The Trouble with a Cough

chapter six

It rained hard all day long, the front yard was flooded when Zayn returned home with Niall and Louis bouncing around in the back seat. Due to the weather they'd been trapped inside all day although it was amusing how energetic they both were, Zayn knew that he was going to have a hard time quietening them for Harry's sake.

Inside, Liam had run out of things to distract Harry. He would've thought the rain would act as a soother but Harry hadn't been asleep again since the morning and he was coughing up a storm. As a nurse Liam knew the tips and tricks of the trade but although he could ease Harry's coughing, nothing he did stopped it for very long. The silence, minus the sniffling, would be a maximum of ten minutes long before Harry started hacking again.

He smiled tiredly as Zayn entered the room, Louis and Niall giggling and hanging off his legs.

"Hey Babe," Zayn greeted fondly, leaning over to peck Liam on the lips and press a kiss to Harry's warm forehead, " how are you feeling sweetheart?"

Harry responded with another coughing fit before croaking a quiet, "sleepy."

"He's been coughing all day, phlegmy too. I think we should take him to see a doctor if it's not better tomorrow Z, he's exhausted," Liam admitted. He liked to think he could always fix those he loved but he'd literally tried everything he knew if and his son was still miserable.

"Sounds like it," Zayn said, frowning worriedly. Even over the day he could've sworn that Harry's cough had worsened.

That night after a late and light dinner the whole family packed it in early.

Harry was up every couple of hours as he woke himself up coughing. Each time either Liam or Zayn could calm him down and put him back to sleep. It was around half two in the morning that Harry woke up coughing and struggling to breathe, a harsh wheezing rattling in his chest. Liam tried Harry with an inhaler but it didn't make enough difference to dissipate his worry.

He told Zayn to go call for an ambulance.

Zayn could hardly listen to Harry cough anymore, as much as he wanted to help make it stop every bark broke his heart. He glanced over at Liam trying to soothe Harry out of yet another endless fit while the phone rang in his ear. He was panicking and couldn't wait for longer than three unanswered rings before hanging up with a quick shake of his head.

"They're too slow Li, we should drive him ourselves."

Harry gave a wet cough and then squeezed his Papa's leg as he cried out and doubled over just in time to throw up onto the floor with a heaving gasp.

Zayn only just refrained from blocking his ears and closing his eyes. His own chest hurt just watching.

"Okay, you're okay Hazza, I've got you. You'll feel so much better, so so soon I promise, shhh," Liam promised, rubbing his son's shuddering back as he stood and pointed to the wardrobe.

"Grab one of my jackets Z, I'll wrap him up and we'll run him in. You're right, it'll probably be faster."

With shaking hands, Zayn hurriedly ripped Liam's navy jumper off it's hanger and gave it to Liam to wrap around Harry. Liam carried Harry to the car and sat him in the front with him, dismissing the car seat entirely. He needed Harry close, in case he started wheezing again, or threw up.

Zayn carried Louis in his arms down to the car, leading a sleepy Niall in front of him. He phoned his mum and quickly explained what was happening. He couldn't just sit at home while Harry was in the hospital, Liam alone. However, he couldn't take Louis and Niall up there in the middle of the night either.