Day 122: Rough Awakenings

[windgod]

Who: Ippo and anyone who wants to visit
When: Day 122
Where: The Hospital
What: The Sleeper has awakened and needs a little help getting back up on his feet
Format: Any
Warnings: Hospital Things, a little blood, and maybe some sad talks

[The scene in his mind kept replaying over and over and over, as if some cruel tormentor had strapped him into a chair and was forcing him to rewatch one of the most painful experiences of his life while he was completely separated from it; only able to watch helplessly as he was impaled by Rin and had his face ground into the dirt repeatedly. Each time he felt himself slip a little further away, more and more until he was simply ready to close his eyes to escape his torment and never open them again; but it was then he heard a voice in the back of his head. It was small at first, but eventually he could make out Coach Kamogawa's stern voice, yelling at him to yell up and feeling the sting of his hand on his back. Then came Kimura, Aoki, Takamura, even Miyata joined in the rising chant for him to stand up.

Then his other friends from the Bastion joined in, Seimei, Night, Alucard...and Rin; the chorus of voices had reached a pitch in his mind where everything else was blocked out, and then his eyes opened now glowing a fierce green. His teeth and fists clenched in unison as his body sidestepped the oncoming sword that was to impale him again and his body coiled like an angry cobra as he prepared to strike the fake Rin; her smug look now contorting into something akin to fear.]

This isn't real...you're not real..NONE OF THIS REAL!!!

[He yelled at the top of his lungs as he swung his fist in a heavy arch, his gauntlet screaming towards Fake Rin's face with enough force to break down a brick wall and just as it made contact...he woke with a start. His eyes shot open and the first thing he noticed was the distinct sound of a fast paced beeping which was slowly starting to level out; or rather the first thing he noticed as that he had something shoved down his throat which he quickly pulled out as he began coughing violently. Once he pulled himself under control, he looked around slightly as his eyes adjusted to the light of the room as he tried to figure out just where on earth he was; he had been in Jawson Bog last he remembered...and now...was this the hospital? Had he somehow gotten back to the Bastion?

There were more questions than answers at the moment...but he was in a warm bed and there didn't seem to be anything around that was going to cause him harm; so he simply leaned back into his bed and continued to let his eyes adjust. Hopefully someone would be around to explain the situation to him soon...that or he'd have the strength to get out and move on his own; either way, it was just a waiting game for now.]

Comments

[amphibian]

[And someone indeed was on their way!

Okay, admittedly Aoi wasn't really acquainted with...really, anyone sent to the hospital in the aftermath of the core hunt. But that hadn't stopped her from worrying! After all of that, there was no doubt to her that they were all a team, and when a teammate got injured, you checked up on them!

So not long after that, the door edged open and Aoi stuck her head in.]

Knock knock! Can I come in? [Usually people actually knocked on the door first, but all right, Aoi.]

[windgod]

[Well, Ippo had expected someone to show up eventually, but not someone he'd never met before. Sure he'd seen her around, mostly with the Dragon that had been flying around as of recently; but she seemed friendly enough and after everything he'd been through, Ippo was happy to see a smiling face. His voice was hoarse from having a tubed stuffed down it, but all things considered he was speaking rather well for someone who just came out of a catatonic state.]

Sure, come on in... I wish it were better circumstances...but it's nice to meet you...my name is Ippo by the way, Ippo Makunouchi.

[He smiled weakly and gave his new friend as polite a bow as he could manage from a sitting position in a hospital bed; but he hoped it still had the same effect.]

[amphibian]

[And with approval given, she edged the door open the rest of the way, bumped it closed with her hip, and skipped over to the hospital bed. She had a little paper bag in her hand—the only comfort in being stuck in the hospital was getting presents, after all, and so who was she to not bring presents?—and once she finds a chair to pull up by the bed and sit in, she places the bag in her lap.]

My name's Aoi Asahina! Nice t'meet you, too. Even if this isn't the best place for it...

But hey, how're you feeling? I've been worried about all you guys!

[windgod]

Well, any place is a good place to make a new friend, right?

[He smiled, but it was short lived as the aches and pains of being in a bed for five days began to catch up with him; every part of him felt like it was being worked into tight knots.]

I feel like I got hit by a truck...not as bad as when I went toe to toe with Sendo-san, but this is working up to be a close third.

[amphibian]

Heheh, there are better places, but I like your attitude! [Her grin quickly turned into a concerned pout when he spoke again, though.]

You want me to find a nurse to get you some more pain medication or something? Oh! D'ya think food'll help? [And with a determined flourish, she opened up her paper bag and presented it before her. Voila! A donut! One with frosting and rainbow sprinkles; the best kind of donut. Aoi grinned again, proud of just its existence.]

[hellpyre]

[Rin had been spending most of her time in the Distillery thanks to Mireille's pregnancy coming to term not that long ago. It had been even busier than usual, what with one of the largest groups of new arrivals showing up the day before. It had been a mess of introductions and rushing some people to the hospital while trying to get others fed and in to apartments for rest.

The next morning was much the same day, with Rin having to attend to getting ready-to-grab meal items out for anyone not in the hospital while taking food to the hospital for the ones still there.

It was all very hectic and if not for her demonic stamina (and finally getting used to the weirdness of the "days" in the Bastion) she would have been exhausted. Hell, she might still wind up exhausted if this kept up for much longer.

Having dropped off all the morning meals already, Rin was heading back out with the used trays when she heard yelling coming from of the rooms. It startled her bad enough that she nearly dropped them, but by a quick save she was able to keep them from falling from her arms.

... oh. That sounded like Ippo.

Setting the trays down quickly, she bolted to his room, throwing the door open with a worried expression. She of course had no idea what had happened to him in the Bog, and that "she" had been responsible for the proverbial final blow that knocked him out for so long.]

Ippo?!

[windgod]

[Rin's sudden appearance almost scared the color out of Ippo's face; he certainly hadn't expected someone to almost kick his door in, but once he saw it was Rin, he relaxed almost instantly. Yes...his mind had been full of that Fake Rin for some time now...and part of him was still a little weary; but he knew in his heart that nothing about what had happened was real and that Rin never would have said anything like that to him. Or so he hoped...once a seed of doubt had been planted...it was a rough thing to upturn.]

How long was I out...?

[hellpyre]

[She was stricken with worry, and very much not wearing the face of some one who wanted to kick Ippo down to the ground again. She stepped in hesitantly, closing the door behind her carefully.]

Five days. How... how d'ya feel?

[windgod]

Five days...?

[Sheesh...that's the longest he could ever remember sleeping and his body was expressing its displeasure with it. Every part of him ached and he felt a distinct urge to get up out of the bed; though he knew doing so off the bat would be a bad idea. As for Rin...he was going to air on the side of trust; it would take more than some poison bog gas to sway Ippo's trust in his friends.]

Like I got hit by a truck...but I've been worse. How's everyone else doing...?

[hellpyre]

Recoverin'. Slowly. We uh... got a huge group of arrivals yesterday. It's been a little crazy since then...

[There was a chair near by, but she didn't take it, hovering by the closed door awkwardly.]

... y'hungry?

[superdrowningskills]

[Much to his fortune, Alucard arrived soon after. Although it didn't reach his face - of course, not many emotions really do - the dhampire is pleasantly surprised to see the boy awake.]

...Welcome back.

[windgod]

[While Ippo hadn't exactly seen Alucard enter the room, his gentle voice and nonthreatening posture was enough to keep Ippo from freaking out; if anything he seemed perfectly calm and gave his friend a small wave.]

Hello Alucard-san...how long have I been out...?

[superdrowningskills]

[It probably helped that he'd foregone the cape today as well. He always seems somewhat smaller without it.]

Five days. How do you feel?

[windgod]

Yeesh...

[Ippo grimaced and rubbed the back of his head, the weight of his inactivity slowly pressing down on him as the aches and pains of being comatose began to catch up with him.]

Like I got run over...did I miss anything while I was out?

[superdrowningskills]

We gained a large number of new arrivals yesterday: nine in fact. We also now have the electricity that people so wished for.

[He really doesn't see what the big deal is, honestly. The constant buzz is irritating whenever he has to go into a building with electricity in it.]

...I have also temporarily changed residences.

[dissectionislove]

[If the racket coming from the room wasn't enough, the violent coughing certainly told Stein that one of his patients had just come to... and had taken the liberty of removing their intubation. That'd save him some work, at least.

He crosses the floor in little time with long, lanky strides that blow his dingy lab coat out behind him. There's only one single brief knock before he lets himself in, since, given the hastened beeping of the pulse-ox, the Doctor isn't about to take 'no' for an answer anyway.]

Ah, you're awake! [There's the faintest hint of a grin on Stein's face. Nothing too disconcerting. Probably.]

[windgod]

[Ippo coughed a few times and his throat still felt uncomfortably dry; but he was capable of rational thought and his speech was hardly impaired. Compared to how he had come back after rescuing Ahime and her friend, he had actually gotten off relatively unscathed; at least in a physical sense. He was even able to offer the doctor a smile of his own and a small wave.]

Ah, hello Dr. Stein...do you know...how long I've been out for?

[dissectionislove]

[Ippo's question required a bit of thought, since Stein knew better than to judge the passing of time by nights of sleep. Insomnia made that a complicated task; some nights he flat didn't bother trying to best it. This meant passing days ran together rather easily for the scientist.]

About five days.

[He concluded finally, after already starting to poke and prod at the newly-awakened patient. A moment later he turned his back, tending to the ECG and skimming over its reports.]

You were hallucinating?

[It's only half a question, really. Don't ask how he knows, but he does.]

[windgod]

Man...five days?

[No wonder he felt so stiff and achey all over. That however didn't compare to the level of uncomfortableness drawn out by Stein's question; for all the freshly unpleasant memories it brought up.]

...Yeah. We got hit by some gas out in the bog and then...

[His voice trailed off and he put a hand on the back of his neck as if he were trying to work out a knotted muscle. It was clear he didn't want to remember as much as he was able to.]

[dissectionislove]

[Stein's green eyes narrowed in contemplation. Must have been some sort of nerve gas that cleared before he showed up. That explained quite a bit. Apparently, he arrived a little too late to be affected by it. Ippo and the others, however...]

How did it get there?

[freedom_engineer]

[Have another visitor, Ippo. Now that he's heard you're awake, Colin's coming to check in on you. He's just going to rap his knuckles on the wall before approaching]

Morning, stranger. Heard you've finally rejoined the land of the waking.

[windgod]

[Well there was a friendly face; after clearing his throat enough that he could speak normally, Ippo gave Colin a small wave and the best smile he could muster at the moment.]

Ah...hello Colin, sorry it took me so long on that. Would you know...how long I was actually out for?

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin grins warmly and shakes his head]

You've been out for just under four days.

...

Of course, my days are thirty-one hours, so it's probably closer to five of yours.

Your brain took a beating, huh?

[windgod]

Yeah...you could say that.

[He brought a hand up to the back of his neck in an attempt to work out what felt like a knot that was slowly spreading its way across his body; apparently it didn't take kindly to the fact that he'd been lying down for five days.]

My body feels about the same too, but I've dealt with worse. Did everyone else make it back okay?

[freedom_engineer]

Light injuries, heavy mental trauma, Nathan's not the least bit happy with us.

[He shakes his head]

No real surprise there. I need to work on getting some environmental suits built before anyone heads back into that bog.

And you... to say nothing of the others... are going to need someone to talk to. Sadly, we don't have therapists here, so you four might be well-advised to forming a support group.