Pictures and Words

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Another week passed. Nothing much happened other than a couple more interviews and magazine spreads. Today would be exciting though. The boys were doing a charity benefit at a local children’s hospital. The kids thought the boys were just going to hang out with them, but they were actually going to surprise the hospital by doing an acoustic performance of any of their songs that the children requested.

This was exactly the type of thing people needed to know about One Direction. They weren’t being paid to come to this hospital, they willingly volunteered their time to brighten some kid’s day. How sweet was that?

A chorus of knocking came on the door right as I finished my makeup.

“Coming!” Katy yelled running past me to open the door.

“Good grief, somebody’s excited to see Nialler.” I teased, following her into the living room.

She stuck her tongue out at me before opening the door and inviting the boys (plus Paul) in. They all piled through the door, each one saying something different at the same time.

“Repeat?” I asked, looking up from my phone.

Harry went first. “I said, ‘Good morning, loves.’”

Niall was next. “I asked if there was any food.”

“I said hi.” Zayn waved, giving each of us a hug.

“I asked if you two were ready for the day,” Liam said.

Louis grinned a mischievous smirk. “I’m not allowed to repeat what I said. Katy might kill me.”

“I take it Harry told you what I said.” Katy guessed, giving each of them a stern look.

I giggled, but refrained from commenting when Harry mumbled something about Katy being very ‘mother-henish’.

“We better get going,” Paul said with a glance at his watch.

“’Kay, hang on. Let me finish this tweet.” I typed as quickly as I could on my phone, hoping there weren’t any mistakes. I thought my the follows of my official author account deserved at least a hint as to what my new project was, seeing as I wasn’t allowed to outright tell them yet.

Hey guys! Just wanted to say there’s exciting things going on for me in London! Can’t wait to tell y’all more! ;)

After I hit the tweet button, I was ushered outside where we all piled into the ten passenger van. Harry sat next to me, but seemed afraid to speak as Katy was seated right on front of us.

I giggled. “Don’t worry. Not every word you say will get you in trouble.”

“You try having someone threaten your hair. It’s a traumatic experience.”

His face was so serious, it made me bust out laughing. My sides were hurting I was laughing so hard. When I finally composed myself again, I looked up and saw Harry smiling at me. It was a genuine smile that showed off his adorable dimples.

“What?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I like your laugh.”

*****

It was amazing to see the boys at the hospital. They made sure each child got individual time from them and took pictures with any that wanted to. Harry gave a couple of the little girls who were having a rough day a few of his bracelets to make them feel better, while Niall and Zayn gave two little boys the hats they had been wearing. Liam and Louis passed out small gifts they had picked up for the kids, ranging from stuffed animals to race cars.

Katy documented the whole thing through pictures while I wrote down everything I could. I couldn’t wait to get more notes together and start sorting out the chapters.

After the boys did their rounds, they had everyone who could join them in a huge lounge the hospital had said they could use. They each sat on a stool with a microphone in their hand and a bottle of water at their feet. Of course, Niall also had his guitar.

“Hey guys,” Zayn began.

Liam continued, “We would like to thank everyone for being so welcoming and letting us come visit. It’s amazing to see people so young being to strong. Each of you is truly an inspiration to us.”

“To thank you guys, we would like to perform a few songs,” Louis explained.

“Any requests?” Niall asked, holding his hands out to the crowd.

A bunch of hands shot up in the air. Katy smiled and snapped a few pictures.

Harry pointed to a small girl in a wheelchair. “What’s your name, love?”

“Emma.” She smiled. I could tell by the look in her eyes that this was a dream come true.

“What song would you like us to play for you, Emma?”

“One thing,” the little girl said decisively.

Niall smiled. “One of my favorites!”

I leaned against the wall and watched the faces of all the children while 1D sang. Each child had a look of pure delight and amazement in their eyes as they listened to the boys. It was one of the most inspiring things I have ever seen. Liam wasn’t lying when he said these children were a huge inspiration.

The boys ended up playing every song from the album just to keep the kids smiling. It was nighttime by the time we made it back to the complex. Harry and Louis invited us all over to their flat for dinner, but I never got to eat. I fell asleep on the couch within the first five minutes of being there.

I dreamed of the look on those kids faces and how much the boys had amazed me tonight with their kindness. This was one day I would never forget.