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The day began like any other day on tour, six am wake up call, breakfast, report to the lobby to head out for interviews and photoshoots. By this time, Niall and the rest of the guys didn’t even know where they were, they followed the script that management gave them and they went through the motions. Today was hampered with the fact that boys rolled back into their room at three in the morning.
When Paul came in and woke the boys all up, Niall felt the lack of sleep and couldn’t decide if it was worth it anymore, he was so exhausted. He had zero motivation to answer the same questions over and over again and plaster on a fake smile for pictures. Niall was sharing a room with Zayn this time and knew he could get a couple more minutes in bed because Zayn took awhile in the bathroom. He groaned and pulled the covers over his head and quickly went back to studying the back of his eyelids.
“Niall, Niall, come on, we are loading the bus, let’s go! You are not even ready,” Paul snapped at him.
Niall sat up and looked around and realized Zayn was gone and it was already 7:45. He looked at Paul in surprise feeling annoyed, but ran to the bathroom to get ready mumbling an apology.
He made it to the car by eight, so they were not late, only he had not eaten. He glared at Zayn when he climbed in.
“Sorry mate, I didn’t even see you when I left,” Zayn said.
Niall was not happy and now he was hungry, not a good combo. Harry, taking pity on him, handed him a granola bar that Niall took gratefully, but he didn’t even speak to the other boys. He could tell his tolerance level was zero and he was already done before the day had really even started.
They heard the fans already at the studio before they could see them. Niall inwardly groaned, he was not in the mood, nor was his head for the matter. He knew he should be thankful. Most times he is, just not today. When they pulled up, Niall pasted a smile on his face and waited for one of their bodyguards to open the door. He climbed out, smiled, waved and headed to the door straight away, not bothering to stop and sign autographs or take pictures.
Once he got to the quiet lobby and turned around seeing the boys taking their time, he knew he would hear about it from management. As if right on cue, his phone dinged and there was a friendly reminder that he needed to be meeting with the fans. “Screw it,” Niall thought, they can fire him if they don’t like it.
With a huff, Niall started heading up to hair and make-up leaving the boys still outside, trying to shake off the dull headache that was getting stronger at the base of his skull as well. The only problem was that Niall didn’t know where he was going when he stepped in the elevator, he never bothered to read the itinerary, relying on others to tell him where to go. “Well fuck, think Niall,” he annoyingly thought. He quickly looked at the directory and saw a radio station, figuring that was it, he hit the number for that floor.
The other boys said goodbye to the fans and funneled into the lobby. Liam looking around for Niall knowing he skipped the meet and greet.
“Boys, where is Niall?” he asks.
“Maybe the better question is what ‘as gotten into our Irish lad?” Louis responds. “This is not like him at all.”
“He was in a mood in the car, for sure,” Zayn added.
Harry texted him while Paul was ushering them to the elevator.
“He says he went up for styling, wasn’t feeling the fans today,” Harry says.
The boys exchange a glance, because that is never an option. Just then the elevator opens and they are ushered to styling, only Niall is not there when they arrive.
Harry texts him again, “Where RU, we are here, you are not?”
“What floor are you on?” Niall replies.
Harry asks Paul where they are and texts Niall back, “8.”
“Shit, wrong floor. This is already a cluster of a day, heading there now.”
Paul looks to Harry when he explains that Niall was on the wrong floor.
The other boys laugh at that and are still when Niall walks in, looking even more grumpy.
Louis starts to say something, but Niall holds up his hand and says in a tone that take them all by surprise, “Not a damn word,” then he walks away again.
By this time the boys are all shook. They have never seen Niall like this, he is typically their teddy bear who is always laughing, not this wanker-like attitude he has his morning. Not sure what to do and afraid of having their heads cut off, they look to Paul.
“I will talk to him, let’s get this first photoshoot over,” Paul says.
The boys get styled and head to the studio for their photo shoot. The atmosphere is tense and no one wants to set Niall off so they are all quiet casting sidelong glances at him.
Niall’s mood worsens, he goes to the wrong floor, his head hurts, he is hungry, and the clothes are super uncomfortable. He wants to hurt whoever thought skinny jeans were a good idea. He makes an irritated sigh as they are introduced to the photographer, getting him a shoulder bump from Liam, while they receive instructions for the shoot. Niall stops listening after he is told he will be on the end, yet again. He fidgets until they step onto the set and positions himself, rolling his eyes when they play some pop song to get them “in the mood,” the assistant says. He doesn’t notice the sideway glances being cast his way by the other four.
The boys pose and interact like they normally do, Niall playing along as if this morning’s problems never happened. The photographer gives directions and the boys act like the puppets they are and Niall is sweating under the lights which only adds to his mood. After 30 minutes, they break and the photographer needs a minute to review the pics and the boys have their hair and make up touched up.
When the stylist gets to Niall, she comments that Niall has almost sweat his make-up off and asks him to come aside to get him fixed up. He follows, but it just adds to his irritation.
“Are you feeling okay dear? You look a bit piqued,” she says.
“Just a rough morning,” Niall responds, not wanting to engage in conversation. “Do we have any water nearby?” he asks realizing he hasn’t had anything to drink that day.
The stylist points him to the craft table and Niall heads over there to try to give himself an attitude adjustment.
In the meantime, the photographer calls over Paul and one of management’s reps to look at the pictures, while the rest of the boys watch Niall.
“We can’t use any of these, we need to do more,” he says.
“Why?” Paul asks.
“It’s Niall, look at his eyes, his pupils are huge, but there is nothing there. His expression is not meeting his eyes. He looks out of it,” the photographer explains.
Paul sees it and so does the rep and she is not happy.
“Okay, I will talk to him, let’s get everyone reset,” Paul says.
He heads over to Niall and calls his name, but Niall doesn’t respond, he is standing there looking out the window. “Niall,” Paul calls louder. Still no response from Niall, but the boys turn to watch the two.
Finally, Paul puts his hand on Niall’s shoulder and Niall jumps, yells, as he turns around so fast that he punches Paul and goes to do it again until he realizes what he just did.
Everything happens at once, Niall’s eyes open in alarm and then fear, the boys run over and Paul yells back, grabbing Niall’s arms in self-defense.
“What the hell, Niall, why did you do that?” Louis yells.
“Paul, are you okay?” Liam asks.
“Niall, stop, it’s me, calm down,” Paul says to Niall as he pulls him to his chest and restrains his arms.
That’s when, Zayn and Harry notices Niall’s face. He is breathing very fast, chest heaving and his eyes are darting around in fear.
“I think he is having a panic attack,” Zayn says.
Paul continues to hold Niall, whispering in his ear and holding his hand to Niall’s chest. Paul practically drags Niall to a nearby couch and continues to tell him to match his breathing to his. Zayn kneels down in front of Niall, making eye contact and telling him to calm down and breathes in and out showing Niall what to do. Niall starts to calm down, in what feels like hours, but is only minutes, and the tension leaves his body, leaving him slumping against Paul with his eyes closed.
Niall is staring out the window, tuning out the voices behind him and trying to figure out what is going on in his head that is causing him to be so moody. “Get your act together Niallers,” he thinks. He surveys how he feels, noting the headache and the exhaustion when he feels a weight come down on his shoulder, taking him by surprise.
Forgetting where he is, Niall panics, turns around and punches his assailant, only to see it is Paul. Niall feels his wrists being restrained and hears yelling as he feels shock run through his body. He starts to freak out, trying to break free and feeling that it is becoming hard to catch his breath. Niall attempts to look around, but nothing is coming into focus. He feels something at pressed against his back and he is moving backwards. His muscles not responding, but his wrists are released and a hand is applying pressure against his chest. Niall hears his heavy breathing, but nothing else until he sees Zayn. Moving his lips; but Niall can’t hear him, He can see Zayn breathing in and out and tries to match him. Gradually, sound returns and he hears Paul whispering, “You’re alright, you’re alright, breathe, breathe, breathe, that’s a good boy.”
When Niall feels like his breathing is under control, he realizes how exhausted he feels and he leans against the person behind him, his body losing motor control. He tries to look at Zayn again, but black spots start clogging his vision and it is becoming harder for him to keep his eyes open. He gives in, not caring anymore or paying attention to the sound of his name.
“Niall, Niall, stay with us man, don’t close your eyes, come on man,” Harry pleads realizing that Niall is losing consciousness.
There is silence in the room after that. No one moves, looks of shock and fear are apparent across the other boys’ faces and Paul looks just as alarmed.
“Niall, Niall, can you hear me,” Paul asks quietly, patting his face.
Nothing, Niall is laying against him and now that the shock is over, the boys see that Niall is sweaty and really pale.
“I think he may have passed out, his eyes rolled back in head,” Harry says.
“Help me get up and lay him down,” Paul says and the boys quickly jump to assist Paul.
They lay Niall lengthwise on the couch and still the boy doesn’t move.
“What the hell just happened?” Zayn asks.
“Niall has been off all morning, something is going on, and to punch Paul. He would never hurt someone,” Liam says.
“We need to get him checked out,” Louis states.
Paul looks at the boy on the couch, rubbing his chest where Niall hit him, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He has never seen anything like this and then, thinking of what the photographer said, he turns and lifts up Niall’s eyelids and sees that his pupils are completely dilated. The type of dilation that happens when someone takes drugs, but he knows that Niall is not one to do that. Fear hits him immediately.
“Where did you boys go after the concert last night?” Paul asks.
“We went to one of the local clubs, why?” Louis responds.
“I think Niall may have been drugged,” Paul answers.
That got the boys’ attention and Paul calls for an ambulance. The rep, takes care of the photographer and stylist and asks them to leave the room.
When Paul hangs up, he turns to the boys, “think, did you all stay together, did you leave your drinks alone, where was Niall, what did he have, think boys, tell me everything, every detail.”
The boys go through their night, answering Paul’s questions, until Zayn speaks up.
“Ni had to go the bathroom, remember, we decided to go dance and we left our table. Our guards split with us, no one stayed at our table. When we got back, Niall gulped his drink and when he finished, he said it tasted funny. We didn’t even think about it, but we left shortly after that,” Zayn said.
The realization dawning on their faces, that Niall could have been drugged, upsets the boys and Paul. He looks over to the rep and she nods in understanding that they are going to need to investigate this.
Harry sits next to Niall, holding his hand, rubbing his head and whispering reassuring words to him. He is not really sure if he is comforting Niall or himself, but he freaked out that this is happening.
The ambulance arrives and Paul tells the medics what he suspects. They take no time loading Niall up and the boys follow them out the door and down to the lobby where they meet up with their bodyguards. One accompanies Niall, Paul and the boys load up in the car and follow. The fans see Niall and the look of fear on the boys faces and they know something is very wrong too.
The feeling of moving and laying on something hard is the first thing Niall notices, the next is that he can’t identify any of the sounds around him, the third is that he feels awful. He tries to peel his eyelids open and sees someone he doesn’t recognize leaning over him. Niall tries to sit up to defend himself until he sees his bodyguard holding his hand. He is talking, but Niall can’t register what is being said, with a look at his bodyguard, his eyes fall close.
When Niall wakes up again, his eyes snap open with a start. He doesn’t know where he is and no one is with him, he tries to move his arms to sit up, but he feels heavy. Looking down, he notices an IV attached to him arm and then he hears a beeping and looks up seeing white cords which he follows down and sees them attached to his chest.
Niall realizes he is in a hospital, but he doesn’t know why. Panic sets in and he hears the beeping speeding up, like something is chasing him. His chest is tightening and he vaguely remembers this happening before, then he sees unrecognizable faces running to his bed, causing him to try to scramble away, but he can’t get his limbs to respond. Loud voices are slowly filtering through and then he sees Zayn, Paul and Harry at the end of his bed. Time seems to slow down as he locks eyes with Zayn, who lips are moving, while his hand is squeezing Niall’s foot. There is something soothing about it but Niall sees Zayn’s face start to fade away as he feels something tightening over his face. The boys will keep him safe is the last thought Niall has before he loses consciousness.
Harry stands there shocked at Niall’s condition. They had been receiving an update from the doctor when Niall’s alarms started to go off and they ran inside. He was so frightened and looked like a cornered animal. It is an image Harry doesn’t think he will get out of his head anytime soon.
Liam and Louis join them now and they watch as the doctor administers a sedative and Niall’s eyes close. The beeping starts slowing down and then the medical staff takes a sigh of relief.
When the doctor turns around, he sees five scared faces looking back at him and he is not looking forward to breaking the news.
He decides to calm nerves from what they saw first and then explain.
“Niall’s reaction was normal considering, he is disoriented and that is to be expected. The fact that he was conscious is positive and hopefully the next time he is conscious, he will be aware of his surroundings,” the doctor explains.
“But what is causing this,” Paul asks fearing that he already knows the answer.
“We took Niall’s blood as soon as he came in and he was drugged. The drug is a type of methamphetamine that is long acting, symptoms vary, but could be irritability, fatigue, memory issues, sensitivity to noise, touch, to name a few,” the doctor says.
Harry releases a breath, “that describes everything we observed from Niall, he was acting so out of character.”
“How long will it be in his system?” Liam asks.
“We are pumping him full of fluids to flush it out and keeping him hydrated. Typically, in 24 to 36 hours from the time a person is drugged, the effects wear off. We administered a sedative to keep him calm which will wear off in 6-8 hours and will help with the recovery. He will be disoriented when he wakes up like you just observed,” the doctor informed them.
“What can we do to help?” Louis asks.
“He calmed down when he saw someone he knew, stay with him, and ring us when he wakes up. We will check in regularly to monitor him. The good news is Niall will be fine and will have no lasting effects of this, he will be tired and will tire quicker because this is a huge shock to his system for awhile afterwards,” the doctor says.
The doctor pauses and looks at everyone, when he sees them looking at the patient, he takes his leave.
Paul follows the doctor out the door and asks about the drug. The doctor explains that it is a new street drug that they are seeing causing drastic personality changes until the person loses consciousness.
“Niall is not a drug user; I want you to know that. We think he was drugged at a club last night. He is a good boy, doctor,” Paul says.
“I know sir, he showed no signs of long-term drugs or any other type of drugs in his system, this is a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ situation,” the doctor responds.
That eases Paul’s mind and he tells the doctor that they have called the police and are looking at the cameras at the club to find out who did it. They plan to press charges and will need the doctor’s help.
“Whatever I can do to fight this, I will, keep me posted and I will be back later,” the doctor responds.
Paul rubs his hands down his face and sees the boys’ two favorite guards at the door. They heard what Paul said and they felt awful that it happened.
“Don’t let anyone leave without one of you with them, understood,” Paul commands.
They respond and Paul walks away to give an update to management.
In Niall’s room, the boys are standing pretty much where the doctor left them, only each of them have a hand on Niall. It is as if the physical contact is grounding them as much as they are trying to help Niall.
“What’s the plan guys?” Louis asks. “We need to be with him, you heard what the doctor said. Do we take shifts or are we all going to stay here?”
“I’m not leaving,” Zayn replies without hesitation.
“Me either,” Harry says.
Louis raises his eyes at Liam and he nods as well. “Okay, its settled, let’s get some food and set in then,” Louis says.
Their bodyguard, Paddy, brings them food and more chairs are brought in. Harry takes the first shift at Niall’s bedside, holding his hand and speaking quietly.
“The bastard that did this needs to pay,” Louis says. “It’s like nothing is safe for us to do without worrying about something bad.”
“I agree Lou, Paul and management are on it, they will take care of it, Liam says.
“Could we have helped, I feel guilty, I was his roommate and I noticed nothing,” Zayn says.
“We all noticed it, but we all have our off days, don’t feel guilty,” Harry replies.
“But it’s Niall, he is our teddy bear, the one we all know needs to the most protection, I feel like we failed,” Zayn says.
“We did, we have to keep a better eye on each other and we will help him get through this,” Louis says.
The sound of snoring near his ear is the first thing Niall hears. Ugh, he can’t sleep when that happens, so he goes to give them a punch and tell them to roll over, when he realizes his arm is trapped. Not alarmed because the boys do sometimes end up snuggling in their sleep, so he tries to move his other arm. As he does, he feels a pain coming from the back of his hand and that brings his eyes open with a start.
His eyes dart around the room, but he is not in the hotel room like he expected. Upon closer inspection, he looks to be in a hospital and the pain he felt was from an IV. He sees the boys sprawled throughout the room, and Zayn is the one snoring and holding his hand.
Why was he here? Did he hurt his knee? Niall quickly looks at his knees and tries to bend them, other than feeling stiff, there is no pain. He feels his chest, his head, nothing. His brain is a bit fuzzy and he feels really tired, but he can’t remember why he is there.
“Zayn,” Niall whispers. “Zayn, wake up,” he tries again and moves his hand.
Always a slow one to wake one, Zayn’s eyes flutter open and he quickly sits up and looks at Niall.
Before he can say anything, Niall asks, “why am I in the hospital?”
“Ni, you are awake, how do you feel?” he asks getting up and waking the nearest boy to him.
“I think I am good, nothing hurts, but why am I here, why are you here? Niall says.
“Niallers, good to see you awake,” Louis says looking down at the boy with a smile. Harry and Liam walk up to the bed as well.
“Boys, why are you looking at me like that and who is going to tell me what is happening?” Niall says with frustration in his voice.
“You were drugged mate, it didn’t react well with you and you ended up punching Paul, having a panic attack, then passing out. Now you are here,” Liam explains.
“Drugged, how? When?” Niall asks shaking his head as if to clear his mind.
“When we went to the club, someone spiked your drink, we didn’t know until our photoshoot the next day. You have been here for two days mate,” Zayn finally explains.
Niall lays there quietly taking in the information, not remembering a damn thing, but concerned about Paul. “I punched Paul, is he okay, is he mad at me?” Niall asks.
“He’s good, he can take a beating from an Irish lad,” Louis answers. “He is not mad, more concerned. You gave us all a fright.”
“Did they find out who did it, I mean who drugged me,” Niall asks with concern.
“Yeah, it was caught on CCV. They arrested the person when he showed up again. They found out that he has done it before.” Liam explains.
“Did he, um, did he do . . .” Niall tries to ask.
“No, luv, you were with one of our guards or with us the whole time. It was our table that was unattended. You’re safe,” Harry answers quietly rubbing Niall’s arm, knowing the direction Niall’s mind was taking.
Niall is trying to process all this information, he remembers the concert, going to the club, but that is it. This thinking is making him so sleepy, feeling safe, he closes his eyes and hears Harry whisper, “no worries, Ni, we will be here when you wake up.” For the first time since this happened, Niall fell into a restful sleep.
When Niall wakes again, he feels much better and more refreshed. The boys are all awake so he says, “What does a guy have to do to get some food around here?”
That perks them up and they gather around him. “Also, when can I get out of here?”
“The doctor said you can leave this evening, there are no signs of the drug in your system,” Zayn said.
Speaking of which, the doctor comes in with Paul and after a final examination, Niall is free to leave. He goes to get up to change and when he steps out of bed, he almost falls face first. The boys rush to catch him and Harry grabs his arm first, righting him.
“Um, sorry about that, a bit weaker than I thought,” Niall says as he looks at all the boys concerned faces.
The doctor speaks up, “Niall, you are going to be weak for a little bit and will tire more easily, but should bounce back in about a week or two. You need to be careful and make sure someone is with you, but for some reason I don’t think that will be a problem,” he finishes as he looks at the boys. “Take care of yourself.”
With that, Harry helps Niall change into his street clothes while the other boys hover.
“Can I have some McDonald’s’?” he asks when they wheel him out of the hospital.
“Anything you want babe,” Zayn responds exchanging a happy glance with the guys.