A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! The next one will be better, I promise!
…but please try not to hate me too much.
The boys huddled around Meaghan’s bed. Leah sat in her chair, unmoving.
“What’d you want to tell us?” Liam asked Meaghan, concerned. “Why don’t you rest for now and you can tell us later?”
“No…I need to tell you now…” Meaghan took a deep breath. “I just…I don’t know where to start.”
“Take your time, love,” Harry whispered, stroking the back of Meaghan’s hand with his thumb. “There’s no rush.”
“I moved out here for a reason. Leah and I…our families live in Manchester. Her family’s known me since I was born, and I was two when Leah was born. Everything was fine as we were growing up. And then, a few years back, I started having some problems.” Meaghan glanced at the teary-eyed boys surrounding her. They all cared for her so much. How could she hurt them? “I tried to commit suicide quite a few times. I was in a psychiatric ward on suicide watch for a month. Finally, the doctor put me on heavy antidepressants. And that’s my story.”
“But why are you in the hospital now?” Leah asked angrily.
“Because I’m supposed to take the pills with food. Otherwise the pills tear my stomach lining, causing me to throw up blood.” Meaghan shrugged. “I’m not one for following directions, as you’ve all seen.”
Harry let out a sigh of relief as Zayn patted Meaghan’s shoulder. “Glad to know you won’t be dying on us anytime soon.”
Meaghan offered a weak smile. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Can I speak to Meg alone?” Leah asked quietly. “Just for a minute or two.”
Meaghan waited until all the boys left the room before saying, “I didn’t lie, Leah.”
Leah sighed. “I’m sorry for…for trying to force you…”
Meaghan was discharged from the hospital after spending a day under observation. Liam made the executive decision to have someone keep a constant eye on Meaghan. He said it was to make sure she was taking her pills with food, but Meaghan knew better. It was to make sure she wouldn’t throw herself out her second-story window.
“Guys, I want to go out somewhere,” Meaghan insisted one day during lunch. They were all sitting outside, enjoying the sun.
“There’s a new film playing. We could go see that,” Liam suggested.
“We’ve graduated kindergarten, Liam,” Niall teased. “Let’s go to the pub.”
“Even better, we could go to the new club that just opened up a few towns over,” Zayn offered, eyebrows raised.
“Good idea, Zayn. Let’s get everyone drunk on a weeknight,” Louis said sarcastically. “You realize we have a meeting tomorrow? Would you rather not start touring again? ”
“The meeting’s in the evening,” Niall pointed out. “I wouldn’t mind going to a club.”
“Right, but what about Leah?” Liam asked.
“Why can’t I go clubbing?” Leah’s indignant voice piped up. “I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, I’ll—I mean we’ll—take care of her,” Niall said.
The boys shared a look with each other. They all wanted Leah back with Niall as much as Niall wanted her back.
“So we’re going clubbing, yeah?” Meaghan asked, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice. “It’ll be better than being babysat, I’ll tell you that.”
“We’re only going under one condition,” Liam warned. “And if you break the rules, we’re coming right back.”
Meaghan rolled her eyes. “Sure, Dad.”
“No drinking—”
“Promise.”
“No leaving our sight—”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“We’re leaving by eleven—”
“My bedtime’s eleven-thirty.”
“No drinking—”
“We’ve already cover—”
“Promise me?”
“Alright, Liam, I promise,” Meaghan sighed. “Is ‘no having fun’ a rule as well?”
Liam’s lips twitched into a half-smile. “It’s implied.”
