on the mend, in casts and elevated when necessary. There was a feeding tube in his nose, and a tube attached to a breathing machine down his throat. It pained Louis to look at him like his, but it pained him even more as every second ticked by and Harry didn't wake.
The baby continued to develop, albeit a little slowly, and Louis decided not to find out the gender when asked. Even if Harry did decide he wanted this baby, Louis wanted to wait to find out with Harry, and if Harry didn't want him or her, it would be pointless and cruel for Louis to get more attached to the unborn baby.
He knew the Harry's doctors were Whispering, discussing what the plan of action was, he could see them through the glass. Louis didn't know what to do with himself, so he paced most of the time, which was what he began to do now.
When a male doctor with a scruffy beard walked into the room, the others standing back, behind him slightly, clearly students, Louis walked over and grabbed Harry's hand, fear gripping him as he waited for their verdict.
"Mr. Tomlinson, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this but Mr. Styles is showing no signs of neural function. The machines are the only thing keeping him alive. I'm so sorry, but he's considered brain dead, he isn't going to wake up."
