Just a Dream

Chapter 18

Louis' P.O.V.

Harry came back to the hotel that evening looking really depressed. When I asked him about it he told me about what he'd said and how Claire had reacted.

"That's not what I meant Louis," he said. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," I said. "I believe you. Don't worry. I'll call her and talk to her. She'll be fine."

But I hadn't talked to her. She hadn't answered her phone for me, Zayn, or Harry. We even called Danielle and told her and she still didn't pick up. We all texted her and nothing happened.

I went to bed that night wondering what was going to happen between them. All of us knew they needed each other. I knew it the day I realized it had been Harry in her dreams all those years they had a connection. Claire had told me that when Harry was around and it was just the two of them Janelle disappeared completely and her stutter was practically gone. And if someone had an effect that big on her, they had to be pretty special.

At around 7 my phone began to play "When I Grow Up" by The Pussycat Dolls. It was Claire's ringtone. She had been obsessed with them and she went 3 months listening to nothing but them on her iPod and one day she played it for me and we danced around to it all night. "When I Grow Up" was our song now...you can imagine how much fun I had explaining the ringtone to the boys the first time she'd called me when I was with them.

"Claire! What's up? Why didn't you pick up last night?" I asked.

She didn't respond. All I heard was heavy breathing and a pounding that sounded like running. I was about to hang up, realizing she had called by mistake before I heard her phone clatter against the pavement and the thud of her falling next to it.

"Claire!" I yelled. "Claire are you OK?"

She didn't respond.

"Oh my God," I said hanging up and putting my TOMs on before running out the door in my sweats and t-shirt. I had to find her.

Right as I entered her neighborhood, her ringtone came again.

"Claire?" I asked quickly.

"Uh no," a feminine voice said. "This isn't Claire. She's here though. She collapsed on the sidewalk."

"Where are you?" I asked.

She told me where she was and I went over as quickly as possible. I saw a small crowd gathered around her.

"Wait a minute that's Claire Plafir!" a girl said as I approached.

"Where is she?" I asked running up.

Everyone looked at me and pointed to a spot near them and then moved for me to walk to her.

"Is that Louis Tomlinson?" a girl gasped.

I knelt beside Claire.

"We called 911 before we called you. You were the first one we saw on her call log so we figured you would be awake," a brown haired girl said.

"Thanks," I said taking Claire's hand in mine. She had a pulse but she wasn't responding to anything. Then I noticed the blood on her face and head. She had hit her head pretty hard on the pavement.

"What's your name?" I asked the girl.

"Eleanor," she smiled.

"Thanks for everything Eleanor," I said. "I'm Louis."

I got her number so I could call with my gratitude later.

The ambulance came and I followed them to the hospital. I called her mom and the boys once I got there and was told to wait in the waiting room.