"I'm sure we'll find out soon." Uriah says before his serious expression is taken over by a mischievous one. "But for now give us a marker, I wanna draw a dick on your cast."

Uri wasn't joking. He literally drew a dick in bright yellow ink on her cast. His sheer giddiness at the concept had Hec and Issy laughing, the latter clutching at her ribs. Hec joined Uri in drawing on her cast, making it seem brighter and less dull. Hec told her that he and Uri had told Crystal's family about her death and Issy was thankful that that weight didn't fall on her shoulders too.

Uriah, the idiot, had somehow managed to forget he brought a most import thing. Issy almost squealed when he pulled her speaker and her phone out of his pocket. As the three of them doodled on her cast, Issy's speaker was blaring with music. The lads were with her for the rest of the day and were more or less kicked out by Vex for making Issy laugh too much. It was easy to forget that she was injured when they were joking around.

The next morning, Issy woke up to the same routine. Breakfast from a glaring Vex, pills for the pain and bandages rewrapped. As soon as the nurses and Vex had left, Issy turned on her speaker and put her playlists on shuffle. She grins as one song starts playing and she starts to hum along.

I'm checking my vital signs. Drawing my battle lines, going to war again. Feeling the rhythm inside of my chest. All I need is just a pen. I know I was born for this; I know I was born for this.

Don't care for the critics, my words are like physics: a force that they can't stop. They just don't get it; I think they forget I'm not done till I'm on top. I know I was born for this; I know I was born for this.

Issy should know better than to start singing, but she ignores the thought and does it anyway. "I believe, I believe we can write our story. I believe, I believe we can be an army. We are the warriors, who learned to love the pain. We come from different places but have the same name 'cause we were born for this; we were born for this. We are the broken ones, who chose to spark a flame. Watch as our fire rages, our hearts are never tame 'cause we were born for this; we were born for this." Issy stops singing when the pain from her ribs gets too much and so she just listens to the rest of the song, bobbing her head along.

I've struggled for years and through all of the tears I've faced the doubts I hide. I never gave into my fears deep within 'cause I heard my voice inside. I know I was born for this; I know I was born for this.

I will never lose my voice if I cut out all the noise. I know I was born for this; I know I was born for this. These words that I write are for someone like me to know you're not alone. The moves that you make ya they come with mistakes, don't ever lose your hope. Just know, you were born for this; just know, you were born for this.

We are the warriors, who learned to love the pain. We come from different places but have the same name 'cause we were born for this; we were born for this. We are the broken ones, who chose to spark a flame. Watch as our fire rages, our hearts are never tame 'cause we were born for this; we were born for this.

"YOU BETTER NOT BE SINGING!" Vex's voice rips through the song just as it finishes. Issy sees him standing in the doorway with his usual glare. "You complain that you're bored and then you do stupid shit that will make you stay in here longer!" He grins mockingly as he walks over and turns her speaker off. "It's okay to say that you'll miss us Issy." Issy scowls and flips him off as he walks to the door. "You have visitors." He points to her, his voice firm. "No screaming."

After Vex leaves the room, he is soon replaced by three people. A long high-pitched sound came out of Issy's mouth. Bree, Lilah and Flare laugh, walking in deeper to the room and seat in the seats to the right of Issy's bed.

"My girlies!" Issy squeals happily. "I've missed you guys!"

"We've missed you!" Flare speaks up for them all. "Seriously, shit gets hella boring and dull without you, Uri and Hec around to keep us all on our feet."

"What she means," Lilah raised an eyebrow in Flare's direction, who shrugged. "Is please don't get sent out to Amity again. I don't think we can survive that again."

Flare and Lilah smile at Issy while a whimper comes from Bree. Bree sits in between the two girls with silent tears running down her face as another whimper escapes her.

"Oh Bree." Issy sighs as her sister's bottom lip begins to tremble. "It's okay. I'm alive, I'm healing. Uriah drew a dick on my cast." That earns a small giggle and Issy carefully angles her arm so that her girls could see Uri's masterpiece. "See? Its bright yellow. And I've found out that it glows in the dark." Bree starts laughing and Issy smiles.

"C'mon Bree, keep on smiling." Flare nudges Bree. "We've only got half an hour."

"Wait, why?" Issy frowns looking between the three.

Lilah rolled her eyes, sighing. "Of course they didn't tell you. Idiots. Your brothers have decided that today, with Vex's permission, that the family can start visiting you but in small groups. So we're all on a tight schedule to try and fit people in."
"You don't realise how big our family has got." Flare says with a shake of her head. "I'm serious."

"That's because most of them come and go during mealtimes and group games." Issy says. "It's not really a surprise."

"Speaking of surprises…"

There's a pause between the three of them and Issy looks between them in confusion. Flare and Lilah grin as Bree begins to fidget. Issy's eyes shift from blue into blue as her eyes narrow at Bree. Her sister fidgets more. Issy's gaze drops to Bree's hands, her mouth forms an 'o' shape, and realisation kicks in.

Issy screams.

Quite literally.

She's pointing to the ring on Bree's finger, still screaming.

Flare and Lilah start laughing as Bree blushes furiously. Issy's still screaming when there's a commotion outside her room.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?" Vex roars as he and Noah rush into the room. Issy stops screaming. Noah immediately goes to Bree's side, blushing slightly as Issy starts squealing instead.

"Congratulations! God, I love you guys!" Tears start filling her eyes and she flaps her good hand around her eyes.

"ISSY!" Vex roars. Issy turns to the doctor with wide watery eyes doing her best to look innocent and like she hadn't just disregarded an order from him. "What did I just say?"

Issy bites her lip, a flash of irritability shooting through her. "My name?"

Vex throughs up his hands in annoyance as he leaves the room, muttering under his breath. Her gaze follows him out of the room but gets captured on someone she didn't realise was in the room too. Her breath gets caught in her throat as she stares at Eric. Eric stares back at her as he swallows. From the side of her peripheral vision, she saw her friends leave the room and close the door behind them.

Despite what Josh said, he doesn't look like the Eric that she's used too. There's a slight stubble along his jaw and his hair seems longer but still in his usual style. His eyes hold pain and words he can't yet say. A tear slips down her cheek and she swallows the lump in her throat. Its been so long, so long since she's last seen Eric. Issy doesn't trust her voice and the sob rising up her throat, so instead she reaches her good hand out towards him. Immediately, Eric is striding towards her and falls to his knees beside her bed. Her hand slides around his neck and her fingers lace in his hair. Eric's quivering hands cup the back of her neck and cheek. Issy pulls him forwards and presses her forehead against his. She can hear, feel, him realise a shaky breath and her eyes fall shut.

She doesn't know how long they stay like that for but she takes delight in his presence. Its not a dream, she knows this. His eyes held too much emotion for it to be a dream. While her eyes are still closed, Eric moves his head from her forehead and she lets out a small whimper, only to have him press his head into the crook of her neck. Her eyes open and he inhales deeply. Issy doesn't mention the slight tremble in his shoulder as she runs her hand through his hair. It was longer and it needed cutting.

When Eric leans back after forever, he smiles at her as he brushes the hair away from her eyes and places a kiss to her forehead.

"Please stay." Issy whispers and Eric nods his head, stretching out on the bed like Alec had done all those days ago and Eric leans his head on top of hers.

"Always." He whispers back, running his hands through her hair.