My first post! Woo. Part of a three part thing. I do not own any of these characters excluding the doctor, the rest belongs to the creator of Hetalia!
Arthur was digging a trench in the hospital tiles with all his pacing. His mind was restless and he'd chewed his fingernails down to the beds. Oh, dear God, have mercy on this poor boy. Let him live, let him be forgiven, let him be alright; please dear God, let him be alright...
The doctor finally pushed open the hospital's white waiting room doors. "Mr. Kirkland?"
"Oh, my God." Arthur sprinted to him, his son on his heels. His voice was just a course warble. "Is he alright?" He asked. "Doctor, is he okay? Tell me he is alive, please, please!"
The doctor looked down at his clipboard. Arthur felt his heart contract. Not a good sign, never a good sign. "Matthew has been stabilized." He allowed, and the other man let go of the breath he'd been holding. "However, I will need to ask you into a private room to discuss the details."
"Yes, yes, doctor, of course."
The two followed the doctor into a small and cramped office-type room, decorated with sickeningly happy cartoon versions of the animals from Noah's Ark. They all were smiling as rain pelted their roof, as if it were only a sprinkler. It figured a children's hospital would have this type of sugar-coated decor.
The doctor, a dark skinned man with a shiny head and pastel blue scrubs, gave Arthur what he hoped to be a reassuring smile. "Mr. Kirkland. Matthew is doing well. Unfortunately, he will have to stay here for an indefinite amount of time."
"What?" The world was spinning suddenly. His son put a steadying hand on his back. "Is something wrong?" Arthur squeaked. "What, is he paralyzed, is he retarded, is he b-brain dead?" He had to clutch at his khaki pant leg to prevent him grabbing the doctor's lapel and shaking him. New, terrified tears flowed down his face.
Surprisingly, the doctor smiled. "No, nothing like that." Something in his tone stilled him, though. "Mr. Kirkland, Matthew's condition is now stable, but I'm afraid that he is not able to leave here for a while, as I've said." Although expertly concealed, Arthur saw him fidget with the cuff of his sleeve. "While you were incredibly lucky to arrive when you did, Matthew had been suffering from oxygen deprivation a significant while before he had... done what he did." He dropped his voice low. Arthur couldn't tell if it was pity or embarrassment that flavored his tone. "The cuts on his arms were deep. They'd been flowing for maybe 6 minutes before emergency response arrived. Coupled with the asphyxiation, his body had no choice but to… shut down. In a perfect world, Matthew could leave with you as soon as the day after tomorrow, directed to one of our best therapists- but, in a perfect world, we wouldn't be in this situation…."
Arthur kept quiet as the doctor stalled, but each second was a stab in his chest.
Finally, he spoke. "Matthew is in a coma."