TWO

The drive to the hospital was a nightmare.

The smell inside the car was nauseating. The windows were open, letting the air get in, but still, the smell of vomit was stronger.

Freddie kept puking all over the backseat while Niall complained in my ear.
I called Briana from the car, letting her know the state Freddie was in and asking her to meet us there once she ended her photo shoot.

"Dad?"

"Yes, little lad?"

"It hurts."

"We're getting there."

And then, he puked again.

I sighed, hitting the pedal and speeding the last fragment of the route to the hospital.

Once we got there, Niall flew out of the car, looking like he was about to vomit too, an he placed Freddie on the sidewalk, getting as far away from him as he could.

Niall kept glancing at me, his eyes in a mix of hate and heartache, his nose still scrunching from the awful smell of the puke on his clothes.

When he realized the state his clothes were in, he took off his shirt and threw it on the nearest bin.

"Uncle Niall?" - Freddie pouted, extending his arms towards him.

"No, kid. You stay there."

"Dad?" - He then turned to me.

And damn, his clothes were disgusting too.

"I'm not lifting you up." - I sighed, but extended my hand to take his' and that way, I guided him inside the hospital.

I quickly talked to the receptionist, explaining them the situation and only a seconds later we were sitting in front of the doctor's door, waiting to be called.

Niall, still shirtless, grabbed one of the bins of the waiting room for Freddie to puke there instead of the floor.

"It hurts." - Freddie repeated.

"The doctor will call you any time now, you just have to wait a little longer." - I said.

"Okay." - He said with a pout on his face. - "Where is mama?"

"She's working."

"Why did you pick me up from the kindergarten? Mama always does that."

"Because you were feeling ill and she couldn't leave work earlier."

"Okay, what's wrong with uncle Niall?" - Freddie said, pointing to a corner where Niall was now looking down at the screen of his phone and crying, once again.

Probably Lila's photograph.

"He's sad."

"Because of my tummy hurt?"

"Maybe." - I said, not wanting to explain the kid about his uncle's heartache.

"Sorry Uncle Niall." - Freddie said, a little louder for Niall to hear.

Niall looked over at us with a sad smile and shook his head, pocketing his phone and walking back to us again.

Then, a female doctor interrupted on the waiting room and called Freddie to her office.
We quickly stood up and entered the room, Freddie holding onto my hand tightly.

"What's happening to this little guy over here? What hurts baby?" - The doctor asked.

And just like that, Freddie vomited all over her shoes.

"My stomach." - Freddie whispered, cleaning his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I see." - She sighed.

"I'm sorry." - I mumbled, getting Freddie to take a step back from the vomit at his feet.

"It's alright." - She smiled up at me, throwing a towel on the floor. - "Get him on the stretcher so I can check him up."

I nodded, lifting Freddie and sitting him on the stretcher while he held his stomach with both hands.

The doctor moved in front of my son, touching his stomach softly and asking him where it hurt, then she proceeded to run a couple of tests but at the end everything went good.

It was just something he ate.

She gave him some medicine and recommended Freddie to stay home for a few days and drink a lot of water.
Nothing big.

When we finally got out of the hospital, I could see a running Brianna coming our way.

"Mama!" - Freddie shouted, making a couple of people turn to look at us as he ran to greet his mother.

"Baby, hey." - She smiled down at our son. - "You don't look so good."

"No uh, my tummy hurts." - He repeated. - "And I smell."

"I can see that." - She scrunched her nose as she saw his vomited clothes.

"I didn't have clothes to change him."

Then, she looked up at me with an angry expression.

"You're an awful father. I don't even know why I asked you to pick him up." - She huffed, knelling down and turning his attention to Freddie, talking softly to him.

Niall then, placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me some kind of comfort.

"So, is he leaving with you or is he staying with me tonight?" - I asked her.

"He's coming with me, obviously. But you'll drive us." - She said, stripping Freddie from his clothes and wrapping him on her hoodie. Then, she picked him up in her arms and started walking towards the parking lot, more specifically, towards my car. - "It's the least you can do."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Don't mind her. You're a good father." - Niall whispered in my ear.

"No, she's right." - I shook my head. - "The little boy barely knows my face."

"But you're there for him when it's needed. Just like today. She can't tell you otherwise."

"Whatever." - I sighed, walking towards the car and getting on the driver's seat once and for all.

Brianna sat in the passenger side with Freddie on her lap the whole ride to my ex house.
It was a silent ride and eventually Freddie fell asleep on his mother's arms.

Once I parked in front of the house, I looked back at Niall and made a sign for him to stay there.

"I'm helping them get inside, then you and I are going to get drunk."

"Okay." - Niall shrugged and Brianna laughed, her laughter underlined by an ironic tone.

"Such a good example for your kid, aren't you?"

I didn't answer her, I just opened the door of my car and helped get Freddie out of the car without bumping his head.

Taking him in my arms, I walked towards the door where Brianna was struggling with the keys.

He was still sound asleep in my arms, so without waking him up, I took him to his room, tucking him under the blankets and kissing his tiny hand gently.

"Get better soon, little lad." - I whispered, then left the room.

When I returned to the living room of my old house, I found Brianna staring at the inside of her fridge in search of food.

"Hey."

"What?" - She asked.

"You never told me about family day at Freddie's school."

"You never care about anything of his school." - She said, finally deciding on a bottle of water and closing the fridge.

"Harry said it is tomorrow."

"Harry said." - She mocked. - "Since when do you know who his teacher is?"

"It's my son too, you know? It's logical for me to know his teacher's name."

"Sure." - She snorted.

"Anyways, I want to go."

"To family day?"

"Yes."

"Freddie is sick, dumbass. He won't go."

"Oh, right."

Brianna looked at me suspiciously.

"Why do you want to go all of a sudden?"

"I believe it could be good for us to bond over some activities."

"Us who?"

"You, me, Freddie, who else?"

She frowned and then shook her head.

"I have another shoot tomorrow, I wasn't going to go to family day anyways. So now I need someone to stay with Freddie here during the morning."

"I can stay." - I said.

"What about your beloved office?" - She snorted.

"They'll understand is a family emergency." - I shrugged.

"What's gotten into you, Tomlinson?" - She laughed.

"I don't know." - I shrugged again.

"Fine, come tomorrow morning and you can stay with him until I return."

"Great." - I smiled.