November 13

"Has anything new happened?" Ana asked the nurse in charge of Aster's brother. Her parents had demanded that she come home for the night because she had been at the hospital for so many days, and she was only now returning. Her parents had also gotten in contact with North's parents, and had only barely been able to convince him to walk Ana home. Through subtle manipulation, they had persuaded him to stay the night and get his rest there. Sandy and Jack, however, had stayed at the hospital with Aster despite the attempts of the doctors and nurses to get them home. The four of them had spent almost all of the past few days with Aster, but their parents were beginning to worry about how they were holding up.

The nurse shook her head in worry. "I'm sorry, but… Mr. Bunnymund woke up during the night and seemed coherent enough this time. The doctors spoke to him a bit, and told him about his wife. He handled it well enough, considering, at first…"

"Should I go visit him?" Ana asked. She hadn't considered going anywhere but straight to Aster's brother's room, which she now felt a bit guilty about. She had assumed family would be at his parent's rooms since they hadn't been with him. North had gone ahead of her and was with the others in Aster's brother's room.

"No..." The nurse shook her head harder. "I'm sorry, but the shock… It got worse. He didn't make it." Ana grimaced, looking down at the floor. The nurse put her hand on her shoulder. "You should go see to your friend."

"How's his brother?" she asked softly.

"Doing well, but… The doctors are afraid he may not wake up."

Ana frowned, looking up at the nurse. "A coma?"

"It's only a possibility. He might even wake up today," the nurse replied, trying to give a comforting smile. It was too forced to be much of a relief.

"Aster's not at risk for…" Ana trailed off, not sure what exactly she meant herself. "I mean, he's not…"

"He's not at risk for any severe long term problems. I would say he's the best off of the family. But… He's going to need support from all of you. His parents were both only siblings and his grandparents both need help getting around. He doesn't know his next nearest relations."

"Where's he going to go when he's released from the hospital?" Ana asked faintly.

"I don't know," the nurse replied. "His godparents are across the country, but they're flying in soon to take care of things. At least his parents made sure things would be alright in the case that something happened to them."

"Does Aster…?"

"Yes, he was still awake when his father passed and the doctors let him know what happened. Your other two friends were in the room and heard." The nurse removed her hand. "He's lucky to have great friends like the four of you. He's going to need you a lot in the next few weeks."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Jack leaned his head against the bed again, looking up at Aster silently. His friend was doing an incredible job of holding up in front of others, staying as strong as possible. It was almost like he was acting the role for his brother, and that he hadn't fully accepted that his sibling wasn't waking up. He could handle his parents, but his brother was the hardest part of everything that was happening. Jack could understand that. He would feel the same way about his sister.

Aster was beginning to show signs of weariness. It clung to his expression like the plague, making him seem older and grimmer. He could barely move much beyond walking simply because the bandages got in the way, and what little he could do was made difficult by pain. Jack wasn't completely sure, but he guessed that he'd been refusing pain medication out of fear that the side effects would make him fall asleep. He hadn't spoken to any of them at all about his either of his parent's deaths, and hadn't even mentioned his brother.

It was an absurd amount of emotion to be bottling up. It wasn't going to go well when it all boiled over. Maybe, though, there wasn't any. Maybe Aster was just too numb at the moment to fully allow what was happening to sink in. Aster was becoming more and more distant though, trailing off occasionally and succumbing to silence for hours on end.

"What's his name?" Jack said softly.

Aster glanced down at him briefly, before turning back to his brother. "Lachlan," Aster replied quietly. "He's nine years old."

Jack remained silent, looking down at the ground. There wasn't much to be said to that. Ana and North had returned an hour ago, and all of them were back to their original positions. They hadn't talked much, since there was nothing to say. The silence had hung over the group for the last few hours, with the exception of Jack's remark and Aster's reply, and no one had bothered to dissipate it.

The door opened, and a woman poked her head in. She frowned slightly in confusion when she saw the four friends scattered around the room in odd places, and then centered on the brothers. She locked gazes with Aster. He sighed silently, getting to his feet. Jack stood up, handing him the crutches and making sure he didn't stumble. He stayed in place, watching over his friend as he went to the door. The woman pushed the door open wider to help him out. The door closed behind the two a second later.

"Who was that?" Jack asked when he was certain they weren't still right outside the door.

"I'm not completely sure," Ana said slowly, "but I think that was his godmother. I don't think they know each other very well, and I've certainly never met her, so I'm not completely sure."

"I'm worried about him," Jack said softly.

"He's taking it better than any of us would," North replied, "but that's always been his way. He's always had to be the strongest."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Ya can' say that yet," Aster snapped, glaring at Harriet. She frowned at him like he was a disobedient child. Which he was, in a sense, but that was beside the point. "What if he wakes up and ya've already shipped me across the country? What then?"

"We'd fly you back, of course, but-"

"I'm not leavin' him so soon."

"Aster, be reasonable! I spoke to the doctors. This young, there's a much less likely chance he'll wake up. He's already been asleep for a week."

"So he's still got a good chance of wakin' up!"

Harriet frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "Aster, think about Liam and I. We have jobs at home that we need to be at and we're using sick days to come over here. It costs us more money every day we stay here, and we need to prepare the house if you're going to stay with us."

"I just lost my parents," Aster said quietly. "Can' ya just give me a few days?"

Harriet sighed, holding out her hands towards him. "Aster, it'll be more painful the longer you stay here."

"Yer askin' me to leave everyone in my life behind in a matter of days. My last family member an' all my friends."

"I'm sorry, I know you must have many-"

"Actually, there's only the four who've spent nearly every night since the accident here in the hospital with me."

Harriet stopped, blinking. "You mean, the four who're in the room right now?"

"Yeah." He took his weight off the crutches standing up straighter. He was taller than her, so he didn't need to make much more of an impression than he already was. "They've been great friends to me. I can' just leave 'em on a whim."

"I understand, but… If they're great friends, they'll understand that you need to leave, right?"

"But I don'."

Harriet blinked. "What?"

"I don' need to leave. I'd rather stay here."

"Aster, we're your godparents."

"So?"

She gaped at him.

"As ya said, ya've got work an' a life back in California, which ya should be gettin' back ta soon. But I've got a life here, too, that I don' want ta leave as much as ya don' want to be away from yers. I'm old enough that I could just become emancipated."

"So-So- We came out her for-" Harriet stuttered.

Aster stabbed one of his crutches down angrily against the ground. "Damn it, ya came out here in memory of yer frends, not for me an' Lachlan! Don' pretend differently. I don' want ta go ta California, and it'd be easier if ya didn' have to deal with takin' care of me. I can' do anythin' about the wills or funerals because of my age, but you can. I'm not even sure what ta do with the house an' everythin' in it."

"Aster, you have another think coming if you honestly believe we're just going to roll over and do as you ask," she growled at him. "We promised your parents we would take care of the two of you."

"I don' think they really planned on dyin', or they woulda spent a little more time considerin' who would be takin' care 'a us," Aster said, more than a little harshly. He shifted his weight on the crutches, starting to move off to go back to the hospital room. "How do ya know them, again?" Harriet glared at him, setting her jaw. Aster turned and hobbled away, barely using the crutches at all. She didn't follow him, instead choosing to stalk off in the direction of the waiting room.

His friends looked up when he entered and seated himself back on the chair. Ana was the first to speak up. "How did it go?"

"I don' think the two of us see eye ta eye."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

November 14

It was North's turn to bribe/coerce/force Aster to get food. The other three were waiting in the hospital room in silence, having little to talk about at the moment besides conversations they didn't want to have. Ana was the most exhausted, besides Aster of course, having had the most homework and travel time because of having to go between home, the hospital, and school so much. She was fast asleep on the floor in her usual place. The nurses had been kind enough to smuggle blankets and pillows to them. They had pulled a few cots out, and the five had taken turns using them over the last week. Sandy and Jack had been practically dead on the cots when Ana had fallen asleep, otherwise she would have quickly been moved there and off the floor.

Sandy and Jack were both looking at her, debating on whether or not they should move her now. Neither wanted to wake Ana up while doing so, but they also didn't want her to get up later and be sore all over from sleeping on the floor. Finally, Jack gave in and walked around the bed, crouching down beside her. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder to wake her up. She groggily opened her eyes and looked up at him. Without saying anything, he took her hand and led her over to the cot. She lay back down and was asleep within seconds. Having been right behind Jack, Sandy picked up the blanket and pillow she had left on the floor and carried it over to her new position.

The door opened, admitting Aster's godfather. The man closed the door behind himself and took a look around the room, taking in the sleeping conditions the five teenagers had all been subject to. He waited quietly for a minute before speaking. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've really met."

"We all just kinda evaluated each other and debated over whether talking was worth an argument or not," Jack said dryly. "So, you're trying to take Aster to California?"

"Yes. His father and I were roommates in college. I'm afraid when they decided to make me their godfather, I was not married to Harriet. I love her, but she's not very…mothering. Don't take her actions too harshly."

"You know we're still going to, right?"

He smiled slightly. He held out his hand towards Jack, who shook it. "I suppose you already know, but I'm Liam Parlens. All I know of you is that you're friends of Asters."

"Yeah. I'm Jack, this is Sandy." He glanced down at Ana. "Nick is the Russian, and Ana's asleep here."

"It sounds like you've stayed here all of the nights with Aster," Liam said, leaning back against the wall. "That's very kind of you."

"I think he'd do the same for us," Jack said, a bit uneasy about where the conversation was going. "You've never met Aster before, have you?"

"No, unfortunately not. Harriet and I were planning on coming by next fall so his parents could meet her, but… And we wanted to meet his children, obviously. I had met them before when they were much younger, but I doubt either of them even remember me. Lachlan wasn't even walking yet, and I'm not sure Aster was paying attention enough to know that there was company in the house."

"I can imagine that," Jack said.

"How long have you known Aster?"

Jack glanced at Sandy, who offered no assistance whatsoever. "The others have known him longer, actually. I've met him in passing a few times, but I never really knew him very well until recently."

"He doesn't want to go to California, but I suppose you already guessed that. It's because of you, his friends, and his brother that he doesn't want to go. I don't blame him, but I'm afraid Harriet doesn't understand why. She feels it's her duty to Aster's parents that she take care of him, but he doesn't care to be coddled."

"Yeah." Jack shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't think we're going to get along very well with her on any level. I heard Aster's basically shoving all legal responsible on you?"

"I'm alright with that. It's the least I can do," Liam said. "Don't worry about that."

Jack sighed, looking to Lachlan on the bed. "No… I'm too busy worrying about other things."

Liam left a few minutes later after a half-hearted conversation with Sandy. Jack went back to his place by the bed, contemplating everything that was going on. On Aster's side, things were going as horribly as they possibly could. The longer Lachlan remained unconscious, the less likely the chances were that he would ever wake up. His injuries were healing up decently enough, though, and it didn't seem like any more surgeries would be necessary. Aster's burns were also mending, and the wrap around his eye had come off long ago. The brothers would certainly carry scars for the rest of their lives, but that was undoubtedly preferable to the alternative their parents had faced.

The legal things were being taken care of by Liam, apparently. Aster didn't seem to care much about what happened to the house and everything inside it, so Liam couldn't do much harm. Yesterday, upon returning from his first talk with Harriet, he had mentioned the possibility of emancipation to the others. Jack bet that he would just stay with one of the other three until he was eighteen. It was the most logical option if he no longer lived at home. If Lachlan woke up, he would probably just go with his brother. Jack doubted any of the parents would turn the two away. If the descriptions he had heard of North's parents were accurate, they would probably be squabbling with Ana's parents over who got to offer their house up first as residence for the brothers.

What worried Jack the most was the loss that was compiling upon Aster. To lose not one, but two of his parents within days of each other must have been horrible, especially considering how close he had been to them. How was he going to tell his brother if he woke up? Speaking of whom, if it came down to it, could Aster find a source of money to keep his brother alive? Whether he was awake or not, he was still going to require food and shelter. The hospital fee would be outrageously expensive the longer he was asleep. Jack suspected his friends' families would pitch in, but there was only so much they could donate. They also had to consider Lachlan never waking up.

As for himself… Jack was suffering from aches after sleeping on the uncomfortable floor and cots during the last few weeks, and had bags under his eyes from sleep deprivation in general. He hadn't gone home since learning about Aster's situation, although the others had all taken shifts to visit their families. They had implored him several times to go, but he had shaken off their efforts, retaining his post at the hospital through all hours. He wasn't entirely sure Aster was aware of who was with him when, but it didn't really matter. He just wanted to be there throughout whatever was happening.

At this point, he was actually a bit afraid to go home. He had never been away for this long, and with tensions already strained with his father, they were undoubtedly going to take a serious decline because of his absence. It didn't matter much to him, but it would surely make Emma upset. He had called on the second day of his stay at the hospital to let her know what had happened, so at least she wasn't worried too badly about him. She had been concerned about school, but had understood where his priorities laid at the moment.

With the exception of Aster, they had all been forced to return to school by the Wednesday of the week of the incident. Mr. Vanesburg had been understanding, but had reminded them that missing too much could result in them having to retake a class. They hadn't tried using the same reasoning on Aster, since he hadn't even been released from the hospital yet. There was considerable worry about the burns being infected, it sounded like, because of his refusal of medication. They had gathered up his homework from all of his classes and brought it to the hospital. He had gotten all of it done despite having not been in the class with help from the other four.

Aster and North came back a few minutes later and returned to their positions. None of them would move again until North went to sleep on the other cot at one in the morning.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

a/n: So, I mentioned earlier that I had some family members hospitalized. To be honest, that's the closest I've come to a death in the family (besides, you know, great-grandparents who were practically dead anyway [no offense to them, of course, but they were in their nineties] and I was really too young). As a result, I can't even imagine what I'm putting Aster through. That's why I'm not doing a lot of this through Aster's point of view, with the exception of when he's sleep deprived or not focusing on the deaths.

Okay, on a note not related to the plot: Obviously, I am writing at varying paces depending on what day of the week it is. On the weekends, I sometimes get three chapters done, whereas sometimes over the week days I don't even get two chapters finished. Do you want me to post them as I write them, or do you want me to hold off sometimes if I just posted so you don't have such a long break between the last one and the next one?