Above the Crimson Sky (Sequel to Beneath the Midnight Sky)

XIV. Confrontations

Harry could feel his palms sweaty as he pushed open the door to the hospital room. He felt guilty in a sense that he hadn't kept up with Louis more and communicated with the Tomlinson's. He searched his brain for excuses but could find none.

Finally upon entering, he observed a nurse injecting something into an I.V.

"Hi, I'm Nurse Monroe." She said giving Harry a warm smile that he mirrored. "Mr. Tomlinson here is being given a light sedative. It appears he got angry earlier and trashed his bathroom. He threw his phone across the room but luckily, it's still in one piece." She said removing the syringe from the I.V.

"You can stay for a while but not past visiting hours. Don't want him over stimulated...." She said in a very stern tone. "But while you're here, can I ask you some questions?" She rhetorically asked as he nodded. "I take it you're Harry," he nodded again. "His mother thinks he needs more intensive treatment than we can provide. What are you thoughts?"

   "Well...I watched him spit his food out a lot. He uses detox methods: tea, laxatives, Epsom salt, exercise...on dates he tried to eat so I'd be proud of him, but I guess that's where most of the purging came from. I took him out a lot, you know? It was just so amazing to see him eat for once...." He said glancing over at Louis.

  "What do you think he needs?"

"Unconditional love; not the bullshit Ana fees him."

  "Who?"

"She isn't real. It's what he calls the voice in his head; the one who controls his eating disorder.... Ana.... anorexia. Apparently, it is common personification.... but she won't take him. I won't let her." He swallowed harshly.

The Nurse looked at the clock. "Well I must be going but don't overstimulate him. Hopefully we can get this Refeeding Syndrome under control which won't matter if he keeps up this yo-yo dieting. He needs consistency or simply put: his body will continue to decline."

Harry had so much he wanted to say now that they were alone, but he knew it was pointless as the sedative already took effect. Instead, he crawled in the small space in the bed and wrapped his arms around him tightly. Unconsciously Louis flipped them and spooned him gently.

"Always taking care of me.... when can I return the favor?" Harry giggled before turning his head and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight," he yawned. "I love you." Shortly after, Niall, Liam, and Zayn walked in and saw the room but quickly existed when they saw them peacefully sleeping.

****

Deciding they were hungry, the trio walked out of the hospital and to the car. Besides, it had been pressing on Niall for awhile to confront Zayn and without Harry or Louis there, now would be his best option.

"You know, Mate, Harry really loves Louis." Niall blurted out. "I wish I had a love like that, don't you Lads?"

Liam nodded in agreement as Zayn tried to light a cigarette. "Fuck no. Don't want my car smelling like smoke. You can wait until we get to the restaurant!" Niall snapped. "Anyway, what about you, Zayn?"

Zayn tucked the cigarette behind his ear and looked numbly out the window. "Nah. I don't want fake bullshit. Harry uses Louis as a distraction, you know? He is like Oh I am so different now. Used to be so wild and now I've settled down to take care of his sweet creature. & Louis, I " ink he just stays with Harry because he's so brain washed into thinking Harry's the only one who understands him."

Niall looked at Zayn through the rear view mirror. "What does love look like to you?" He questioned. Liam moved his face closer to Zayn's voice, trying to take in his response. "I mean how do you look in love?"

"I guess I never thought about it before..."Zayn said biting his nail,  needing something in his mouth to soothe his oral fixation. "When I'm in love, I get possessive...I mean really fucking possessive. I want to spend all my time with them. I want them to try new things; build them up. Yet at the same time, I hope they want to do those things with me." He smiled. "Eh, I don't know. That's a stupid question."

Niall rolled his eyes. "What about you Liam?'

"When I'm in love, I think I give my all to someone. I stay devoted until the end. I'm a ride or die kinda person. I know what loyalty is." He spit. "Niall?"

"I love to write them songs, pamper them, show them off. I want them to know they deserve nice things." Niall fondly smiled. "And I'd do anything to make them happy, even if it meant they didn't want to be with me."

Still looking at the window, Zayn searched his mind for times he truly felt in love with someone but the only thing that ever came to his mind was spending time with Louis.

"I have a better answer," Zayn blurted out. "When I'm in love with someone, I'll take million polaroids' just to document how amazing the day was, even if they look sick. Tom me, they're beautiful no matter what. Being in love is driving off campus at midnight with someone just to get drunk in a old barn. Being in love is waking them up every morning with sweet nothings and telling them goodnight ever single night, no matter what. Being in love is knowing that no matter how blue someone's eyes appear, they won't hold a candle to the sapphires that I see, even when I'm not awake. When you see that person, you heart breaks into a million tiny pieces because you know they'll never love you like the way you love them; but you keep loving them anyway because you'd rather have them in your life as anything than nothing."

Niall and Liam exchanged looks. Liam tried to discretely wipe a tear from his eye.

"But what the fuck do I know? I'm just some manwhore." He said recalling Harry's sharp tongue earlier.  "A rebel without a cause."

"You know, you'd be a whole hell more likable in my eyes if you'd leave Harry and Louis alone and let them be happy," Niall suddenly interjected.

"Niall!" Liam tried to defuse the situation.

"No, he needs to hear it! I know Louis in your best-friend and I get it; but Harry is mine and I don't like you trying to come between them. I don't know what your motives are you need to have some boundaries. Louis loves him, not you."

"It is a bit inappropriate," Liam said timidly, not wanting to get Zayn's wrath.

"Haha. You think Harry is so perfect. He's the one following ME around like a lost puppy. Not the other way around. When he hurts Louis, don't come crawling to me because all I'll say is I told you so."

Pulling into the restaurant, Liam and Niall looked at each-other reflecting. When they realized he was right, Niall got a nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach; but it wasn't enough to stop him from eating.

******

I'd give credit to the manip but I found it on Pinterest and not sure who the author is.