Stumbling through the dark

Relentless Tick Of The Clock

Jacey, Aoife, Liam and Louis gathered in the small waiting room that was close to the theatre where Niall was currently undergoing emergency surgery. Liam alternated pacing up and down with staring out of the window at the car park below. Aoife cried silently on Louis shoulder whilst Jacey stared fixedly at the clock on the wall, watching as the second hand swept slowly around the face of the clock, turning seconds into minutes and minutes into hours. And still they heard nothing.

Liam felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out to see who was calling. He quickly left the waiting room and moved out into the almost deserted corridor before answering.

"Hazza" he answered, his voice sounding strained even in his own ears. He cleared his throat and spoke again. "Hazz"

"How is he Li, is there any news yet?" Harry sounded frantic. He was driving as fast as he could towards LAX, having managed to get a seat on the next flight leaving for the UK. He hadn't even stopped to pack anything as Liam's call about Niall had thrown him into panic mode.

"Still in surgery. It's been hours. I'm so f.cking scared, Harry. I don't think he's going to make it. The surgeon said his chances were pretty slim and it would need a miracle" Liam's voice faded into a whisper and Harry felt his stomach clench in fear as he listened.

"He's got to make it. He will make it" Harry tried to sound convincing but he knew that Liam was being totally honest with him. It was touch and go. And Niall had been slowly weakened over the last few months, refusing treatment until his son was born. Valuable time had been wasted and for what? Harry felt tears pricking his eyes and he angrily dashed them away. "I'll be there as soon as I land, Li. Just hang in there". Harry terminated the call and exited the Freeway at the Junction for LAX. He'd be in the air soon and on his way. He just prayed that he'd be in time, what ever happened.

"Harry's coming" was all Liam said when he returned to the waiting room. The tension was so thick there that he felt he could cut through it with a knife.

"Zee is en route as well. He should be here within the next half hour or so" Louis added, replacing his phone in his back pocket. "He's driven down from Bradford. It was lucky he was visiting his family. I know Niall would want him here". Aoife let out a sob at the mention of her dad's name and Jacey reached out and gripped her hand, both women unable to speak.

Jacey jumped as her phone suddenly buzzed as a text came in. She read it shakily. "Taylor has got both babies down for a nap. He wants to know if there's any news. I don't know what to say".  Tears glistened in her eyes so she blinked rapidly to stem their flow. She had to be strong, she told herself over and over again, like it was some mantra . And if she kept saying it then everything would be all right, Niall would be all right.

"I can't take this anymore, I can't, I can't" Aoife screamed, ripping at her hair."Why doesn't somebody come? What's taking so long? Why don't they tell us?"

"Woah, love" Louis' Doncaster accent sounded heavier than usual "They'll tell us a soon as they can. Not hearing is good..it means...I don't know what it means" Louis admitted "But they're doing their best for him. We just have to believe he can make it" But he understood. He desperately wanted to scream himself, to scream and scream until his throat was raw and bleeding. Anything that would break this endless waiting.

"And if he doesn't?" Aoife voiced the fear of everyone. Louis just shook his head and Liam stared down at the floor. None of them were prepared for that. They were all scared, so scared. It was the darkest fear for all of them.

"G*d" Liam said, looking out of the window. "It's a media circus out there. How the fu..... " He stopped the curse word from leaving his lips "how the blazes did they find out?" he continued. Louis joined him, looking out over the sea of paparazzi and fans that swarmed around the hospital.

"They don't care" Louis said tonelessly. "Yes, the fans do..but the media?... it's just some f.cked up situation they want to revel in. "The worse the situation, the happier they'll be." He turned away and flung himself down into a chair and glared at the clock on the wall, scowling at it as if  it was the  very thing responsible for the situation they were in.

Zayn suddenly burst into the room and stood, panting, as he looked around at everyone. His normally dark skin seemed almost white, he was so pale. His eyes were burning with emotion as he took in the despairing look on everyone's faces. When he spoke, he could hear the shake in his voice.

"Niall?" It was barely above a whisper.

"Still waiting" Liam responded. Zayn did one brief nod of the head before sitting down next to Jacey. He hugged her gently, not speaking further but she patted his cheek, acknowledging the unspoken comfort he was trying to offer. The room lapsed into silence, occasionally broken by a soft cough or squeak of a chair. It was so still that the relentless tick of the clock sounded deafeningly loud.

The swing door that connected the room to the corridor leading to the operating theatre swung open and all eyes were riveted on the man who stood in the doorway. He was still in his operating scrubs, his mask pulled down under his chin and his face was grey with exhaustion. He had no smile and Jacey's fingernails bit into her palms as she fisted her hands in anticipation of his words. He opened his mouth to speak....................