The Trouble with a Cough

chapter five

An hour later Karen put Niall into his car seat and drove him back to his place, leading him inside to see Zayn and Louis sat at the table surrounded in markers and pencils and just about anything else she could've possible imagined. It was a mess, with a sniffling and washed out Louis right in the middle of it.

Zayn was just thankful the boy wasn't running around yet. He thanked his mother in law as she hurried off to get some work down around her home, plus clean up the messes Niall had made. She wasn't upset by it at all, it was nice having kids around again and the mess took her back to many years ago.

Louis tapped his Dad's shoulder and showed him a drawing of a truck that he'd scribbled blue and yellow all over, "look Daddy!"
Well, that's what Zayn guessed he'd said, because really it wasn't much of anything that came out of Louis's mouth. The little boy pouted and frowned unhappily.

"That was your voice gone, wasn't it Lou?" Zayn cooed sympathetically, "is your throat hurting you?"
"No," Louis croaked, "tickly."
"Okay Bud, I'm glad you're not hurting," Zayn said, rubbing his back. Zayn picked the boy up and carried him to the kitchen. He gave Louis a cup of water and asked Niall if he 'd had dinner.

"Yup, fish and chips! Nana burned the chips a little bit but they were still yummy," Niall said happily.
"Good to hear Ni," Zayn replied, smiling in amusement.

Louis sipped his water; it felt nice going in his throat.

"Want some more soup?" Zayn asked. Niall turned his nose up, all anybody in this house seemed to eat was yucky soup!
"I'm gonna go play in my room," he stated.
"Alright Bud, come and find me if you need anything. No yelling because Harry and Papa are upstairs sleeping."
Niall nodded and skipped off towards the staircase.

"Soup." Louis tugged on Zayn's leg with one shattered syllable.
"You want some?"
Louis nodded and held his arms up to be picked up. Zayn smiled, picked the boy up, and then made him a bowl of soup.

As Niall headed upstairs he heard some nasty coughs. He wandered curiously into his parent's bedroom, following all the noise, and saw his Papa coaxing his little brother out of a rough coughing fit that made even little Niall worry.

"Is Harry okay?" He ran over to the bedside, bottom lip jutted out.
"He will be fine in a few days Ni, it's just a nasty cough and cold," Liam said.
"How do we make him better? I don't like it when he's sick," Niall said sadly.

"I know. How about you run downstairs Baby, ask Daddy if he can help you sort a hot water bottle? That'll make Harry feel better." Liam ruffled Niall's hair and held Harry close as the coughing died out. The fever Liam thought Harry had was very mild so he figured a hot water bottle wouldn't do any damage. It could sit on Harry's tummy if his muscles were starting to tighten from coughing to much, or his chest to loosen some of the fluid. Liam knew that often small children couldn't cough productively and there was a high chance with the way Harry was coughing that he was going to end up vomiting but at least that'd clear his chest better.

Niall nodded and he  walked down the stairs, being told not to run down them on many occasions.
"Daddy, Papa said I can help Harry!" Niall said proudly.
"Did he now?" Zayn smiled.
"How do I make a hot water bottle?" Niall asked, frowning and scratching at his cheek.
"Very carefully," Zayn replied. He sat Louis down at the table with his bowl of soup and pointed into the living room, "it's in the coffee table drawer, you know what it looks like?"

"Course I do Daddy," Niall retorted, rolling his bright blue eyes. He ran off and Zayn flicked the kettle on. It didn't take more than sixty seconds for Niall to return with the rubber hot water bottle.

Louis tried his best to feed himself but he made a big mess anyway and began whining for a towel to mop it up. Niall laughed at his brothers strange voice and although Louis had found it funny earlier it wasn't anymore when Niall was laughing at him.
"No laughing!" Louis growled, only making Niall laugh louder. Maybe he would've stopped if he'd actually been able to make out what his brother was trying to say.