[Louis’ POV]
Getting him into the car was a struggle. Getting him *out* and into the hospital was… worse.
We made it.
And thank God, as soon as I walked through the doors, a male nurse was already rushing forward. He called for a stretcher, got the boy onto one, and was wheeling him toward the E.R. and trauma area before I could even blink.
Doctors and nurses swarmed around him. I just stood there, frozen. I could see his head bleeding. The guilt, the fear… it was a feeling I’d never known before. He was still alive, but I could have *killed* him.
Today, I could have killed a kid who wasn’t doing anything wrong. It was all on me.
I’d been lucky, though. Reflexively, I’d pulled a cap down over my hair in the car, and had a hoodie pulled up as well. Disguise myself as much as possible. That was the priority. The last thing I needed now was some inquisitive eye recognizing me.
“Sir, sir, I know this is a shock. But I assure you, he’s in good hands.” A female nurse finally approached. “Now, I need to ask, are you a relative of his? I need you to fill out some paperwork to admit him.”
“I… I can’t.” The words came out automatically. “I’m not… I don’t know him.” I mumbled, the words tumbling over each other. “I just found him like that on the street. He uhm… He fell from his bike.” It was a lie, but it was all I had.
“I see. Well, I need your full name anyway, because you’re the one who brought him in. And once we get his name, we’ll go through his emergency contacts.”
“Sure. That’s… that’s good.”
“Sir, your name?”
“Oh.” I frowned. I couldn’t give my real name. Not yet. Not until I’d talked to my lawyers. “Alex Williams.” Just another lie.
“Okay, Alex, we’re going to run some tests on his head, and I’ll try to find any relatives to call. You did the right thing bringing him here.” She smiled, a practiced, sympathetic smile.
“I’ll stay. Until someone gets here for him. I need to… I just need to know if he’s going to be okay. Can you keep me updated? Please?” I begged, noticing my hands were shaking inside my hoodie pockets.
“Sure.” She smiled, a small, reassuring nod. She turned back to her work.
I wandered around the E.R. waiting room. It was fairly empty, thank God. Just an old guy pacing back and forth. I tried to calm my shaking hands, but it was no use.
I shook my head. Staying, checking on him… it was the right thing to do. I couldn’t leave. I just couldn’t.
After buying a water bottle from a vending machine and taking some deep breaths, I finally sat down. I was so overwhelmed by everything that had happened that I’d completely forgotten about the party.
My phone had several missed calls from Liam and Niall. I decided to call Liam. If anyone could stay calm and help me, it would be him.
“Where are you, Louis?” He answered instantly.
“Liam.” My voice trembled. “I need help.”
“What? With what?”
“I need you to come. Please.”
“Where? Louis, where are you?”
“I’m at the hospital.” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I hit a boy with my car. I had to bring him. He was unconscious. Please come. I don’t know what to do.”
“Were you drunk?”
“No.” I shivered. “What do I do? Shit, Li, I don’t want another lawsuit.”
“Fuck. Louis, fuck. Okay, send me the address, I’ll be there.”
“Thank you.”
Liam hung up, and I was alone again.
An hour later, I was still seated in the waiting room, with a nervous Liam by my side, bouncing his leg up and down. The same nurse who had taken my fake name came back. She smiled politely at me.
“Well, Mr. Williams. The patient is out of risk. The cut on his head wasn’t as big as we thought. He lost a lot of blood, but our doctors managed to stabilize him and close the wound. He’s still unconscious, but it’s very probable he’ll wake up. Do you want to see him?”
“Yes, sure.” I stood up, Liam right beside me.
The nurse led us to the boy’s recovery room.
“We still don’t know his name. He didn’t have any ID on him, so for now, we can’t contact any relatives. We’ll wait until he’s awake and get his full name then.” She nodded.
“Sure.”
We entered the room. Immediately, I saw him. He was lying in bed, bandages around his head, covering most of his hair, cuts and scratches on his bare arms. But he was breathing. Peaceful.
They’d changed him into a hospital gown. His belongings were folded in a chair beside the bed.
I stood there, just watching him breathe calmly for a minute. Despite everything, he was gorgeous. Tattoos all over his arms, a few more on his legs. His body was… admirable.
“Since you’re not family, I can only let you stay in this room for a moment. For security measures.” The nurse said. “I’ll come back and get you in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
When she left, I lifted my hood and took off my cap, resting it on the bedside table.
“Hello, stranger.” I mumbled, standing beside his bed. My fingers twitched, wanting to reach out, to somehow bring him comfort. Even if I was the reason he was here in the first place. “I’m really sorry for this.”
“Louis.” Liam said, his voice a warning. “There are cameras. Put that cap back on.”
I huffed, putting the cap back on, but leaving it loose.
“Please promise me you’ll wake up.” I continued talking to the boy. “Please.”
Liam pulled me away from the side of the bed.
“Hear me out. First, we need to make sure he isn’t going to sue you.”
“How do we do that?”
“Did he see your face?”
“I don’t think so. He was already unconscious when I put him in the car.”
“Do you think he saw your car plate?”
“It was dark. I doubt it.”
“We can never be completely sure.” Liam huffed. “Did you give any data to the hospital that they can use against you?”
“No. I told them I found him like this, and I gave a fake name.”
“Perfect! Okay, you’re out of risk. You’re sure nobody saw you coming here, right?”
“Nobody came to ask me for photos or autographs yet.” I frowned.
“Yes, I think we’re good, then. Now, can we leave? We know he’s alright. And maybe if we go back to the party, you can have an alibi.”
“I’m not going to leave him until someone knows he’s here. I can’t carry the guilt of leaving him like this.”
Liam closed his eyes and exhaled in frustration.
“Louis. Look, I know this is hard. And I know you’d never hurt a fly. And I know you want to take care of this boy. But this is literally the worst timing.” He whispered, his voice tight. “We need to clean your name, not accumulate more lawsuits.”
I sighed, nodding.
“Let me stay until we at least know his name. I need to know he has someone to take care of him.”
Liam’s eyes flicked to mine. He exhaled and finally nodded.
“Sure. I’ll wait outside.”
And with that, he left me alone.
“Well, stranger. Guess it’s just you and me again.” I sighed. “As I was saying, you didn’t deserve this. And I’m terribly sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I’ll find a way to make it up to you. I’ll pay for every medical bill, I’ll get you a new bike, anything.” I whispered. “I feel so bad.”
Noticing a notebook and pen on the bedside table, I didn’t hesitate to start writing a note.
I put my cap back on and sat in the armchair beside the bed. I knew I only had a few more minutes next to the boy until the nurse came for me. So, the least I could do was write him a note.
As I forced my brain to find the words I wanted to express, the nurse returned, her polite smile still untouched.
“Mr. Williams.” She nodded. “I have some good news. We could find out who he is.”
“Really?” I gasped.
“Yes. His mother is on her way. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Thank you. What’s his name?”
“Sorry, I can’t tell you that.”
“Please. I’m writing him a letter for when he wakes up. I’d like to know at least his first name.”
I could tell she was wary, but she nodded.
“Okay. Just the first one. It’s Harry.”
Harry. Harry.
I quickly grabbed the pen and finished writing the note. I folded it and placed it beside his belongings. On the side, I left a thousand dollars in cash from my wallet.
And I still needed to get him that bike.
Liam and I left the hospital around three in the morning. I’d left all of Harry’s expenses covered for as long as he had to stay. I’d ordered a new bike online to be delivered to his hospital room. I’d also set a reminder on my phone to send flowers in the morning.
The only thing on my mind was the hope that he wouldn’t sue me.