Finally Wanted

Chapter Six

Jerking upright with a gasp, Corbin breaths came fast and short. Glancing around the room, he tried to calm his breath as he grounded himself by digging his fingernails into his cut wrists. The pain jolted his brain awake and he gasped, the last traces of his nightmare leaving the front of his mind to dwindle in the back. He let out a breath and climbed out of bed, swaying precariously as a wave of nausea and dizziness hit him hard.

Gripping onto the wall, he let out a  sob as the nausea increased. Leaping across the room and into the joint bathroom, he threw himself in front of the toilet and threw up miserably into it. When he finished, he closed his eyes and sat back, the nausea dulling a bit. He didn't feel like he was going to throw up this instant, but he refused to take any chances.

Curling up beside the toilet, he stayed there for about fifteen minutes before gingerly getting to his feet and making his way back into the room. A glance at the alarm clock told him that is was quarter to five. He looked over at Mitch, who was still sleeping peacefully, and decided not to risk waking him up, Corbin left the room and went down to the lounge.

Curling up on the most comfortable chair, he tugged a blue blanket over his legs and closed his eyes. Now that he was sitting in a slightly upright position, his nausea was almost all gone. He dozed off into sleep and raced into the couch.

He stirred awake when he heard someone enter the lounge.

"Morning Corbin."

He cracked his eyes open and glanced over to see Zayn sitting on one of the other couches, a cup of coffee cradled in his hands. He hummed acknowledgement and curled into himself tighter.

"Are you okay?" Zayn asked.

Closing his eyes, he started to breathe heavily as the nausea crept back up. Jolting upright, he threw up into the blanket, coughing harshly at the burning sensation in his throat.

"Shit." Zayn leapt to his feet. He placed a hand on his lower back on one on his shoulder and gently said, "Easy Corbin, easy." he could feel Corbin trembling beneath his hand, the coughing was becoming wheezy. "Corbin, listen to me, you have to calm down." He firmly said.

Keeping a hand on his lower back, Zayn carefully removed the blanket with is other hand and took it into the kitchen, dumping it into the sink before hurrying back to Corbin, who was hunched over in himself, trying to calm his breathing. Zayn placed a hand on Corbin's shoulder, who shuddered hard. 

"It's okay Corbin, it's okay, take a deep breath." 

Corbin took a shuddering breath in and drew his legs up into his chest. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he whispered, "I can't go to school." 

Zayn nodded and replied, "Yeah, that's okay, I'll call your school for you." Then he raised a hand to feel Corbin's forehead but froze when he flinched back. "I'm not going to hurt you." He said softly. He placed a hand onto his forehead and felt the heat radiating from the skin. "You've got a fever, I'm gonna get you some medicine." 

Not waiting for an answer, he got up and went to the medicine cabinet. Taking two pills, he got a glass of water and went back to the lounge. He handed the water to Corbin to rinse his mouth out, then he gave him the pills. Once he had swallowed them, Zayn tugged him down and grabbed one of the extra blankets. He laid it over Corbin. "Try to get some sleep, I'll call your school." 

He left the room and called the high school, explaining that Corbin was sick and wouldn't be coming in. After doing that, he set out the breakfast on the table, then he cleaned out the sink and placed the blanket into the washing machine before going back to the kitchen and taking a seat, getting himself some food. 

"Hi Zayn." Louis greeted as he came into the kitchen and started to make himself a Yorkshire tea.

"Hey," He replied, "sleep well?"

"Mm," Louis took a sip and sat down opposite Zayn. "It was okay." He looked at Zayn over the mug's rim. "How about you?" 

Zayn shrugged. "I'm meant to be sleeping today 'cause I got night-shift tonight, but Corbin's started throwing up and has a bad fever." 

Louis cringed. "Poor thing." He laid down his mug, "Is he gonna be okay home alone with you?" 

Zayn shrugged. "I hope so, but we'll soon find out." 

                                                 ------------------------------------------------------------------

Zayn sat down on the edge of the couch.

 "Do you need anything?" He asked. 

Corbin made a negative noise, keeping his face turned away. 

Zayn sighed. It was just past midday and Corbin had refused everything Zayn had offered. He hadn't drunk anything since the glass of water he had had that morning. It wasn't healthy, especially considering Corbin's present health. 

"Listen, I know you don't trust me and that you're scared but please, you have to eat something and drink, this isn't healthy." Zayn looked down, "I'm worried about you, please do this to help yourself."

Finally Corbin stirred and rolled over to face Zayn. He was still a bit pale and his green eyes were hazy.

"Will you have something?" Zayn asked softly. 

Hesitating only once, Corbin nodded slowly, then sat up as Zayn went into the kitchen. He came back a few moments later with a glass of water and a plate with a single piece of buttered toast on it. He gave Corbin the glass of water first then sat down near his feet, waiting as he drank. 

He drank a few sips before laying it down. Zayn handed him the toast which he looked at apprehensively. 

"Just eat what you can." Zayn urged. 

"He managed two bites before putting the toast down. He placed the plate on the floor and took the glass of water from Zayn. After he had drank some more water, he laid the glass next to the plate on the floor and met Zayn's gaze. 

"Thank you." He whispered. 

Zayn's face split into a smile and he murmured, "You're welcome love." 

Corbin leant against the couch and whispered, "Can I ask you a question?" 

Zayn nodded immediately. "Sure, whatever you want." 

Corbin hesitated only a moment before asking, "Why did you agree to take us in?" He looked down at his fingers, "I have a lot of shit that could get out of hand in the next two weeks, most people would say I'm too much of a bother to deal with." 

Zayn let out a breath. "We agreed to take you boys in because you needed a home, and we can provide that for you." He gently laid a hand on Corbin's ankle and soothingly rubbed when he felt him tense up. "Everyone has shit to deal with, some more than others but," He looked Corbin in the eyes and gently finished, "if you feel like your shit is too much to handle, you can always come talk to me, and you're definitely not a bother, and you never will be." 

Corbin didn't look away from Zayn's gaze. He gave a small nod, and closed his eyes. He felt safe for the first time in forever.  It felt like a weight had been removed from his chest, leaving him light and warm. He fell asleep to Zayn's hand on his ankle and a warm feeling in his chest.