Monsters are real. Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win. - Stephen King

*LOUIS' POV*

"Mom!" I don't start acting childishly until we're inside the elevator and Harry's broken expression is etched into my mind. "Mom, let go!"

I rub the lobe of my ear to restore blood flow, feeling the cold chill hit the skin in a wash. Before I can turn back and step out of the elevator block, the doors close soundly.

"I can't believe you lied to me." She seethes.

"I didn't-"

"Don't bloody dare, Louis."

"Mom-"

"You're grounded. No leaving the house, no cellphone, no computer, no TV-"

"I'm not a child anymore!"

"You're my son and you will obey me for as long as you live under my roof. You dare step out of line again, and so help me I'll make you regret it."

"Mom, listen to me. Please."

"What could you possibly say?" She prepares to step out when we reach the ground floor.

I slam my hand against the Stop button, eliciting a groan of pain afterwards. She looks at me in grand anger before placing her hands on her hips.

"I-I..." Now that I have the opportunity, I have no words. "I wanted this."

"'This' being?"

"Him. I want to know Harry and not have you shun me for being with him."

"He's a sick boy, Louis."

"So am I!" I exclaim and fold in on myself immediately afterwards.

"What are you on about? You aren't sick."

"I-I.....I don't always.....I'm not always happy."

"Nobody's always happy, Louis. Stop being dramatic."

"No! I mean I hurt myself so the pain isn't so bad. It's stupid, I know. I'm stupid, I just.....it helps? The point is, Harry makes me forget that I used to hurt myself. He makes me want to heal."

She sighs and looks at me tiredly. "A deranged young man will fix you?"

Well, I didn't need to be fixed. "Y-Yes."

"Louis, do you hear yourself?"

"I do and I'm not crazy."

"What happens when he doesn't? When he just up and leaves you here?"

Where will he go? "He-He won't."

"Look at him, Louis. He's in hospital. His family will drag him across the country for some sort
of treatment soon."

"But-"

"What about Douglas?"

"I thought you h-hated Douglas."

"And I thought you loved him."

I didn't love him for a few months now. "We fight all-all the time and he gets really angry."
I'm sobbing at the last bit and she looks conflicted about how to react, however still grabs me in an uncomfortable hug.

"I don't want to be with him anymore." I say through tears.

"Lou, stop crying. Don't do this to yourself." She pats my back and I dry my cheeks with the
palms of my hands.

I cried far too many times today. I wish life was simpler, painless and also doubt-free. I wish the decisions were easy to make and no one got the opportunity to be ashamed of you for them.

That's what the cutting felt like. It took away those horrible feelings and released a due amount of negative force. It made me feel lighter for short amounts of time while my wrists were bloody and I sat on the toilet seat. It was temporary though, and that did eventually wear off.

"You don't have to be with him anymore, okay?" She reassures me. "I've been waiting for you to realise that."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, sweetheart. I overreacted when I heard about Harry from Anne."

"But he isn't Douglas, mom."

"I know and- Oh god, Lou. Did he hurt you? Douglas?"

I look down at my shoes, tracing the linear design of my socks because I hadn't had time to grab my shoes. "Well, not on purpose-"

That seems to re-program something in her because she's suddenly hugging me tightly, hands wrapping all around my shoulders as she kisses my forehead.

"I didn't know." She whispers.

She never notices, but nor is she a mom I'd love to be rid of so I smile and hug her back half-heartedly.

"Alright. I don't want to have you getting yourself hurt by sneaking off, so I'm allowing this." She releases me and hits the open button. "I'm sorry."

"I know why you didn't want this. You didn't understand."

"You're right, and I still don't but this isn't my life, is it?"

"You're the best."

She laughs and kisses my cheek. Ugh. "I know. We better go back up and apologise, yes?"

"Yeah." I nod with a blush.

The doors slide open to reveal a new round of people wanting to use the elevator that had mysteriously taken a halt in the midst of its journey. What else we see, saves us a trip back up.

Harry is stood at the nurses' station, with a set-frown and that exposing hospital gown that let's me - along with everyone else standing around - have a glance at his Jockey boxers. I frown and shake my head.

His back is to me, which makes for a clever mission. When I'm about to take off, my mom grabs my arm.

"Go slow this time, okay?" She says firmly. "I don't want you getting hurt or hurting him."

I nod slowly with a cautious smile. "I promise."

After being let go, I seem to have the original joy and light-heartedness back because my smile from this morning has returned. Today has been a very trying day on my emotions.
I manage to remain undetected for my journey across the floor, and notice Harry in a heated argument with someone I can't see. He is using wild hand gestures that will soon be shut down.

I wrap my arms around his middle - very carefully because of his burns - and he stiffens instantly. There's a soft feminine giggle that comes from the person he was conversing with.

*NARRATOR'S POV*

Gemma laughs at Louis because the guy was so small compared to her massive brother, especially when he's wrapped around Harry's middle like that.

Harry tenses then relaxes at Gemma's response - she wouldn't laugh if the person around him was a threat. Those tiny hands were beautifully bringing the content that had passed Harry's conscious post Louis' mom's arrival. Harry smiles widely and turns around, ignoring the frown of disapproval from Gemma for his carelessness concerning his wounds.

"Hi, love." Harry gazes down lovingly at his better half - he felt he didn't need years to be able to say that.

"Hi." Louis' cheeks turn pink when Harry leans down.

He notices Louis' mom still standing by the hospital entrance and growls protectively, draping
himself over the smaller male who is both flattered and flustered under the weight.

"She's okay." Louis reassures him. "We have her blessing."

Louis giggles and Harry stares at him because Louis was nothing short of perfect for him. Now he had him, and no one could take him away. Louis had to break up with Douglas and Harry didn't doubt that he would.

Louis felt like he was throwing himself to the wolves on this one, an unpredictable circumstance has arisen from a biased decision. He's thrown himself into nothing but adventure before and he came out on top - most of the time. He didn't feel strong enough to handle heart break and so he wouldn't allow himself to get hurt when leaving Douglas, or if-

"Lou?" Harry draws Louis out from the depths of his mind by nosing at his cheek and earning gagging noises from Gemma.

Louis tries to pull away because he got the vibe this made her uncomfortable but Harry holds on because no one asked Gemma not to turn around if it did. He plants his mouth on Louis' in a sweet union before Louis smiles and he ends up kissing Louis' perfect teeth. Harry grins too and captures Louis' attention again with another kiss, more powerful than the first one.
Gemma full-on fakes disgust at her brother's behaviour but that was actually for the late-minded folks, and she was quite happy that her brother was too. She smiled before turning away to give them privacy and give Louis' mom a thumb's up.

Harry pulls back from Louis reluctantly to find the smaller lad's hands around his bony hips, holding the opened ends of his hospital gown closed. He chuckles and Louis pouts because that's what he does when he's being mocked. Lovingly, Harry might add.

"I don't like it." Louis simply states. "Don't you?"

"Doesn't bother me." Harry shrugs.

Louis tugs on the ends and it brings Harry impossibly closer. "I'm protective of you."

Harry is positively beaming. "That's my job, lovely. Especially-"

Harry pauses to bend a little and lower his grip on Louis, who squeaks like a girl once when Harry brushes over his bum. But he doesn't linger, just resuming the possessive hug around
Louis' extremely low hips.

Louis hides in the crook of Harry's shoulder because there are people walking past them with curious looks on their faces, some proud and others completely hateful. He hides from it all in Harry's chest until he realises that he needs shoes and Harry is bare-foot.

"Aren't you cold?" He asks.

"A little."

"You should-"

"Hi, Harry." It's Louis' mom, standing behind her son with an expressionless face beside Gemma.

"Hello, Mrs. Tomlinson. I-"

"No need for name-calling, Harry." She jokes. "Call me Johannah and could I ask a favour?"

"Of course, Mrs.- Johannah." Harry responds quickly.

"You have to let go of my son first."

Harry releases Louis after a quick glance and apology. Louis let's him go and stands by Gemma while they walk away to talk.

"You know," Gemma starts and Louis' already laughing,"I never meant fall for my brother when
I asked you to come over."

Louis rolls his eyes and notes the sudden shock between his eyes. He winces. "I-I....I'm not sorry?"

"Took you long enough." Gemma mocks him with a light shove.

Harry looks over at them, still paying attention to Louis' mom but staring at him instead. That look held more meaning that any other look any other man gave his love. Sure, it's been a day and it'll probably be a rocky road ahead but they both plan on seeing where right now leads them.

Harry watches Louis like his the most fragile bird known to mankind. He doesn't want the tiny lad falling or getting hurt because Louis was pretty clumsy on his own and didn't need help from other worldly forces. He was ready to move if anyone got withing two feet of Louis and wasn't welcome.

"He looks likes he's just waiting for your mom to let him go." Gemma adds distractedly.

"Yeah but I bet she'll take me home after." He yawns and covers his mouth - he's ashamed of his yawn because no matter how much he tries, it won't go past being a feminine one with a little tired noise at the end. "'M tired anyway."

"Harry should be too. If his doctor sees him, he's dead."

"She doesn't know he's down here?"

"No. He took off from his room hoping to catch you if your mom was planning on kidnapping you or something. He's a true case, that one."

"Gems? Can I ask you something?"

"Just did."

"About Harry."

"Oh. Yeah, sure."

"Has he......" Louis felt embarrassed asking, but he knew he had to. "This isn't a fetish, is it? Or something, because-"

"You still doubt him?"

"No, I just....don't want to find out he's done this before and I'm another subject of his."

She and he lean against the pillar on opposite sides. "He's never done this before. He's been......acting strange but never has he expressed an interest in anything except that damn hamster."

"Strange? What do you mean?"

"You know about him being almost bipolar?"

"Y-Yes."

"And since he 'woke up' he's been on about ghosts and hauntings. He wakes up screaming and sweating and gosh, even then he asks for you."

Louis stares at the floor, horrified. Screaming? Were his nightmares that terrifying? "He told me about what's in his head. Said you and your mom were ghosts."
Gemma laughs. "That explains it. Mom's getting real tired though."

"Tired of what?"

"Of him. She loves him, believe me she does. He's just....been a bit much lately. He won't accept help unless it's forced on him or from you. She feels helpless."

Louis wants to melt into the granite pillar and never reappear. Harry's been making his poor mother feel inadequate by asking for him all the time.

"Do you want me to....I don't know, say something?" Louis offers helplessly because he doesn't think he can do much when it comes to changing Harry.

"Nothing you can do." She sighs. "Even if you could, it wouldn't be right to him. For him. He's done a lot for her when she was at her lowest, so he's never really gotten much for himself."

*LOUIS' POV*

"When was she at her lowest?" I ask.

"Maybe we can have that conversation another time."

Gemma straightens her back and clears her throat, I notice that Dr. Michaels is approaching us with a ducking female behind him. They have to pass Harry and my mother to get to us, leaving Harry in an inquisitive fit. I watch him try to look past the two bodies unsuccessfully.

"Louis." The doctor addresses me after I do a quick look-over of this new person. "This is Edith."

"Hi. Nice to meet you." She greets us, extending her arm to shake both Gemma and my
hands.

"Same." I smile politely.

"Edith will be helping me take care of some of the patients. Edith, this is Louis and Gemma."

"I'm Harry's sister." Gemma says.

"And I'm not." I add in a low voice, eliciting a laugh from everyone in our circle.

"Edith's my grad-student." The doctor says proudly.

"It's my last year-"

"Ah!" Dr. Michaels shouts and I jump from the fright. Damn him. "Edith, this is Harry Styles."

Harry has managed to get away from my mother - who is now standing by the door looking out of place. He walks up to our informal gathering with a stiff stance, immediately coming to my side like a protective presence.

Edith looks at Harry, as he stares back at her and I'm thoroughly confused until I turn away. Gemma's laughing with the doctor and there's a ringing in my ear that feels like an air bubble.
I hear everyone's muffled noises but no formulated, coherent sentences and it's unnerving. Feeling like I should go to my mother, I step forward only to be yanked backward by Harry's arm around my waist.

"Huh?" And just like that, all the sound is back.

"Where are you going?" Harry speaks into my ear, ignoring Edith's presence completely even though she keeps standing there.

"I'm tired." I mumble because my tongue feels too heavy.

"Your mom said you can spend the day here, but if you don't want to......"

"Oh. No, I'll stay." I look at where my mother was last seen standing, only to be met with an empty spot. I'll just text her later.

"You are?" He addresses Edith finally.

"Edith." She snaps out of her reverie. "Edith Brennan."

[A/N: Oooooh This story's gonna be a long one. Who remembers H&S Edith? What do u think she's here for? (She's human here though) This is what she looks like now. I'm sorry. For taking so long to update!!! There was a freak storm that I stood through and I thought I'd die. I didn't so yay! Enjoy and pweez lemme know your thoughts. I'm @SSTomlinson on Twitter so hit me up there and we can talk :D - S xx]

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