Nothing Else Matters - Perrie Edwards

Chapter Sixteen

I didn't manage to get back to sleep, but my dad turned up just after nine anyway. If Perrie had stayed only about twenty minutes more, he would have walked in on us.

"Hi son, how are you?" He said, hugging me briefly when he arrived.

"Not all that bad. You? Did you sleep okay?"

"I got a couple of hours. The others are just outside... Shall I let them in?"

"If you must." I joked.

"You're up to it?"

"Yes, of course. I just want to come home now."

"I'll go and get them and I'll try and grab a doctor while they're with you and see what's going on, see when I can take you home."

"That sounds great."

Dad left the room, replaced seconds later by Alfie, Maddie and Ellie. They all grinned when they saw me, and Maddie ran straight across the room. I tensed up, afraid for a second she would actually jump on the bed, but she slowed down and sat on the bed next to me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Does it hurt?" Alfie said, taking dad's chair. Ellie perched on the end of the bed.

"Yeah, it's just like a bad headache though."

"Can I give you a hug?" Maddie said tearfully.

"Course you can, hey don't get upset! I'm fine."

"You look really pale."

"Yeah, that'll be the blood I lost." I joked. Alfie and Ellie laughed, but Maddie squeezed me tighter.

"Don't say that, that's horrible." She said, her voice muffled in my shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Come on sis, pull yourself together yeah?"

"Whoever did this is scum." Maddie sniffed. She turned herself around, putting her feet up on the bed next to me and cuddling into me like a child. I held my arm around her and she wound hers around my waist.

"D'you remember anything about what happened?" Alfie asked.

"D'you know what they looked like?" Ellie added.

"Dad said he'll get the police here later today, I'll tell them what I remember."

"What do you remember?" Ellie pushed. "Do you know who did it? Dad said you still had all your stuff, so you couldn't have been mugged. So who attacked you?"

"Ell, will you give it a rest!" Maddie snapped, surprising me. She could be quite hot-headed; everything Ellie was saying would usually come out of her mouth. "Leave him alone."

"I just meant-"

"He doesn't need you going on at him, just leave it will you? He can tell the police. They're the ones who can do something about it."

"We'll see about that." Alfie snorted. "I swear if I ever find out who it was..."

"You'll have to get in line." Ellie said fiercely.

"I hope you're being gentle with him." Dad said, coming back in and standing behind Alfie. "Are you okay kiddo?"

"Yeah." I smiled.

"Are you up to talking to the police?"

"I suppose so... are they coming?"

"Well the doctor said he wants you to stay at least until tonight, and then he'll run some more tests and decide whether or not you should stay another night. So I've just called them. They'll be here around midday."