What Now? | N.H.

Chapter 27 | The Wait

(Diana's POV)

There's a loud crash coming from the other side of the phone. "Niall? Niall?" I call out anxiously but I'm greeted with silence before the line goes dead. I run out of my room into the living room calling out my parent's names. 

"Mum! Dad! I think something happened to them. I was on the phone with Niall one minute and there was this loud crash and then the line went dead," At this point, I'm starting to hyperventilate, I pace around the room nervously, unsure of what to do. I have no idea where they are and there's no way I could find them and get to them soon enough. Mum and dad stand up and put their hands on my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down. "I don't know what to do, should I call someone?!" 

"Shhh, calm down. It's going to be alright now tell us exactly what you heard," I tell them as much as I can about the call. They nod their heads as they listen. The expression on their faces becomes increasingly more concerned as I continue with the story. My dad rushes over to the tv and turns on the local news channel. My mom is staring at me with both her hands on my shoulders. "If something did happen, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do except hope they're okay," I nod my head but, don't want to accept that. 

"Semi-truck plows through intersection colliding with a single cab containing three people, including the drive. The state of the victims is unknown," A reporter speaks. I run over and stand behind the couch clutching onto my dad's arm as he leans against the couch. "One of the victims is rumored to be One Direction's Niall Horan," My heart sinks to the bottom of my chest. I let out a loud cry and my dad hugs me tightly. The tears start to spill out of my eyes. It's them, I know it's them. "The cab was overturned and the fire department is working hard to free the victims from the vehicle," My mother runs out of the room crying into her hands, unable to take it much longer. I tear my face away from my father's chest and watch the TV. I recognize the street names. I grab a pair of shoes, quickly slip them onto my feet and run out the door, ignoring my dad's questions. 

I don't bother with the elevator I run as fast as I can down the stairs and through the main doors. The streets are crowded but, I don't slow my pace. I knock into a couple of people and mutter my apologies as I continue running. My face feels like ice as a combination of the wind hitting my tear-soaked cheeks. 

I run about eight blocks. My feet are sore, my legs ache, and I've lost my breath but, my mind is too occupied to notice. I push through a large crowd surrounding the road. As I approach the roadblock I see two large men lifting someone on a gurney into the ambulance. I strain to see who it is. One of the men leans down to lift the legs of the gurney. That's when I see it. Niall's blond hair streaked with blood. His face is hardly recognizable with all of the cuts and bruises that littered his once innocent face. I try to push through the barriers but, I am stopped by a police officer who's guarding the perimeter. He holds a hand up to my chest and shakes his head. I ignore him and try to push past him anyway. He grabs my waist when I get past him and lifts me backward, up, off of my feet. I try kicking him and throwing my elbows backward to free myself but, he doesn't budge. 

"Please let me go," I beg, "That's my boyfriend and my brother! Please, I need to see them," I yell out in a desperate cry turning the crowd's attention over to me. The man slowly puts me down, his face is no longer hard as stone. It's softened, I catch a glimpse of sympathy flash in his eyes when he waves me away. I thank him before breaking into a sprint towards the ambulance.  

The men were about to close the door when I reach them, panting heavily. "Wait, can I ride with him?" They glance over at each other hesitantly as if trying to decide whether they could trust me or not. "Please," I beg, quietly, as I wipe the tears from my eyes. They nod their heads and open the back of the ambulance, I climb in as quickly as possible and they shut the doors behind me. My whole body starts to shake and I cry impossibly harder at the sight of him so hurt. He's hooked up to multiple tubes running up his arm, under his nose, and his chest. I grab his hand and bring it to my lips. "Please come back to me," I whisper against his limp hand. "I love you,"