United We Live

Twenty Two

It was surreal, Louis decided, that today would be so beautiful and sunny when they were gathered for such a dreary occasion.

He tugged at the sleeves of his suit, picking at the fabric absent mindedly as he wandered through the grass, watching the empty coffin ahead. Beside him, Liam walked in total silence, his broken wrist hanging limply at his side. He could hear the shuffling of Zayn and Harry's shoes from behind.

He couldn't concentrate. It was too early in the morning and he was too numb to feel any emotion.

He supposed that was why he nearly flew out of his skin when someone's cell phone began to ring in the middle of the ceremony. Abruptly looking up from his feet, he noticed Maura apologizing as she attempted to silence the mobile device.

Two minutes later the phone began to vibrate again.

He couldn't help it when he felt his eyes slide over to see the other boys all exchanging equally confused looks.

Louis could understand. Why did Maura even have her phone on her? It was her youngest son's funeral. She didn't deserve distractions in the middle of something so taxing.

Another short vibrate alerted them that whoever the caller was had left a voicemail, and finally the mother pulled out the mobile to look agitated at the caller I.D.

She went pale.

Alarmed the four boys watched as she took a step away from the small tent where the coffin was being put down. They were about to listen to the priest begin his words, but Maura had a faraway look in her eyes as she messed with the cell.

Liam began to break away when Louis held a hand out and grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Dude, not your place," He hissed, scowling at the irritated look the younger gave back.

"Stop!" Maura suddenly shrieked, turning back around stunned. "Everybody stop!

The next words that came seemed almost surreal.

"He's not dead!"

0o0

"I have to see them! Fly me to them if I must, but I have to!" Niall snapped bitterly, swatting away the nurse as she fiddled with the bandage in his head.

The doctor gave a long and heavy sigh.

"It's not wise for you to fly in the condition you're in. You're memory is only just now coming back; Mr. Horan and you've just woken up from a very long coma. We've just got contact with your mother informing her of the very amazing happenstance we've been in, but you're still in no condition to be leaving the hospital."

"My family thought I was dead!" Niall bit back, disbelieving. "And I'm not going to let the first thing they get from me is a stupid phone call, I'm going to see them in person!"

"You're family is on the next plane here, Mr. Horan. And you're friends are on the next one. It will only be a few hours. Right now, let the nurse change you're bandages and relax. You had a long conversation with the police; you have to be feeling the exhaustion."

Niall was in fact, feeling exhausted, but he was far too stubborn to admit it.

But he did allow the nurse to do her job.

0o0

The next couple hours were a lot. When his family finally arrived to the hospital, he had never gotten so many hugs from his family at once. His head spun from the wild tale that they told him, and at one point they ran out of tissues.

But as much as he was relieved to tell them what happened and see them, the back of his head kept wondering one thing.

When would the boys finally arrive?

It took some convincing, a lot of convincing, but Niall managed to get them to agree to accompany him to the airport to see the boys land. He still had a bandage on his head, but in all he was in one piece.

He just had to see them. Especially after what he had learned.

God, he needed to see them and fix what had happened.

When the plane landed, Niall was a bundle of nerves.

It was Harry he saw first, mostly because he was wearing the large boot on his foot, causing him to limp through the crowd.

Niall was going to call out when he got sight of the others.

Louis looked pale, huddled in a hoodie with his nose unnaturally bright red as if he had been in cold temperatures for too long. Liam's hand in a huge thick cast, hanging by his side in a sling, large black circles under his eyes. And Zayn, looking ahead with a glassy unfocused look, his clothes looking baggier than he remembered.

His words got stuck in his throat as he stared, his heart sinking low at the sight of them.

He supposed hearing was different from seeing.

"Lads!" He finally choked out, grabbing their attention.

All four heads whipped in his direction, and Niall finally felt a bright grin grace his face as he saw the stunned and relieved faces.

"Where are you going?" He asked, still smiling. "We only go in one direction remember?"

He supposed he deserved the slap on his back when the four boys slammed into him for the best group hug he had ever had. Amongst the sobbing and laughing from them all, Liam finally managed to speak the first sentence.

"One more pun out of you about this situation and you'll need those funeral flowers after all."

Niall guessed it was worth it anyways.     

0o0

Wow! Okay. So I haven't been updating in like forever. Long story short, I'm moving to L.A. for a study abroad and my mom got pulled down the stairs by our puppy and ended up in the emergency room. It's just been hectic. 

Anyways, I was determined to finish this story. And guess what? It is finished! That's why this chapter is so short! Cause I'm going to post the epilogue RIGHT NOW. 

Woot!

Sorry if this chapter seems rushed, I have had writers block for this portion of the plot for-EVER. So I finally just cranked it out, I'm not gonna lie, I'm not 100% loving it, But It needed to be written. The epilogue on the other hand I wrote AGES ago. So it's sooo much better.  I just needed this to bridge the gap you know?

See you in the epilogue!