Hawks x Dabi

Chapter 26 (final part)

A week had finally gone by, and Miruko had eaten exactly 7 meals, 5 of which she didn't finish before throwing it back up. She never took her eyes off the feathers that danced across the far wall, though she had started talking to the nurse who had come in every morning and evening. The hospital she was in was small, but bustling with staff. Every patient had their own designated nurse that would care for them during their stay. According to the nurse who stayed with her everyday, (his name is Sasha, for anyone who cares) this was an emergency hospital, meant for patients with critical injuries. Everyone had a designated nurse to care for them because most weren't expected to survive, and since family wasn't allowed in, those who died, died alone. The nurses would care for them until that time came, or until they were discharged. The nurse had told Miruko he was elated that she had survived surgery. She had been in so much shock the doctors were amazed she hadn't died from it. Miruko had made a speedy recovery, and the nurse said it was nice seeing one of his patients leave in a wheelchair rather than a body bag. (Miruko can walk, but they don't want to put unnecessary stress on her legs before being certain they had healed.) When the one week mark finally came and it was time for Miruko to head home, she only said one thing to the nurse. "Can we still talk this next week?" The nurse had smiled and nodded, giving Miruko a warm hug. "Of course. I can take you home now if you want. My shift is over for the rest of the day since you're leaving." Miruko nodded and the nurse promptly grabbed hold of the handles to the wheelchair, strolling her through and out of the hospital. He asked her if she lived close to the hospital, receiving a short nod in return. They walked down and away from the building that, despite its small size, seemed to loom over them. Once they got to Miruko's apartment complex, they went into one of the elevators and started up to the top floor. Once they made it to Miruko's apartment, Miruko stood, limping over to her couch were she plopped down and didn't move. The nurse sat in a chair by the window and smiled calmly. "It's a nice view. Would you like something to eat. You barely ate at the hospital, so you must be hungry." Miruko didn't respond, and the nurse deflated slightly. He stood, moving to sit on the floor in front of the couch, grabbing a TV remote and turning on the TV. "Let's watch something mindless." The nurse flipped through channels, soon hitting the Netflix button on the remote to avoid the news channel. He figured they'd still be talking about the hotel, and that wasn't needed. "Ah!" He smiled again. "Let's watch Animaniacs." He didn't wait for a response before clicking it. They sat there for hours, watching as episodes seemed to blur together, in complete silence. Miruko didn't take her eyes off the feathers that followed her home and drifted over the TV, and the nurse didn't move much unless he was getting food. At some point in the late evening, he shook Miruko's shoulder, startling her for a quick moment. "You should get some sleep. It's quite late and rest is important." The nurse helped Miruko up, half helping half carrying her to her bedroom. Once he got her to her bed, she slipped herself under the sheets and quickly fell asleep, her body seemingly slumping into the mattress. The nurse sat and stared at her for a moment, before sighing and quietly leaving, asking the landlord to make sure her door was locked before leaving the building and heading home. He walked back to the hospital, slipping into his car and driving off. In his haste, as it was late at night and crime was, ironically enough, quite common around that hospital, he didn't realize that a girl was watching him from a small bench outside the hospital. He also didn't realize that she had continued following him as he headed home. He wouldn't notice she was there until the next day when she grabbed him and slipped him off into an inky blackness that led to a dark, lonely, basement (magical Killing Stalking vibes ladies and gents). Miruko wouldn't notice anything wrong for the next three days, when the nurse came and sat with her for hours on end when his shift ended. She wouldn't notice that the nurse was now watching her instead of the cartoons on the tv screen, and visibly struggling with some sort of message he had to tell her. When she finally did, the red feathers had settle down, collecting on the floor and rotting away into nothingness. When she finally realized that the nurse had changed, nothing good followed.