Drifting Snowflakes

Just A Few More Hours.

'Nurses NEVER run..NEVER!  Only when it is an extreme emergency is it an acceptable time to break this rule.' She remembered being told this constantly throughout her training to be a nurse. 'It causes unnecessary panic amongst the patients. Walk briskly, but never run!' D*mn, this was an emergency! Her husband wasn't answering. She needed to check if what she believed was true. If Zayn and Liam were in the building, then Niall was no longer safe. She and Mark were no longer safe. Patience ran!

'Mark! Mark!" She saw him at the end of the corridor, talking with another orderly. "Mark, they're here."   Patience skidded to halt beside them as Mark glared warningly at her. She'd slipped up, called him Mark. Yes, it was his real name, but here he was Michael, she was Pat. The names the WPP had given them. Why was she risking blowing their cover? He took in the panicked look on her face. It must be desperate, she was normally so careful, more so than he was himself.

"Mark?" The other man questioned looking at him in surprise. "I thought your name is Michael?"

"Yeah, I am. My parents thought Michael Mark was a cute name, they called me MM as a  kid. Pat here really likes my second name better. Calls me by it sometimes." Mark lied smoothly. The other man nodded in acceptance of the explanation and Mark let out a quiet sigh of relief, the potential disaster averted.

"And who are  the 'they' that are here?" The man then turned to the panting nurse, the previous conversation with Mark already forgotten. "You seem mighty excited about it?" He looked at her with great curiosity. He'd always found her to be very calm and quiet as if nothing could ever ruffle her feathers.

"Uh, friends of ours" Mark lied again, jumping back quickly into the conversation. His wife was far too agitated. "Not seen them for years. Pat has been overexcited about it since she found out. Look, I'll catch up with you later, yeah? " He patted his friend on his back and turned away, pulling his wife with him. Mark pushed her into a nearby empty room and stood to wait, as he allowed her to get her breath back.

"Mark, Niall's here as a patient... but he's got two bodyguards with him..Jamie and Jav." The words tumbled out of her mouth, her expression still distraught.

"Here, Niall's here?" Mark felt the smile on his face grow. They both adored Niall and it was his personal intervention that had saved Niall, Patience and a few others from the messed up age play community. "But what's the problem? Is he OK?"

"Mark!' Patience almost screamed at him. "Jamie and Javv!  Don't you see?" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "He's in danger". She felt her frustration growing as Mark failed to see the situation. "Jamie and Jav" she repeated. She watched as realization struck and all the color leached out of his face, leaving it bone white, a terrified expression now etched on his features.

"Jamie and Javv" he whispered..  "Liam James and Zayn Javvad". Patience nodded. Mark felt his legs go weak and he sat down on the floor, face buried in his hands. If they were here, in the hospital, with Niall, then danger was too close for comfort. "We've got to do something. " He lifted his face up then plunged a hand into his pocket. "We need help. I'll ring that Detective guy..I've still got his number. You get back to work" She nodded and moved towards the door. " And Patience?" she turned back to him.."Stay out of sight. It's not just Niall who is at risk." Patience nodded soberly and left the room, eyes darting everywhere as she returned to the floor she had been assigned to that day.

"Nurse, where have you been?" The Head nurse snapped at Patience when the young woman hurried through the door. "You are late!"

"I'm sorry, M'am. I had to deal with a family emergency. " Patience lied. Well, she thought to herself, it wasn't really a lie. Niall was family to her and he was in an emergency situation.

"Well, don't let it happen again. You're being assigned to another floor. We have had a VIP patient admitted, and we want you to be his special nurse. Report to the third floor and speak to Dr. Stephens. Your patient has been admitted under the name of James Gallagher. It is actually Niall Horan, the singer. He had a fall backstage after his show and has severely damaged his knees, one particularly. It will require immediate surgery. He also has other injuries, a broken arm, possible concussion, badly bruised ribs, and a few other, fairly minor, scrapes and bruises.  He has had his spleen removed fairly recently, so he is more suseptible to infection so you will need to take great care and make sure he is well monitored. He's to be prepared for surgery then you are to see to his post-operative care. Nurse Martin will relieve you when your shift ends. Well, don't just stand and gape at me in that foolish manner, girl. Get moving." She glared at Patience then moved away. Patience stared after her, her face as white as a sheet. What was she to do? Liam and Zayn were bound to recognize her. How could she possibly avoid detection? She walked towards the elevator, her mind spinning. 

She stared into the mirror and eyed her reflection critically. She had pulled a surgical cap over her long hair and now was carefully adjusting a mask over her face. She'd claim she had a heavy cold and didn't want to pass on her germs. It wouldn't seem a strange precaution as he was considered vulnerable to infection due to the fact that having no spleen lowered his immunity levels. It would muffle her voice slightly and she'd also do her best to alter it as much as possible, make it husky and strained, just as if her throat was sore. It wasn't ideal but it was the best she could come up with at short notice. Patience could only hope that Mark had managed to get through to the Police and that they would soon be here. They were going to be in trouble right up to their necks if they couldn't stay out of danger. Patience closed her eyes and murmured a brief prayer before straightening her shoulders and heading to the room where Niall Horan lay unconscious.

When Patience entered the room, it was dimly lit, and only Niall was in the room although a man she did not recognize had been stood outside the door, his eyes constantly moving as he observed the people moving about. He had nodded to Patience as she had approached the door then politely opened it for her. Patience ha nodded her thanks as she slipped inside. It must be a security guard, she thought as she moved towards the bed containing her patient. Niall looked pale and exhausted and Patience was worried. As a nurse, she was no stranger to seeing wires and tubes attached to her patients but, somehow, Niall seemed more tiny and vulnerable than she had ever seen before. She looked down and saw that someone had tucked his Giraffe stuffie next to him. Bile rose in her throat as she understood the connection to his past abduction. She couldn't let it happen again. But first things first, she thought. Niall was due for surgery so she focussed her mind on the tasks in hand. Once he was being operated on, she and Mark could get together and hopefully make sure Niall stayed safe.

"The nurse is in there," The burly security guard told Liam and Zayn when they returned to Niall's room,  each carrying a mug of coffee. She's getting him ready for surgery, I think." Liam nodded, then tapped lightly on the door and went in, followed by Zayn.

"Oh!" the nurse seemed startled as she muttered something that they strained to hear. "I'm just getting Mr. Gallagher ready for surgery" Patience kept her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper, maintaining her pretense of a heavy cold. "The orderlies will be here in a minute to take him to the theater." She nodded at the two men then hurried out to await the men who were to transfer Niall to a gurney and bear him away. She felt the sweat break out on her forehead.

Liam and Zayn both kissed Niall's forehead as the two orderlies appeared to take Niall. Zayn then turned to Liam as they watched Niall being wheeled away. 

"He'll be OK, won't he?" Zayn asked anxiously. Normally he was the strong one, the one Liam relied on for support, but since Niall had been taken away from them, he was finding it harder and harder to wait patiently for their baby to be returned to them. The end was nearly in sight but it was becoming harder and harder to wait to have Niall back.

"He'll be fine, babe" Liam reassured. He's needed his knee fixed for some time. They'll do the operation, we'll wait until he's out of recovery then, poof. Niall will disappear into thin air. And we'll have our little baby back with us where he belongs. Louis has got everything ready. We'll fly to the island. It's all sorted. Come on, babe. Let's get something to eat then check in with Louis. The Doctor said the operation would take four or five hours. He needs to do some major reconstruction. Just a few more hours." Liam grinned.