Behind Blue Eyes

Chapter 1

*Niall’s POV*

Rehearsal time. One hour before show time, before those empty seats were filled, and the room erupted in loud noises and screaming, before we all went on in front of all of the fans and sang our hearts out.  We gripped our microphones while crossing the stage into our positions. We didn’t have any skilled, complicated choreography. Just enough to know where to stand and where to go during and in between some songs. Other than that, we relayed on the moment for how we act up on stage.

We ran through one of our songs, jamming out and dancing all over the place, making sure the band was ready and our voices were all in sync. Gig after gig, rehearsal after rehearsal and concert after concert, one might think that we have gotten this thing down to a tee. By now we probably have, but this is all new to us all, the thousands of people, the big venue, and especially being up on stage.

As the song, got to the fast up beat rock out part, we all danced around, as I did my high jump. As I caught air, I closed my eyes feeling what it’s like to be airborne, weightless, to be free falling, and totally suspended. I loved the feeling of being in the air, but it always ended in the matter of seconds, the next thing I knew it was over. But that didn’t happen this time, when I usually feel my feet touch back onto the stage again I felt nothing but air, no floor, just the air rushing up around me. I opened my eyes to see the ground getting closer and closer to me by the second, it felt like forever, waiting for myself to hit the ground. I squeezed my eyes shut, as my life came flashing before me.

*Liam’s POV*

I glanced over to the rest of the boys to my right, watching their crazy dance moves as we sang along to the song. I caught Niall as he began to jump. The way he can always jump so high could always make me laugh and put a smile on my face, but as I watched him soared through the air, it dawned on me. He jumped too far out. He wasn’t going to land on the stage, let alone his two feet, he was going to fall off stage. My heart began to thump hard, as my mind raced as to what I should do. My feet decided to take over and carried me as quick as I could to where Niall was.

 But I was too late. It was too late to do anything. No one was around to catch him, I felt as though this was the first time I wasn’t there to break his fall. I felt powerless as I watched Niall hit the ground, in a loud snapping noise. His head bounced up, only to thud back to the ground again. The sound was unbearable, I not only could hear the sound of him hitting the hard floor, but I could hear the sound of my heart breaking.

Shock fell over all of us, as we realized what happened. I heard the boys microphones hit the ground in a unanimous thud, followed by the rushing of footsteps approaching.  We all watched Niall, just lying there, motionless. My stomach twisted with worry and anxiety, waiting for movement, waiting for reassurance, waiting for my best friend, my brother to wake up. The other boys began calling everyone and the ambulance as I slowly bent down next to Niall, before putting two of my fingers on the side of his neck, feeling for a pulse as a single tear began to roll down my cheek. All the emotions at once began to fill within me, sadness, worry, anxiety and relief as I felt a light pulsate of a heartbeat beneath my fingertips, and a flash of familiar deep blue.

*Niall’s POV*

Pitch black was all I saw, followed by a sudden pounding on the side of my head; I could feel my fast heart beat pounding throughout my body, the churn in my stomach and, PAIN. The pain in my head was unbearable, the throbbing, the incoming numbness. My eyes lids felt like weights pulling wanting to close. I just had to let in. I just had to close my eyes. Just for a little bit. That wouldn’t hurt anymore, right?

Sirens blared all around me; I could faintly even hear the constant “Niall! Niall!Wake up! You have to keep your eyes open,” as a bunch of faces and paramedics came into my view when I fluttered my eyes open for a quick second, before they pulled shut again, as I reopened and closed them over and over again.

I could see the ambulance and everyone outside, I could see Liam, his eyes were red and his cheeks were stained with tears, it just about broke my heart. I wanted to stay awake for all of them, for Liam, to make sure he knew I was going to be okay, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open for long, the need was too much. I couldn’t do it. As hard as I tried, as hard as I tried to open my eyes, to do it for them, I couldn’t. I just felt sleepier and sleepier.

*Liam’s POV*

“No, Niall, please you have to keep eyes open! Please!” I pleaded, staying by Niall’s side the whole time as the paramedics put him on a stretcher and took him to the ambulance on a gurney.  

My heart would flutter each time I was rewarded with that flash of his blue eyes, only to be disappointed again, when they went away. I could feel the tears streaming down my face more and more each time Niall would lie there unresponsive.

“Sir, I’m sorry but only family are allowed in the ambulance with the patient,” the paramedics apologized, stopping me as I tried to go into the ambulance with Niall.

“But I have to; I need to know if he’s okay! He’s like my brother!” I sobbed back, as a pair of arms began to tug me back, warning me to calm down. Louis’.

“I’m sorry, but rules are rules, you can meet up with him in the hospital later when he’s more stable.” He gave me one more apologetic look before patting my shoulder, shutting the doors and walking away.

I felt the rest of the boys come up beside me, with the same worried and pained look, with tear stained cheeks and red eyes, as we all watched the ambulance drive away. Take our brother farther and father away from us. We all stayed together, trying to reassure one another that everything is going to be okay, that Niall will and has always pull through. But we all were still unsure to what’s happening, what’s going to happen and how this would all end.

I wanted so badly for things to be good again, and I couldn’t help but think that if I looked over to Niall a few seconds earlier, we wouldn’t be standing here right now, instead be performing up on stage, and with Niall fully well. But he wasn’t, and I didn’t. So for now, all we had to do was wait and see what happened next. See what happens next with Niall.