Liam, Niall, Louis, Zayn and Harry were all sleeping at their hotel in New York, excited to fly home and see their families the next day. Niall couldn't sleep because he had a terrible pain in his stomach. He thought it was just over-excitement because he hadn't seen his friends or family back in Ireland for a few months. The next morning the boys were all packed, and ready to go, but Niall just couldn't leave New York.
"Niall, is it because after we get off the plane in London, you'll be on the flight alone, til you reach Ireland?" Liam questioned. The four boys thought that he was just scared of flying alone... but that wasn't it. He was scared... but why? After a talk with Paul, Niall finally agreed to go home, but it still didn't feel right. At the airport, Niall had second thoughts, and despite what Paul, Liam, Zayn, Harry and Lou were saying, he left and begged them to stay in New York one more night with him, but they all wanted to see their families so they left. Paul decided that he had a responsibility to stay with Niall, and make sure he was alright. Niall gave all the boys a hug and wished them a safe flight.
In the cab ride back to their hotel, Paul and Niall stayed quiet. Paul glanced over at Niall, and could see a few tears starting in Nialls eyes, but didn't want Niall to see him staring. Paul needed to talk to Niall but couldn't because he didn't want the cab driver to hear, so they talked back at the hotel. After Niall explained, that there just wasn't something right about flying home, Paul shrugged it off... but he shouldn't have.
About 45 minutes later, Pauls phone rang and he left the room to talk to whoever it was on the other line. Niall didn't think it was anything, Paul always got phonecalls and this was no different, right? Wrong. Paul came in, looking everywhere but at Niall, head down, wiping away a tear. Nialls chest felt heavy, his heart started beating, he could barely breath or talk. "Wha-what... what is it...?" he finally spit out. Paul told Niall to sit down but he refused. "Just tell me!" so Paul did... He explained to Niall that the boys were all in a plane crash, it was just as the plane was about to land in London, something went horribly wrong. "Harry, Louis and Liam are alive..." Paul said... Niall fell to the floor "WHAT ABOUT ZAYN?" Niall hoped that he heard Paul wrong, but Paul just shook his head. He sat down beside Niall and whispered "Sorry Niall..."
Niall cried, and cried and cried and he forgot what it was like not to cry. Tears flooded the pillow case and bed sheets. Paul sat on the phone making travel arrangements back to London, and talked to his own family assuring them he was alright. Paul felt horrible too, but it hadn't hit him yet. As soon as Niall stopped crying, Paul asked Niall to call his family but that just made Niall cry again. "ITS ALL MY FAULT PAUL!" Niall blamed himself for everything. He could have stopped the boys from getting on that flight if only he tried hard enough. Everytime he felt a little better, he blamed himself for the accident and was back in tears.
The next day, Paul dragged Niall out of bed and got a cab to the airport. Silence again. The flight home was slow and painful. Even though four of his best friends were in a Plane Crash the day before, Niall wasn't scared to fly. It was like if he died it wouldn't even matter. Niall hated to feel like that, but he couldn't stop it. Niall was finally ready to talk to Paul about the boys that ... made it. Paul didn't have the heart to tell him that Liam passed away that morning, so he told Niall that Liam was still in a coma, Louis was barely holding onto life in the ICU, and Harry was awake, with only a few broken bones miraculously. As soon as Paul lied about Liam being in a coma, he automatically regretted it. Niall would find out eventually that he had now lost Zayn and Liam and the sooner he knew would be better... but he couldn't bring himself to break Niall's heart all over again.
As Niall and Paul landed in London, they took a cab straight to the hospital. Niall suddenly started shaking and felt the world closing in on him. He realized that his phone had been off since yesterday, he turned it on to see 20 missed calls from his parents, and about 100 text messages. This was before the press even found out about the accident.
