Escape Route (Decode Sequel)

Chapter Five - Sleeping Alone II.

Lennon.

 

"He's bleeding! Why is he bleeding?! Why is there blood coming from his ears like that?!"

"The ambulance is less than a minute."

"Harry, please. Please don't do this to me." 

My arms ached to the core, to the point I couldn't actually feel them very well, I barely knew what I was doing. All I did know was I hadn't stopped pumping his chest up and down. But there was still no sign of life. My face was a bright red, tear coated mess. I coughed and spluttered my way through each compression.  

"Ambulance is here!" 

I didn't back away, I kept going and I would continue to do so until I was a hundred percent sure someone could take over.

"Where is he?" The first paramedic called out from the crowd. If the situation wasn’t so severe I would have bit back something along the lines of "he's obviously the one lying on the floor swimming in his own blood." But it was neither appropriate nor funny, so I held my tongue. 

"He's not breathing." I cried out, as the paramedic knelt by my side.

"How long have you been trying the compressions?"

"I don't know, ten minutes? Fifteen? I don't know." I stammered through my breathlessness. 

"Okay, I'll take ov-" 

My hands were still on his chest when I felt his rib cage rise, the actions halting everyone. I pulled my hands away almost too quickly from shock, staring wide-eyed. It was the longest second of silence and anticipation I had ever felt in my life. Everyone else stepped a foot closer. I held my breath, nails digging into my sweat coated palms. 

His chest went down...and then up again. And back down and up again. He was breathing, it wasn't strong breaths nor were they stable but he was breathing. 

"Can I get an oxygen mask ASAP!"

--

"Lennon... Lennon."

"Mm," I was barely awake, I could hear voices around me but the rest of my body felt like it was still asleep.

"Lennon wake up."

I pulled my head away from where it was resting and craned my neck to the side, squinting my eyes from the bright light hitting my face.

"The doctors need to change his dressings and you're sort of..."

I opened my eyes fully and felt the colour in my cheeks rise when I realised I was practically sprawled half over Harry in his hospital bed. I was barely sat on the chair anymore.

"Oh, sorry." I mumbled, pulling myself away and pushing the chair back against the wall in the room. Louis rubbed small circles on the back of my hand as he sat down next to me.  

We watched quietly and patiently as the doctors changed his dressings, reassessed his wounds, replaced his drips and checked his breathing tubes. He was hooked up to drips and machines left, right and centre.

After they left we remained silent for a while until Louis gave the speech I'd been expecting since he got here a few hours ago.

"He'll make it through, he's a fighter." His words came across so cliché I almost couldn't take him seriously. I knew Harry was a fighter, hell I've seen him fight, but that doesn't mean he's invincible. And I think everyone knows that, I was just being pessimistic person in the situation. “And I know you think I’m just talking shit to make you feel better, but do you really think one little thing is gonna set Harry Styles back?”