The ride to the hospital was a stressful one. There was no noise but the shaking of all the equipment. There was also a heart monitor beeping steadily, telling that the patient was alive. For now.
Aizawa and All Might were squeezed into the back of the ambulance with the patient and Recovery Girl. She was checking Midoriya's vitals and writing things up on a notepad. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, wrinkles forming on her forehead. She was looking older and more worn-out than usually. Jobs like this really brought out her actual age.
Midoriya was still unconscious. He had woken up for a couple seconds when All Might had been carrying him to safety from the burning apartment. Back then he had been really confused, his eyes dilated all funny.
"All Might?" the boy had asked, his voice slurred. The boy then had a moment of silence before he did a small smile, closing his eyes.
"Mr. Yagi. I'm sleepy", he had then said.
All Might wasn't sure if it was because the boy had a serious concussion or because he had seen through his disguises all along. Anyway, he was thinking that his friend had come and rescued him. It was the truth though.
"Yeah. I'm right here, little man. Try and stay awake for me, please. We'll be going to a hospital and you'll be alright", All Might had breathed out.
"I don't- I don't like hospitals", Midoriya had mumbled. He wouldn't be able to stay awake for any longer.
"I know. I'll be there when you wake up. I'll be right there."
"I'll take him straight to ER", Recovery Girl told the two, "He needs intense care. His body is in shock."
She made sure the two understood that they couldn't follow the boy in there. No matter how worried they were, they'd need to sit outside and wait. The hospital had nice chairs in the waiting room. They could get a cup of good coffee there too. The woman was hoping that that was enough for the two. The building wasn't a five-star hotel after all. It was a hospital.
Aizawa was checking his phone, checking to see the latest updates on the older Midoriya's case. The police had promised to keep them updated, texting them all the new turns. He was resting his other hand on the boy's knee. He was both showing Midoriya that he was there, as well as reassuring himself.
All Might was holding the boy's hand. The one that didn't have an IV in it. There was one stuck in the right hand to administer strong pain killers and antibiotics right into the vein.
"He will be okay. Show some trust", Recovery Girl sighed. She wasn't used to seeing her friends look so depressed. The boy really must be important to the two. he hadn't gotten the history on them yet, just that this was a child abuse case and that there would have to be evidence collected with the check-up.
She had already made the promise to get Midoriya the best care she could. No matter the cost. Recovery Girl knew that she had the okay from both the adults already. If a risky surgery was what would save the boy, then she would do it.
"Walk right there", the group had arrived to the hospital, "I'll info you as soon as I can. Just sit still."
Recovery Girl didn't work full-time for the hospital, she was a school nurse. But if she could help a patient, she would no matter where. She already visited the hospital almost weekly for the serious cases and to direct the doctors. She knew her way around.
Aizawa and All Might nodded, watching the boy being wheeled right into the ER, through the swinging doors. They could hear shouts of orders coming from inside.
"Want some?" Aizawa asked, sitting down next to All Might. He offered a paper cup to the man. There was steaming black coffee in it.
"I added some sugar", he added. He still remembered how his roommate took his coffee, with three sugars and no milk.
"Thanks", All Might nodded and took a careful sip. He almost spit it out. It was such bitter sludge. He really preferred energy drinks.
"Did we really do the right thing?" Aizawa sighed after another ten minutes of complete silence. They didn't have anything to talk about.
Staring at the white wall in front of them seemed like a good way to pass time at this point. And the two did just that, Aizawa had already counted the tiles on ceiling, twice. There were exactly 39 tiles visible from where he was seated. Their placing wasn't in perfect symmetry and it kinda bothered the raven head.
It was distressing to just watch the nurses and doctors walk by with their white coats and clip boards. The two men always thought that one of them would stop in front of them and show them to Midoriya's room. But no, the men and women just walked past only nodding their greetings to the waiting adults. So this was how a parent must feel?
"What if it's something serious?" All Might held his face in his hands, the coffee long forgotten and cold.
He didn't want to hear any bad news. He wanted young Midoriya to just stand up and walk out of the hospital on his own. If not, then All Might wouldn't know what to do. It was his fault that this all happened in the first place. He didn't want to be held responsible for ruining someone's life forever.
"Then we'll manage. Midoriya is a tough one", Aizawa mumbled.
He didn't like that his roommate said that aloud just now. He had tried his best not to think about it and keep it out of his head. Midoriya would be okay, and that's it.
It was nighttime when Recovery Girl exited the ER, walking to the two.
The two heroes had not eaten much, only going to the hospital canteen to get sandwiches and more coffee.
They were nodding off. The adrenaline had worn off and the exhaustion had taken hold. They were still attentive though, snapping their head up as soon as the woman cleared her throat.
"Is he alive?!" All Might bolted up.
Aizawa stood up as well, both fully awake now.
"Calm down. The boy is alive", Recovery Girl told them. He still couldn't believe that these two weren't the parents. They surely acted like one.
"I had to do some serious work though. The burn wasn't as bad as I expected but it will scar. It was on the surface not reaching anything vital on the neck or face", she explained, reading through a clip-board she had brought with her, "The head needed stitches. There was a small crack on the skull but luckily no bleeding or damage to the brain."
Aizawa and All Might both let out a breath. The situation still wasn't good but at least the boy was okay. They had feared the worst.
"How is he?" Aizawa asked, holding All Might so that the man didn't dash down the hallway.
"He's sleeping. His body needs the time to recover", she said.
She had had to use her powers on the boy. Recovery Girl's Quirk let her amplify and speed up the human body's healing progress, but the power used for that came from the patients themselves. Midoriya would be sleeping his injuries away for a while.
It was for the best though, since the head had been damaged. Though there wasn't swelling in the brain which would often be treated with a medicine induced coma, there was no telling what damage the hit had done.
"C-Could we at least see him?" All Might asked.
"If you promise me that you'll get some rest afterwards. You two look like death", Recovery Girl guided the two to the room. She had prepared two extra beds in the room, but wished that the two men would return home and get a good rest before returning tomorrow. She knew that wouldn't probably be the case but there was always hope. Good thing the two weren't the only heroes in town.
Midoriya's room was private and located in the quieter wing of the hospital. The door could be locked and guarded around the clock if that was necessary. The wing was equipped to take care of everyone from dangerous criminals to victims of crimes.
The currents patient was clearly the latter case and would be taken care of accordingly. Midoriya had a nurse to take care of him at all hours and Recovery Girl himself would check on him at least three times a day.
Recovery Girl hadn't wanted to put him to the children's wing having read the short known history of the boy. She might move him in later, but now he needed the calm and quiet. The kids were also a curious bunch, always asking questions about the new patients. Midoriya would be overwhelmed in minutes.
His social skills and psyche would be analyzed with a psychologist when Midoriya woke up. Therapy would be given if that was needed. The ward had also been contacted, just in case.
"Disturb him and I'll throw you out myself", the woman warned the two sternly before closing the door behind them. Both knew that she was serious. Recovery Girl could be scary if she wanted to, though she only wanted the best for her patients and nothing more.
The room was dead silent save for the heart monitor and the other machinery humming and beeping around the boy.
A young male nurse sat next to the bed, reading a book. He looked up as the two entered the room, nodding a greeting, hair falling from behind his ear. He quickly tucked it back.
All Might had told Recovery Girl that he thought Midoriya would be more comfortable with a male nurse. The boy didn't really have a female role-model in his life. It had been clear that he wasn't that comfortable with the opposite sex when they had met the police officer. It was a problem they'd have to deal with slowly.
"Family?" the nurse asked.
"Not really", Aizawa shrugged, "More like friends."
The male smiled, "Good to hear that he has those."
The raven head nodded.
"Have you talked with the doctors? They have already called the Child Protective Services. A lady will be coming in tomorrow to get some information for adoption and such."
The two heroes hadn't heard that though it was definitely an important thing. That meant that the boy would be put up for adoption after he was released from the hospital.
"We'll talk to her", All Might snapped. He wouldn't let the boy get lost in the system.
Aizawa sighed. He already knew what his roommate was thinking. Not that he didn't agree with him, he too wanted the boy to be safe and happy. He knew the stories of the foster families and the terrible things that could happen. It was a long progress and a child's needs were often dismissed.
"You should go home. I'll watch over the boy for you", the nurse told the two. They had sat in silence for an hour, the two heroes sitting by the large hospital bed, watching the boy's every move.
The nurse had administered medicine and checked the vitals a couple times, putting up the information on the clipboard by the bedside. The patient was very stable, only twitching in his sleep when the nurse fixed the IV drip.
The two watched the young man closely, paranoid. They had a hard time letting a stranger touch Midoriya after all that he had been through. They were handling him with silk gloves, like a treasure that had to be kept safe under a lock and key.
Midoriya looked so small on the bed. The white sheets and pillows looked like clouds surrounding the boy's body. His pale skin seemed just a couple shades darker than the surrounding white. At least it looked comfortable. It must be the softest bed the boy had ever slept in.
The nurse went out to fetch some equipment, leaving the two adults in the room with the patient. It was usually against the rules to do that, but the two had shown enough proof to be trusted. The nurse felt safe leaving the room. He knew his patient would be alive and well when he returned.
"What are you planning?" Aizawa asked as soon as the door had closed behind the nurse, "And stop stating at the man. He's a professional."
"Sorry. I know that. It's just… I must be tired, that's all", All Might sighed, holding his head in his hands, leaning to the bed in front of him.
"Aren't we all", Aizawa agreed. He brushed some strands of hair off the patients face, feeling the forehead just in case. A habit.
"I just want him to be safe."
Aizawa closed his eyes, his lips nudging upward a bit, "Do you think our house is big enough for three? Is that what you're worried about?"
All Might couldn't help but smile as well, nodding his head, "That lady tomorrow will be surprised to learn that she isn't here to see an orphan."
"Just so you know, I won't do all the paperwork on my own."
"Of course not."