United We Live

Eleven

Zayn huddled in the end of the hall of the floor that Harry's room was on. This particular window gave him a clear view of the mass that still stood outside of the hospital two hours later. At this rate, they seemed to be settling in for the long run, based on the tents and cars that were setting up for the evening.

It had started to rain again, not a few minutes pass 8:30; and yet no one budged.

Umbrellas had been passed around, and ponchos handed out as they continued to protect their little flames that lit up the sky.

Zayn vaguely acknowledged the dull throb in his stomach that had grown less bothersome over time. Over the past three days he had been having trouble keeping his meals down. At least, the meager meals he had managed to remember that is.

"Zayn?"

The singer jumped as Louis approached him almost silently. He hadn't heard the older teen approaching, which was a rather surprising feat for the usually loud and obnoxious band member.

"Lou? Hey, are you doing okay?" The darker haired star inquired getting a better look at the teen as the light hit his face. If anything, he looked even worse than he had over the course of the morning.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing," He shrugged off his worry, seating himself in the windowsill across from him. "I know you're a quiet guy, but I've barely heard you speak over the past couple of days."

"Just...worried," Zayn responded, continuing to eye the teen. "Lou, are you sure you're alright?"

The older boy was leaning heavily against the wall, shallow breathing a little louder than usual. It was obvious his body was being racked with a terrible shiver, as if he was freezing despite the several layers the teen sported. His coughs had been getting progressively grittier and deeper as the evening had gone on, and Zayn could see him rubbing his chest in discomfort.

When he received no response, Zayn leaned forward and rested his hand on Louis' forehead.

It was getting pretty warm.

"Lou, I think your fever is getting pretty bad."

The teen shuffled before nodding his head.

"I'm actually really tired, Zayn," Louis responded, and that made the other teen's heart drop.

It wasn't good if Louis was willing to admit he wasn't feeling his best.

"C'mon," Zayn frowned, standing as he adjusted Louis' arm around his neck and lifted him. "You obviously aren't treating your cold very well. Let's get you back to the hotel so you can get some rest and some medicine."

Louis nodded, trailing along as the two made their way down the hall.

Directing Louis to a chair, Zayn poked his head into the waiting room where Liam sat with Anne holding a lukewarm cup of coffee.

"Liam?"

Startled, the Wolverhampton teen looked up.

"Louis getting pretty sick, I'm going to take him back to the hotel and try to see if he can get some sleep. I think his fever is really taking a toll on him."

Immediately, Liam and Anne exchanged worried glances.

"Do you need me to come with?"

"No, I think we'll be fine. It's just a cold, you can stay here with everyone," Zayn assured him.

"Nonsense," Anne suddenly spoke, standing. "Let me drive you boys back, Harry only just went to sleep and likely will be out for the rest of the evening. It's the least I can do to get you both back to your hotel away from the hassle of security and paps."