Scared to Death [larry a.u.]

Five (Epilogue)

"You have to let me see him!" Louis exclaims to the doctor and two nurses in front of him. "You have to let me see him, I'm his boyfriend, he needs me!"

"It's family only, son, I'm sorry," The doctor explains. "As long as he's in this condition, and we don't know if he'll get out of it."

"I have to see him," Louis' voice breaks. "He's my boyfriend, I have to see him before he dies. Please. I-I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't."

"You can't see him, love, I-"

"It's okay, let him in. He is family."

Louis glances passed the nurses to see Anne standing there, waving for Louis to follow her. The nurses and doctor obey Anne and step aside as he sheepishly follows her down the corridor.

"Harry, love," Anne coos softly when she knocks on the door to the room. "Louis' here to see you."

"My knight in shining armour finally showed up?" Harry giggles weakly from his bed. Louis steps into the room, timid and wary until Harry sits up a bit more and reaches his arms out toward Louis. Louis practically runs over to the bed, bringing Harry into his arms and squeezing him tightly.

"Oh, baby, I missed you," Louis sniffles.

"Don't cry," Harry whispers, his voice hoarse as Louis kisses the top of his head, Harry's hair covered by a beanie Louis gave him to cover his lack of hair.

"'M sorry," Louis sniffles again, leaning back from Harry and looking at his beautiful little face. His cheeks and eyes are a bit sunken in, and he's extremely pale, and he looks so fragile and breakable, but Louis leans forward and kisses his temple and says, "I missed you so much, gorgeous."

Harry rolls his eyes, giggling as he lays his head back on the pillow, too weak to even keep it up on his own anymore. "I love you, Lou," He whispers. Louis leans down and pecks Harry's lips.

"I love you too, Harry," He's really trying his hardest not to cry. Anne is standing in the doorway, bottom lip trembling. "'M so sorry I didn't visit earlier, I..."

"You were scared," Harry continues to whisper. "'S okay, Lou, I don't apologise."

Louis smiles weakly, watching as Harry reaches out and grabs one of Louis' hands with his frail, little one. "Please don't leave me," Louis whispers like Harry had been, hands shaking as he brings Harry's to his mouth and kisses the back of it.

"I won't," Harry replies, and he sounds sincere.

♛

Louis gets the call at four o' clock the next morning.

Anne is sobbing as she tells him how it happened. How Harry had managed to get out that he loves all of them and he loves Louis and he's sorry. Robin has to take over after that, apologising shakily to Louis while Louis chokes out a sob, his hand going up to his stupid bald head that wasn't nearly as beautiful as Harry's.

Robin hangs up after apologising one last time. Louis is screaming, crying out Harry's name as he hears his mum and his stepdad running toward his room, both of them sleepy-eyed and panicked as they walk in on Louis sobbing with his mobiles still in his hand.

Dan takes the mobile and places it on the bedside table while Jay wraps her arms around Louis, rubbing his back and kissing the top of his head and murmuring that she's sorry. There are tears in her eyes as Dan sits on the other side of the bed, letting Louis lean into him a bit.

Harry was scared, so scared, and the thing he was terrified of most–leaving everyone behind–happened. Louis is clutching onto the sleeve of his mother's robe as she wipes her own eyes, already knowing what happened.

"He's not in pain anymore, Lou," Dan mumbles as he rubs Louis' back, Jay stopping to grab a tissue from the bedside table. And that's sort of nice to think about, in Louis' opinion. Because although he is in the most pain he's ever experienced in his life, Harry isn't hurting anymore. Finally.