espionage [h.s.]

TWENTY THREE

A.N. I feel like 'don't call me angel' is the perfect song for this story bc Harry's nickname for Rochelle is literally angel like.....give me a moment pls

Anyways enjoy this chapter, remember to vote & comment, I love reading all your reactions and predictions

ROCHELLE

A day later, I'm sat on one of the beds in the infirmary, staring into space while waiting for Earl to collect whatever supplies he ran off to find. Despite the fact that I reassured him I was fine yesterday and that I was only grazed by a bullet, he still insisted on stitching up my arm and wouldn't back down, no matter how many times I argued with him about it.

So now I'm here again, not of my own free will, so he can check on the stitches and see if my wound is healing properly. If I'm being completely honest, I couldn't care less about the wound, but I don't particularly want to piss Earl off. He may be old, but I get the feeling he could still deliver a pretty strong punch.

I've been in a sort of daze ever since yesterday, like my mind still hasn't fully registered everything that happened. Louis and Elias were trying to talk to me once all the attackers had been taken down, but I just stared straight through them, not listening nor comprehending a single word they said, although I do remember them saying something about how they thought I was in shock.

As soon as the lockdown was over, I headed straight to the gym and spent hours running on the treadmill until I could barely feel my legs anymore. I stayed there training well into the night, working my body to the point of physical exhaustion until Elias showed up and coaxed me into going to bed. I eventually gave in just to shut him up, but as usual I didn't sleep much, and I returned back to the gym in the early hours of the morning.

I was disrupted again when Earl sent Zayn to bring me to the infirmary, but I just snapped at him and told him to fuck off multiple times, as well as asking him to pass that message on to Earl too. After a while of Zayn running back and forth between the infirmary and the gym to pass on our messages, I eventually grew bored of it. Zayn tried his best to keep up conversation while he walked me down to the infirmary, under orders, saying something about how the group on the Italy mission were supposed to be back today, but I wasn't really listening.

As I think about it now, I spot Elias walking down the hall outside and I quickly call out his name to get his attention. He raises his head at the sound of his name being called, raising an eyebrow at me quizzically through the window, and I wave my hand to beckon him to come in.

"Costello," he greets me with a nod as he walks in, scanning the room as if searching for Earl, and then clearly realising he's gone off to fetch something. "What's up?"

"I've heard people saying that the group who went to Italy are coming back today. Is that true?"

"Well, we don't know for sure if they are returning today," he responds, and when I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, he explains, "Our contact with the group hasn't been very successful, but we're expecting them to return today."