Aizawa was pacing back and forth in trepidation, clutching and unclutching his fists. He didn't get any new piece of information since he was driven out of the intensive care unit, and it was driving him crazy. He could absolutely not go back to his room in this situation, so he was just waiting in the hallway.
Both Mic and Midnight came rushing with a nurse.
"Hey, Shota, what happened?" Midnight questioned worriedly. They came to visit Aizawa per usual but couldn't find him in his room when they heard about the emergency in the ICU and could only suspect it was about the boy.
"I don't know!" Aizawa bursted in clear distress. Mic tried to go into the room but got blocked by the same nurse who brought them here.
"It's.. it's gonna be fine. Let's sit down first" The usually loud hero sounded so faint and unsure now.
They all sat in silence for an hour or so, only the echoing sound of Aizawa's tapping leg was heard.
And finally, a doctor came out.
"Are you the guardian?" The clearly exhausted doctor in the long lab coat asked the heros. Aizawa stood up and nodded, not really thinking the question through to realize he wasn't actually the legal guardian.
The doctor directed him further away from the other two to talk.
"I'm Dr. Matsuda, I'll be in charge of this patient from now on" the doctor introduced himself. Aizawa didn't make a reaction, not really in his right mind for formalities right now. He waited not so patiently until the doctor continued.
"The boy has been stabilised now" dr. Matsuda decided to start with the good news. Aizawa's grim expression eased up and he let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding.
"But it could be temporary. To be honest, we weren't able to understand the cause, we suspect a nerval damage or brain injury, or in the worst case scenario..." Aizawa's stared at the doctor to detect any signs of lies, but found none. The uncompleted sentence made him especially unnerved.
"Can I see him?"
"Well, you can, but I advis-" before the sentence was even finished Aizawa was already dashing and pushing his way through the swarm of doctors and nurses.
He saw the child sitting upright, a ventilator still over his mouth and nose, as he was staring at his sheets.
"Kid" He ran and kneeled down beside the bed. His bouncing heart slowing down in ease for finally seeing the kid awake.
He tried reaching for the greenett's freezing hand, but was met with no response of any kind.
"Kid?" He tried again, but still got no answer.
Doctor Matsuda walked inside and placed his clipboard on a table.
"Sir, we are afraid he went into a catatonic state. If I am not wrong, you can consider him brain dead, or in a vegetable like state at this moment"
The doctor's statement was nothing more than gibberish to the hero's ears. Brain dead? That's not how it's supposed to work, right? Usually, if you are brain dead then you would be in a coma. And vegetable state? Well his hair kind of does resemble a broccoli, but that was a very bad timing for humour on the doctor's side.
"Catatonic?"
"Catatonia is a group of symptoms that usually involve a lack of movement and communication, it may be caused by various mental disorders such as schizophrenia, or it may be caused by kidney problems or Parkinson's disease" the dr. explained as he instructed everyone in the room to leave them alone. He dragged a chair for Aizawa to sit on.
Aizawa, regaining his focus, complied and sat heavily on the chair with a stern look on his face. He could hear Mic's loud voice from the other side of the door, but that was the least of his worries right then.
"For now, we can't say for sure what the main reason is, but the closest guess we have is that it's Encephalitis, an inflammation in the brain tissues"
Aizawa's sceptical and puzzled look told the doctor immediately that he had to explain further.
"This in itself may be caused by getting infected with any of several viral illnesses, which wouldn't be shocking to know that he endured during his captivity" Aizawa gritted his teeth in frustration as the image of the blooded boy burned at the back of his mind. It was not unlikely that the poor hygiene and the dirty scalpels used on him were covered in viruses.
"Also in rare cases, this could be caused by drugs and toxins, which were truly found in the patient's blood system"
The chair fell to the floor with a loud thud as Aizawa stood up fiercely. How could they! Could it be the syringe the villain had used on the kid?! And it happened infront of his own goddamn eyes too!
"Sir! Please calm yourself. It's in no one's benefit to act impulsively" dr Matsuda stood up too and lowered the enraged self-proclaimed guardian to sit down again after picking the chair up.
"Could this be treated?" The hero asked with a dangerously low voice that the doctor himself felt intimidated.
"We will try our best, the quicker solution would include supportive care, as well as intravenous antiviral therapy with a drug such as acyclovir. Other treatments may be used to lower fever, provide hydration, treat seizures and reduce any pressure in the skull. But because of the toxins in the body, we are proceeding very carefully with the chemicals. And..."
Oh my God. There's more?!
"We suspect the presence of a quirk that may be applying a constant strain on the body's cells. All in all, it's a complicated case and we don't want to make any rash decisions. So we will contact other hospitals and wait for their responses for the time being"
"We still have to wait?! How long does he have? Can his body bear it until we get an answer or will it be too late by then?!" Aizawa exlaimed, his eyes glowing red and his hair floating intimidatingly.
"Sir! We are doing what we can!" the doctor stood up, slightly irritated by the hero's threats and disrespect. He always tried to understand and contain the families' grief and anger, but it just gets too much sometimes.
"Please refrain from using your quirk in the hospital" he decided to add even though he knew he was talking to a pro hero here.
Aizawa's hair fell down again. He covered his dry eyes with his right bandaged hand furiously.
"Sorry" he apologized guilty, knowing that it was not the doctors' fault and that he had no right to take it out on them.
Doctor Matsuda's eyes softened, he saw this kind of state too often to know that people are not in their right mind at these moments to be blamed. He patted the distressed hero on the shoulder and decided to give him some time and space. It was surely not easy to comprehend all of this information at once.
Hearing the door click behind the doctor, Aizawa raised his sight to look at the still form of the kid.
He stood up and walked closer. Still bothered by the lack of respons, he held the boy's head in his palms and turned the kid's face to face his, careful not to strain the tubes connected to the ventilator.
He stared, trying to spot any signs of life in the boy's dull, unfocused eye. Was it really too late? Was he too late in saving him?
He stared, trying to see a glimpse of the sad tormented soul. Was there any of it left?
He stared, trying to see if Eri was still somewhere in there. If the memories were still there. But maybe, just maybe, were they better off forgotten?
He stared, trying to see if there was a future in thos- this unseeing eye. How can the window of the soul, be so empty?
He stared, for a long time. He just stared, but this emerald, it did nothing, it didn't even....stare back.....
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Fanfiction"Underground hero Eraserhead, a basement of the League of Villains has been located, your presence is required immediately!" ..... "Sensei! You are going now? Who will take care of 1-A when you're away? How long are you going to be absent?" "I told...
