Maigo- A BNHA OC Story

The Consult

   Shota discusses Maigo's past in this part. Brief mentions of abuse and trauma are mentioned.

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About a week later, Shota is sitting in a doctor's office, wrestling a squirming Maigo onto his lap. The chair is decidedly not comfortable, the plastic creaking with even the slightest shift in position. The noises echo around the bright room as the poor girl keeps twisting, trying her hardest to escape her prison. She kicks her feet so hard one of her sneakers flies straight off. Shota doesn't mind her scratching him, but it is when the child moves to bite his arm that he's had enough.

"Maigo," he snaps. "If you're going to keep acting like a toddler I will gladly find you a high chair to sit in."

She freezes, slowly releasing Shota's arm from her grip. Maigo turns herself around in Shota's lap, drawing her knees up into her jacket and lunder her chin, resting her head on the man's chest. She squeezes her eyes shut.

Shota sighs, wrapping an arm around the girl and rubbing her shoulder. He leans back in his chair, gently taking her with him so they sit comfortably together. "Today is just a consult. We'll just be talking, and maybe the doctor will listen to your heart and look at your arms and legs, but nothing more than that, okay?"

She nods her head, slowly.

If she can't even get through this how do we think she'll be able to get through an entire surgery?

There is a light knock on the exam room door. A second later, a tall man in a white coat walks in. His dark hair is neatly combed, and he is wearing square-rimmed glasses. Shota can feel Maigo's fingers curl around his shirt, a small whine escaping her throat.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Sasaki," the man's voice is soft. He offers Shota a smile before holding out his hand. Shota shakes it, unable to stand up due to the bundle of nerves currently occupying his lap.

"I understand we're here for a surgery consult?"

"Yes," Shota answers. He gestures to the girl in his lap, before gently picking her up and helping her face front. Maigo fights him every step of the way, legs swinging in protest. "This is Maigo, she has some old stitches that we would like to get removed, if possible."

"Well hello, Maigo," Doctor Sasaki crouches down so he is at eye level with the girl. Maigo turns her head away. She is determined not to look at anything in the room other than the door.

Doctor Sasaki chuckles. "I understand you're nervous, this can be some scary stuff."

"She hasn't had great experiences with doctors in the past," Shota adds.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, we'll make sure to be extra gentle then," the doctor assures. He turns his attention back to Maigo. "If you ever feel uncomfortable, you just let me know, okay? I'll make sure to explain everything that's going on as well."

Maigo nods her head curtly, eyes still trained on the door. Shota glares at her suspiciously. She's planning something. He slowly reaches up and grabs onto the edge of his capture weapon. He dangles one of the edges on Maigo's shoulder, hoping to distract her from whatever escape plan she is formulating. In response she takes the scarf in her dainty fingers, absentmindedly fiddling with it. That's one crisis averted.

Doctor Sasaki makes his way over to the desk in the corner. He grabs onto the back of the desk chair stationed there and rolls it over to Shota and Maigo. The grind of the wheels drowns out any other noise in the room. Once he reaches the other two, he turns the chair around and sits down, facing them.

"Alright," he begins. "Let's start with a little bit of history. How long have we had those stitches in for?"

Shota's insides are ice cold. He sheepishly ducks his head to the side. "She's had them for about two years, but she hasn't been in my care for that long."

   Doctor Sasaki's brow furrows. His eyes are hidden behind the glint on his glasses. When he speaks his voice is far away. "Two years?"

   "Yes," Shota mutters. "We couldn't gather much, either from abuse or other injury. She'd been living on the street before she was treated."

   "I see," Doctor Sasaki says. He holds his hand out to the small girl with his palm facing up, almost like an offering. Gingerly, Maigo places her fingers in his hand. The doctor gently guides the girl to straighten her arm out, looking over the scars present there. "Are there any other conditions she may have?"

   "When she came to me she was severely underweight. I originally thought she was around five years old due to how small she is." Shota looks down at the girl currently trying to tear off a section of his scarf. His eyesight is slightly blurry. "Turns out she's closer to eight."

   "Sometimes kids have late growth spurts," the doctor muses. "It is more important that she's met all her developmental milestones up to this point. How is her coordination and comprehension?"

   "We've been teaching her gymnastics, she's great on the balance beam and the bars. And she is currently learning at a higher-grade level for her actual age."

A small smile flits across the doctor's face. "That is excellent to hear."

   He continues examining the girl's arm. "Has she had any issues with these," he asks, gesturing to the stitches running across her forearm in a neat little track.

   "Not until recently," Shota responds. "Lately we've been noticing she gets sick more frequently. It's mostly just colds, but we don't want it to get any worse."

   "I see," the doctor muses. "In that case, it might be a good idea to have her stay in the hospital for a while after the surgery. That way we can keep a closer eye on her and monitor for any complications."

   Maigo squeaks and jerks her arm back. She presses her nose into Shota's sternum, determined, apparently, to merge their two bodies together. Once she realizes Shota is in fact a solid object that she cannot pass through, she begins shaking her head frantically. Her hair whips left and right in time with her head. The doctor gives the girl an apologetic look before pulling himself back. He continues speaking. "As long as all her stitches are free of infection, we can schedule her surgery relatively soon. Is there a day of the week that works best for you?"

   Shota places a hand on Maigo's head. For the moment, it appears to stop her shaking. The spindly fingers of her free hand wind tight around the capture weapon still in her grip. Her anxiety won't get better anytime soon. It might be better to get it over with sooner.

   With a sigh, the Erasure hero looks up to the doctor. The man is watching the small girl in Shota's lap. His arms are crossed over the back of his chair and his glasses glint off the overhead lights. Shota sets his jaw. "We're free next Thursday."