The Wolf In sheeps clothing

Don't Think Like That!

Louis tried to open his eyes but his lids felt like lead, too heavy to lift. He could hear voices asking asking him if he was OK while other  people shouting for someone to call 911 . He just wanted to sleep but a man was telling him to stay with him, not to go to sleep. Louis was confused, he didn't know what was happening. Part of his mind knew he should be doing something.

"What's your name, sir?" a persistent voice kept saying in his ear.

"Lou..Louis" he managed to gasp out.

"Louis, I'm Pete. We've got help coming. Just hang in there. We'll have you out of here soon. Just try and relax." the man said, his voice reassuring. "What's your friend's name?"

His friend? Louis tried to focus. Oh my G*d, he thought, Niall!!! It was Niall. Was he all right? Was he alive. "Niall..his name is Niall. Is he OK?" Louis was struggling to talk, his chest hurt and it was hard to breath.

"Don't worry about your friend" Pete said  "We'll look after him too. Just try and relax."

"Niall! Niall!" Louis was almost screaming. He heard the sound of approaching sirens and then his world faded to black. All around him, Firefighters shouted instructions to each other  and people moved rapidly to obey.

The car had been hit side on and Niall's head had been bashed against the window on impact. Blood was pouring down the side of his face and soaking into the hoodie he had borrowed from Louis. His breathing was very shallow and his normally pale complexion was bleached white. He didn't respond to his rescuers as his head was held still and a spinal board was carefully slid into place. Slowly, inch by inch, he was moved out of the damaged Range Rover and placed on a gurney to be moved to a waiting ambulance. Louis had already been extracted from the wreak and was on route to the hospital.

"Hurry, his blood pressure is dropping" a paramedic said Niall was loaded into the ambulance. "Hey, what's that on his wrist?" He lifted Niall's arm up gently and surveyed the hospital bracket that Niall wore. Niall Horan, he read. "This is that One D guy, Niall Horan" he told his colleague. Either he hadn't removed it or he hasn't been discharged yet."

"We'll worry about that later"  the other paramedic said. "Let's get moving"

"Can you tell me your name?" a nurse asked Louis as she cut off his clothing and dressed him in a hospital gown.

"Louis...Louis Tomlinson" he said, sucking in a painful breath. Why did his chest hurt so much. "Where's my friend? Where's Niall?"

"The passenger in your car? He's being evaluated" the nurse responded as a doctor approached.

"Is he OK? I need to know. I gotta go see him" Louis tried to push himself up into a seated position but white hot pain raced through his body. He fell back on the bed, sweat coating his body. "Please, I need to see him".

"He's being looked after" the nurse said soothingly "but we need to make sure you're ok"

"No, you don't understand" Louis was almost in tears. "I have to see him, I got to see if he's OK." He tried to get off the bed but the nurse gently restrained him, He struggled briefly but the intense pain won and he slid into unconsciousness.

A team of doctors and nurses worked hard to stabilise Niall as they assessed his injuries. The air bags had deployed on impact but had inflicted their own damage on Niall's small frame. Then there was the head injuries. Niall was wheeled away and various scans and tests were carried out but he remained unresponsive throughout. Eventually he was taken up to the ICU where various machines were hooked up to his frail body. A grim faced nurse studied the machine outputs and recorded them on her charts, pausing to adjust things from time to time. Her patient was in bad shape.She studied his face and thought he must be very cute when his face wasn't disfigured by cuts, bruises and swelling. She sighed then turned when she heard someone behind her  clear their throat hesitantly.

"Umm.Is it OK if I...I mean..can I sit with him?" a tall, muscular man with a trimmed beard asked nervously. "I'm a  friend of his...of Niall. The doctor said it would be allowed."

"If the doctor said so then I am sure it will be fine" the nurse smiled at him as he approached then bed and looked down at the man occupying it. His handsome face registered shock and he went suddenly pale and swayed slightly. The nurse took his arm and guided him to a chair, pushing him to sit. "I know it looks bad but we're doing everything we can for him. Let me get you some water." She left, returning moments later with a glass of water which she handed him. He took it with shaking hands. "Are you a close friend?" she asked quietly.

"Very" Liam sipped some water gratefully "We're in the same band." He paused the said "Is Niall going to make it? He isn't going to die is he?"

"We're doing our best for him" the nurse reiterated. "Now you stay and chat with Niall. He won't answer you but maybe hearing a familiar voice will help. I'll be back shortly. Ring the bell if you need me" She patted his shoulder sympathetically and left to check on the other patient assigned to her care.

"Nialler, bro. What were you doing? Why had you left the hospital..you weren't supposed to, mate." Liam paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Louis is a real state. They had to sedate him because he is so worried about you he wouldn't let them treat him. Stubborn ar$e" Liam shook, his head as he spoke. He reached out and possessed himself of Niall's hand, careful of the canula and wires attached to the man. Niall looked terrible and his appearance had Liam badly shaken. "I spoke to your parents. They are flying over to see you. Ni, you have to get better quick, you don't want to scare your ma, mate." Liam stopped speaking, not knowing what to say. He sat there quietly, the only sounds in the room provided by the machinery surrounding Niall and the occasional squeak of the chair when he changed position. The light outside faded into darkness making the light of the room seem harsh in contrast. Liam's head nodded forward onto his chest as he dozed off.

"Sir..Sir?" a hand gently shaking his shoulder woke Liam up and a different nurse stood next to him.,there had been a shift change as he had slept."Why don't you go  home and get some rest?".

"No, I want to stay" Liam protested, desperately trying to clear his foggy head.

"Sir, there is nothing you can do here. Please , go and get some rest. It won't help if you get sick too." the nurse said gently.

"But what if Niall wakes up..I need to be here" Liam begged her.

"Sir, there has been no change....we'll call you if there is...but please go, take a shower, eat something, get some sleep."

"No change" Liam repeated the nurses words. "That's not good is it? He should be waking up. Why isn't he waking up?"

"He has been quite badly injured and there is some head trauma. Sometimes these things take time. We can't predict how much" She was sympathetic but firm. "I promise, we will call if there is any change."

 Liam took a lads reluctant look at Niall then left. What if this was the last time he saw the sweet Irish lad alive?" No! NO! his mind shouted at him. Don't think like that!" he told himself sternly. Niall would make it. He had to.!