The room is absolutely crammed. The nurses keep complaining about how we're breaking code by how many people are in he room, but Orion keeps snarling at them in his demanding, I'm-a-rock-star-so-fuck-off voice. It's been working.

The only people missing are Seth and John, and that's simply because logistically there's no room. Gloria, Jake, Ben, my parents, and Orion's mom are all here. It's...surprisingly nice. Everyone gets along. I guess I'm not completely surprised given the situation, and the fact that everyone in the room are a bunch of genuinely nice people.

I just was worried about Orion's mom and my parents getting along. My mom not so much, but my dad...He can be pretty stoic. A lot of people misread it as being aloof. But that's not him at all, it just takes him a little while to open up.

Maybe it's because of what Orion told him last night, but the shy man is nowhere to be found. He's cracking jokes, being boisterous. I haven't seen this side of him since before Tyler died. It's really nice.

Orion and I have been texting back and forth discreetly. We both try to stay engaged, since everyone is clearly just trying to raise our morale. I know a positive outlook is just as important to any sort of medical recovery as any physical healing. I doubt they're doing this for me as much as for Orion.

My phone buzzes, and I look down.

I wanna tell them.

Now? I text back.

Yeah, why not?

I glance at him.

No time like the present, right?

I d'no...shouldn't we tell people individually?

Why? Embarrassed? :p

No...overwhelmed

Aw, babe. I'll do the talking. ;)

If you must.

I look over and he grins at me.

Just don't cry...

Orion laughs and puts his phone down. "Hey guys!"

Everyone is laughing, so Orion shouts over them. "Yo!"

Everyone looks at him and he grins. "Tristan and I have something we want you all to know."

The gathering looks at each other. My dad has a huge grin on his face, which is admittedly really sweet. Jake has his head bowed, and I can see him fighting a smile.

"I asked Tristan if he'd marry me the other day, and he said yes."

Gloria absolutely shrieks and throws herself at Orion. Everyone else cheers and laughs. There's a surge of shuffling around as people move to dole out hugs and kisses.

"Damn!" Ben exclaims, "too bad we're in a hospital and there's no champagne on hand!"

Orion raises his hand. "Sparkling grape juice, please."

Ben ruffles his hair. "Of course!'

Then there's a flurry of excited chatter and questions. Finally a nurse comes busting in.

"Excuse me! It is way too loud in here! You're going to disturb other patients!"

"Oh fuck off," my dad says to the nurse, surprising everyone. "My son just announced his engagement, we can be as loud as we want."

"Honey!" my mom snaps at him, while a few others--myself included--try not to laugh at his outburst. She looks mortified at the nurse. "I am so, so sorry for my husband's rude behavior, please don't throw us out--"

I notice Orion's mom take a phone call, slipping out of the room. I look back at the nurse and my dad.

"No need to apologize!" Orion says, "if we're too loud just shut the door!"

"Here here!" my dad barks.

The nurse huffs and leaves, closing the door behind her.

"And stay out!" Orion says loudly, causing myself to chuckle and shake my head.

Just then Orion's mom comes bursting back into the room. She's pale, her eyes are wide. She looks like she's just seen a ghost. I'm immediately worried.

"Guys!" I shout, "Sh!"

I look at Orion's mom, who's clutching her cell so hard I'm afraid she's going to break it.

"What's wrong, Ms. Price?"

"Amy's awake."

~

I hate waiting. It hasn't been that long, but still. I hate waiting.

Orion is a blubbering mess. Everyone else has vacated the room, opting to camp out in the waiting room. I want to comfort Orion, but he keeps snapping at me that "there's no fucking way you're getting out of your bed, Tristan Smith!".

So here I sit, literally twiddling my thumbs. I feel helpless. I want to do everything at once but instead I can do nothing.

I want to go see Amy. I was to make sure Ben is okay. I want to make sure Orion's mom and brother's are alright. But I can't even physically comfort my fiance who's only four feet away from me.

I swear to God I'm about to rip out my IV's and go to him when Ben comes into the room. He immediately goes to Orion, giving him a hug, even though he himself looks like he's been crying.

"Hey," he tells Orion, "don't cry. She's talking. It's a good sign, the doctor's said."

"W-what else?" Orion hiccups.

"She's gonna be in ICU for a while," Ben says, looking at me to make sure I feel included. He chuckles. "She was pretty outta it with all the drugs, and with her being unconscious for days."

"Has her status been upgraded?"

"I don't know. She's probably still critical but stable if I had to guess."

"When can I see her?"

Ben chuckles. "I d'no. Your mom's in there right now, and then Seth is going to go in, and then John. They only let one person in at a time."

Orion nibbles his bottom lip and nods.

"They're also stressing she needs to rest, and they're worried about overwhelming her. So I don't even know if your brothers are going to be able to see her today."

Orion looks crestfallen. "Today...?"

Ben proffers a smile. "There's always tomorrow, Ori. Not like you're going anywhere anytime soon, either."

"Yeah," he agrees, his shoulders slumping visibly. "Does she know what happened?"

Ben hesitates and then shakes his head. "We just were allowed to tell her she's in the hospital. They don't want to scare her or upset her. Honestly I'm not even sure she's capable of understanding it right now, even if we told her."

"That bad?" I ask.

"Yeah," Ben says, his voice cracking. He smiles at Orion. "But at least she's awake, and she remembers her name. She's a little fuzzy on her last name, and she has no idea what day it is--"

Orion chuckles. "I don't know what fucking day it is..."

"Exactly. And she just woke up so they're not too worried."

Orion nods, choking back tears. Ben hugs him again. "Hey, chin up. Two good things in one day, yeah? You're engaged and your sister woke up."

Orion breaks down. It hurts that I can't be the one to hold him...But if I had to pick anyone in the world to stand in my place, Ben is just as good.