HOSPITAL BEDS • Elounor •

20 | Dr. Smith

Hello, everyone!

Just a quick note: some of you DM me to ask about Louis and Eleanor's ages in this story. Initially, they were younger, but just to be clear, I decided they are 21. I guess it's closer to their real age and fits better to the story.

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"Wake up, Louis!"

"C'mon, Lou!"

I knew those voices quite well, so I smiled at them as I opened my eyes to have a look at my sisters, the twins.

"Hi," I murmured looking around the room. My parents were sited at the chairs for the visitors in the corner of the room, Lottie and Fizzy were standing at the end of my bed and the twins, Daisy and Phoebe, were at each side of my bed.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Lottie asked me raising an eyebrow.

"Like if I had somewhere to go." I told her bitterly, but I laughed then when I noticed they were all looking awkwardly at me. "I'm joking, you can laugh."

"Excuse him; the hospital has given him a weird sense of humour." A weak voice made us turned to the other bed in the room.

Eleanor was laughing at her own joke while she struggled to sit straight in her bed.

"Good morning." I told her smiling.

"Morning, Lou. Hello," she said timidly at my family who were still looking at her and grinning since they already knew who she was.

"Hum - everyone, this is Eleanor. El, my family."

They all said hello to her but then no one spoke. It was quite uncomfortable at first. I had no idea what to say now, but I regretted my silence immediately as one of the twins spoke.

"What is that thing in your wrist?" I looked at my wrist but then I realized she was not talking to me, but to Eleanor.

"Daisy!" I scolded her.

"It's okay, Lou." I turned to El but she was smiling, apparently not offended by my sister's question. "You mean this?" she said pointing at the needle in her wrist. "It's something the doctors put on me to help me feel better."

I knew she was trying to simplify it for the twins to understand, but it was evident that she was not so happy talking about it. I looked at my older sisters and they quickly got my message.

"Louis, guess what." Fizzy almost shouted in an evident attempt to change the topic, to which I nodded and smiled. "I- I –emm..."

"Fizzy got a boyfriend!" Lottie shouted, obviously lying.

"What?" my father asked from his chair in panic, making us all laugh.

They began talking to each other, bombing Fizzy with questions about her fake boyfriend. I owed her one. I took advantage and looked at El.

"Are you okay?" I whispered.

"Yes, don't worry." She whispered too and began brushing her hair as she kept her eyes on my family, laughing at my still shocked father's face.

"So, you have another session today, right?" my mother asked me coming to my side, leaving my father alone with the twins.

"Yeah."

"With Dr. ...?"

"Smith. He's nice." I said trying to cheer her up a bit.

"Good! I bet you'll do just fine, son."