Author's Note- Hey everyone. Yes, I know that this chapter is a bit late, but I had to do fieldwork and unfortunately deserts are not known for their wifi access. Anyway, as always thank you to Pruhana for being kind enough to beta this chapter. Also thank you to Juniper Laurel, mofalle, America96, Oniongrass, and Cutter-Blizzard for taking the time to review. Your feedback really means a lot.

Disclaimer- I do not own Hetalia, nor do I own British Columbia…in fact I haven't been to British Columbia yet…

Chapter 5- Devastation

Canada slept for most of the flight to British Columbia and he had to admit it did help to reduce the ache that was threatening to pound a hole in the side of his head. Unfortunately the nap had left the dry taste of mothballs in his mouth and a painful kink in his neck. Sitting alone in the nearly deserted terminal, Canada tiredly tried to rub out the knots that had formed in his shoulder.

"Tea?" Ontario said offering his nation a steaming mug, before settling into his own seat.

"Thank you, Thomas." Canada gave his most populous province a soft smile before taking a deep gulp of mug of tea he was handed. After a few more sips of the perfectly brewed beverage Canada was feeling more functional so he turned to the current issues at hand. "So, what is the plan of attack?"

"First, we will check up on Sean, I have already had Bert check in on him and Elizabeth is in route but I thought you would like to stop by." Ontario explained, and Canada nodded his approval. While he trusted Alberta and Saskatchewan to take care of the wounded British Columbia, Canada still wanted to personally check on his own province's health.

"Where do we go from there?" Canada asked as he took another sip.

"After that the Pacific Fleet Commander has arranged transport to the Royal Naval Yard at Esquimalt." Ontario said as he flipped through the stack of forms that currently occupied the province's lap. "Due to the fact that Esquimalt is the home port for our pacific fleet and is located on the heavily affected Vancouver Island, I know you are worried about it. Luckily it looks like there was only minor damage dealt to the fleet. From there I have arranged for a bush plane to Port Alberni to inspect the tsunami damage. We will then fly to the Canadian Forces Base at Comox where you will be staying the night as well as receive any medical care you may require."

"What are the plans for tomorrow?"

"It will depend on how you are feeling, sir."

"That seems reasonable." Canada said with a yawn. "When do we leave?"

"The car should be here any moment."

"Good." Canada nodded and rested his head against the wall. "Wake me when it gets here."

Bethesda's National Naval Hospital had been the premiere facility for treating the nation's ill and injured marines. Almost from its dedication in 1943, it was also taken over the healthcare for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his family. Two years later, the hospital was also determined to be secure enough to provide medical care to many of the personifications of the nations, like Japan, Germany, and Belgium, which America had been assigned to rebuild once the axis had finally surrendered. A few years later in 1947, the hospital took over the job of medical care for the entire American family.

Even as America sat perched on edge of a hospital bed, in a nondescript room he could remember the tragedy that had prompted the change. It had been a beautiful spring afternoon in Washington D.C. The states had been holding their annual meeting all morning and many of them were planning on spending the afternoon enjoying the late cherry blossoms. That had changed when Texas had collapsed unconscious and Louisiana had been forced to his knees. The cause was one of the largest accidental explosions in history.

After extensive investigation it was determined that the Texas City Disaster, had been caused by two ships and a warehouse filled with ammonium nitrate igniting. The resulting explosion was powerful that it ripped the wings off of planes flying in the area and shattered windows in the city of Huston over 40 miles of way. It also nearly leveled the port town of Texas City, injured over 5,000, and killing an estimated 600 or so people.

While Texas City was successfully rebuilt, the repercussions of the explosion where wide spread. One of the programs developed in the wake of the disaster was the State Medical Monitoring Workgroup. Now there was a team of specially trained doctors and nurse prepared to care for any critically injured nation or state, and a series of hidden rooms in which they could be treated. Unfortunately this program wasn't going to help Alaska much if they couldn't find her. America's chain of thought was instantly broken by the sight of Virginia in the doorway. The State didn't look particularly happy which wasn't a good sign.

"Alaska?" America asked rising to his feet. Virginia was silent, staring at him with her chocolate colored eyes. Unfortunately the nurse who had been busily taking vitals wasn't as quiet.

"Alfred, sit still!" The nurse fussed as she tried to take a blood sample. Then when it was clear that he wasn't paying her any attention she turned to Virginia with a sigh. "You better hurry up and tell him if you have any news. Otherwise I doubt he will hold still for the rest of the exam."

"America, I have been taking to Massachusetts…" Virginia started, but then paused. "I think you should sit down for this."

"Okay…" America replied as he sat back down on the edge of his bed, a feeling of dread starting to build in his chest. Virginia then turned to the nurse.

"Could you give us a few minutes?"

Virginia was worried about America. He didn't take the news that Massachusetts hadn't been able to locate Alaska at one of Anchorages many field hospital or in the cities many piles of rubble. She suspected that he would have taken the news that Massachusetts suspected that Alaska might have been one of the critically injured patients sent to a California hospital even worse, so she kept her mouth shut. There was no need to disrupt her nation's mental state any further, it was dark enough.

Currently America was being torn apart by overwhelming sense of guilt. After all America was suppose to be the world's hero. When he failed to be that hero, his actions usually proved to be volatile and unpredictable. In the few cases when the United States or its territories had been attacked, America's guilt and anger would fuel him into reckless battle. But when natural disaster hit he often torn himself searching for a way to predict or prevent them.

More often than not America had discovered some type of solution. After the Tri-State Tornados he had order the precursor to the National Weather Service to create a way to predict tornados. After Galveston Hurricane, America began an in depth study of the cyclonic storms and discovered a way to predict their paths. But despite the thousands of dollars the U.S. had pumped into the US Geological Survey, no one had found a way to successfully predict earthquakes.

Even the Japanese, the first nation to study the earthquake and the tsunami had only a rudimentary knowledge of why the earth moved so violently. Japan couldn't even shed light on why this morning some communities on the west coast had been devastated by the tsunami or why neighboring communities had escaped untouched.

In the end, Virginia had to stop thinking about the uneven pattern of destruction and focus on the current problem…how to find Alaska. By now New Mexico should have made it to California and visited the military hospital looking for Alaska. At any moment Virginia expected to hear the phone ring and have her sister tell her that the youngest member of their family had been found. But there was also the chance that, like Massachusetts, New Mexico's search might turn up fruitless. If that happened everyone would have to consider the fact that state of Alaska might have broken under the strain of this natural disaster. The payphone in the waiting room rang, and Virginia reached up and grabbed it.

"Sophia, please give me some good news." Virginia practically begged.

"The Jane Doe sent down from Alaska is Samantha."The tired voice on the other end of the phone said quietly.

"And…" Virginia tried to push.

"They are not expecting her to survive the night."New Mexico sighed unhappily."Listen, she is a complete mess. She has received three transfusing so far and has flat lined a few times already. Unfortunately with the head injury she sustained they can't do much more for her."

"Why?"

"From what they explained, a lot of medications can mask signs of bleeding in her brain."

"But wouldn't her 'medical condition' prevent that from happening?" Virginia tried to hide the annoyance rising within here. For goodness sake Alaska was a state not a human. Brain bleeding might be a setback to her recovery, but it wasn't going to kill her.

"Yes, but I can't exactly go to the doctors and explain that to them. The doctor's wouldn't believe me and I won't be able to support Samantha very well if they lock me in some loony bin."

"True…" Virginia felt guilty for her previous annoyance. It was difficult even for the medical staff who knew their secret to fully wrap their head around the fact their charges were practically immortal. They could only guess how an outsider would react to the news. Virginia's heart sank with the realization that Alaska was going to have to suffer until they got her to D.C. The only thing they could do was to make sure that she didn't suffer alone. "Sophia, stay with her okay, stay with her until we can get her to D.C."

"Will do Sis."

With that Virginia hung up the phone. After a few deep breaths she composed herself and walked down the hall to the commander of the hospital's office. Hopefully the Navy would have an idea how to get the personification of Alaska to the Nation's capital.

Vancouver was a young city, even by North American standards, but it was rapidly one of the most important cities on Canada's west coast. It was developing into a national economic and cultural center, a fact which allowed Vancouver to flourish even while the rest of the nation was suffering from the effects of inflation and high unemployment. Unfortunately the cities natural geography, while beautiful, had caused this thriving city to become one of the most densely populated one in North America.

It was due to this crowding that the personification of British Columbia had chosen to relocate his Vancouver residence out of the city center and into the suburb of West Vancouver. British Columbia's Vancouver home was a small but tasteful building located in the older part of town. Even through the late winter snow, it was clear to see that the yard held a flourishing garden in the summer months.

Which made perfect sense, Canada mused to himself as Ontario fished out a house key. Out of all of his provinces, British Columbia was the one who always tried to bring the outdoor inside. A smile played on edge of the nation's lips as he thought of just how much havoc the Dominion of British Columbia had caused in England's house when they were younger.

When Ontario finally got the door open, Canada entered an unusually dark and quiet house. Concerned, Canada quickly walked from room to room in search for British Columbia. Canada found him at the back of the house, by the great bay window. The province was staring unseeingly at the sea, while absentmindedly fiddling with a set of bandages wound across his right wrist.

"You know you shouldn't do that?" Ontario broke the silence as he entered the room.

"Sorry?" British Columbia blinked up at them like a spooked deer.

"Play with your bandages like that." Ontario motioned to the pink stained gauze. "We may be extremely resistant to infection, but there is still a chance."

"Don't worry, we all do it sometimes." Canada smiled tried to comfort the obviously distressed province. For a few moments it seemed to work, but then British Columbia tried to stand.

"Sorry, I wasn't really prepared for a visit. Would you like some tea or something?" British Columbia tried to make his way to his feet, but struggled to keep his balance. Finally he sunk back into the chair with a look of defeat.

"No, Sean, don't worry about it. We were just stopping in to make sure that you were alright before Ontario and I went to inspect the damage at Vancouver Island." Canada couldn't help but notice the way that British Columbia shuddered when he mentioned of Vancouver Island.

"Have you eaten?" Ontario asked clinically and British Columbia looked up at them with haunted eyes.

"I don't think that…I don't think I can eat for a while. Every time I think about eating, I remember that wave…I remember the people screaming as their homes filled with water and I couldn't do anything to stop it…" As British Columbia spoke his words become quieter and quieter until he finally dissolved into choking sobs.

"It is alright, Sean." Canada said soothingly as he rubbed slow circles across his wounded province's back. "Shhh. I promise you, British Columbia, eventually everything is going to be alright."

'What if she wasn't ready to become a state?' The question mulled around in America's head over and over again. Even though he knew that there wasn't any way he could have known that a disaster of this magnitude would befall Alaska within five years of the territory becoming a state, he still felt he should have done something to prevent it. He felt that somehow all of those dead Americans were his fault.

America heard a soft noise and then noticed that he was staring at Virginia's less than sensible high heels. He raised his eyes to meet the eyes of his oldest state. Her face was still pinched with concern and America felt his stomach knot with another wave of fear.

"We have located Alaska, she was transferred to a hospital in California. Her current condition is critical and so the hospital staff has arranged for a military medical transport to bring her back to Bethesda Medical center." Virginia spoke softly, in the voice she usually used when she was afraid of upsetting him. "Because states often feel a level of relief being in close proximity to you, the medical staff has authorized us for the medical flight. If you want to go we are going to be joining them we need to…"

America was on his feet and out the door before Virginia even had a chance to finish her statement. He might not have been able to prevent the Good Friday Earthquake, but that wasn't going to stop him from doing everything in his power to alleviate the suffering that natural disaster had brought to his second youngest state.

The sister towns of Alberni and Port Alberni were nestled at the head of the scenic Alberni Inlet. While the town was supported by everything from farming to logging, its greatest asset was its deep and natural sheltered harbor. For centuries the snow-covered peaks of Mount Arrowsmith and Mount Kilstsa, as well as the Broken Group Islands had protected this community from the strong storms that often blew across the Pacific Ocean. This had allowed people to build down in the low floodplains which separated the two cities.

From Canada's vantage point on a hill in Alberni, it was pretty clear the historic tameness of the harbor might have been the downfall for the towns. It had encouraged people to build their homes in the flat land between the valley's two main rivers and along the water's edge. Now it was easy to see the empty places were homes once stood. The scars left by the high water mark.

"Do we have any clue how many people were killed?" Canada asked, his voice filled with the shock of horror stretched before him.

"No." The Alberni city police officer admitted somberly. "The army only got here an hour or so before you did, and that isn't nearly enough time to even start searching through the remains of the town. It will probably be days before all the bodies are found. That is if they will ever be found, it is possible that many were swept to sea."

"Is there anything else that the Canadian Government can do to help?" Ontario almost whispered.

"I am probably not the right person to ask…" The middle-aged officer said nervously.

"You are the perfect person to ask." Canada spoke warmly trying to encourage the man to give him an honest answer. "You know this community better than most people. You know what they have lost and you know what they need to make it through the next few weeks."

"I may not have the right to say this, but the one thing we really need right now is money. I mean look at this place." The man looked thoughtfully down at the ground as he spoke. "We have at least fifty to sixty homes that are completely gone, another maybe five hundred which are damage beyond repair. This tidal wave has torn the twin towns of Alberni and Port Alberni in pieces. We were lucky. The neighboring communities have taken us in. Fed us, clothed us, given us a place to sleep, but a hot cup of Joe isn't going to rebuild our homes and I hate to admit it but none of the communities on this island have the financial means to help us."

"I do not know how much the federal government can offer, we are in a recession after all, but know that you will be a priority." Canada spoke with the authority of his nation behind him, and it was easy to see that his words caused his citizen to relax visibly. For a few heartbeats, everyone nearby felt the overwhelming feeling that as bad as things were right now, things would eventually be okay. Then the wind rose, rattling some windows and breaking the spell.

"Is there anything else that you need, sir?" The police officer commented awkwardly. "I mean if I can be useful I can stay, of course, but I would like to get back to the search."

"No, we can make our way home from here." Canada tried to give a comforting smile. The stressed and tired officer didn't even appear to see it as he mechanically turned and made his way down the hill to his police car. With the human gone the state and province lapsed into a painful silence. That was only broken when Ontario turned to his nation, eyes pleating for an answer.

"Father, what do we do now?"

Canada gave a small sad smile and placed a hand on his provinces shoulder before letting his eyes scan the broken community in the valley below them. As much as Canada wished that he had a good answer, he didn't. Sometimes there was simply nothing that could be done about a disastrous situation like this. The damage was done, and the dead were already beyond help. Still the nation swallowed down his own grief and spoke softly.

"We pray that tomorrow will be better."

Historical Note- For a period of time it was illegal for meteorologist to even say the world tornado. The thought behind this was that because the U.S. military, the primary weather forecaster for the U.S. at that time, had no idea how to predict tornados that admitting that they existed would only frighten the public. That position changed on March 18, 1925 when a power full F5 storm plowed across parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana killing at least 700 people.

In the aftermath of the disaster it became clear that hundreds of lives would have been saved if there had been some way to warn the public. This caused the U.S. Government to fund several studies on the formation of tornadoes. Now we not only know what causes tornadoes, but we can successfully predict which storms are likely to from them. This allows communities to have enough warning to take shelter. Each year that system is credited with saving over 200 lives every year.

End Note- Hi reader, see the pretty little review button? Why not take a minute or two to push it and leave a comment. I promise that I take your reviews very seriously.

Next Chapter-Miracle- As Easter Morning dawns, it is clear that something amazing had happened in British Columbia. Canada is unable to come up with any other word but miracle. In Alaska, Anchorage has truly become a twenty-four hour city as the broken community becomes the hub for the earthquake relief effort. Still, all take a few moments to remember those who were lost and be grateful for all who survived.