"I'm just going to give you some oxygen, sweetheart. You need to calm that breathing down for me". The nurse placed the mask over Niall's face and adjusted the flow. "There now, try and relax for me". She bustled about Niall, covering him with a light blanket, "Now , you've had this done before  so you know what happens" She cleaned a spot on Niall's arm with an alcohol wipe then slid in the needle administering the sedative before Niall had even registered what she was doing. "You just rest and it will be all over before you know it".

Niall felt himself drifting away, vaguely aware of movement and  the talking around him. He blinked sleepily as he was lifted off the gurney and placed on a bed. "Open your mouth Niall. Just the spray at the back of your throat. Well done. Keep your mouth open for me" Niall gagged as the tube started going down his throat. He struggled to breath and gagged again . He felt he was suffocating. Then he remembered nothing more.

"Wake up, Niall. It's all finished. You did really well. Can you open your eyes for me?" Niall forced his eyes open and looked at the nurse who was checking his blood pressure and temperature. She raised the back of the bed and gave him a sippy cup " Just a few sips, sweetheart. I'll bring you a nice cup of tea a little later. She smiled at him then left him to sleep away the last of the sedative left in his body.

Niall had just finished drinking the promised tea and was wondering if he could change into his normal clothing ,and ditch the hospital gown he had been forced to wear for the endoscopy ,when the door to his room opened and his Neurologist walked in , along with Doctor Miller.

"Good afternoon, Niall" Paul Taylor greeted his young patient " how are you feeling?"

"Throat's a bit sore but that's all" Niall's voice was a little raspy "Did it go OK?" He was anxious to know.

"Your throat will feel better quite quickly, drink lots of fluids though, it helps. Now, we've had a good look at the results of your endoscopy and they are quite  pleasing. Your stomach appears to have recovered from the damage although I have to stress that it will most likely not ever go back to the way it was." He noticed Niall's puzzled look " I mean that you'll be more prone to stomach upsets and the like in the future so you'll need to be  more careful."

"But it's healed now?" Niall queried anxiously.

"You really want to know if it's healed enough, don't you?" Paul replied, his eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, I guess that's what I mean" Niall confirmed.

"Yes, I believe so but that doesn't mean that we can go ahead with things, Niall. You have to fully understand what is involved . You also have to be physically well enough to be able to withstand the treatment."

"But you promised" Niall said quickly.

"No, Niall, I didn't. Remember I told you I would consider trying out the new treatment but it hinged on how well you were, how good your stomach had healed and whether I felt the treatment was right for you, both physically and mentally. Niall, it's not going to be a walk in the park. As I told you then, it will be my final decision. You agreed to that." the Neurologist said firmly and Niall nodded reluctantly. He had agreed but he still had hopes he'd get the chance.

"Now Niall, the endoscopy is out of the way, let's give you a thorough going over and get that part out of the way" Doctor Miller said cheerfully. "I'll just get nurse to come in and we'll get started." He  made Niall's bed go flat then put down the hated side rails as the nurse entered the room. She wasted on time in removing all but one of Niall's pillows and pulling back his bed covers to allow the two  doctors to begin their examination. Niall hated all the poking and prodding, the examination seemingly endless. Finally, as both doctors scribbled notes on various charts, Niall's nurse, put him to rights again.

"Right Niall, Miller and I will go and review our findings and  one of us will come and see you later today. Nurse here, will look after you." Paul said as he and the other doctor headed towards the door.

"Uh...Can't I leave now? I thought I was just meant to be here for the endoscopy and that's done and the sedative has worn off".

"It would be more convenient for you to stay with us overnight, Niall. Any reason why not?"

"Any reason why?" Niall countered and got a laugh from both doctors.

"That depends on a few things. Can we at least get you to stay until we speak with you later?" Niall sighed but agreed and the two doctors left, leaving Niall looking at the closed door. Sighing again, Niall grabbed his phone and started texting the other lads, to pass the time.Feeling suddenly tired, Niall closed his eyes to rest them and they didn't reopen as he succumbed to sleep.

"Mr Horan, Niall...wakey, wakey" Niall groaned and rolled over, not wanting to wake up. "Niall".

"mmmh, OK, OK, I'm awake" He pushed himself up into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, just like a small child would do.

"Here, eat your dinner. Mr Taylor will be in to see you afterwards to discuss your recent examination with you". The nurse smiled as she swung the table across the bed and lifted the covering off Niall's plate. He groaned when he saw the meal.....plain fish with some type of rice. Yuck!. He pushed it away. "Now then Mr Horan, you must eat it" the nurse said firmly before leaving the room. Niall waited until he was sure she'd gone then carefully moved the table out of his way. Grabbing the plate, he took it into the adjoining bathroom and flushed away the offending meal. He was returning  just about  to  jump in the bed  as the door opened and Paul Taylor walked in. He raised an eyebrow ,seeing Niall out of bed and with an empty plate in his hand . Niall blushed guiltily as Paul took the plate out of his hand and placed it on the table. Still blushing, Niall sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor.

"Now then Niall" Paul began, trying hard not to smile at Niall's guilty expression but deciding to ignore what he'd just seen "Doctor Miller and I have discussed your case fully. I want a few more tests done, which I hope you'll allow me to get done tomorrow? Once they are complete and I have the results, we can talk further. Physically, you are in a much better place than you were a few months ago. However" Paul looked at Niall meaningfully "You are still underweight". Niall blushed again. "So you do need to get a little more weight on you" . Niall nodded. "As I said, physically, you are improving but how do you feel mentally?" Niall froze. Why oh why did he have to be asked that? "Niall?"

"I'm fine. I had a low time earlier but it got better. I got better".Niall's voice was quiet, his body unnaturally still.

"Do you know what triggered it? Are you still taking your prescribed medication?" Paul immediately wanted to know. He studied Niall carefully. Often it was what a patient didn't say that gave him the more accurate information. And Niall looked hurt, like a tiny child who's teddy bear had been taken away. Paul wondered if a call to Niall's emergency contact, a  Mr Tomlinson, might fill in a few gaps.

" Yeah, I don't want to, but I'm still taking it. I just had a bad day. I'd not been sleeping well and I was panicking about the future. I tried to contact someone who'd been a big support to me in the past and he, ah, wasn't......... available" Niall finished lamely.

"So this withdrawal of support from this particular person made you depressed?" Paul pushed.

"Yeah, for a time. But then other people reminded me they were there for me and I got through it."

"And if we go for this new treatment, will not having this person to support you be a problem?" Paul hated having to push his patients to answer but he had to be in possession of all the information that could effect his patients. He always strove to remember they were real people, not just a bunch of symptoms that needed treating, and the more he knew about them, the better he felt he could help.

"Sometimes, maybe, but I have Louis, Liam and Harry. I don't think they'd let me down. And my family......well Ma & Da and my stepdad, Chris. I've a brother, Greg, but things are a bit..........strained at the moment" Niall sounded sad.Greg had been acting so strange lately and it worried Niall. It was like there was a wall between them but Niall didn't understand why.But that was something he'd worry about later. He returned his concentration back to what Paul was asking.

"You feel you will have good back up, then?" Niall nodded.  " Well then, I suggest you stay with us overnight and  tomorrow morning we'll  start  the rest of the tests. We'll see how you are after them and either discharge you or keep you overnight again, letting you go the following morning . How does that sound?"

"What will the tests involve? Niall wanted to know, worried by  Paul had  commented that he'd see how Niall was after the tests. That didn't sound good.

"You'll be having another MRI which will require sedation, due to your claustrophobia. I'll need blood and urine tests, an ECG and the usual observations..weight, blood pressure, etc. You have asthma so we'll need peak flow readings and so forth. We'll cover all the bases. Personally, I think you should prepare to stay tomorrow night as well." He stood up and shook Niall's hand then paused and pressed the nurses call button. A nurse promptly arrived in the room ,a questioning look on her face.

"Niall's rather hungry" the Neurologist told her. "His dinner is all gone but could you get him one of the fortified milkshakes, some fruit and a couple of slices of toast and jam?" He winked at Niall , leaving the nurse to carry out his instructions and wonder why her patient was  suddenly blushing tomato red .