For Your Eyes Only

~Annie’s POV~
“E-Eric?” I stuttered. Where was I? Why was he here? I glanced around through squinty eyes, recognizing the familiar colour of the hospital walls and the rough feel of the white sheets. An IV was connecting my left arm to a water drip. “What happened?” I asked. The action sent a wave of pain through my head, momentarily blinding me.
“Um, I stopped by your place to bring you a coffee, and you were in the back. You were shaking and you weren’t breathing, and then you just passed out.” He sat on the edge of the bed and watched me. I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t want him here, but what might have happened if he hadn’t come? I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut. “But I’m here now,” he whispered. I almost laughed, but I couldn’t because his lips were pressed hungrily to mine. I tried to push away, but I was too weak to move that much. He was too strong.
“E-Eric, stop!” I exclaimed against his working mouth. I didn’t want this. What was he doing? I struggled some more, but his hand pushed my shoulder down. I couldn’t move. I felt his other hand traveling down, under the sheets, to the hem of my hospital gown. No. Please no. Every time I tried to struggle, it just hurt my head even more. Just then, the door squeaked open. Oh, the nurse. Good. Wait… that’s not her…
Niall. Oh no. I pushed harder and screeched, sending the worst pain yet crashing through my brain.
“Help, Niall!” Niall reacted quickly, coming out of the trance he seemed to be in. He got to my side just as Eric looked up from my neck.
“Get off her!” Niall grabbed him by the shirt and threw him back into the small recliner next to my bed and he punched him. Again. And again. Suddenly Eric jumped up and tackled Niall to the floor and began to hit him back, but Niall wasn’t a child. He was strong. He pushed Eric off as I desperately searched for the emergency button. Niall seemed like a different person as he went at it. His eyes... even from here I could see the navy blue circles. Every movement was filled with rage and fury directed only at Eric, and that scared me.
“Stop, stop it, please stop!” I cried, finally locating the red button and mashing it down. A doctor and two nurses came running in, shocked at the two brawling men before them. The doctor shouted something into a walkie-talkie, and two security guards came rushing and immediately separated Niall and Eric. Both were a bloody mess. Niall’s nose looked broken, and Eric was missing a tooth, and both would have black eyes in an hour.
“Keep your filthy hands of my girlfriend, you scumbag!” screamed Niall, struggling against the guard, who had his arms in some sort of lock.
“If she was your girlfriend, you’d have been here when she needed. You weren’t, I was!” Eric spat back. Niall jerked away from the guard and dove for Eric, but froze, inches from his face, when he heard my voice.
“Niall, no!” I cried, tears cascading in a waterfall down my face. “Stop, please, no. Don’t fight. P-please,” I rambled. I just wanted them to stop. “Niall, please, please stop. Stop it…” The guard tried to grab him again, but he wiggled away, more slowly this time, and made his way to my side. “N-Niall,” I whimpered, weakly reaching for his shirt and pulling him closer. He pulled me into his arms and climbed up into the bed, cuddling me close like we were the only ones in the room.
“Ms. Powl? Would you like these men escorted out of here?” asked the younger of the two nurses.
“No, just that one,” I said pointing to Eric.
“But he’s registered to stay, as your boyfriend.”
“W-what? No, he’s not my boyfriend. I only work with him. He… I don’t want him here,” I said, sounding like an over-privileged child. But I didn’t care. Who knows what he would’ve done if Niall hadn’t shown up. The nurse shrugged and the guards took him out. I ignored the vulgar insults that left his lips. I ignored the streaks of blood that the nurses came in and mopped up off the floor.
“Um, sir? I think your nose might be broken. May I?” asked the remaining nurse. The doctor had left to see to other patients.
“Yeah, um, of course,” Niall said, moving away from me and sitting quietly on the edge of the bed. He winced as she touched his nose, feeling where the damage was. She cleaned his face off and placed a bandage across the bridge of his nose before leaving us alone.
“What happened, Annie?” he demanded as soon as the door closed behind her. I shrugged and looked down. I didn’t want to talk about it. How could I tell him it was because of the interview? He’d blame himself. “Tell me,” he said sharply. I flinched a little at his tone.
“Um… I passed out,” I mumbled.
“I know that,” he replied flatly. “I also know that that Eric dude was in your flat when you did.” I looked at him, shocked, at the caustic words.
“N-Niall-”
“Don’t make up crap excuses,” he spat. “I just want the truth.”
“I… I saw it.”
“What?”
“Th-the interview.” His eyes widened, and the sudden change from anger to vulnerability was unreal.
“Y-you, you did?” he stuttered. I noticed his breathing pick up a bit as well.
“I was just listening to the music channel and I… I couldn’t turn it off. And I-I missed you and I couldn’t make the pain go away, and I thought you wouldn’t love me anymore then I was in the kitchen and then Eric was saying my name and Niall I just wanted to die because then you wouldn’t have to worry about me and I would be such a distraction and-”
“You wanted to die?” He whispered. I didn’t respond. It was true. “But what about me? What about us?”
“Well, if I was dead then I wouldn’t be in the way anymore.”
“Annie, you were never in the way.” His eyes were wide in shock. “And… Annie, I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I can’t even function without you. I need you more than I’ve needed anyone before. Ever. I'm so sorry. I should've been there. Please forgive me, Annie.”
“It wasn't your fault. You had responsibilities. But I figured something out. I figure a lot of things out when I can’t breathe. It’s like, once my hearing goes, all the distractions are gone and I can think clearly for once. And I realized something. I love you, Niall Horan. I don’t know what I’ll do if someday you can’t love me back, but I do. And I can’t help it.” I had barely finished before his lips were on mine, and this time I was responding. He was kissing away the pain of what almost happened. He kissed away all of my doubts. Right then, I knew that I’d never be alone again. I don’t know how, but I knew.

Notes

I had so much fun writing this scene. There was so much raw emotion from Niall and Annie, and I loved punching Eric in the face. Figuratively, of course. I hope Eric has that tooth missing forever. Also, 24 is the best TV show ever. It's, like, wicked awesome...