6 hours.

Astra had been in the hospital for 6 hours, waiting. Waiting for someone to tell her that he was okay. Waiting for someone to tell her she could go see him.

But nobody came.

Carly had tried to call her a few more times, but she didn't pick up. She never picked up. She didn't want to talk to her, she didn't want to talk to anyone.

Other peoples names were being called, and they got to go see their loved ones. Astra's name never got called, and as she watched the people go one by one, she started to wonder if her name would ever get called.

Astra stood up and walked to the woman behind the front desk. "Is he okay?"

"No word about your friend sweetheart, but I'm sure he's okay." The woman gave her a small smile. "Why don't you go home and get some rest, you've been here for almost 7 hours. We'll call you as soon as we hear from-"

"No, I'm staying." Astra turned around to walk back to her seat. How dare she tell her to go home, she would never do that. She would never leave Orson there alone. He needed her. She needed to see him.

"Who are you waiting for?" A little boy asked her when she sat back down. She looked over at him as he sat a few seats away, next to a beautiful woman.

He looked about 8 or 9.

"My friend."

"I'm waiting for my big brother. Mommy and I came here when she said he got into a car crash." The little boy smiled up at Astra. "He's okay. Your friend is okay too."

"I hope so." Astra said quietly.

"What's his name?"

"His name is Orson." Astra smiled sadly.

"My brothers name is Teddy. I call him Teddy Bear." The young boy giggled as he said his brothers name. "He says he doesn't like it when I call him that, but I know he does. He just pretends."

"I call my friend Bear Cub." Astra said, her smile growing a little, as she thought of the first time she met him.

"That's cool! I guess they're both bears." The boy laughed, and his mother turned to look at him.

"Carlos, are you pestering that poor young woman?" The woman looked up at Astra. "I'm so sorry, he's always so talkative to people."

"It's okay, I don't mind." Astra shrugged. "It's nice having someone to talk to here."

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been waiting here? My son and I have been waiting here for 3 hours now and you've been here before us. I always feel bad for those poor people who wait all day or night, breaks my heart."

"Almost 7 hours."

"7 hours?" Carlos gasped. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Astra said.

"Well, I'm sure whatever you're here for will be ready for you soon." Carlos' mom gave her a warm smile before she turned back to the magazine she was reading.

She didn't seem too worried about her son. He was probably okay, or she was much better at hiding how scared she really was, unlike Astra.

Astra was terrified. She didn't know what was going on behind the doors, for all she knew, he could be dead. He could be crying and asking for her, and the doctors could be telling him he'll see her when they save him.

She was going to see him. She knew she was.

He wasn't dead. He couldn't be.

"Astra Gazer?"

Astra's head snapped up at the man standing in the doorway, and Carlos and his mom looked over at her when she moved to get up.

He was alive. He was okay. They were getting her to see him. She was going to see him.

"I'm right here." Astra said, raising her hand up so the man could see her, before she stood to her feet.

She wasn't expecting the next words that came out of his mouth.

"Astra Gazer, I'm sorry for your loss."

It was like a ton of bricks suddenly hit her heart, shattering it in a million tiny pieces, and his words repeated in her mind.

I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your loss.

"No." She whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

She turned to look at Carlos and his mom. Carlos was watching her with confusion, he didn't seem to quite understand what was going on. But his mom was looking at her with so much sympathy, it made her start crying.

"Would you like to see him miss?" The man asked her, but she shook her head as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth.

No. No no no.

He couldn't be gone. He was still alive. He was okay.

But as people stared at the sobbing girl in the room, all eyes showing sympathy, she knew he was gone.

He was really gone.

Her Bear Cub was gone.

"Miss, would you like to see him?" The doctor asked again, and Astra looked back over at him.

She nodded her head, and when he opened the doors for her, she followed him inside. She could barely walk, her legs wanted to collapse on her, but she didn't let them. She needed to be strong.

But as soon as the doctor opened the door to his room, being strong was the last thing she could do.

She slowly stepped into the room, looking at his body laying on the bed. A couple other doctors were standing to the side, talking, but when they saw her step in the room, they immediately all walked out to leave her alone, giving her sympathetic looks as they walked past.

Astra didn't move. She didn't take a step towards him. She just stood next to the doorway, bottom lip trembling, as she tried to keep herself from bursting into tears again.

His eyes were closed. He wasn't moving, not even his chest. He wasn't breathing.

The breathing mask she had seen on him before was still on him, but it was no use. He wasn't breathing. It wouldn't work if he wasn't breathing.

There was blood on him. Not a lot anymore, not like when they rushed him inside, but enough to make Astra cry. There was no sign of any wounds on him, which she didn't understand. How could he be dead when there's nothing wrong with him?

But there was. Just because it wasn't physical, it didn't mean it wasn't on the inside.

Carly said he jumped. His bones could've broken. He could've broken his neck, or his back, anything, and she wouldn't know.

And if he did jump, then he definitely would have hit his head hard. His head would've been messed up. Maybe even bleeding internally, filling his brain with blood. Or breaking his ribs and puncturing his lungs, filling his lungs with blood.

There were a lot of possibilities to why he was gone.

Just because someone looks fine on the outside, doesn't mean they actually are, but not seeing anything wrong makes you want to believe that they're fine. You want to believe it because you can't see it.

But they're not fine.

He wasn't fine.

"Orson." Astra whispered, finally taking a small step towards him.

She expected him to wake up and smile at her, telling her that he was still alive and okay and he was faking it, like at the meadow they painted. She would do anything to see that smile again, and she prayed to god she would, but he never smiled at her.

He never woke up.

"Orson." She said again, taking more small steps towards him, until she stood next to the bed.

Her heart stopped as she saw how pale he was. He was white. No color in him.

Now that she was next to him, she could see him more clearly now, but that only made her cry harder. His brown curls were sticking to his forehead from the blood pouring out of a cut on his head. His flesh was ghost white, eyes closed.

He looked like he was sleeping. He looked peaceful, and for the first time ever, there was no pain in his face. There was no hurt. He looked so peaceful.

"Orson." Astra cried, finally breaking down, the realization that he was gone hitting her like a ton of bricks.

Astra shook his shoulder.

"Orson wake up. Please wake up." Tears were streaming down her face as she shook him harder.

He didn't wake up.

"Orson. Wake up. Wake up Orson." She sobbed, shaking him ten times harder.

No matter how hard she shook him, and how loud she begged and sobbed, he didn't wake up.

"Orson, listen to me right now. You better open your eyes right now or I swear to god. I will... I will.." Astra couldn't finish, she gasped through her sobs, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Orson look at me!" Astra screamed in her hand.

For the first time ever, Orson didn't listen to her. He didn't open his eyes, and Astra sobbed, climbing onto the bed as she grabbed him.

She held him in her arms and sobbed.

"No!" She screamed and then gasped through her sobs again, not able to get any air into her lungs. Her hands were shaking as she held tightly onto him.

He can't be gone. Please don't be gone.

"Orson!" She screamed.

She buried her face in his shoulder, shaking him again, as the tears continued to stream down her face uncontrollably.

"Please wake up! Come back to me! Please!" She screamed as loud as she could, coughing a little afterwards.

Harley. She lost Harley.

Orson. She lost Orson.

She lost them both. She failed them both.

"No!" Astra screamed and tightened her grip on him. "Please no. Bring him back! Please bring him back!"

Her body was shaking with the amount of sobs that escaped, and she clung tightly to him, to the point where her knuckles started turning white.

"Bring him back to me right now!" She looked up at the ceiling as she screamed, tears streaming down her face and neck. "Bring him back to me! Please!"

No matter how much she begged - and she didn't even know who she was begging to, just to anyone who could hear her - Orson didn't come back.

He never came back.

Astra held him close to her, not wanting to let him go. Not letting them take his body too.

"I'm so sorry."  She whispered as she buried her face in his chest. "I'm sorry."

She could still smell the faint smell of lavender and bergamot on him, and she closed her eyes, remembering the very first time he hugged her.

He hugged her tightly. He smelled good. It was her favorite scent. Lavender and bergamot. He was her favorite scent.

Astra wanted more than anything for him to wrap his arms around her and hug her back, but minutes went by, and he never hugged her back.

He never did.

"I love you." Astra said the words she never got to tell him, but now it was too late, now he was gone.

Now he couldn't hear her. He couldn't hear it.

Astra didn't know long it'd been, but it felt like hours, and she never let go of him. She held onto him, continuing to scream and cry, until they had to take her away.

They took her away from him.