Pride {l.s.}

83- Please Be Safe

The Story So Far:

Harry and Louis are home at 3:00 in the morning when Niall calls Louis to tell him to turn on the news. There is breaking news about a shooting at the Pulse nightclub, the place where Zayn and Liam are.

June 16, 2016

5:23 am

Watson is whining. He's pacing back in forth in Zayn and Liam's apartment with urgency. He's grown into his larger paws, but he's still a puppy. He's a smart dog. Watson knows that something is wrong. Maybe he feels the fear the commotion of so many police sirens is giving. Maybe he's scared that his owners won't be coming back.  

Harry is making omelets in the kitchen. He's trying to do something as a distraction, but I can see his hands shaking as he cracks the egg. Niall is sleeping on the couch with his head in Cheyenne's lap. She stroked his hair until he fell asleep, but there are still dried tears on her cheeks. 

I'm caught somewhere between awake and sleep. I could be a zombie walking, and I wouldn't notice. I move between trying to distract Watson and sitting down and watching the news. I find it difficult to just sit there and get these updates. They figured out who the shooter was and details about him. I don't care about the shooter. Screw him. I care about the people inside. 

I try calling Zayn and Liam every ten minutes, switching off between which one. Neither of them has answered yet. I find an anger rising up in me. I am not attending my best friend and his lover's funeral. They are coming home. I know they are. 

"Louis," Harry calls to me from the kitchen. I get off the chair I'm in and walk to the kitchen. Harry's face has almost no emotion. We're both drained completely. "How about you head to the guest bedroom and try to sleep?"

I look back over at the couch to see that Cheyenne has finally drifted off to sleep. Niall continues to snore away. Watson still can't settle down as he walks around the apartment randomly. 

"What if they come home?" I ask quietly. I feel so small and helpless. I could just drift away. 

"I'll be up waiting for them," Harry reassures me with a hug. "I think I'm going to make some cookies. Liam always loved my chocolate chip cookies."

There's a moment of silence between us as I hold onto Harry like a lifeline. I can't imagine the fear that everyone in that club felt. I don't want to imagine the cellphones of the dead just left ringing as their loved ones try to reach them. I just wonder if one of them is my best friend. 

I simply nod my head in agreement with trying to get some sleep. I call Watson, and he follows me to the hallway. I turn to the guest room, but I turn to look at why Watson is whining. His paw is scratching at the door to Zayn and Liam's bedroom. Watson probably sleeps in there every night with them. 

I oblige and open the door to their bedroom. Watson's bed is on the ground, but he sits next to the bed looking up at me as if he is asking permission to hop up there. 

"It's okay," I say to Watson. "Hop on up."

Watson understands and leaps up onto the bed. He walks in tight circles before finally laying down. I lift the cover and slide into bed next to Watson. Watson army crawls his body closer to me. He nudges my hand with his nose, and I pet him for a couple moments before he decides to just start licking my hands. I love Watson, but there's something about the way he is acting. It's as if he knows that I'm hurting. If only Watson licking my hands could fix everything. 

Watson's eyes slowly start to close, but he continues to hold his head up. He persistently tries to stay awake and comfort me. I gently push his head down to the pillow, and Watson is out like a lightbulb. I avoid looking over at the picture frame on the nightstand. I know that it's a picture of all of us at Christmas. We all look so happy because everyone is there. 

I pull out my phone to see that I still haven't gotten a phone call back. I press on Zayn's contact and call him. 

"You've reached Zayn. Please leave a message- Watson, don't eat that!" I hear Zayn yelling in his voicemail right before the beep. I smile every time I hear it. 

"Hey, Z. It's me... Please be safe. Watson misses you. Tell Liam that Harry is making chocolate chip cookies just for him. Just please come home safely. We all miss you. I miss you... Love you, Z. See you soon."

A/N

This is somewhat of a filler chapter, but I wanted the characters to have to sit with their fear and doubts to see who can remain hopeful. And we needed to see how Watson is doing. 

xoxo Claire