Aftershock [ One Direction]

Chapter 6: "I Wouldn't Let That Happen"

Song on the side - Cover of Safe and Sound by Christina Grimmie 

CHAPTER 6

I was walking down a dimly lit corridor when I heard his voice.  Harry.  I tried to speak but nothing came out.  I tried to shout yet still nothing came out.  There was a door at the end of the corridor and I started running towards it, feeling like it was the only way out. While running I could hear every word Harry was saying, it caused me to run faster and faster till I ran right to the door and tried to open the door.  After multiple times of my hand slipping, I finally got it open and threw myself through the door slamming it shut behind me while taking huge breathes of air.

I turned around seeing the person who had caused me so much pain and torture through the past week.

“I’ve missed you.”  He said quietly.

I let out a sob and ran up to him, slamming my fists on his chest.  “Why did you do it!?  I’m sorry just please explain!” 

He held me close to him until I stopped thrashing about and just cried silently into his chest. “Shh Please stop crying.  It hurts to see you in this much pain.”  He soothed.

“Then why Harry, why?”  I said with every once of pain emanating from me.

“I loved you and you left me.  I loved you so much.  My judgement was cloudy from the hurt inside my chest.  It was a very dumb decision.” 

“You are acting like its no fucking big deal!  Your dead!  You’re gone from all of us!  The boys are hurting so much!  It was selfish what you did…but it was even more selfish what I did…” 

“Please don’t blame yourself.  It was my fault, not yours.”

“Harry its all my fault.  You wouldn’t be dead if it wasn’t for me.” 

He grabbed my chin, making me look him in the eyes. “Now listen to me.  I shouldn’t have expected you to stay with me when the fans first started harassing you.  I should have let you leave but I was being selfish keeping you with me.  I just couldn’t lose you.  But once again I was selfish and left all of you.  I’m so sorry.”  He looked down, a single tear slid down his face.

I put my hand up to his face and wiped his tear away with my thumb. “Harry I missed you but now I’m here with you and there are no fans.  We can be together now and we don’t have to worry about anything.” I said barely above a whisper.

He looked up into my eyes and pecked my lips, leaving a tingling sensation from where his lips touched.  “I wouldn’t let that happen.” 

“What? Harry I don’t understand”  I said confused.  Everything started to dim and I couldn’t feel Harry under my touch anymore.

“Harry what is going on?  Harry?  Harry please look at me!  Whats going on?”  I shouted at him before everything went dark.  There was an immense pressure on me an I couldn’t breath.  I heard people shouting and pounding on my chest.

“Whats going on?  Please help her!  Cora please come back to us!”  A familiar voice was shouting at me.

I started to feel the pressure being lifted and my breathing coming back to me.  My eyes snapped open and I gasped for air.  I could see Louis right next to me holding my hand tightly, Liam behind him with a worried look in his eyes, Zayn just leaving the room, and Niall sitting in a chair by the wall holding his head with that shocked look.

Doctors were standing there asking me questions but I couldn’t comprehend what they were saying, I just ignored them.  Eventually, Louis started shaking me, bringing me back to reality. 

“Cora?  Cora can you hear me?”  One of the doctors asked.  I turned towards him and shook my head, Louis let out sigh and sat in the chair next to the hospital bed still holding my hand not loosening his grip.

The doctors asked a multitude of questions and I answered each of them. After they got all the answers they wanted they left and Louis turned to me, “Cora you scared the shit out of us!  Please promise me you won’t ever do anything like that again.”  He looked at me intensely.

“I promise Lou.”  I said honestly.  He got up and hugged me tightly, I hugged him back almost as tightly but felt a piercing pain in my left wrist.  I gasped from the pain.  Louis got back and looked at me with worry once again.  I looked at my bandaged wrist remembering every detail.  Louis rubbed my back and gave me a sympathetic look.  I looked into his eyes and saw the bags under his eyes, he looked completely exhausted.

“Louis go home, get some rest.  Please.  For me.”  I begged him.

He sighed, “I don’t know Cor…”   he hesitated.

“Yeah, Cora that sounds like a good idea, I’ll go with you Louis.” Liam said ushering Louis towards the door.

“Fine I’ll go but not without one more hug.”  Louis said with a puppy dog face and I couldn’t help but smile.  That was the first time I smiled in a week.  Louis and Liam hugged me and left leaving Niall and I together.

“Hey Niall.”  He didn’t even move.  “Niall?” 

I sighed, “Niall please talk to me…”  He looked up, his normally piercing blue eyes looked dead and I almost let a gasp escape my mouth.  I patted the seat next to the bed and his eyes followed my hand to the seat.  After a couple seconds he got up and sat in the chair, not making eye contact with me.

“Niall, who found me?”  I asked quietly.

He didn’t respond and I caught on to his silence and gasped, “You found me?”  I asked guilt filling me to the brim.

“Yeah.”  He answered but his voice was scratchy and broke towards the end.

“I’m sorry Niall.  Please forgi-“  I started saying before he cut me off.

“Don’t say ‘please forgive me’  because there is nothing to forgive you for.  Cora, seeing you there on the floor dyeing right in front of my eyes broke me.  You’re a beautiful person inside and out and do not deserve to die…No one does.”  He said sternly.

I didn’t know what to say so I just hugged Niall.  He froze at first but then relaxed and hugged me back.  I pulled back and kissed him on the cheek.  “Thank you little Leprechaun.  I love you Niall.” 

“I love you too Cora.”