Falling Star: Book 2 of The Orion Series

Welcome to the Bazaar

**TRIGGER WARNING** Brief discussion (in passing) of Orion's suicide attempt.

I open my eyes. To my surprise, Ben is sitting on my bed.

"Ben?"

Ben jumps and twists around. He looks like fucking hell. I frown.

"You're up," he says with an empty smile and dull eyes.

"Are you okay?" I ask in concern. Gingerly I sit up.

"Well, I was in a fatal bus accident, my girlfriend nearly needed her leg amputated, my best friend had a jagged piece of metal sticking out of his side, his boyfriend nearly died from a ruptured spleen, and I was pinned under two rows of chairs." Holding his head, he adds with a soft sob, "I was hopeless to do anything."

I wince. "Sorry, you're right, stupid question."

He sighs. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's been a long fucking day."

"Yeah, it has..." I look at the clock. It's ten PM.

He manages to give me a small smile. "I'm happy you're awake though."

I suck on the side of my mouth nervously. "How's Amy?"

Ben sniffs. "Um, okay, I guess. I don't think you saw her on the bus, but she was thrown when we flipped. I mean, we all were, but she really went flying...Her leg was at pretty much a ninety degree angle, broken just below the knee."

I feel sick.

"She also got banged up pretty badly. Cuts, scraps, bruises, some internal stuff..."

Jesus, no wonder she was shrieking like she was.

"They managed to straighten out her leg and put rods in it." He sniffs again. "They say it'll take her awhile to heal, and she'll need physical therapy to help her walk again..."

I frown as he starts crying.

"They uh, they say it's a bit sketchy right now. She, uh...She hit her head. She has a traumatic brain injury."

I bring my trembling hand to my mouth. "Oh God...What's that even mean? How bad?"

"I d'no to be honest. She needed surgery though. That went well, thankfully, but she's in a medically induced coma...She's in the ICU..."

I don't know what to do when Ben doubles over. He speaks as best he can, erratic sobs fleeing out of his mouth. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but they're not sure if she's going to make it, Tristan."

"Has anyone told Orion yet?"

Ben shakes his head. "He's not awake yet...I guess he keeps drifting in and out of sleep. He's going to be okay, but he's weak. We haven't talked to him yet."

"'We'?"

"Y-yeah...Gloria and Jake got stitched up and they've been here the entire time."

I nod. "What about you? You look okay."

"Yeah," he grumbles, wiping off his face. "I got lucky, I guess. Besides a couple bruises, I walked away fine."

"At least one of us did," I tell him, trying to be optimistic.

But it backfires, and it just makes Ben cry more. "It should've been me, Tristan. It should've been me, not Amy."

"Hey, come here."

Ben looks at me cautiously, so I wave my hand. "Come here."

"I don't--I don't wanna hurt you--"