Love Thy Neighbour *editing*

"There's something quintessentially British about it."

Adam didn't die. He was just a bit worse for wear. I mean, anyone would be after an attempted drowning. Well, Billy says that he didn't actually mean to leave him under that long; he got distracted. Yeah, okay, I really didn't believe that for a minute.

I think Niall had taken it the hardest. Once we had got home from the hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning, he had literally fallen onto the bed and refused to speak to me. I had thought, originally, that he had been asleep, but soon it became clear that he was just staring at the ceiling his eyes wide.

I glanced at the clock on the bedside cabinet. It read 2.34. There was sun coming through the crack in the curtains, and I could hear mum moving about downstairs, shouting at Tommy for not doing something. Shuffling slightly underneath the duvet, I turned to look at Niall.

His face was pale and his eyes glassy, a hint of stubble coming through. He lay rigid on the bed, his arms by his sides and a pained expression etched across his features. I had never seen him like this.

And it scared me.

Tentatively, I reached out to touch his arm and he jerked as my fingertips made contact with his skin. He looked at me, looking slightly panicked for a few moments.

"Niall?" I murmured, checking him over. They had made sure, before he had been allowed home, that he too was alright, but I was beginning to think that the extent of the damage had not been physical.

"Yeah?" His voice was strangely thick and raspy sounding. I rested a palm on his cheek, and I felt him shake slightly under my touch.

"You okay?" The question seemed ridiculous, considering the state that he seemed to be in. The words felt insincere and not enough. And yet I couldn't find anything else to say to him.

Niall nodded but even the gesture seemed forced. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a hug, keeping him close. I felt him shudder and rest his head against my shoulder, utterly defeated.

"I thought he was dead, Evie," he whispered fearfully. "He wasn't breathing..."

"I know," I soothed, stroking the back of his head. "But he's going to be fine."

Niall shook his head.

"Every time I close my eyes, Evie, I can see him lying in the water," he told me, trembling. "What if I hadn't noticed? What if we'd all just kept on laughing?"

"But you did, Niall, you saved his life." Niall shook his head, burying his face further into the crook of my neck. I could have sworn he was about to start crying, and then I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

Niall pulled away from me, trying to look anywhere but my face.

"Evie," he choked. "He could have died." I bit my lip worriedly, wondering what the hell I could do or say to make him feel better. Right now, I felt more than a bit helpless. And I hated that feeling. The thought of not being able to do anything to make him better made me want to cry.

I cupped his face in my hands and forced him to look at me.

"You did everything you could, Niall," I said. "You're probably the reason that he's still breathing." He sank back down in the bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He was shattered; the big dark circles under his eyes were a huge giveaway.

"D'you want me to get you something to eat?" I asked, rubbing his arm softly. Niall looked at me, a weary smile beginning to form around his lips.

"It's supposed to be me getting you food, McKenzie," he groaned. "Not the other way around." I rolled my eyes, slipping out from underneath the covers and getting to my feet. I stretched, my bones cracking. Niall watched me, his head tilted to the side.