“If you go now
Please leave the light on
Just say goodbye now and leave
With you gone now” - When The Lights Die, Boyce Avenue
Liam
It's cold in the hospital. I suppose a jacket might have been a good thing to grab before I drove over here, but I have to say, it wasn't the first thing on my mind.
Maybe a hat too, honestly. There's a little girl sitting across the waiting room from me, eyeing me. I can tell she recognizes me. I'm about to say something when a woman comes into the room and collects the girl. Her eyes are on me the whole way out.
Les is in critical condition, apparently. Someone took a knife to her, and she lost a lot of blood. If I had gotten back sooner – but I have to stop thinking like this. I couldn't have done anything.
“Liam!” calls someone. I look up. Louis. The others aren't far behind. I had sent them a rather cryptic text telling them to meet me at the hospital and I'd explain there. Based on the identical worry on everyone's faces, that probably wasn't the best thing to say.
“Are you okay?” asks Harry.
“Were you crying?” asks Niall. Damn. He noticed.
“I'm alright” I say. “I – I was walking back to my apartment and I found this girl – I – I – she was hurt, really bad” I say. I know, great explanation. But I think I'm going to cry again. I duck my face, not meeting anyone's eyes. I feel a hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, mate” says Niall. “It's alright. We'll stay with you.”
“I knew her” I say. “I met her two weeks ago. She – she was on the roof.”
Someone sits in the chair next to me and pulls me into a cramped, slightly awkward hug. “It's fine, Liam” he says. Niall again. “You don't have to say anything.”
“Wait, I want to know” says Louis indignantly. Simply because I know Niall so well, I know he shoots Louis a look, and I can picture it. Louis doesn't say anything else. No one does. Niall doesn't let me go for awhile, and I appreciate that.
“That's why you've been so weird” Zayn says eventually, breaking the silence. “You were thinking about her.”
“Les” I say. My voice cracks a bit. “She was going to – to – to jump. I stopped her.” Niall finally releases me from the hug.
“Why didn't you tell us?” he asks softly, looking me in the eye.
“She was mine” I say. And I don't want to expand on it. Because the explanation behind the statement is that I wanted something that was just mine. Something I didn't have to share with four other lads. A flat isn't enough sometimes.
Apparently, I don't need to explain. We fall silent again. I just want to go back to this morning and live there. This morning, it was safe.
-
Les
I wake up screaming.
“Darling, please lay back” says a nurse patiently. I realize that I'm sitting up, and I'm screaming, and I shut my mouth and lay back down.
“Where am I?” I ask quietly. Even to me, my voice sounds broken. “Where's daddy?”
“You're in the hospital, darling” says the nurse. “And you'll be fine. You've got a huge gash in your side.”
“Ow” I moan.
“How did it happen?” asks the nurse softly.
I don't mean to answer. But I do anyway. “Daddy” I breathe.
“Your father did this to you?” asks the nurse, sounding almost outraged.
“No!” I say, panicked. “He didn't. My – I was -” I give up. I can't think of a lie fast enough. I look around the room instead, ignoring the nurse. It's a basic hospital room, really. There's an IV in my arm, I realize. “Where's Liam?” I ask softly. The nurse frowns at me. She's holding the phone, about to make a call. Probably the police. I can't say daddy doesn't deserve it, but I'm not eighteen yet. I'll go into foster care, and I don't want that to happen.
“The lad who called 999?” asks the nurse. I shrug, and then wince.
“Probably” I mumble.
“He's outside” she says. “I'll fetch him, let me just make a call.” She turns to the phone. I tune out her conversation, until I hear daddy's name. And then something about arresting him for abusing his daughter. Damn it.
-
Liam
A nurse walks into the waiting room, looking straight at me. I hate this. I can't tell if she's going to tell me something about Les, or if she knows who I am.
“Liam?” she asks. First guess.
“Yeah” I reply. The other lads sit up, alert suddenly.
“Les is awake” she says. “She would like to see you.” I'm on my feet so fast that I think I scared Niall.
The nurse leads us to the room, but the others elect to wait outside. I don't mind. Actually, I'm glad. I don't know if she' talk to them.
I walk in. Les blinks when she sees me. I can't tell if she's happy or sad or anything. She mostly just looks afraid, but not of me. Of something else.
“Liam” she breathes.
“How are you?” I ask.
“Why did you come home?” she asks. I frown.
“To your flat?” I ask. “How did you know?”
“Daddy” she whispers. “He did this.” She points at her side, where I know there's a huge cut from a knife.
“You're dad?” I ask softly.
“I'm going into foster care soon” she says. “I just want to say thank you. Twice now. But you should have let me jump.” She closes her eyes.
It's my fault.
She's hurt because I pissed off her dad.
“I'm sorry” I whisper. “I'm so sorry.” She doesn't answer, and so I back out of the room. Before I leave, though, I call out ten numbers. My mobile number. I don't know if she hears me. But I don't want to ever forget her.
-
Les
He calls out his mobile number. I commit it to memory. I will call him someday. Because I know part of me wishes that he had let me jump, but part of me is also glad he didn't. Part of me is glad I met Liam.
-
Liam
My eyes are wet when I leave the room. I walk past the lads. I don't want to talk to anyone right now. The way she said I'm going into foster care soon. Like she doesn't want to.
And I know what to do.
“This time
When the lights die
And there's nothing left to say
That's when you'll need me”
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A/N: It's okay. You can say it. I know this chapter sucks arse. Sorry. I had writer's block. Strangely, only on this story. But yeah, so it's short and awful.
Picture is Harry.
I hate this chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's really making me sad.
Five votes or four comments. Please vote. Because maybe the next chapter will be better? I don't know. But I don't think it can get an worse . . .
Don't ever say I don't love you guys.
kthanxbye :)
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Moments (One Direction)
FanfictionLes is abused by her father. Ever since her mother died, she has been his punching bag. So she decides to end it. She steps out onto the roof of the building. And Liam Payne shouts “Stop!” ***Winner of the 1DWattyAwards 2012: Undiscovered Liam Fanfi...
