The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 11: Recovery

Beep... Beep... Beep...

What an annoying sound, was Y/N's first thought.

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Couldn't Vao just start screaming? Like he always did in the morning?

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Y/N slowly opened his eyes. He felt like he was hit by a truck. But it wasn't his ceiling he saw. Above him, a fluorescent light buzzed quietly. He groaned, looking to his right. A white monitor with a black screen was standing next to him, a green line occasionally jolting upwards with every beep on the otherwise blank screen. A heart monitor. He looked to his left.

Yang and Weiss sat in two chairs, both asleep. The blonde's head was dropped backwards, snoring loudly. Weiss was sagged forward, a thin line of drool dropping into her lap. Both of them had bags under their eyes, as if they had been awake all night.

Sunlight spilled from an open window, brightening the room. Outside, Y/N could hear birds singing and a cloudless sky. He looked around the room, taking in the view. The walls were an off white, and medical supplies sat at on top of a counter.

He looked down at his body. His chest was wrapped in bandages, and his left arm was covered in a cast. His right wrist was wrapped in a smaller cast. As much as he wanted to use his Semblance to heal himself, he didn't have the energy. He felt drained. He found himself wondering how he even ended up here in the first place - his memory was hazy, with only bits and pieces coming back. He remembered something about flying to Beacon on the back of a Nevermore, but nothing past that. He rested his head back on the pillow, sighing in exhaustion.

Click.

He looked back up. The front door had opened, and Blake came inside pushing a wheelchair. Vao was sitting in it, his head wrapped heavily in bandages. His prosthetic was missing, leaving only a stump for a left leg.

"... Vao...?" Y/N groaned. "Wha... What happened? Are you okay?"

"... I don't want to talk..."

Y/N was about to pressure Vao, but Blake stopped him. "Vao has... A lot on his mind, right now. He wanted to visit you, though."

Y/N felt relief wash over him, letting his head fall back down on the pillow. He stared at the ceiling, watching from the corner of his eye as Blake rolled Vao next to the bed. With no extra chairs, the Faunus was left to stand. "... How are you doing?" She asked.

"... What the hell happened...?"

Blake frowned. "Y/N... You and your team... All four of you were put in the hospital."

"I can see that."

Blake frowned again. "You guys tried to fight a Nevermore. Vao was dealing with broken bones and heavy bleeding, but... Well, most of yours were fractured. The doctors said if you hadn't used your Semblance before passing out, you wouldn't have woken up."

"... And the others?"

"Sasha punctured a lung, but she's expected to make a full recovery... It's Verde we're worried about," Blake said in a quiet tone. "... Her ribcage was nearly crushed, and she fractured her skull. She had internal bleeding, one of her arteries had been cut... She had the worst of it."

Y/N sat up too quickly, wincing at the sharp pain in his side. But it didn't hurt enough to chase off his worry. "I-is Verde okay?"

Blake shrugged her shoulders, looking towards the ground. "... She's still in the emergency room. The doctors said she'll make a recovery..."