Note: I tried to post this earlier and the whole chapter turned into nonsense. I'm not used to how fanfiction works anymore so I'm testing out with a small chapter.
The doctor placed the MRI on the lit backdrop and pointed with the tip of his gray pen at a fuzzy gray area of Alfred's brain. "Right there." He said. The overhead light glinted on his glasses. He sat back down in the chair and looked between the three of them before he settled his watery gaze on Alfred. "I never thought I'd say this, but you are lucky that rock hit your head. It saved your life."
"What?" All three of them in surprise, before sharing a surprised glance. Tino was seated on side and Matthew on the other.
"How is getting hit in the head lucky?" Matthew asked before Alfred could.
"The rock caused minor damage, but it triggered a bigger problem," the doctor explained. He gestured against at the MRI. "You see Alfred had a ticking time bomb in his head. There was a clot waiting to burst. It's likely been there for years. Had he not been on the operating table when it happened it could have caused him a stroke or sudden death."
Alfred went very rigid, feeling cold all over. A blood clot?
"A blood clot?" Tino said as if saying Alfred's thoughts aloud.
"Have you experienced headaches and blurred vision?" The doctor asked, clasping his thick fingers together on the table. He studied Alfred closely with his brown eyes.
Alfred was about to say no, but then he thought about it. The many headaches. "Y-yes…" He finally said softly.
"What?" Matthew said.
"Sometimes…" Alfred admitted, "It was hard to get out of bed."
"Are there anymore? Will it happen again?" Tino asked.
"Not as far as we can tell. His motor functions are intact. His physical therapy is progressing well. He should make a full recovery. You are incredibly lucky to have caught it before it burst. Because we had him on the table when it burst we could clamp it and prevent serious bleeding in his brain."
"Then you're saying getting hit in the head… saved my life?"
"Yes."
Alfred was floored. Ivan abandoning him saved him from a worst fate. By sheer luck, Ivan had done the right thing. Alfred had been living on death's doorstep this entire time.
"I don't know what to say." Alfred felt queazy and he could not process this.
Note: I knew someone who died suddenly of a blood clot. I always wondered what would have happened if it had been caught in time. This chapter was inspired by that.