Let Me Teach You Something (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 31

Louis went to the bed and looked down at the still, pale face below him. Harry's eyes were closed and his mouth was parted slightly, breathing lightly.

Louis wanted to kiss him so bad, but he figured that was bad form. So instead he kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, "I should've told you a hundred times by now, I love you."

Harry's heart rate beeped faster for a minute before settling down again. Louis took Harry's hand and held it gently. "I had this whole romantic picnic under the waterfall planned for tonight. A blanket. Music. I was going to ask you to be my boyfriend." Louis let the tears flow freely now. "I should've asked the moment I met you. Now you'll be stuck here. And then probably at home with your parents. And then we'll graduated. And I'll never get to be your boyfriend." Louis wasn't breathing anymore, just pushing the words out without air.

He used his free hand to comb through Harry's curls. "Please get better. I can't stand to see you like this. Not smiling. I love your smile. Your laugh. You. I love you." Louis laughed at himself. "Now that I've said it I can't stop."

The door creaked open and Louis quickly dropped Harry's hand. "You're not supposed to be in here," the nurse, Sam, scolded.

"I'm sorry. I just needed to see him. I'll go."

Sam nodded and opened the door wider for him to leave.

"He'll be fine," she said softly as he passed. Louis nodded without looking at her and kept walking.

When he got back to the lobby the boys weren't in their seats. He did a scan and found them over by Harry's parents. Louis walked over and heard the middle of the conversation.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. He was fine yesterday. We even jammed together a little. Wrote a little something," Liam said fondly.

"That music stuff. I've told him it was a waste of time," Anne admonished.

"He slept fine?" Robin asked.

Instinctually the boys looked to Louis. Louis stuttered, "Yeah, yeah, fine."

"And who might you be, son?" Robin questioned.

"Louis, sir. A mate of Harry's from school. In his group with these lads."

"You were at the cabin too?"

"Yes, sir."

"And Harry was fine?"

Louis had to breathe deep to keep from breaking down again. "Yeah. Fine."

"I just don't get it," Robin wondered.

Anne was eyeing Louis, "You said he slept fine last night?"

"Yes, ma'am." Louis voice was shaking under the scrutiny.

"Did you sleep with him last night?"

Robin seemed taken back by the blunt question. The boys were frozen.

Louis tried to think. "We share the room with the two beds in the cabin, ma'am. As far as I could tell he was quiet all night." Louis didn't mention that Harry's mumbled Louis' name in his sleep last night. Or that he did so while he was being spooned by Louis.

Anne nodded curtly. "Alright, then."

"Can we see him?" Niall asked quietly.

Anne's face softened a little when she turned to him. Great, she likes Niall more than me already. "I don't think so, honey. Probably not until he's out of the ICU."

Niall nodded begrudgingly.

"Do you know when that will be?" Zayn asked.

"Probably not for another two days. He's unconscious anyway, so it wouldn't do any good to see him now," Robin answered.

"Will you call? When we can come see him. Please," Louis choked out.

"Of course. But I don't think you can all go in at once," Robin admitted.

"That's fine. I just need-I would like to see him when he wakes up. If you don't mind," Louis ran a hand through his hair.

"We'll call," Anne stated.

Louis ignored her tone and thanked them. The boys walked back out of the hospital and got in the car. Louis finally broke again.

Niall scooted over and hugged him. "Harry's going to be fine."

"I know," Louis sniffed. "It's not that."

"Then what?"

"His mom knows! I swear she knows. Did you see the way she looked at me? Like I had 'I'm gay for your son' on my fucking forehead!" Louis worried.

"No way," Zayn opposed. "There's no way she knows."

"I don't know," Liam spoked out the window. "She did seem put off by you. When she asked if you slept with him. I don't think she meant in the same room."

"Liam," Zayn scolded.

"I knew it. Shit, Harry's family is going to disown him and we won't finish school because of me!"

"No. Come on. There's no way she can know. Even if she thinks she knows. She doesn't," Niall explained.

"But now there's no way I can be with him. He'll be surrounded by people until he recovers and his family will be watching me."

"Louis, don't get worried about something that hasn't happened yet." Liam had finally turned away from the window. "Right now can we focus on Harry?"

Louis immediately felt bad. "God, yeah. Of course. Forget about all that. Let's go back and get his stuff ready for when his parents call."

"Are you wanting to stay at the cabin?" Zayn asked.

"It's the closest to the hospital. My place is forever away."

"Ok. We'll stay and wait."

"We still have about a week of break left," Niall offered.

"Hopefully it'll pass quickly," Louis admitted, "I can't stay there without him for very long."