Night Changes

10.

My eye lids and heavy when I hear loud crying erupting from Asher's crib that was only a few feet away from my bed. My body is heavy and tired and it's easier said then done to get up and tend to Asher.

Lifting my eyes and seeing a dark blue tint over the late night, I swing my feet over the bed and pressed my weight onto my feet. Walking over to Asher who was wiggling and kicking with frustration I picked him up hoping that it would stop the crying.

"Shhhhh..." I cooed bouncing him but getting no result in the lessening of crying. It wasn't attention he wanted so I went to the next thing, checking his diaper which I found was completely clean. Moving onto a bottle I walked out into the kitchen with Asher cradled in one arm while I grabbed the pre made bottle and brought it to his mouth. Pushing it away and growing with irritation I bounced him as I walked to try and soothe him.

"Asher... Buddy? What's going on?" I asked him not really expecting an answer. Rubbing his back and walking around in the darkness of the late night. He was so upset and I didn't know how to calm him after minutes passed by. "What do you want? Huh?" I asked him getting scared and nervous as his crying stayed at a steady high pace. "I don't know what you want..."

"Harry what's going on?" Louis asked walking out of his new bedroom he now shared with Liam. His voice was groggy once he cleared his throat. I could only see his silhouette from the darkness all around us but that all changed once he flipped on the lights causing Asher's crying to escalate.

"Turn the lights off!" I whispered harshly just to see the lights switch off once again. Bouncing the crying baby and rubbing his back for comfort I saw I was getting nowhere.

"What's wrong with the baby?" Louis asked me coming closer so I could outline his features through the dark. I could see his tired looking posture as he rubbed his eyes of sleep.

"I don't know mate... I've tried everything! He's got a clean diaper, I tried to feed him but he doesn't want it, I tried his passie but all he does is spit it out." Sweat was forming all over my body the longer I heard the baby crying. I didn't know how to help him and it broke my heart that I was helpless to what he needed.

"Here hand him to me." Louis said opening his arms while I handed Asher off to him. Seeing Asher grasp onto Louis' shirt I saw him become more upset as Louis bounced and talked to him.

"Hey fella! What's going on?" Louis asked talking to Asher who was only responding with loud irritated cries. "You know girls your age aren't much for cry babies?"

"Really?" I arched a brow at Louis, shifting my weight to one side. I was becoming tired from the early morning crying that was stressing out my body.

"I'm making conversation!" Louis darted going back to rocking Asher even though none of this was seeming to work.

"God, I don't know what to do." I said putting my hands on my head just as Louis went to return the baby back to me making no progress. Taking him into my arms I laid him down on my shoulder and patted his back while walking around the dark space. "Where are you going!?" I asked Louis who went back into his bedroom and closed the door.

Wrapping my hand around his tiny head I felt his soft brown hair under my finger tips. In doing so I felt him arch his back and resist laying his head down on my shoulder.

"I don't know what to do buddy. You gotta help me out here." I told him sitting down on the couch and standing him up on his legs till he stood up on my thighs with my help.

I didn't know how to stop the crying. I didn't know how to calm him down. Anxiety was running throughout my veins with the loud crying playing a factor in my nervousness. I had tried to care for all his basic needs but they all were met, which meant I didn't know what else he could need.

Seeing Louis come out and turn the lights on once again I shut my eyes immediately not adjusting well to the harsh lights. "Turn the lights off!"

"I called someone for help." Louis said as I peeled my eyes open to him. Asher's face was a red color from all his continued screaming as I looked at Louis with a puzzled expression.

"Who?" I asked Louis thinking about who he could have called. It had to have been someone on his phone contacts since my phone was lost somewhere inside my bed. I tended to fall asleep with my phone in my hand after countless hours of scrolling through i********: and Twitter.

"Eleanor." Louis told me simply as if it weren't even a question in the first place.

Jaw dropping as my eyes focused more on Louis I than spoke, "Eleanor? As in the Eleanor?"

"Yes!" Louis nodded to confirm what I had just said to him.

"Eleanor Porter?" I asked one last time to Louis as if to validate what I asked before. I couldn't believe he had called Eleanor!

"Holy s**t Harry! Yes Eleanor Porter! What other Eleanor do you know?" Louis rolled his eyes raising his voice over the screaming baby who wasn't calming down even in the slightest.

"No you didn't Louis! Please tell me you didn't just call her!" I panicked even more standing up and supporting Asher's bum on my arm while I paced around trying to figure out what to do next.

"Mate what is the deal? It's not like Eleanor cares!" Louis pawned off lounging on the couch as he fell into the cushions of the tan cloth couch.

"You didn't tell her about me and the baby and everything did you? God Louis!" I paced just as the knock on the door became present. Looking at Asher whose eyes were filling with tears his attention drew to where the sound was coming from.

"No I didn't, I just said I needed her help with something. Chill out man!" Louis stood up from the couch and tended to the door causing my nerves to prick at my skin seeing him open the door.

"This wasn't a joke!" Eleanor's mouth dropped open seeing me holding the baby that was clearly upset over unknown reasons. My eyes averting to her beautiful brown ones that were entranced by the unhappy baby. "When you called me I didn't think..."

I tried what I could to look better than I did in front of Eleanor. I hadn't seen her in a couple years and seeing her long brown hair messily thrown in a bun and dressed in pale blue shorts with little yellow stars imprinted on them caused my heart to accelerate. She hadn't changed a bit from the last time I had seen her and it was rendering me speechless.

"Come here baby!" Eleanor held out her arms to the baby as I handed him off with ease. I was speechless and didn't know what to say to the girl I had known it felt like ages ago. "You know I didn't peg you guys for a babysitter."

"Yeah me either." Louis responded to her as Eleanor went to work on asking questions about what we had already tried to do.

After listing off everything Louis and I had tried she looked at Asher who was staring at her with tears in his eyes and loud lungs. She gave him a slanted smile before speaking to him. "Does your tummy hurt little man?"

Laying him down on the couch she took his legs and began to bunch them up onto his stomach. Getting him to calm down a little more than before she pressed his legs up against his stomach and retracted them before repeatedly doing this action. His crying had died down and he stared back at Eleanor curiously as she aided in relieving his stomach pains.

"Did you just have a little tummy pain?" Eleanor asked in a higher pitched voice when she talked to Asher who was becoming more calm as she did the little action.

"It's working!" Louis looked at me as the crying was minimal now. I could see Asher concentrate hard on Eleanor as she pushed his legs to his stomach a few more times. Hearing a little toot come from Asher Eleanor giggled and lifted him up off the floor into her arms.

"He just had a little gas. He's fine." She said with that cute little smile I had been so accustomed to. It was unfortunate we had to met again under these circumstances. "Anyways, I think you should maybe rethink your babysitting careers, I don't think it's going to work out." She giggle smiling at Asher who returned a smile to her with an airy giggle.

"Well actually..." I trailed off as Asher laid his head onto Eleanor's shoulder tiredly. I bit my button lip hard not wanting to come out and admit this to her.

"What?" Eleanor questioned with a confused expression written over her face as she held Asher in her arms. He looked so cute as she wiped off his tears from under his eyes and cheeks, he moved his gaze to her once she did so.

"It seems as though our babysitting gig is a full time thing." I stepped around the topic seeing she was still confused by the explanation I gave to her. Asher cooed to himself while grasping onto Eleanor's white tank top, pulling it down to reveal the top of her cleavage. Pulling a face and immediately pulling her top back up and taking the baby's hand into her hand she waited for me to elaborate.

"I don't understand, what do you mean a full-time thing? You aren't a nanny are you? I mean thats great and all but I never pictured you having a job revolving around kids much less babies." Eleanor spoke bouncing Asher who was becoming easily distracted by trying to pull her shirt down and slapping her chest.

"No..." I sighed breathing out heavily looking at Eleanor's sweet face. I hadn't realized how much I had missed her until now. Everything about her was the same and I regret not reaching out sooner. "He's my son."

"I...Wha.." Eleanor's jaw dropped as she stumbled on her words. She was rendered speechless as she looked back at the baby who was still busily playing with her tank top. Taking in his little features she shook her head and closed her eyes.

"I had no idea until someone dropped him off at my doorstep a few days ago." I told her as she shook her head with her eyes still closed, her free hand rubbing up against her forehead. I could tell she was shocked and almost disappointed by the whole thing.

"Part of me isn't even surprised really. I mean I knew you slept around in high school but... you said you always used protection!" Eleanor stressed nudging me and rolling her eyes. "Not to judge but I almost expected this from you."

"Ouch." I put a hand over my heart as is she had fired a bullet through my chest. "And why was it expected?" I asked her wondering what made her think the way she did about the situation.

"Harry... it wasn't a matter of if it was when. Come on now, you have been with more girls than you can count, it was bound to happen at some point. You're the same old Harry I knew in high school, nothing has changed." She said shaking her head and widening her big brown eyes that were warm like honey.

Eleanor and I were best friends in high school. We had been best friends since diapers, we knew each other like the back of our hands. We told each other everything and never missed any detail with the stories we shared. She used to hang with Louis and Liam and I until we all went different ways. Eleanor went off to a different college and after that sooner or later we lost contact until our relationship became faded. We had let our lives forget about each other until there was almost no contact at all which I still regret. Seeing Eleanor now made me realize how much I had truly missed her. Nothing about her has changed and it made me happy to think she is the same old Len.

"What can I say? I don't do well with change." I told her as she readjusted Asher in her arms. She was looking more tired under this light and I can only imagine what I looked like.

"Do you know who the mom is?" Eleanor asked looking back at Asher who was still wide awake and making noises to himself while us adults talked to each other.

"What do you think?" Louis chimed in chuckling under his breath while I nudged him back behind me.

"Sometimes I wonder how you even manage to get yourself into things like this. You never cease to amaze me." She shook her head with a little hidden smile as she stroked Asher's soft baby cheeks.

"I've missed you Eleanor, our lives just got so crazy after senior year and..." she cut me off with a smile looking into my eyes with those beautiful brown eye that I couldn't help but bask in. They were so kind and familiar to me looking into them.

"I know, we were both dealing with college and jobs. We both are to blame." She told me as Asher went up to reach for a fallen strand of hair from her messy bun she had been previously slept on. "But it was nice to see you again, I missed you."

"I missed you too! Hey why don't you come to my lacrosse practice tomorrow, I'm sure Liam would love to see you too." I asked her just as Asher took her stand of hair into his hand and pulled causing her eyes to squeeze shut. Taking the baby's hand and pulling it off she spoke.

"You need someone to babysit your baby don't you?" Eleanor asked shifting her weight to one side.

"Please? Its the first practice of the season, I want you there!" I pleaded as she looked at me before cracking a smile.

"Fine!" She giggled looking at Asher who was wide awake and ready to play while the rest of us were all sleep deprived, except for Louis who had walked back to his shared bedroom a few minutes back.

"I love you Ellie!" I told her as she handed me back Asher who sat in my chest babbling to himself.

"Don't call me that!" Eleanor pointed at me before shutting the door behind her and leaving the apartment.

Cracking a smile I turned to lay Asher down in arms and see his bright blue eyes wide awake. Bringing his legs up in a crunch he smiled and made an airy laugh while I couldn't help but smile back at him. He was the cutest thing I had ever seen and his baby smile made me melt every time he showed it to me.

"It's time for bed bud!" I told him turning off the light and walking into my bedroom where I gave Asher a passie and laid him in his crib with a blanket covering over top of him. I hoped he would eventually fall asleep and let me get a few hours of sleep but not everything was possible.

note// Alright so w*****d is really pissing me off. The comments are showing up on the previous chapters! I hope they can fix this soon because I want to know what you guys are commenting on! On another note what do you think about Eleanor?:)