Take Me Home

Chapter Nineteen

The next day is Liam's day off.

As dubious as he felt about leaving a still slightly sick Niall, a clingy Louis and a worryingly quiet and distanced Harry alone with Calum for a few hours before he came back for the night, the other careworker assured him that he had everything under control and that he would call if there was even the slightest issue.

Zayn happened to have the same day off of work as he did, and although his days off were usually spent at the home with the kids, he decided that just this once, he would spend the day with Liam - he could tell that the other man's mind was troubled.

Which was how the two men ended up sitting together on a park bench, watching families being happy and kids feeding bread to the ducks in the pond and parents hoisting up their toddlers to sit on their shoulders whilst they walk.

"Did you ever get any of this?" Zayn asked, out of the blue. They had been sitting in silence for a while, the comfortable kind that didn't really need to be interrupted at all.

Liam looked at the raven haired man with his brows furrowed - partially to shield his eyes from the bright sun and partially in confusion. Mainly the latter.

"Any of what?" he asked.

Zayn gestured at one family. Two women, hand in hand. A teen boy with a little girl on his back. Another little boy running wildly in front of them...all smiling. "This."

Liam hesitated, then pressed his lips together. "I told you before that I didn't get adopted by my parents until I was thirteen. I think I missed out on this kind of thing, you know? None of my families before them were much good. I was lucky to have ever found them, even if it was a little later than I would have liked," he replied truthfully. He felt as if he could always open up to Zayn.

Zayn, on the other hand, had only ever spoken about his childhood to Liam one time, and only very briefly. But Liam wanted to know more, so he asked.

"What about you?"

Zayn took a heavy breath and shifted on the bench so that his gaze landed on the water of the pond. "Never. My dad was a bad man, Li. I'm actually glad he never took me to a park or taught me to play catch, I only would have had to drop the ball and then...well, I think you get the idea." He smiled and seemed to relax a little when Liam took his hand and kept ahold of it gently - the skin on skin contact made his heart beat a little harder. "I remember this one time, I must have been about the same age as Lou and Ni. He offered to let me help him out with clearing the garage, he was being so nice and I was so naive that I trusted he would stay that way. He didn't. I knocked over a can of paint, he snapped. I ended up getting beaten so badly I had to stay off school for a week so nobody would see the bruises."

Liam squeezed his hand softly at that, resting his head on his shoulder and leaning into his side. "I'm so sorry, Z."

The doctor shook his head lightly. "Don't be. I fought through, I was one of the lucky ones who didn't let it affect the rest of my life...thing is, not all kids find it so easy to brush off. I know Louis doesn't remember most of the abuse that he went through at the hands of his grandfather, but he remembers the feeling of being unwanted. It's why he clings to the only people he loves. And Niall. God, that kid has been through too much. He covers it with so much anger and frustration because he's terrified of behaving like an actual child. Terrified of anyone bigger or stronger than he is, terrified of being hurt, or unloved, or left behind, I mean, he literally got so sick that he had a seizure and he didn't complain because he was afraid we would hurt him or refuse to care for him. That's all those kids have ever known, hurt. They deserve so much more," he said, and Liam had to blink to stop the stinging in his eyes because Zayn was right.