[A/N]: Hello my friends! I feel as if I'm finally back in the swing of things with my updates xD I don't have to rack my brain for ideas anymore! Yaaaay!
[Liam's P.O.V]
As always, Harry was pouty when he and Louis walked into the flat. Louis offered the younger boy to help take off his jacket, and Harry simply cringed into Louis' chest, latching his fingers onto Louis' scrubs. Louis gently pulled the beanie from Harry's head and placed it on the coat rack.
"Where's Lucy?" Niall asked, trying to get Harry's attention away from Louis.
"S-she gets to go to work with Louis," the younger boy pouted. "But Harry does not."
"Baby Kitten," Louis soothed. "Lucy only gets to go because she needs her shots."
Harry nodded, turning and informing us, "That does not mean killed. It is medicine."
"That was a close one," Niall joked, clutching his heart dramatically.
"Alright, lovely," Louis whispered to the younger lad, seizing his face in his hands so he could kiss him. "I'll see you after work, okay?"
"Wear your sea bell!" Harry reminded Louis, reaching for Louis last time for a hug, to which Louis obligingly accepted.
"I will, Kitten," Louis promised, and with that, he slipped out the door.
Harry turned around with a sigh, and I grinned largely at him, "You ready to learn now that Lucy doesn't need to be looked after?"
Harry shrugged, "Harry guesses."
As always, the boy didn't seem happy, but he didn't seem sad, either. He simply tolerated being at my and Niall's place, although all he wanted was to be with Louis all the time. I showed Harry how to spell and write some of Louis' favourite things, and we worked more on writing his numbers. Next, I had Harry read to me from a newspaper and sound out the larger words he didn't know. However, Harry got to a page about a car crash and instantly thrust the paper away and shook his head in protest.
"You don't want to read about the car crash?" I asked curiously.
"No!" he paled. "T-they are scary."
"Because that's how Chris' Adam died?" I pressed.
Harry paled, "D-died?"
"You knew that Adam was dead, Harry," confusion filled me. "What's the matter?"
"L-Louis said t-that it does not usually happen!" he squeaked, curling his legs up to his chest.
My brain drifted back to Harry reminding Louis to wear his seat belt, and then it hit me, "Oh... you think that it'll happen to you or Louis."
Harry hid his face, "It will not! Louis s-said it probably will not!"
"And Louis' right," I soothed. "Car crashes are rare and are usually caused by people who aren't paying any attention... or by people in bad weather... stuff like that."
Harry took a deep breath and nodded, "Harry will just have to make sure Louis is wearing his sea bell all the time."
"Seat belt, you mean," I corrected.
Harry's brow furrowed, "Seat belt..."
At that moment, Niall poked his head in through the bedroom door, "Li-Li... it's noon! I'm kind of hungry... can you guys take a break for lunch time now?"
I laughed, "I think there's some shrimp cocktail in the fridge, if you want that."
"Yes!" Niall cheered. "I love that stuff!"
"S-shrimp what tail?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Come try it, Harry!" Niall insisted, beckoning Harry to follow him. "It's good. Cat's like that kind of stuff."
Harry gave an eyeroll, "Niall, Harry is only part cat."
"Oh come on, Kitty boy!" Niall laughed. "Come take a break and eat some food."
I shooed at the boy, "Go eat lunch, Harry. I'll be in there to join you two in a few moments."
However, as Niall and Harry left, Niall came scrambling back into the room moments later, "Someone's at the door."
I sighed, standing up and walking into the living room. I guided Harry and Niall into the kitchen before heading to the door and opening it a crack to peer out. Dr. Shell stood, waiting patiently in tight jeans and black t-shirt that were a bit to young looking on his middle age self. He flashed me a toothy grin as I sighed.
"Afternoon, Liam," Dr. Shell chuckled. "So I checked up on Harry yesterday by complete accident, and I wanted to see how Niall was."
I bit my lip, but remembering that Dr. Shell had had the perfect opportunity to take Harry and run, yet he didn't. So I opened the door further, letting the bald man into the house and leading him into the kitchen. Harry gave him a slight wave, but Niall yelped, his ears instantly disappearing into his hair as he brandished the chair he'd been sitting in.
"Easy, there Niall James!" Dr. Shell soothed with a chuckle.
Niall froze, "I thought my name was Niall Horan?"
"It is," Dr. Shell nodded. "Niall James Horan."
"No way!" Niall gasped, and I was equally surprised. "James is Liam's middle name, too! Oh my God it was fate!"
Dr. Shell laughed, "Shrimp cocktail, huh?"
"It is alright," Harry answered for Niall, popping a piece of shrimp into his mouth.
Niall narrowed his eyes at Dr. Shell, "So what are you doing here? Why are you suddenly a good guy?"
"I wouldn't call myself the good guy," the bald man's eyebrows wiggled mischievously. "But I guess I'm just done being cruel to you and Harry. You're people... not just experiments."
Niall's ears slowly made an appearance again, "I probably wont ever really trust you, if that's what you want."
"Nah," Dr. Shell waved a hand. "Just seeing how you all turn out. I actually should be on my way now so... good day? I can show myself out."
"I... think I'll walk you out," I frowned.
"Smart boy."
Dr. Shell shook my hand before he stepped out the door, asking, "May I give you my number? In case you have any... questions, or something? Pertaining to Niall or Harry. You may share it with Louis."
I confusedly pulled my mobile out, but let the man prattle off his number. Once he was satisfied that I'd saved it, he gave a curt wave, and then he was marching back down the sidewalk. As I shut the door, I noticed a slight coughing sound coming from the kitchen. It wasn't Niall's cough, so I figured Harry had eaten something he didn't like because of the dog boy. However, Niall called out for me in confusion.
"Li, can you come here for a second?"
I wandered into the kitchen, "Yeah Nialler?"
Niall had his hand resting lightly on Harry's back, standing behind where Harry sat. Harry was coughing and clearing his throat, a confused look on his face. He was taking in breaths of air, though, so I wasn't concerned that he was choking.
"Are you okay, Harry?" Niall asked him, patting his back.
"T-throat tickles," Harry wheezed, his hand coming up to rub at his throat.
Harry hunched over in his chair, his breathing beginning to sound troubled as he continued to cough. Something definitely seemed wrong. I rushed to his side, reaching to tilt Harry's face up so he'd meet my gaze. His eyes were watery from coughing, his face was a pink color, and his lips seemed poutier than normal. Worry began to creep it's way into my throat, "Harry..."
"W-wont stop," he coughed. "T-tickles."
"Harry," I said fearfully. "Stop trying to get rid of the tickle for a minute. Breathe for me..."
Harry struggled to sit up closer, seemingly wanting to take a deep breath, but he just continued coughing. He shook his head frantically, wheezing out, "Cant!"
I whipped my phone out, instantly dialing Dr. Shell's number. There had to have been a reason he called himself Doctor Shell. His voice answered with a pleasant, "Lucca Shell."
"Dr. Shell," I said hurriedly. "I know you were just here but now somethings wrong with Harry. He's coughing. Not choking, no, I'm not stupid. I know what choking looks like but he's coughing and say's his throat tickles and-"
"Shellfish," Dr. Shell murmured into the phone.
"What?" I stopped my rant.
"Oh God," Dr. Shell seemed to be mumbling to himself. "Liam, keep him from hunching over, keep his airways open for as long as you can if you want to keep him alive."
"What?!" I repeated, this time with a shriek.
Keep him alive. Harry had to stay alive there was no other option for the lad. I was watching him. It was my job to take care of him while Louis was at work. My eyes flashed to the younger boy, who was no leaning heavily onto a panicked Niall as he continued to cough and wheeze.
"I've turned around and I'm already almost back to your flat," Dr. Shell rushed out. "If what I think is wrong with Harry really is wrong with Harry, we might be in some severe trouble. Could you call an ambulance? They'd be more prepared than I am."
"He's part cat," I gasped. "People would be so shocked by that they wouldn't focus on helping him now tell me what's wrong with him!"
"Anaphylaxis," Dr. Shell stated. "I'm hanging up now. Be inside in a moment."
The second the call ended I tried to pull the boy into a sitting position, "Harry, say something!"
The boy only wheezed out something, clutching at me and his throat in desperation. He was having even more difficulty breathing. Dr. Shell suddenly came sprinting into the flat and into the kitchen, taking Harry's face in his hands and gently prodding at his neck.
"Bluish tint to his lips, swelling of the throat," Dr. Shell murmured fearfully. "It's Anaphylaxis. Shit. I don't have any epinephrine with me, he'll have to come with me to my lab... even that's too risky, I... we need to get him there fast."
"Epinephrine," I shook my head frantically. "Isn't that what they give people with allergic reactions?"
"That's what Anaphylaxis is," Dr. Shell gently picked up a wheezing Harry. Much to my horror the boy was now slumping weakly. "A severe allergic reaction. This one seems to be caused by shellfish."
"The shrimp?" Niall squeaked. "It was the shrimp?"
"More than likely," Dr. Shell said impatiently. "Liam, will you ride with me to my lab? I need you to make sure Harry doesn't completely stop breathing."
"I poisoned Harry?" Niall shrieked. "Is he going to be okay? Is he dying? What's going to happen to him, can I come? I want to-"
"Niall, stay here and call Louis," I tossed my phone to Niall before taking Harry from Dr. Shell with shaking arms. "Um... give him Dr. Shell's number. It's in my phone."
"Come on, Liam," Dr. Shell rushed, hurrying from the kitchen.
I followed behind him, feeling sorry for Niall as I heard him give a wail of distress and start hurrying around the kitchen for pen and paper to write down Dr. Shell's number to give to Louis. I followed Dr. Shell out of the flat, climbing into the back of his expensive looking car with Harry as the bald man opened the door. Harry's wheezing seemed to be growing shorter, and I frantically asked Dr. Shell, "How can I help him?"
"Well he's probably terrified right now," Dr. Shell threw the car into reverse and was skidding out of the driveway. "Give him his space to breath though, don't let him curl up, and just say soothing things to him."
I looked down at the wheezing boy whose face was red, his lips blue and puffy around the edged, and his eyes were clenched shut although tears slipped from them every now and then. I stroked the hair away from his face, "H-Harry... Harry you have to keep breathing, alright? That's very important. That you're breathing. Louis' already going to freak out the way it is, it'd be better if you stayed alive, okay? I'd miss you. Niall would miss you. You and I both know that Louis would miss you bunches. What would he do without his Kitten? You wouldn't leave him, right? You said you'd always be his Kitten. You can't just leave him."
"Guilt tripping someone who can't really breathe," Dr. Shell shook his head.
"I'm trying to motivate him to keep breathing!" I snapped, feeling tears well up and spill over my eyes. "He's gotta stay alive... not just for me. It'll crush Louis. It'll crush him. I feel an anxiety attack coming on here Dr. Shell tell me more about Anaphy-whatever you called it!"
"Usually if the person with the allergy isn't given epinephrine within thirty minutes of their allergic reaction... well, it's not good," Dr. Shell sighed.
"That didn't help!" I wailed.Harry's hands, that had once been gripping my shirt, went weak, and wheezing grew quieter. "Dr. Shell, Dr. Shell, I- he just, I don't-"
"Is he still breathing?" he asked urgently.
"Yes, but-" I fought down a sob.
"We're almost to my lab," Dr. Shell mumbled.
The car park we finally pulled into seemed poorly taken care of, as did the large building that sat in it. Yet Dr. Shell parked up close to it, leaping out and flinging open the back door as he held his arms out for Harry. I handed the seemingly barely breathing boy ever and leaped out after Dr. Shell to help him open doors. The man raced through the dimly lit building to a staircase, hurrying down it. He was moving so fast that I barely had time to keep up. We came out in a room with a door, and Dr. Shell stopped at the door and looked to me. I hurried to it, flinging it open to him and allowing him to rush in.
In the room, was were I figured Niall and Harry used to be kept. There was a table in the middle of the room, and large metal cages along the wall. A small bathroom and shower could be visible in a tiny room connected to the place, and up in the corner not to far off was a tiny window. Dr. Shell lay Harry flat on the small table, hurrying over to a desk and yanking open a drawer. His phone, that had somehow ended up on the table next to the wheezing and now unresponsive Harry, lit up and buzzed against the cold metal.
"Answer that," Dr. Shell instructed as he raced back over, a strange looking item in his hand. I grabbed the phone, but watched in confusion as Dr. Shell lifted the strange item before he yanked part of Harry's pants down and then slammed the item against Harry's thigh. The younger boy made a strangled noise through his wheezing, and I had to turn away as Dr. Shell set to work rubbing at the boy's chest.
I brought the man's phone to my ear instead as a source of distraction, "Hello?"
"Liam!" came Louis' shrill voice through the speaker. "Oh my God, where's Harry, what's happened?"
"Uh," I croaked, turning around to glance at the boy, who now looked quite lifeless on the cold table. He was no longer making wheezing sounds.
"Why does Niall keep saying he poisoned him, what happened? My Kitten, where's my Kitten?" Louis demanded in a panicked tone.
"You know where that old store used to be? The one that sold all that yard stuff?" I whispered.
"Let me talk to my Kitten, Liam, I don't have time for your games!" Louis bellowed.
"Just come to that store that used to sell yard stuff!" I snapped. "You can't talk to Harry because he isn't exactly breathing at the moment!"
My words came out harsher than I meant them to, and Louis was silent on the other side. I murmured out an apology, and Louis finally squeaked, "He's what?"
"He had an allergic reaction Louis," I whispered. "Dr. Shell is trying to help him, only he said that it's vital that Harry get epinephrine when he first begins to show symptoms... but we didn't have any of that so-"
"He's breathing, now," Dr. Shell called.
A sobbing sound came from the other line, and then Louis' voice gurgled, "I'm on my way."
"Are you bringing Niall?" I asked, realising I could hear the boy frantically apologising in the background.
"Yes," came Louis' whispered reply.
"I'm sorry for being so blunt," I told him guiltily. "I was just panicking and..."
Louis didn't respond, but it was obvious he was already in his car and on his way over. Louis more than likely didn't want to hang up in fear that he'd miss something, but it was awkward with both of us not saying anything. I could hear Dr. Shell murmuring to a currently sleeping Harry, and I tried to get Louis to speak.
"Are you wearing your sea bell?" I croaked.
"Shit, Liam," Louis gave a hoarse sob.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I think he's gonna be okay, though."
"I'm pulling into the car park," Louis mumbled. "Where's my Kitten?"
"There's no way you drove the legal speed limit," I gasped.
"My Kitten Liam," Louis groaned.
"We're downstairs," I informed him. "Just come on in."
There was rustling on the other line for a minute or so, and then Louis came barging in through the door with Niall tagging behind him. Niall launched himself around Louis and ran into my arms, sobbing hysterically, "I didn't know shrimp would almost kill him, cat's are supposed to like shrimp and stuff and I didn't-"
Niall's tail was curled tightly between his legs and he was shaking so badly it was almost difficult to wrap my arms around him, "Shh... nobody knew, love, you didn't poison him."
I glanced at Louis, who had strode over closer to Harry, standing with a blank expression on his face as he examined the sleeping boy. Dr. Shell looked at Louis, raising his eyebrows from where he stood and gave Harry a second does of epinephrine, "You can stand closer you know. You're not going to get in my way or anything."
Louis burst into tears, stumbling forward and hunching over Harry as he grabbed the boy's hand and entwined their fingers together. He was mumbling something to the younger lad, but all I could make out was something that sounded like, "M'sorry, Kitten. M'so sorry. It wont ever happen again, we know now. M'sorry, I love you, I love you."
Dr. Shell gave Louis a pat on the back, "Yeah, he should be alright. Although... I'd really like to keep him here if-"
Louis was already nodding, "Just make sure he's okay. I just need him to be okay."
"He will be," Dr. Shell assured. "It was a close one... and usually people who go that long without epinephrine don't ever start breathin-"
"I don't want to know!" Louis shook his head, pulling Harry's hand to his face. "I don't want to know..."
"I'd let you hold him," Dr. Shell explained. "But he needs to lay completely flat so that all the medicine can make it's way through his body."
Louis paled, instantly placing Harry's hand back down flat. Guilt was surging through me at how harsh I had been towards Louis on the matter. He'd only been worried, and I'd only panicked him more. Niall was still sniffling into my chest, but he pulled away to look towards Louis and Dr. Shell, "He's okay? And Louis... you don't hate me?"
"I don't hate you, Niall," Louis said quietly. "You had nothing to do with it."
"But I told him that shrimp was good and-" Niall sniffled.
"Even I could have told him that," Louis shrugged. "I like shrimp, too. Or... I did. Not so much anymore."
From the curly haired kid, there suddenly came the weak mumble of, "L-Louis..."
Louis' head snapped back to Harry's attention, and he smoothed curls off of Harry's sweaty forehead, "I'm here, baby."
Niall and I moved closer as Dr. Shell gently moved Harry's head so it was tilted back more, and Harry's eyes fluttered open. Louis was of course the first person Harry's eyes focused on, and he gasped out hoarsely, "Louis i-is crying!"
"You should save your energy and breath, Harry," Dr. Shell scolded gently. "Louis is fine and you're fine. Just relax."
Louis leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Harry's forehead, leaving a few tear splashes in Harry's hair that he wiped away, "I'm okay baby, Kitten. I was just worried about you."
"Liam-" the boy mumbled, and at first I thought he was looking for me. "Liam said L-Louis w-was going to g-get crushed? W-what is d-doing that to H-Harry's Louis?"
"Shh, baby, I don't know," Louis whispered. "Don't talk anymore, alright? Just hold my hand. I love you, Kitten. I'm not getting crushed. I'll be right here until we can go home... now... Liam. Why and when did you yell Harry I was going to be crushed?"
"Um," I mumbled in embarrassment. "I was trying to tell him to keep breathing. I said that we would miss him... and I told Dr. Shell that Harry had to live... because it would hurt us. It would crush you..."
"Ah," Louis swallowed hard, turning his attention back to Harry. "Gotcha."
"And he lived," I hugged Niall closer, not really speaking to anyone in general.
"Yes," Louis murmured thankfully, smoothing his thumb along the younger boy's jawline. The boy was being silent like he was supposed to, but his green eyes framed with his dark lashes continued to gaze up at Louis.
"L-Louis is love," Harry whispered. "Harry's l-love and Harry loves Louis."
"Shh," Louis mumbled, his voice thick with tears. "Love you too, baby."
So we all sat in Dr. Shell's basement laboratory, feeling slightly traumatized but more than relieved at the close call we had experienced. Harry had to stay the night at Dr. Shell's, and Dr. Shell gave him an I.V in hopes of keeping him hydrated and to prevent a second Anaphylaxis attack. Louis refused to leave Harry's side, which could only be expected. Harry was alive, and he'd be alright, which was all that we could ask for.
[A/N2]: Sorry! Again, it's late so I'm too lazy to edit! I used spell check at least! Now... I actually have no clue personally how Anayphylaxis works, I just remember it from Health, so if someone reads this that has a severe allergy... I suck. Cinnamon makes my tongue numb. That's all I've got. Also, sorry to Harold Kitten Fluff, I've been mean to you lately.