Harry's POV

"Well, I'm happy that your hip is now fine." I lean down so that the older lady would hear me, "You have a nice day, alright?"

She smiles up at me, shaking my hand with both of hers gratefully after I've wheeled her to a vending machine, and gotten her gummy bears. And because she had time to tell me about her surgery while I was waiting for two cups of coffee. Her son and his family live in Australia so she had no one to visit her since her surgery, so I was actually happy to spare a few minutes to listen to her.

Even though there's a good possibility that my sister is going to dump the cup of coffee that's meant for her on my head, if it's not steaming hot. I usually leave my coffee for at least ten minutes after making it, but she just goes straight to chugging it down. Her stomach must be made of steel.

I sigh involuntarily, and slow down as I walk through the long hallway, hearing raised voices from the room at the end of the hall yet again. I kick the tiled floor with the heel of my shoe as I start walking again, accepting the fact that I'd have to play hall monitor all over again. It's like junior high school all over again.

"Try peripheral stimuli, I don't care!" I roll my eyes, mentally preparing myself for walking inside one last time, before opening the door. The sight inside doesn't surprise me one bit; Freya is standing on the right side of the bed, her arms crossed over her chest and her face holding a disbelieving slash I-will-slice-your-throats kind of expression, as she stares at the doctor and nurse on the other side of the bed.

The doctor tries telling her that they've already tried peripheral stimuli, that it's not working and they're borderline torturing him – something I've known since the beginning – but she doesn't listen. I don't even know why they're trying anymore, she literally hasn't listened to a word they've said.

Sighing internally again I make my way around the bed, putting the two cups on the end table while she keeps talking- more like shouting. And it's been going on for days. And at this point, I'm surprised that Niall wasn't woken up purely by her obnoxiously loud voice. Or that they hadn't thrown us out of the hospital and banned us here.

"Hey," I call, staring at the side of her head, but she just keeps looking at the doctor – that's managed to stay calm all this time, with teary eyes. Okay, she's about to start crying. Code red.

"Hey," I say louder, this time gripping her arm and yanking her toward me. She tries to fight me, keeping her eyes on the doctor until she realizes that I'm not going to let go of her, until she stops with this bullshit.

"Stop it!" Freya says, frowning at me as she tried to pull herself out of my hold, but it's of no use. We took kickboxing classes together, she's beginning to forget that we're equally strong in the limbs department. "Just let me-"

"No," I raise my voice, not letting her finish her sentence. "They've repeated it a million times, they can't do anything anymore! He has to wake up on his own!"

"If they could just-"

"No."

"Or let me-"

"No!" I exclaim, in disbelief; does she seriously think they'd let someone who almost looks schizophrenic to try and wake up a patient? "Just- just deal with it, okay? He's not gonna wake up today. Not today."

"He has to!" She finally turns to me, seemingly forgetting all about Niall's doctor and how she's angry at him. "It's-it's Christmas!"

I grimace at that, "We don't even do Christmas," I tell her in an annoyed tone, for a second forgetting that there's a rather big possibility that Niall doesn't share our religion.

"But he does, and- he just-" She trails off with an exasperated sigh, dragging herself to an armchair in the corner of the room, pulling her legs up as she sits on it and burying her face in her knees. I'd comfort her if pissing off everyone around her wasn't the only thing she's done all morning.

"Well, we'll leave you now." My head snaps in the middle-aged man's direction, not realizing how rude he must think I am for looking at him with an angry face. "Just keep quiet. Or, you know, we'll have you sent out."

I nod a few times, keeping my head low until we're left alone in the small room. I look up at Freya, tilting my head to the side so I'd see her face through my hair. "I hate this too," I begin awkwardly, after a minute of silence that was just as awkward. "He's my friend, sort of. And, in theory, this is my fault. But you have to be reasonable."

I take a few steps toward her; she's lifted her head and is looking at Niall, a few feet away from her, with a worried face. I can almost tell that my words are going in through one of her ears, and out through the other. "You've heard the doctors, he's going to be fine. You just have to give him time, alright? You have to. It won't happen just bec-"

"His mother called," Freya cuts me off, looking up at me with a bitter, sad smile on her face. "She called this morning, and I... just sat there, and stared at it. And I wanted to answer it, but what was I supposed to tell the woman, huh?"

She slowly stands up, and walks over to a window, while I watch her cautiously. "That her son is in a coma, because of a girl he's known for three months? And she isn't even worth it?"

I take the liberty of rolling my eyes, since her back is turned to me and she can't hit me for it. Here we go, I knew the pessimistic shit was just around the corner. "So much for being reasonable."

"Would you have done it?" She turns to me as I turn away from her, "If you were him, would you have done it?"

I let myself fall in the white cotton armchair she was sitting in a minute ago, looking into her eyes with a sigh. "Okay, first of all," I start, "As your brother, I can't bring myself to imagine feeling about you the way he feels about you."

Blinking a couple of times, I repeat the words in my head to make sure they make sense, before continuing. "But you didn't see the look on his face while we were talking about it, okay? Yeah, he was frightened and all that, but also determined to do it. You've heard the Hulk guy, he tried talking him out of it, but it- it was useless."

I tilt my head to the side again, hoping that my words are reaching her brain. "He obviously thought you were worth it."

Freya blinks at me a few times, crossing her arms and leaning onto the window behind her. Progress? Of any kind? "His name is Seth," She says after a few seconds, looking up at the ceiling. So there's my answer about progress.

"Huh?"

"The Hulk guy," She rolls her eyes as she repeats my words. "His name is Seth."

I don't care. "Whatever," I mumble, more to myself; normally I'd be suspicious about her and this Seth guy, but I guess the reason they've bonded so quickly is because they're basically going through the same thing. Freya has genuine feelings for Niall and Seth is his best friend, they understand each other. They can relate to each other. And I hope that's all they do with each other.

Freya takes a cup of coffee, knowing they're the same, and walks back to look outside the window, so I decide to pass the time on my phone. See what my friends have been doing since the first term ended. If any of them have already managed to 'go blotto', which is the goal of a lot of them for this winter break. I guess that alcohol is exciting to a bunch of 18 year olds, who have just started college and gone away from home.

Well, except me, I don't really find it that interesting. And Luke Hemmings, but that's because he's weird. I don't even think he's ever tried alcohol in his life, but the way he acts when I see him in school makes me think that he's had a bottle of vodka for breakfast. I look at him, and wonder how the hell he got out of high school alive. Probably because he was in a band, even back then. People like people that are in bands. Girls like people that are in bands. I should start a band.

"Do you really think that?" I snap my head up, literally scared to hear my sister's voice after minutes of silence.

"What?" I ask in a completely oblivious tone, "That I should start a band?"

She slowly turns her head to me, a frown on her concerned face. "No, wait, what?" I stammer, a little embarrassed when I realize that I've had that conversation with myself, in my head. How did I go from thinking about alcohol to thinking about Luke Hemmings?

"Do you..." Freya starts again, deciding to ignore what I've said. I mean, she knows how weird I am, of course she's gonna do that. "Do you really think he thinks I'm worth it?"

I blink a few times, shifting a little at her question. "Um, yeah?" I say, sure of my answer but making it sound like a question. "Why would he do it if he didn't?"

She shrugs, looking at Niall for a few moments, before looking down at her feet. This probably means that we're back to being pessimistic- but I shouldn't be even surprised about it anymore, I mean, it's Freya. She's always going to be like that when things aren't going perfectly smoothly, I should know that. I know her better than anyone else. A year ago she wouldn't have given a damn – she's changed a lot in four years.

I close my eyes at the thought; I've felt guilty about lying to Niall, and telling him that I only found her a few months ago, since she ran away when she was 17, but I didn't really have a choice. He would have asked about what happened four years ago, and how I found her back then when I was just a kid- the reason I found her, and I couldn't tell him about it. It's something he needs to hear from Freya herself.

"I just don't get it." I blink another few times, averting my eyes from whatever the hell I was staring at, to Freya. I really need to stop talking to myself.

"Don't get what?" I ask, resting my elbow on the armrest and my chin in my hand.

"How I met someone like him," She says quietly, staring at the said 19 year old for a few seconds, before looking up at the ceiling. Somehow I know that's a signal that she's near crying. "How I deserved to meet someone like him."

"Shut up," I tell her immediately; I'm really not qualified to have these conversations with her. "Shut up and give me my coffee."

"I'm serious," She continues nevertheless, but brings me my coffee anyway, before going back to her spot at the window. "I mean, I'm- I'm me, and he's... him."

"You're as different as two people could be," I say in an encouraging tone, "You complement each other."

She breathes out a laugh, and looks down at her combat boots, shaking her head a few seconds later. "That's... not what I meant."

I sigh, setting my coffee and phone on the floor next to me. "Well... if you think that he's made of sugar, spice and everything nice and you're not, then... I gotta tell you, no one's perfect."

She scowls at that, but her reaction doesn't discourage me. "I mean, take Seth for example. Yeah, he looks like Adonis and he's like twelve feet tall, and girls lose their knickers at the mere thought of that, but... he's, he's like- did you even hear what he told the police when he was reporting the fight in the club?"

"He was nervous," Freya instantly jumps to his defense, "He was scared for his friend, he's... he's just human."

"Yeah, exactly. He's also immature, but that's beside the point now." I nod in agreement, "He's human. And Niall's human and so are you. So stop beating yourself up about it."

I lean back in my chair as she stays quiet – maybe, just maybe I've gotten to her. "Okay," She almost whispers, the word coming from her mouth music to my ears. "He's still gonna hate me for missing Christmas."

"Yeah, it's not like we tried to do anything about it," I smirk, taking my phone in my hand again. Peace at last.

*******

Seth's POV

"Here you go," I say quietly as I crouch down, holding one cup of coffee out. Freya lifts her head from the bed, her eyes droopy and swollen, assuring me she hasn't had a minute of sleep in at least fourteen hours. The things she does for this idiot.

"Thanks," She whispers, taking the cup from me and immediately bringing it to her lips, before leaving it on the end table where I leave mine too. I still don't understand how someone can drink something that's almost still boiling, but I decide not to ask about it.

"You know, it's... it's past ten," I say after a minute of silence, and pull myself up so I'd sit on the edge of the bed. "They're gonna ask us to leave soon."

Freya doesn't react to my words, at all, she just keeps her eyes on Niall's face and his left hand in both of hers, playing with the pulse oximeter that's on the tip of his index finger. I can't even begin to explain what his condition is doing to her, I haven't seen her eat since she came to the frat house, she barely leaves his room- I can swear that she has a job other than stripping, but nothing concerns her anymore. Except the stupidly brave boy lying in the bed right now, of course.

"Did you know that," She starts after a minute, pausing to sit up in her chair without letting go of his hand. "I didn't... I didn't know that his last name is Horan, until he got a new doctor today? And a nurse was with him, and she was saying his name and age and symptoms and I just, I just stood there and..."

She shakes her head lightly; her brother was right when he told me that she often likes to 'speak suicidally'. "I don't know anything about him," She says simply, shrugging as if pretending it's not a big deal, when she knows it is. "I never wanted to invade his privacy, but this is... this is sad."

I bite my lip, glancing at my best friend before looking at her again. "Freya, he's... you- you love him," I say awkwardly, hoping she wouldn't be able to tell how uncomfortable I actually feel. "Knowing his last name and, I don't know, what songs he likes listening to, that's not invading his privacy."

She blinks a few times at my statement, keeping his hand in her left one as she reaches for her phone on the end table. I sigh, looking around the dark room, the only light coming from a table lamp; it almost looks exactly like his room in the fraternity house. Minus the EKG machine and the infusion pump and God knows what else.

"So..." I start again, but she just keeps scrolling and tapping the screen. "Craig's trial is in a few days, are you gonna be there?"

"No," Freya snaps, the harshness of her voice almost scaring me, but she keeps her eyes on the phone. "I don't want to be there when they release him."

I frown at the side of her head; that's just outrageous. "What? Are you insane, they're not going to-"

"They are," She interrupts me calmly, "It always happens. All the fucking time."

"They won't just fucking release him," I say again, furrowing my eyebrows harder. I know that she's under a lot of pressure and hasn't slept in 30 years, but seriously? "I don't even care if he has 'friends' that can bail him out, the police has to do something about this."

Freya's nostrils start to flare as I point at Niall with my hand; I don't know if she's becoming angry because I'm disagreeing with her or because I referred to Niall as this. "Look, you..." She starts, in the calmest voice she can muster, "You just... it's not that simple. Don't get your hopes up."

"What, my hopes of sending his ass to jail?" I ask, as if stating the obvious, but I'm stunned when she starts nodding. It's like she wants him to be released, she just has no faith at all. "Freya, do you even understand what he did?"

"Yes, Seth, but surprisingly, this isn't the first time he's gotten into a club fight," She tells me, her voice harsh and sarcastic, but I'm having none of it.

"Is it also not the first time he's put someone in a coma?"

She blinks at my forwardness, and it honestly stings to say it out loud; but if it's the only way I'd set her mind straight, then so be it. "Seventy fucking two people that were interrogated by the police told them that Craig was the first one to attack Niall, and they said he did it for no apparent reason."

Freya gulps at my reminder, and closes her eyes – I can tell that she wants to believe what I'm saying, but she thinks she can't afford it. "And the workers that tried to defend him, they said that Niall was provoking him, but had no fucking clue as to how he was fucking provoking him."

At this point I don't even care if someone comes in to drag us out of the room; the only reason we were given an extra hour with Niall is because it's Christmas, and for some reason, that's a big deal to her. She even ordered me to buy the smallest Christmas tree I could find before I came here – which is about the height of a deodorant bottle – and then insisted on putting up the tiny ornaments herself. She's done a good job, considering this isn't something she usually does.

"I just..." She sighs, slipping the phone onto the bed so she could run her face with both hands. "I don't even know. If it works, great, if it doesn't, I'll never forgive you."

I sigh too, shaking my head a little. "He put a man into a coma with his bare hands." Why is she not understanding this? "And when they take a look at his criminal record, which I'm guessing he has, sweetheart, he ain't going nowhere."

"God, I hate it when you talk," She groans, leaning back in her chair; it's not my fault that my accent becomes twice as thicker when I'm trying to prove a point. "How do people in Mississippi even live with themselves?"

"I'm from Texas, though."

"I don't care."

I breathe out a laugh as she takes her phone again, her hands significantly calmer than her voice. I avert my eyes to Niall's face and I can't help but think, it would have been so cool if he'd woken up now and seen us bickering. Almost like in a movie – it would have been exactly like a movie if he'd said 'shut up, both of you' at some point.

"Who's Ed Sheeran?" I blink at the name, and look at Freya; she's frowning at the phone, and- why am I only now realizing that she's been holding Niall's phone this entire time?

"Huh? Ed Sheeran?" I repeat, blinking again as she nods. "That's... a singer. He's British, I think. And Niall listens to him a lot."

"Yeah, he has seven of his songs at the top of his 'most played' list." Oh, so that's what she's been doing with his phone this whole time. "What's Tenerife Sea about?"

"How should I know?" I shrug, and furrow my brows slightly; the only Ed Sheeran songs I could tell her about are Don't and Nina, as Niall had barely listened to anything else since that album came out. I had them memorized before I even realized I had them memorized.

"It's just- that's the first one of his 'most played' and 'last played' lists... why would he listen to a song so much?" She mumbles the last part to herself, continuing to frown at the screen of, well, Niall's phone. A few seconds later she winces and widens her eyes at the screen, seeming frightened, and I can't help but glance at what she's looking at – that expression can't be caused by an Ed Sheeran song.

I frown as well, as I notice the white object vibrating. "Is someone calli-"

"It's his mom," Freya cuts me off, her voice cracking throughout the three words, looking like she's going to pass out. "Look, it says 'mum'."

I close my eyes for a second and shake my head, taking the phone from her. I can't help gulping before answering the call; I've never actually talked to any member of his family. I know that he's told his mom and brother about having a friend named Seth, but that's it.

This is fair though; the reason we became close friends in the first place, is because he offered to take my parents around the city when they visited me in August, after I told the guys I was broke. I was never able to do that for three years, how long I've been in university and away from home, and he offered to do it, like it wasn't a big deal. Then I shared my pot with him and we had a deep conversation that we swore to never speak of, even though neither of us remembers any of it.

"Hello?"

"Hel- Niall?" The woman on the other side says- so that's how his name is actually supposed to be pronounced.

"No, this is- this is Seth, his friend." Christ, I sound like a twelve year old scout girl.

"Uh, okay," She says slowly. "I'm Maura, his mother. Can I... speak to him?"

"Well..." I glance at Niall's still face, contemplating whether or not I could raise my voice a pitch and fake an impeccable Irish accent. "No."

"What? Why not?"

I take Freya's hand, quickly moving mine to her wrist, and look at her, a little worried – but the fact that she looks worried as well isn't helping me at all. "Well, you see, he- Niall, he sort of... had an... an incident?"

I can literally hear the woman's breath hitch on the other side of the Earth; that's the absolute worst thing I could have told her, Niall had told me how she feels about him being in Chicago. This is going to be a long and painful conversation.

"What, did- did someone mob him, or- did someone attack him?"

Dead on. "Well, in a way, it's just that- Mrs. Horan, please." I close my eyes and tune out when she starts rambling, trying to guess what happened to him and eventually starting to sob. I'm literally going to ask him for money for having to go through this when he wakes up. Bonding with Freya, that was fine, she's a year older than me so we could find common ground. But his mother? Really? I mean-

I jump a little in the bed once I feel the phone being yanked from my hand, and open my eyes to look in front of me; Freya has this annoyed slash nervous look on her face as she brings the phone to her ear, after snatching it from me.

"Hello? Ma'am, my name is Freya, I'm... Niall's... friend." She says slowly, in a tone that's much calmer than mine, squeezing his hand with her free one. "Yes, but- no, listen to me, he's fine, he's going to be fine."

Then she looks up at me, with a rather confident expression. "Yes, for sure. We know he is."

I give her a wide smile, relieved and happy in the same time. Not only is she talking to Niall's mother and calming her down, she's also starting to believe that he's going to be okay. Hell yeah we know he is.

*******

i'm sososo sorry for updating this late, my monday wasn't the best and i couldn't finish the part in time askjfhddfbdfxvc. buuuuuut i would love to hear what you think of this?? i know it's not that interesting without niall but i'd still love to hear your thoughts on seth and freya, and harry and freya, and niall's mom and freya? :D

and it's 3:20am on a school night so i really want feedback peOPLE

also this is a formal apology to anyone who's from mississippi okay, i love mississippi, please don't hate me *virtual hug* i love you x