Zach was content to stay in the darkness.

Nothing could reach him there- not pain, or confusion. Not even those voices that make him feel that terrible ache in his chest. But every time he'd be brought back into the light, he'd hear them.

At first they were angry:

"...just check one more time?! I know it's a concussion, how long do you- Are you even a doctor?!"

"-my son... not in a coma? How sure are y-?"

"Fu- you! That boy is my nephew! If I don't get transport out of here right now I swear I-!"

The anger didn't last long, however. When Zach swam into the light again, most of the anger was gone, only to be replaced by an emotion that confused Zach: Worry. And fear, as if they were going to lose something important to them.

Anger, he understood. If the voices were talking about him like he thought they were, then Zach understood why there was anger. Most of the things he did made people angry at him after all. Like that time when he fixed grandpa's old car. He might not be as smart as Gray but that didn't mean he didn't know anything. Of course stealing was bad but he intended to return the old engine afterwards- all he wanted was to let them know that there were still some things that he can do that Gray can't.

Or that time when he took Gray to a museum without asking for permission. Everyone was so angry at him when they returned- even Claire when their mom told her. He was grounded for months because apparently, not only did he recklessly endangered Gray, he'd also stolen the money they used to get to the musem. None of them, with the exception of Gray, really believed him when he said that the money was his.

And it was. They weren't exactly poor, but Zach knew that there were some luxuries that they couldn't afford. So he started saving. He was going to use the money to buy himself a phone, but when their parents started arguing, when he realized that it was going to be one of the bad ones, he took all of his money to get Gray out of the house. Gray would realize it himself eventually; he was smart, after all. But until then, Zach wanted to let Gray believe he had the perfect family.

Zach knew about anger. And disappointment. So the worry:

"Zach, honey. Plea... wake up! Please, please... wake u-!"

"No! Let me stay with him! I want to- Dad, I need to stay with-!"

"-on't do this to me, kid. You... to wake up! I know you can hear... -gotta wake up, kid. Zach, you have to wake up!"

Must be for someone else.

But that last voice was Owen's. Zach couldn't really tell the voices apart, but Owen was the last person he talked to. Owen was the only one left who didn't think he was a failure.

At least not yet.

Unable to bear the thought of Owen disappointed in him, Zach took a deep breath, and opened his eyes.


There was no one there.

White walls, white sheets, white everything. It took a while for him to make the connection, but there was only one place he could be. Just when he was about to wonder why he was there, what happened to him, all of the memories began to return.

He didn't realize it, but as he remembered, his breath started coming in short gasps, his hands had grasped the sheets so hard they were turning white, and that tears were steadily pouring from his eyes.

He was so terrified. And confused. And hurt, because again no one was there.

How long ago was it that Owen told him he was important, too? Did he take so long to wake up that he'd once again managed to-

"-ach! Zach! Calm down! You have to calm down!"

There were hands gripping both of his arms, tight enough that Zach was able to use it to anchor himself. He was slowly calming down, but the inablitiy to draw a deep breath was starting to make him panic.

Somehow, the person holding him knew and gently, but firmly instructed him to, "Just take slow and steady breaths, Zach. Slow and steady. Can you feel my chest as it falls and rises?" and somehow, they'd managed to climb into the bed with him, managed to wrap an arm around him without Zach knowing, "Just like that. Slow and steady, Zach. Just breathe."

It took a while, but Zach could now breathe properly again.

This was when he noticed that the person beside him was shaking. Confused, he looked up, and was surprised to see that it was Claire.

And that she was crying.

His strong Aunt Claire, crying? She didn't even cry when they were at the park running for their lives, not even once. Did something happen? Had something so terrible happened that-

"Aunt Claire?" he rasped, his voice so soft he could barely hear himself, "Is ev'ryone... okay?"

Claire looked at him then, both surprised and confused. Zach could see there were many things she wanted to say, but all she said was, "Yes, of course. Everyone's fine."

"Then why are you crying?"

Claire was taken aback by the question, because wasn't it obvious the tears were for him? But then she remembered what Owen told them, what Zach had told him before he collapsed and...

She couldn't help herself. She pulled Zach closer to her and buried her face in the crook of his neck, crying even harder. All this time she thought she'd pegged both the brothers perfectly well. It was her ability to read other people that brought her to where she was within the company, after all. But she was wrong.

Everything she knew about the people in her life was wrong.

If there was one thing she was grateful for, for all the trauma they've all been through, it was this. Now she had the chance to get to know them better. And to make amends.

Getting Zach to look at her, she took one of his hands and, holding it tightly said, "Owen... When Owen came to find us when you- when he told us what had happened to you, I was so terrified. We'd just survived something so horrible together, so the thought of losing you... Even if it was a small chance, all this time I've been terrified that you won't wake up. That you've become so fed up with us failing you all the time that you'd just... give up.

"But you're stronger than I thought. You proved that to me back when we were at the island, when you kept on protecting Gray over and over again. And so I believed. I knew you were going to wake up.

"I wasn't crying because I'm sad, Zach. I'm crying because I'm happy that you're awake."

Zach didn't say anything for a while. But when he looked away, Claire was ecstatic to see Zach's lips curved up in a smile.

Slowly climbing down from the bed, Claire grimaced when she saw the mess on the floor. She was on her way back from buying dinner when she saw the nurses rushing towards Zach's room. She must have dropped it when she saw Zach struggling to breathe.

More than the Indominous, that was something Claire never wanted to see again.

Settling down on the couch near Zach's bed, the boy having waved her away when she tried to help him lie down, Claire smiled.

It was going to be okay now.

They were all finally going to be okay.

"Hey, Claire?" Zach suddenly asked, still turned away from her, "Where is everyone?"

Then she remembered: "Oh my god! I have to tell them!"

"But where are they?"

Zach's tone made her pause in her search for her phone. She looked at her nephew and wondered if the question meant something else.

"They're staying at a hotel nearby. The closest we could find," she answered, "Owen is with them. He didn't want to leave without knowing you're all right."

"Really? He doesn't miss his family yet or something?"

Claire couldn't help but smile at the wonder and awe in Zach's voice, no matter how much he tried to hide it. Even Gray looked at Owen like he was some sort of super hero. She found it adorable; but also worrying. Seriously, if Owen was going to be a bad example, she was going to kick his ass.

"He told us they were miles away. And that they haven't talked for a while. That it's just been him all this time. So unfortunately, you'll be seeing a lot of him for a very, very long time."

At this, Zach turned to her. There was a teasing grin on his lips when he asked, "Are you going to keep him?"

"Ugh. It's not like I have a choice," she replied, playing along, "Someone needs to make sure he at least cleans himself up."

Claire hadn't realized how long ago she'd seen Zach with a smile that reached his eyes until now. But then he turned away again and asked, "How long has it been?"

"Since he last cleaned himself?" she couldn't help ask.

"No," Zach snorted, the amusement in his tone making Claire internally raise a fist in victory, "How long have I been in here?"

"Three days," she replied, serious now, "It's been a very long three days."

There was a frown in his voice when he said, "Three days? I've been sleeping for three whole days?"

"Well," Claire began, "It's a little more complicated than that. And you weren't exactly sleeping the entire time either. We had to keep waking you up every two hours for a day just to make sure you hadn't entered a coma. That first night, none of us really wanted to leave. But only one relative was allowed to stay so your dad did.

"I thought they were going to argue about it, you know. Your mom and dad. But I guess they know you and Gray better than I thought because they made that decision without saying anything."

"Mom was always closer to Gray," Zach mumbled, "Of course she had to go with him."

"That's true. But it was your mom who kept watch yesterday, though. Wouldn't take no for an answer."

It was silent for a while, with Zach mulling things over. Then he asked, "And Gray?"

Claire couldn't stop the smile from making it's way to her lips when she said, "Gray's been such a little devil ever since you were confined. I don't even know how many times we almost accidentally left him here because he kept on misdirecting us. His guilt-tripping is top-notch as well. He worries about you so much that it's been quite a challenge getting him to leave your side. You'd be able to see it for yourself tomorrow, actually. They'll be here as soon as visiting hours starts."

"Because of Gray?"

Claire smiled, "Yes. But not just because of Gray. Because of your parents, too. And Owen."

At Zach's disbelieving silence, Claire promised, "Things have changed now, Zach. You'll see. Everything will be all right from now on."