Lifting You Up

Chapter 8

The next day, Niall was certainly not better. His fever still hadn't gone down, his headache hadn't gone away, and now he was refusing to eat.

"Niall, baby, it's just applesauce. You like it," Zayn tried convincing him as they all sat around the table for breakfast.

"Not hungry," Niall whined, itching as his legs under his pajamas.

Zayn sighed and put the bowl of applesauce back on the table. Zayn swore Niall was like the reincarnation of Louis. He was just as dramatic and sensitive and, most of all, stubborn.

"Can I watch cartoons?" Niall pouted, now itching at his arms.

"No, Ni. We sit at the table until everyone is done," Zayn told him, knowing he only had maybe two minutes left of sitting at the table.

"Don't wanna," Niall cried, scratching his tummy now.

"Are your pajamas itchy, love?" Zayn asked, ignoring his minor tantrum in favor of Niall's incessant itching.

This got Louis' attention as well. He looked up from his own breakfast to look curiously at Niall. Those were Niall's favorite pajamas, and there was no way they were just itchy.

"Itchy all over," Niall whined, going back to his legs.

"Let's go get changed, hmm?" Louis said, picking Niall up and carrying him up to Niall's room after throwing Zayn a perplexed look.

"Lou, I scratch," Niall whined, squirming in Louis' arms.

"I know, babe. That's why we're going to change. You've been in those pajamas for an entire day now. I'd say maybe that's why they're all scratchy," Louis said, rubbing Niall's back as they entered the room. He set Niall on his bed and dug out some sweatpants and a t-shirt for Niall to wear since clearly they weren't leaving the house today. He returned to Niall to see fat tears rolling down his red cheeks silently.

"Aw, love. I know you don't feel good," Louis cooed, picking him up and cuddling him for a moment, wiping tears away from his heated cheeks.

"Don't like," Niall cried as Louis set him back on the bed.

"I know," Louis soothed, unzipping his sleeper as he spoke.

As soon as Niall's pajamas were off, Louis wanted to scream. There were little red dots all across Niall's skin. Of course it had to be chicken pox.

And Louis felt like absolute shit. He put himself first when his baby brother was so ill. Niall must have felt miserable because Louis could remember having chicken pox as a kid, and it was awful. Instead of freaking out, though, Louis just smiled and continued to dress him as if nothing was different. When he finished, he picked Niall back up to take him downstairs. Niall laid his head on Louis' shoulder miserably with tears still leaking out of his eyes.

"Let's go talk to Zayn," Louis said softly, more to himself than Niall. Once they were downstairs, Louis went straight to Zayn. "He has chicken pox," Louis mumbled to Zayn, gesturing to Niall's back where he had temporarily raised his shirt.

Zayn furrowed his eyebrows in concern and sighed. Louis imagined Zayn was feeling much the same way as he was right now, so he understood te reaction.

"Okay. I'll stay home with him," Zayn said, pulling his phone out of his pocket to call in sick before Louis could respond.

"I can if you need to go in..." Louis hedged, hopeful that Zayn would disagree. He really did have a lot to get done at work since he had to leave his meeting yesterday.

Zayn smirked at him as he put the phone to his ear. "I know you need to go to work today. I can handle this," he said, rushing out the last few words as someone answered the phone. Louis just continued to rub Niall's back as Zayn spoke to the school, giving instructions for the substitute to play some instructional video for all of his classes. Soon after, he hung up and smiled at Niall who was staring at him from Louis' shoulder.

"Hi, baby," Zayn said, taking Niall from Louis' arms and bouncing him in his own. "We're going to make you feel better today, how's that sound?" Niall didn't answer, so Zayn kissed the top of his head.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Louis asked, trying to sound helpful

"Yes, Lou. We'll be fine," Zayn said, walking over to the couch in the living room and laying down with Niall on his chest. He realized a little too late that he was still in his work clothes when Niall reached up and grabbed a fistful of his dress shirt.

"I'm going to go. Call me if you need anything," Louis said as he tucked in his shirt.

He didn't quite make it to the door before he heard a weak, "Kisses?" from Zayn's chest.

Louis smiled and went back around the couch to crouch in front of Niall and kiss his cheek. "Feel better, love," Louis whispered as Niall's eyes fluttered shut.

Once Louis was gone, Niall was asleep in minutes. Zayn carefully moved out from underneath him to call the pediatrician. Liam had never had chicken pox, so he really didn't know what to do even though he would act like he did if anyone else asked.

Ten minutes later, he didn't feel much more informed after talking to the doctor. It wasn't necessary to take Niall to the doctor, and since this was viral, they were stuck just doing things to stop the itching and fever. Zayn went upstairs to grab the baby Tylenol out of the medicine cabinet in the bathroom as well as the thermometer. He took a few minutes to change into more comfortable clothes as well. He went back over to the couch when he got back downstairs to stick the thermometer under Niall's arm. Zayn smiled as Niall barely even flinched in his sleep. This kid slept like the dead no matter what was going on around him. At seeing that his temperature was still above 100, Zayn sat Niall up gently so that he could take some fever reducer.

"I know. I'm sorry, babe," he cooed as he brought the cup of medicine up to Niall's lips.

"Icky," Niall whined after swallowing the medicine. He mindlessly scratched at his belly, and Zayn felt horrible when he had to deny him of that relief, but the doctor had said not to let him itch the sores. Niall started crying again, so Zayn picked him up, heading to the kitchen to grab some oatmeal to make Niall a bath. He was skeptical about the whole oatmeal bath thing, but the doctor had suggested it, and it was one of the only remedies he wouldn't have to go to the store for.

"How does a bath sound, hmm?" Zayn hummed, rummaging through the cabinet for the regular oatmeal. Niall shrugged his little shoulders and rubbed his face into Zayn's shirt. He just wanted the itchiness all over his body to go away.

Zayn took Niall back upstairs to the bathroom and sat down on the closed toilet lid with Niall in his lap. He carefully followed the instructions he had pulled up on his phone because he really wanted this to work. When the water was a couple inches high, he undressed Niall and helped him into the tub. As soon as Niall felt the oatmeal, he immediately became less tense, and Niall and Zayn both sighed in relief for different reasons.

"Does that feel good, Ni?" Zayn asked as he rubbed the boy's back.

"Good," Niall nodded, leaning back into Zayn's hand.

Zayn smiled because he was so glad that Niall was feeling better even if it was just for a few minutes. Niall was so relaxed he even started to nod off a couple times in the bath. Zayn felt bad when he had to take Niall out of the bathtub, but Niall seemed unfazed as he still must have not been itchy. Zayn dried him off and put him back into his clothes before taking the pliant boy back downstairs to watch cartoons and sleep on the couch.

Zayn couldn't stop thinking about how relieved he felt that Niall felt better because there was nothing worse than seeing him miserable.

A/N: a cute little drabble continuation thing I did for the anon that wanted chicken pox Niall on the four hour trip back from my WWA concert yesterday :D It was the best night ever, and I had so much fun. I can also confirm that Niall is real so. Sorry this took so long again. I have yet another chapter of this story coming very soon and then I start back on Cover Story and so on. Thanks for sticking with me through my crappy update schedule :)