I own nothing all the characters, settings, etc are owned by Michael Grant.

"Astrid?" Said a quiet voice. "Are you ok?"

A feeble groan came from the hospital bed in the middle of the room.

"Can I come in?" Diana asked.

Another groan from the bed. Diana took the groan as a yes and walked in to the room. Astrid had a set of flowers on her bedside cabinet but other than that her room was the same as it had been a week ago. Astrid however had changed a lot her blonde hair was even worse than it had been in the FAYZ and her eyes were red and puffy from tiredness and crying. She hadn't said a word to anyone since ... Sam.

Sam had only just made it out of the fire. He had staggered out of the smoke clutching his side. Astrid had broken free of the Paramedics just as he collapsed to his knees. She had screamed his name and broken into a run. But by this point Sam had fallen and was now lying on his back. Everyone else was either too stunned to do anything or knew that there was nothing they could do. Astrid reached him and held him in her arms. Diana had been watching from the whole seen from an ambulance. When Astrid reached Sam, Diana had come to her senses and set off after her. As she drew closer she could see them talking and she could also see the tear falling from Astrid's eyes onto Sam's chest. Diana remembered Astrid's scream when Sam's body had gone limp, the way she had clutched his body to her and how she has buried her face in his already tear soaked chest, except his chest no longer rose and fell. Diana had reached Astrid and knelt beside her. Diana remembered telling Astrid that they had to go, and how Astrid had refused to leave Sam. It wasn't until the paramedics reached them and Astrid was forced to leave Sam's side. As they walked back together Diana could see Quinn's shocked face, and Lana's face full of sorrow and Dekka looking physically sick.

Diana remembered that day as if it were yesterday; she didn't dare imagine how Astrid felt about it. But she knew that it had torn the poor girl apart. It had been a week since the day the FAYZ wall came down. She had visited Astrid every day, because they were kept in the same hospital. However Diana was being released tomorrow and they were keeping Astrid here. She knew she couldn't leave Astrid alone, because there was no one for her now that Sam was gone.

Diana sat down on the chair next to Astrid, who still barely acknowledged her. She was about to open her mouth to speak Astrid spoke.

"I'm sorry" she said.

Diana was slightly taken aback by Astrids change of heart "For what?" Diana asked quietly, still shocked.

"For being like this".

"Astrid don't be sorry, it's understandable. I would be the same." Diana said soothingly.

"But you're not. You lost Caine and yet you still seem okay. Whilst...I'm... I'm a wreck."

"Astrid" she sighed, shaking her head, "Caine and I..." she sighed again. "We... we knew he would never escape." Diana said matter-of-factly, "He didn't want to." She added after seeing Astrid's expression. " He was powerful in the phase, he couldn't go back to being nothing."

Astrid understood, after all she had known him as well, not as well as Diana obviously, but well enough. However it did make her think about Sam. Could he have coped with it? She could feel herself tearing up again.

"Sam would have made it", Diana said reassuringly. She could obviously tell what Astrid had been thinking.

"But he's...he's...not here" Astrid said between sharp breaths. The tears were flowing freely now. She pushed her face into the pillow to muffle her sobs. Diana couldn't stand to see Astrid like this. She walked over to the bed, slowly as too not startle the now hysterical blonde. Her weight made the mattress creak as she sat down next to the sobbing teen. They stayed like that for hours, Diana stroking Astrid's hair, whilst the later soaked the pillow in her tears.

Please tell me if you want me too keep writing i need the motivation if you want more! :)