All For One (Depression)

Part 23 - That Dragon Cancer

"Still that darkness clouds my mind when I think. That subtle sound of her voice quakes my body and I tremble in place. I miss her more than anything. I long to see her smile once more and hold her hands one more time. I miss her beautiful laugh when she says something funny. I miss mum".

Liam opened the door to the bedroom slowly as it creaked softly against the hard wooden floor below. Louis, on the bed, his legs dangled as his laptop stood open at his knees. Liam glanced over in motion to see what he was up to.

"Oi, mate. Whatcha doing?"

"Playing a game. It's old but I can't stop". Louis giggled a small bit as his eyes stayed only focused on the bright and blinding screen.

Liam stepped over to the side of the bed to see what he was playing. His troubled mind wondered as his hands crumbled tightly and started to sweat at the mere touch of his bandmate's shoulder.

"That Dragon, Cancer." Liam read it with a small pause.

Louis gazed up for a single moment, taking it all in as Liam muffled the very words of sadness to his face. He pressed on through each click of his keyboard as though nothing had happened.

"Lou....you shouldn't be playing this," Liam whispered in a quiet tone.

Louis sighed greatly before answering. "I...I don't care".

"Your voice says different, mate. You DO care. Tommo, this will only make your depression worse. We're trying to help you finish it off, not fall back in".

"I wanna know, Liam. I wanna know what these parents went through. How they keep going after losing their child".

Liam grew with small bags under his eyes. His teeth chattered, trying so hard to not say something he might regret. All he wanted was for his bandmate to be freed from the immense torture he had been facing for months now. The simple man from Wolverhampton did not want to see his friend go through it all again. Or worse, have him actually succeed with his attempts last time.

Night fell in LA and the moon rose above, leaving behind the beautiful shadow of light to cover the streets and homes. Harry was just about to leave as well as Liam. They had to get back to their houses and tidy up. Niall was already passed out on the sofa with the remote to the tv secured in his fingertips. He agreed to stay at Louis' house for a few weeks by Troy, who was also accompanying him just as precaution for his safety. It had been a while since the accident in which Louis had tried suicide but they all needed just make sure he was going to be alright. His father had hid all the knives from his kitchen and cleaned the cabinets in the bathroom. Niall threw out any alcohol he'd find anywhere around the house so Louis wouldn't think of getting drunk.

As Liam and Harry grabbed their bags and headed for the door, a subtle noise was heard as Troy stepped into their midst, his eyes tired and in need of rest.

"I cannot thank you guys enough for all that you do for him." He spoke. "You both are truly unbelievable friends. And I wanted to say I'm so sorry for all I've done in the past. I'm sorry I wasn't the father figure I should have been to you guys as well as him".

Harry took a breath. "We understand why you did what you did. You were scared. Scared of losing everything you had. We forgive you. Just be there for him. Please. He needs his father".