Together (Sick & Hurt Liam)

In My Arms

Liam's POV

"We'll be back before noon. Is there anything you need while we're out?" Harry asks me as he slides his jacket on getting ready to leave with Niall, Louis and a small army of bodyguards to bring Zayn home from the hospital.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay here with just Paul? One of us can always stay behind if you want, Li," Niall hesitates at the door giving me a worried look as I sip my lunch of homemade chicken noodle soup and toast. 

"Guys, I'll be fine. Paul, has taken care of me plenty of times, just bring Zayn home safe and sound, I'll be here like usual," I assure them even though I hate being alone without one of them, especailly with me having a bad day today, but today is not about me and my recovery, but about Zayn and his coming home from the hospital.

"We'll be back in two hours tops. I'll pick up your prescriptions as well and we'll do your medication when I get home. Till then finish eating and then stay on that couch, Liam James," Louis warns me before pecking the top of my head and slipping out the door with Harry and Niall in tow. 

Once the front door is closed behind them and the car is out of the driveway I let my fascade drop. I push away my food and let my feverish head rest on the cool table counters, not even having the strength to keep my head up, for Louis had been right that simple trip of seeing Zayn earlier in the week has kicked my butt and I am now paying the price, but I refuse to show them just how much pain I am in. Not wanting to give them the satisfaction of being right, especially not Louis.

"Liam you need to finish eating or your not going to be able to get your strength back," Paul warns me coming into the kitchen beside me and resting his hand on my back.

"I'm not hungry though, and I'm afriad that if I eat much more I'm just going to throw it all up," I admit peaking out from my folded arms so I can meet Paul's eyes. His facial expression softens and I know that if I can make Paul give in then I must look pretty pitiful.

"Alright, eat half the soup and half of the toast then you can go lay down. There's no point in forcing you to eat all of it if you might throw it up. If you can keep down what you eat now you can eat more later," Paul gives in and I can't help but give him a grateful smile. 

I slowly nibble away at my lunch, eating half of each parts before slidding off the stool and stumbling back into the living room where I let myself fall back on the couch wrapping myself tightly in blankets like I am some burrito. I can hear Paul cleaning things up in the kitchen and I can't help but feel guilty. It is partically my mess and I should be helping clean it up, but I feel so awful today I know I can not help out no matter how badly I want to.

Paul soon joins me in the living room to watch some TV. More than half an hour ticks by with us just quietly sitting together enjoying each other's company.

Not even half way into the secound TV show I can feel liquid starting to drip down onto my pillow and into my mouth. Putting my hand up to my nose I find the all too familiar crimson coating my hands. Keeping my hand to my nose I unwrap myself from the blankets and as quickly as I can get to my feet to hurry to the bathroom that is just down the hall.

"You okay?" Paul asks half turning from the TV to look at me. 

"Yeah, just have to use the bathroom," I call back before closing the bathroom door behind me and locking it. I hurry over to the bathroom sink turning on the faucet as I grab some toilet paper and bunch it up holding it to my nose trying to get the bleeding to stop. The blood though is soon soaking through the thin white cloth and dripping onto the floor and my clothes. I toss that wod of paper in the toilet, grabbing some more but that too is soon soaked with blood. Panicking and giving in on the thin cloth I grab one of Louis' hand towels off the rack and using that instead. Desperatly trying to get the bleeding to stop. The amount of it though is terriffing me. For now the bathroom floor has spots of red, my shirt is covered in it, the bathroom counter has spots where the blood is smeared across the clean tops from where my blood covered hands have rested.