The nerd was asleep, and my back was starting to ache from leaning forward at an angle. Even with my elbows resting on my knees and my chin in my hands, my body was starting to complain. As much as I didn't want to let Deku out of my sight in his shitty state, I also felt like I should be back out there searching or at the very least, not sitting on my ass on the cold hard road and helping with the injured.
Four Eyes had been carting the injured that Ponytail was done treating away to the place of our accommodation to get warm and the clear them out of the way, but she wasn't willing to move Deku on yet. Kirishima popped his head into my range of view, and I glared at him.
"You alright man?" he asked. He had been out there doing actual hero work while I was stuck on my ass here. After I had brought Deku here, Ponytail had thrown bandages my way to stop the bleeding on the nerd's head but hadn't had the freedom to come check on him yet so I had stayed till she could, only asking me to lay him down because he probably had a concussion, but he had only gotten worse after he opened his stupid green eyes. He was breathing better now, deeper and more evenly than he was before but judging from how worried Ponytail looked, he would probably go down hill again until he went to a hospital.
"Shouldn't you be out there looking for more survivors?" I grumbled back at the red head with Deku still pressed against me. It must have been a funny sight to him, but to his credit he didn't even smirk.
"Hawks and a few other fast heroes got here. They have taken over the searching and Mr. Aizawa told me to take a break" he replied with a small smile.
"Fine, do something for me then," I said, and he waited for my instructions, "bring me a rock of something to lean the nerd against so I can at least move again" I ordered, and he nodded and came back a minute later with a large square chunk of building. He dragged it over with some effort and had broken a sweat by the time he got it to me. From there he helped hold Deku up while I got up and gently dragged him back till his back was against the block. It wouldn't be comfortable, but he could deal with it for a while. I watched him breathing for a moment, his mask fogging with each breath and when I was satisfied I stood straight again and stretched.
"How's he going?," asked Kirishima, squatting at Deku's side to inspect him, "has he woken up at all?" he looked to me as I rolled my shoulders.
"Yeah, he's fine" he frowned at me, unhappy with the lack of information, "what's your blood type?" I asked him and his eyebrows came closer together.
"Ah, O" he replied
"Good, go see Ponytail for me" I told him, but he didn't move. His eyes falling back to Deku then to me.
"What's this about?" he asked with uncertainty. I sighed with annoyance.
"it's for the nerd" I told him.
"It's that bad?" he asked, his eyes growing wide.
"I don't know," I scoffed, "ask Ponytail about it while you give her your damn blood" I turned to walk away.
"Where are you going?" he asked, trotting after me with a glance back at Deku, "if he's that bad, should you really be leaving him?"
"I'm not leaving him," I spat back, "I'm getting a fucking drink. I'll think he'll survive that" I rolled my eyes.
"You stay with him till I get back then" I told him, and he didn't follow me any further.
When I got back with two bottles of water someone had salvaged from a supermarket as supplies I found Kirishima sitting against the block with Deku. Deku's eyes were half open and his head slightly turned as he listened to the red head rambling on about something with a smile. As I joined them I handed a bottle to him.
"Thanks man" he nodded and took it from me. I squatted down in front of Deku and unscrewed the lid, pulled his mask off his head since he was still breathing alright and held it out to him. His eyes looked to it, but he didn't take it.
"Dude, he hit his head. He probably has a concussion. His arms aren't gonna be that great" spoke up Kirishima like I didn't already know that. The only time I'd seen him move any of his limbs is when he first woke up and kept trying to touch the damn bandage around his head.
"Fine" I sighed and held the bottle to his mouth and supported the back of his head with my other hand, slowly tilting it back so he could sip at it, or more so I could pour very small amounts in his mouth at a time, watching him swallow it slowly. I felt like a nanny, and I glared at him as he slowly drank. I released his head and pulled the bottle away.
"Enough?" I asked, but he didn't reply. His eyes looked to me slowly, but he didn't look to be all there. No doubt he was out of it from his head injury. It worried me that he was worse than before, but I couldn't lay him down for the sake of his head because of his chest.
"He say anything to you?" I asked Kirishima and he shook his head. He had just been chatty to keep the nerd company. With that he left to find Ponytail. I slipped Deku's oxygen mask back over his face and sat beside the nerd as he breathed beside me, but other than that he didn't do much at all.
Mr. Aizawa joined us at one point, armed with a little flashlight to look into Deku's eyes and announced that he definitely had a severe concussion and for me to keep an eye on him and so I was stuck being his official baby sitter as he faded in and out on consciousness, my only job being to stop him from falling forward or to the side occasionally. Ponytail came back with a bag of donated blood from Kirishima, and she created a stand for it and hooked it into Deku's arm.
Another thirty minutes passed, the nerd passed out on my shoulder when the first ambulance helicopter arrived, landing in a pre-cleared site away from us. It carried a full team of six medics inside it with a range of gear. They quickly spread out among the injured, checking them over and grading their degree of injuries. I watched on with a silent scowl as one of them assessed Deku beside me, asked me a few questions about his injuries that we knew of, checking his eyes and unzipping his suit to listen and check his chest when I explained his chest injury. I felt a weight in my stomach when I saw the bruise on the left side of his chest, a sign of the internal bleeding. The medic jotted everything down on a clipboard and moved onto the next.
Fifteen minutes later one of the medics came around, putting a little numbered sign beside each injured person. Deku's by his feet, read twenty-six. When I asked what the numbers were about the man replied that it was the rating of their injuries and numbered the order they would be taken to the nearest full equipped hospital too. I was irritated that Deku was number twenty-six on their priority list, but the only people left in the makeshift first aid area were those too injured to be moved or that needed constant supervision, like Deku did. They announced him stable for now and I had no doubt there were more severally injured people around and more still kept coming.
With the arrival of more pro heroes to help with the search efforts, most of our class had been pulled off of the job to rest and therefore hardly anyone was still using the ear pieces Ponytail had made us, but I still heard the occasional update.
Those with useful quirks like Pink Cheeks, Ears, Four Eyes and Muscles were still out there, shifting debris, locating trapped victims and transporting them. Icy Hot was still holding back the dam, with increasing difficulty from what I was picking up and Ponytail and Tape Arms were still working on the injured, although with the arrival of the medics that had gotten easier for them and Ponytail could step back and focus on just making any equipment and items needed rather than playing doctor and Tape Arms supplied tape for bandaging when needed.
Hawks, as fast as he was, was one of the first pros to arrive and had been a huge relief to the class, being able to locate multiple people at once and carry them back with ease.
Bird Boy had been found, unconscious with a head injury and a broken arm. Arms was in bad shape, still here the same as Deku in need of going to the hospital. From here I could see that his number was as low as eight and Ponytail hovered over him constantly. I hadn't heard much about his condition other than it was bad. Invisible Girl was still missing.
The Helicopter could only carry two patients at a time plus two medics with them and it was a thirty-five minute flight to the nearest city hospital and back. I overheard the medics that stayed talking about a second helicopter coming in to move the patients faster which was a relief, but all that time added up, especially when the wait would be so long, but I pushed back my anger. Exploding at them would be a waste of time and probably result in me being removed from the site. Deku was still out cold on my shoulder, and I didn't want to move from him. With me here to watch him, it was one less person for Ponytail and the medics to fuss over.
When Deku opened his eyes again ten minutes later he was sweating again, his brows drawn together as he struggled with the pain. Sitting up may be better for his lung, but not the pressure on his broken ribs. I swapped out the oxygen canister for the pain relief one for him, opening the valve lightly and after a minute he relaxed more, his breathing shallower and faster than before.
"Relax you damn nerd," I spoke up as I settled beside him again and pulled his head back to my shoulder so he wouldn't lean the other way if he lost consciousness again, "You'll be going to the hospital soon"
"Ka-ch-n" he slurred almost ten seconds later. His voice was small and rasped and I turned my head to look at him as best as I could with his head occupying my left shoulder. His green hair tamed a bit more with he bandage wrapped around him, his wounded side opposite me.
"Ha, you're really out of it aren't you" I scoffed with a smirk, but he couldn't see it from that angle. His half focused green gaze trying to take in the scene before him. Injured bodies lined up on the road before us, people buzzing around them.
"Ka-chh" he slurred again, and I tried to look to him more seriously. Maybe he needed water. I felt something warm and wet on my bare shoulder and moved to lift his head. There was no blood, but a clear liquid dripped from his ear. Something in my gut twisted. I wasn't on top of all the medical side of things like Ponytail was, but I knew it wasn't good. I called for a medic and a uniformed woman rushed my way. She swopped in gracefully, taking my place beside Deku as she pulled out clean material and held it to his ear, allowing it to soak up the liquid before pulling it away to inspect. I watched over her shoulder and saw that the fluid was clear, only a damp patch showed that it was even there.
She put the material away in a zip lock bag and labeled it with a marker with Deku's name before she tucked it into her pocket. She handed me another clean piece of wadding and advised me to just keep it by his ear to catch any more fluid. She tilted his head back to check up his nose and turned his head to check the skin behind his ears. It looked slightly bruised, but that was all I could see. She left, to speak with the other medics and returned to update Deku's number to twenty. I knew that was good news in a way, but I felt my stomach knot. It meant he was worse than they first thought.
As I took my place beside him again, he hadn't reacted during the entire ordeal with anything more than a squint and a groan as she moved his head around, I felt my insides twist with worry. Fuck the nerd for making me feel this way.
The first helicopter came and left two more times before a second one arrived to help, making things move along faster. Arms was lifted onto a bright orange board with handles and carried away to the second helicopter with another patient while it waited.
More emergency service arrived. An army of police cars and fire trucks and they started on efforts to recover the bodies from the rubble while the remaining heroes searched for more survivors, but the trail of injured coming into the area to be checked over by medics was slowing quickly. Considering the amount of people who had been present for the festival, it was a sickening amount that had made it out.
I heard Mr. Aizawa announce over the ear pieces that Cementoss, Hound Dog and Ectoplasm were on their way here from the school to repair the dam and help with the recovery efforts and that All Might was working with the principle to round up the parents of the three injured students and the one missing one to take them to the hospital they would be taken too. Arms was already on his way there, Deku soon enough too. Bird Boy was a low enough priority to have gone back to the accommodation for now. He was in no rush to go to the hospital and wouldn't be able to until the more dire ones had been taken. I don't know what Invisible Girl's parents planned to do at the hospital when their kid hadn't even been found yet.
As much as I hated the bastard, Todoroki was one of the hardest working among us, still using his ice to hold back the water as best as he could for the past two hours nonstop. He and Ponytail were the MVPs of the night at least.
I glanced to Deku again, checking his breathing by the amount of fog coming and going in his mask. It was even shallower again and coming less often, accompanied by a growing wheeze. He had had enough pain relief to cough so I pulled the mask off and didn't even bother asking him to do it. I held my hand in front of his face and popped enough tiny explosions to create smoke. He breathed it in, and his face scrunched up, trying to not cough. I did it again and this time he couldn't fight it, leaning forward to cough up blood. This time I pulled my hand away in time to not get splattered with his blood.
I actually felt bad for doing it to him, but I knew it was necessary and I did it two more times, to clear out his lung, giving him the gas again when less blood came up. He was panting, blood dripping from his chin and again and this time, his nose too. He leaned against me heavily as he breathed more deeply until the gas did its job and he relaxed again, and I swapped it back out for the oxygen that was most likely close to empty at this point. Not long after he was out again and stayed that way for just over half an hour, but the next time he stirred, he wasn't awake.
His body tensed beside me as his head rested on my shoulder, relaxed then tensed again. I looked his way, but it happened again and again, growing in frequency within seconds. My heart jumped to my throat as he started to have a seizure beside me. I grabbed him to stop him from falling and his head rolled forward unnaturally. It made me fell sick. I called for a medic and two rushed over. They unhooked him from the almost empty blood bag and took him from me, laying him down on the asphalt. One held him down loosely as his body convulsed to shine a light in his eyes before getting up. The second rolled him on his side as he twitched unnaturally, and he threw up. The first medic called out for Creati, and Ponytail rushed over. he asked her to make something for him and her eyes grew wide, but she lifted her shirt, so her middle was exposed as she created the item. The second started to unwrap Deku's bandage.
I hovered on the side lines, panic making my breathing come faster. Mr. Aizawa was at my side before I knew it and his hand held my shoulder. Ponytail finished the first item the medic had asked for, handing it to him and started on the next. The man nodded his thanks and returned to Deku's side with hair clippers. A third medic was called over to hold Deku's body while the second gripped his head to hold it still as the man leaned in to quickly shave away a patch of hair. He threw the clippers aside, his urgency noticeable in his actions and he reached into a pocket and pulled out some small spray bottle, spraying in over the bald patch he had just fade and then retrieving a damn scalpel. He uncapped it and cut into Deku's skin.
My body would have surged forward to protect him if Mr. Aizawa's hand hadn't remained on my shoulder firmly, a silent reminder to keep out of the way. Blood welled up from the deep incision, deep enough for me to see white underneath. I felt my stomach turn. Ponytail stepped forward again with the second item the medic had asked for and he took it and she stepped back to stand beside us, her hands covering her mouth and tears in her eyes. Her reaction only made the panic in me surge more.
The medic held a fucking power drill in his hand and Ponytail turned away as he held down the trigger, bringing it closer to the right side of Deku's head. I went to move when Mr. Aizawa kicked the back of my legs, my body falling to my knees hard. Thank fuck for my knee guards. He moved to stand behind me, bearing his weight down on me with a hand on each of my shoulders. His gaze firm. He wouldn't let me intervene. With a sickening noise, the drill made contact with Deku's skull as the other two medics held him firmly between them. A couple of seconds later, the noise ceased, and I opened my eyes again. I hadn't even noticed I had closed them. They turned him on his back and his body relaxed.
"They had to use a burr hole to reduce the pressure in his head," Mr. Aizawa explained, releasing me and I got to my feet with a glare at him, he fixed his eyes to me with sympathy, "he would have died quickly if they didn't get some of the blood out" he turned away from me to check on Ponytail who was crying beside me, her back to Deku.
On the ground Deku was disturbingly still. They put his oxygen mask back over his head carefully and applied gauze to the wound and re-wrapped his head. Deku's eyes were closed and his body limp as they lifted him up, the fogging of his mask the only sign that he was still alive. The third medic dashed off and returned with a bright orange board and they shifted him onto it and carried him away. I surged after them. Mr. Aizawa threw his capture scarf my way and snagged my arm, halting my progress to stay at Deku's side. Ponytail said something to him urgently and our teacher scowled, releasing me and Ponytail ran my way. Touching my shoulder as she passed, and I followed after her as we followed them carrying Deku away.
They took him over the rubble to the clearing where the helicopters landed, and I understood now that they had moved him all the way to the top of the priority list. They laid him down on the ground gently as they waited for the next helicopter to arrive, which wasn't far off. I could hear it in the distance. Two of the three medics left to return to their duties and Ponytail stepped forward to talk to the remaining medic. I stood off to the side, part of me being too fearful to come closer and to see Deku up close again. As they spoke, they both looked my way, and I pressed my mouth into a thin line as they spoke about me. Ponytail came back to me.
"I told them you are his cousin. You can go with Midoriya to the hospital. Mr. Aizawa already agreed to it" she told me, and I looked to her closely for the first time. She was tired and exhausted physically and mentally. I lowered my gaze, before lifting it again to face her. I didn't know what my face was like. Something between a smile and a grimace as I felt a wave of gratitude toward her. She smiled to me warmly, her hand touched my shoulder again and then she left. The helicopter was in sight now, coming in to land and I stepped in closer to kneel beside Deku. I reached down and took his limp hand in mine, his white glove dirtied with dust and blood. The medic didn't speak to me but gave me a sympathetic nod and we were joined by another patient accompanied by a medic.
The helicopter landed, kicking up dust around us and the patients were loaded in along with two medics and I was squeezed in with them, feeling a sense of guilt at the lie Yaoyorozu had told them. The closest I had been to Deku as a cousin was calling him mum auntie when I visited as a tiny brat. But I was glad to stay beside him. The female medic reached into her pocket and handed the zip lock bag with Deku's name on it to the medics inside and as soon as she stepped away, the helicopter lifted into the air.