November [Larry Stylinson AU]

Chapter 17

Cancer.

A six letter word that echoes in Louis' brain as he sat in the hospital room, eyes glazed over. He was at loss for words, trying to piece together what he was thinking, because at the end of the day, he had no idea what to think.

He had more questions than anything.

When he entered the hospital, his first instinct was to worry for his son. Now he sat there, watching as his son slept peacefully with just a few cuts and bruises. And he is still worried, but he's more relieved than anything.

And now he was just thinking about Harry, now that he knew Dylan was okay. He was thinking about why the hell Harry kept this from him. What he was thinking when he decided to just not tell Louis about this, because it didn't make sense to him at all. He can't see a reason as to why he wouldn't inform his boyfriend that he has a terminal illness.

Not only that, but Louis was scared now. He didn't know what specific cancer Harry has, and some are far more risky than others, but cancer in itself is a scary thing. He would know. He's dealt with it many times in life and right now, he wondered if adding another to the list is okay for his own mental health.

Suddenly his thoughts were broken as he heard a dry, quiet cough across the room.

Louis instantly shot up and let out a breath of relief, tears brimming his eyes when he saw Dylan looking around with big, lost eyes. He was panicked for a moment but looked more relaxed when Louis began rushing over.

"D-Daddy? Wh-What happened?" Dylan asked, voice frightened as he tried to sit up, only to whimper slightly in pain.

Louis hushed him softly, sitting on the edge of the bed as he gently wrapped his arms around his son. Dylan clung onto him, causing Louis to lay his head atop of the boy's. His hair was sweaty and Louis felt his chest tighten when he saw some blood staining his dirty blonde hair, but he ignored it as best as he could.

Feeling his son in his arms caused tears to slowly pour from his eyes. Louis clenched them shut tightly, body shaking as he silently cried. Nothing is more terrifying than getting a call that your son was in a car accident. Especially your son who is so young and fragile.

Dylan pulled back, frowning deeply, "Daddy, don't cry. Why are you crying?"

"I-I'm just happy," Louis assured, but he knew it was more than that. He cupped his boy's face, murmuring softly, "Fuck, I was so scared, Dylan."

"Ooh, you said a bad word," Dylan scolded, poking his chest.

A smile tugged at Louis' lips and he quietly laughed. "I know, I know. I'm sorry." Dylan giggled, only to cough dryly into his hand. Louis frowned, petting at his hair, "Lay down, baby. We need you to be careful."

Dylan reluctantly did as told, asking quietly, "What happened? My arm hurts..."

"You...You were in an accident," Louis explained with a shaky breath, tucking him in albeit the blanket being thinner than a sheet. "But you're okay now. You'll just be a little itty bit sore, yeah? But we're Tomlinson's, we can handle a bit of pain, can't we?"

Dylan nodded with a bright smile. Then he asked, "Is...Is Harry okay? He was with me."

At the mention of Harry's name, Louis' eyes dimmed. He hesitated, looking down as he picked at a string of his pants. He didn't want to talk about Harry right now, but he can't avoid the question. Dylan is right, Harry was there and Louis had to be mature about this.

"Yeah, Harry's fine," Louis promised, placing a hand on his son's. "Now why don't you sit here for a moment? I'll be right back, I just need to get the doctor so they can see you're awake. Then hopefully we can go home, sounds good?"