What A Feeling // 1D AU ✓

Chapter 8

~The sky fell down~

E: need help

Louis took this seriously, since Ed was so sick, rushing from the gym to Ed's room, where he was sitting on the bathroom floor, coughing his guts out. Not literally, but, there was blood in the tissue he held.

Louis quickly filled up the cup next to the sink, handing it to Ed. "Hospital." Was all the man whispered before spilling the cup with his shaking hands and resuming coughing.

"I'll go pull the car around, mate." He ran to get his keys, and then out to the driveway. Louis helped him in, made sure he had his phone, and then took off towards the nearest hospital. On the way in, he called the hospital to tell them they were coming in.

"I'm driving towards the Emergency Room with my friend in the car. He is coughing up blood, can't stop coughing."

"Okay, we will have nurses on standby to help him out the car. What is his name?"

"Ed Sheeran." Louis said, closing his shaking hands around the wheel tighter. His skills as a getaway driver were helping him immensely. "He also has leukemia."

Ed's face was as bright as his hair, and Louis drove faster, terrified that he would die before he got adequate help.

---

"We sedated him to calm the coughing. But as you know, his condition is terminal. He's not getting better, and he doesn't have much longer. If he was slightly healthier, he'd have months. Now...maybe a week. Maybe longer."

"I'm allowed to know this information, right? Because I'm not his family or anything."

"You're listed as his primary caregiver. Is that incorrect? You are Louis Tomlinson?" Louis' face turned pale, but he nodded.

"I just need a minute." He said, walking out of the room and down the hall. His breath came in short pants as he hit the speed dial for Harry. "Harry everything's falling apart."

"What happened to the car?" Harry asked. He was out picking up food with Liam, and thought that by Louis mentioning something falling apart - that it was the car he was building.

"No, you idiot. Ed is dying, and I'm supposed to make all of his medical decisions."

"Where are you?"

"The hospital." Louis whimpered, balling up his sweater to keep his hands busy. "Bring Fin, okay? I'll call Simon." He hung up rather abruptly, the brief moment of hearing his boyfriend's voice having calmed him enough to think rationally. "Simon?"

"Yes, Mr. Tomlinson." Simon said, in a humorous tone.

"Ed is in the hospital. I drove him here."

"I'll send an assistant to watch him immediately."

"Thanks."

"Are you okay, Louis?"

"He's made me in charge of his medical care. He's also signed a D.N.R. If his heart stops, they can't save him."

Simon sighed. "He's in a lot of pain, Louis. And he knew. He's been preparing for this. He's ready."

"No one's ever ready. Just tell me when the assistant gets here." Louis angrily ended the call, walking back into the room, where Ed was starting to wake up.

In the wake of his sedative, he was groggy, but trying to hold a conversation immediately. "Lou. Louis. Louis Tomlinson."

"I'm right here, Ed, you dolt." Louis said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You got to marry Harry. Bro, that rhymes. But you gotta do it. You love him, he loves you, you're soulmates, marry Harry. Now. Do it now."

"It's like eight o'clock at night, Ed."

"I don't care." He said.

"We haven't even been together a year, yet." Louis said, crossing his arms. But Ed had lapsed into sleep again, dried blood on his lips.

---

Louis was huddled against a pillar in front of the hospital, crouched on the ground, waiting for Harry. He looked homeless. Sadly, he had forgotten his cigarettes, and the itch for one burned in his throat. Harry was on his way with Fin, or so the texts said.

"Almost there." Harry said when he called. Louis just said a teary confirmation of that, and got into the passenger seat with his head hung when Harry pulled up. "One of Simon's assistants will take your car back, okay?"

Louis nodded, his tiny body racked with sobs. "Where's Fin?"

"Liam's ubering to IHOP with her, okay? We'll just have dinner together. Baby, stop crying." Harry rubbed Louis' back as he leaned forward and kept sobbing.

The drive to IHOP was short, and Louis stopped crying long enough for them to get seated at a table. "Pancakes, babe?"

"All of the pancakes." Louis cried, putting his forehead down on the table. "And some orange juice."

"You need protein." said Harry, ever the concerned mother. Louis flipped him off and kept crying. Harry didn't know how to console him, so he just continued looking over the menu.

"I'll order you some food, because you're having a breakdown, and then I'll order my food when Liam gets here." Harry ordered for Louis, told the waitress to just bring him some orange juice and bacon as soon as possible. "Can you please stop crying?"

Louis was very emotionally drained at the moment to stop, and once Liam got there, he knew exactly what to do, without having a conversation with Harry. He unbuckled Fin from the carrier and handed her to Louis.

Louis' mood was almost instantly calmed by holding his daughter. He stopped crying, but his shoulders still shook and he was still sniffled and hiccupping all at once. Fin also started crying when she noticed his mood, leading to Harry having to comfort her to sleep. Then Louis had his pancakes.

"Better?" Liam asked quietly, worried for Louis.

"Not really, but okay." Louis smiled sadly. "I could really go for a smoke." Harry shook his head at him, and everything was momentarily returned to normal.