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"There's been an attack."
She didn't even have the chance to ask what happened, or what was going on. The student, a tall boy with disheveled black hair, nodded.
"Alright," May said. She had a moment before speaking again. A split second to gather her thoughts.
"We need you to be ready."
She remembered the feeling, slowly presenting itself at the tips of her fingers and extending through her chest. The moment her beeper would blink. A code. The alarms that would blare over the hospital speaker, alerting the entire building that someone was dying. Staff would swarm the halls like locusts. It was a calm panic. No, that wasn't right. External stoicism, internal hysterics.
Attempting to clear her mind, May focused on getting her equipment together.
Shit, she didn't draw that morning. Everything was older, therefore weaker.
"I'll be ready in a minute," May said, her voice staying level.
The instructors started deliberating with each other, discussing their plan of attack. It wasn't anything that concerned May. She gathered a black backpack, taking some bags from her fridge and placing them carefully inside.
Mentally, she thanked herself for prepping an emergency kit.
And cursed herself for not drawing.
"MEBO-1." May looked to one of her robots. "Follow me. Begin protocol zero-zero-six-one."
Her movements were calm, not moving too fast, nothing unbalanced. The robot blinked. Its eye lights shifted from green to white.
"MEBO-2, perform idle care operations."
A chirp echoed in response.
May slipped on her backpack straps and looked to the instructors. "I'm ready."
They stopped talking and stopped planning. Vlad King looked to her. She knew what he saw. An average citizen with an advanced degree. That's it.
"Are you sure? We thought you should stay here—"
"You don't know what you're facing," May said, tightening the straps. Her calf muscles tensed, preparing for the action. "Someone may need help right away. This is why I'm here, isn't it?"
Midnight skidded around a corner. She shook her head and threw up her arms.
"What're you all standing there for?" She yelled down the hall. "Come on!"
May pushed up her glasses and gave a single nod to Vlad King. He reciprocated. With the student in tow, they started down the hall at a jog. The bag was heavy on her back, and it attempted to slow her down.
They met Midnight at the end of the hall. She stayed a little ahead of them.
"Dr. Kataoka insisted on coming!" Vlad said, his voice booming over ambient running sounds.
"And? What else was she going to do?" Midnight turned her head toward him, her eyebrows knit together.
Vlad gritted his teeth through his words. "Recovery Girl never did this!"
"Recovery Girl was pushing eighty!"
No one told May anything. Instead, she looked toward the student. Did he have any injuries? No, he only had minor abrasions. Nothing that needed immediate attention.
Wait.
Did he... Did he run the whole way there?
May glanced at his legs. There were exhaust pipes attached.
He did. He must be exhausted. Maybe there's a way I can help him, but he probably wouldn't accept it right now.
"Hey." May faced the student, her arms pumping as she tried to keep up with the pro-heroes. "What's your name?"
His focused stare broke as they pushed through the exit. Present Mic was standing in front of a bus, waiting for everyone to get there.
The student responded breathlessly. "Iida Tenya, Doctor!"
"Alright, Iida. You're going to have to help me out."
Once all of the pro-heroes boarded the bus, May made sure to stay close to the student.
I need to figure out the injured possibilities. From there, I can decipher how much blood I'll actually need. I need to draw now, or it may not be enough. What if they're horrifically injured? I have to draw now.
This needs to be quick, efficient, and useful. If hospitalization is required, I'll have to go with my patients due to the transfer of care laws. I need to meet with another doctor. I—
"What can I help with?" Iida interrupted her train of thought.
The bus launched forward. Present Mic yammered on about buckling seat belts and getting ready for a 'bumpy ride.'
"First of all, are you hurt?" May asked, examining the way he sat.
"No."
"Good to hear."
May opened a compartment on her backpack. She was making a choice and sticking with it. The bouncing of the bus was going to make it painful.
"Do you know how many could be injured? It's okay if you don't," May said, her voice steady. "I need an estimate."
Iida watched as she unzipped a flat case, his eyes widening at the array of needles and syringes inside.
I don't have time to disinfect. The anticoagulating agent specific for my blood is already within the syringes.
Morphine. Do I have Morphine? That could assist. Not if there's head trauma. Or multiple extremity trauma. What else do I have? I have another pain relief agent somewhere. If I can just steady my hands long enough—
"I... I know two instructors. I... um... I don't know where some of my classmates are. We were all scattered... I... did my best to..."
Two confirmed. More possible. Let's estimate. Five at least. No, six.
"I know you did your best." May pulled out a bright blue tourniquet. She unbuttoned her blouse, revealing a white tank top and pulling her arm out from her sleeve. "No time to think about that. Can you give me a range of injuries?"
May held the tourniquet between her teeth after speaking, putting on a pair of gloves. She tied it tight with one hand to the best of her ability.
"It didn't look good."
Iida leaned backward. He had words on the tip of his tongue, looking out toward the other pro-heroes. Ectoplasm watched from another chair.
There it was, the imaginary clock May had built in her head so long ago. It was a way for her to manage patients or any medical procedure she needed to do. Providing both tangibility and a consistent sense of urgency, she kept the stress-inducing image around.
She was wondering when it would finally show up.
Every time there was an emergency, the same stupid countdown appeared in her head. Bright red numbers, always urging downwards. If her procedures and care were successful, the countdown would end in the green.
"How long ago did the attack start?"
"I... I don't know. Thirty minutes? It feels like a long time ago, but I could be wrong."
Her golden hour was becoming a darkened couple of minutes. The internal clock shaved off some time. That left her with a lot less than she would've liked.
I need this to be prepared when I get there. That leaves me with little time to check everyone. Will I have to card? Black, death. Red, wounded, and not okay. Yellow, injured, but okay. Green, alive and fine.
Okay, okay. I remember this.
May picked up the syringe with an attached needle. She uncapped it with her teeth, which was terrible practice. If her movements weren't steady, the needle could stab her. It didn't matter, honestly, if she did.
It all came from the same place.
The bus jolted while May tried to search for the right vein. It was there, hiding among the weeds. Steadying her hand with her pinky, she inserted the needle into her arm. A pointy snake with a single fang, constricting around her bloodstream.
Blood swirled into the syringe, mixing with the clear liquid already inside. She looked up for a split second. The Iida kid paled. Very fast. May continued to fill her syringe but kept her eyes forward.
"Hey, hey." She tried getting his attention. He snapped upward to look at her. "Look at me. Look at my face. Can you tell me anything else that happened? Anything that'll help me help your classmates."
She watched him struggle not to look back at the red in the syringe. May knew nothing he could say would change the outcome. It was a distraction tactic. She had all of the information she needed.
The bus took a sharp turn. May removed the needle just in time, capping it again. She needed more. No stopping.
This is what she was supposed to do.
Damn. May could feel the deep-down pull of pain, the ice-cold feeling rushing up to her veins. That stupid operation would come in real handy right about now.
She pressed a cotton pad down on the injection site. It was going to have to happen again. And again. Replacing the syringe in the case, she pulled out another one of similar size. Half listening to Iida explaining what happened, May dissociated herself.
With each needle insertion and replacement, she thought of a song. A song that her mother used to play for her and eventually, that May danced to. Voices filled her head, even with the shaking of the bus and the panicked story-telling of the student.
The voices, speaking a foreign language, slowly merged into a single tone. Another moment of blankness. No other thoughts. One for herself, staring ahead at the student. A break before the bombardment that was about to occur.
Her eyes traveled down to her arm. It was beginning to pale too, the vein starting to recede.
Do I have time for the other arm?
She bandaged her arm, nodding to Iida's story. Something about a warping villain, another one with a lot of hands on his face. Something about Thirteen. Something about another hero. May pulled out her other arm, replacing the sleeves.
The bus lurched forward, the sizable dome-like building coming into focus. She didn't have time to move to the other arm.
With a mutter, she undid the tourniquet and buttoned up her shirt again. She had... Four syringes. That was close enough. The pain in her forearm was temporary. Temporary. Temporary.
May zipped up the case. She held it close to her chest, standing. The wooziness of her decision hit her like a train. May wobbled, then steadied herself.
Focus, fight the physical effects.
And she did, blinking away the double vision.
"Like we talked about!" Midnight stood tall at the front of the bus, holding a fist above her head. "We'll split off into groups! Number one priority, the students! Number two, the instructors! Number three, villain apprehension!"
The rest of the bus grunted in agreement.
"Minimize damage! Remember, people, this is a rescue operative!"
Everyone got up from their seats and charged out. As May exited the bus, Midnight caught her shoulder.
"You stay outside until I give you the okay. Keep the student with you," the goofy woman had been replaced by a stern one. "If something goes wrong, for whatever reason, make your way back to the bus and get more help. Comms are blocked."
May nodded, MEBO-1 trailing close behind her. Midnight broke off into a sprint to catch up with the other pros. May motioned for the student to follow, but he had already sped into the group of heroes.
Shit! No! There's no way I can stop him now. I have bigger things to worry about. I have to get Medical Bot One running. Let's see, which program was that again? I said it earlier. You have to step it up, May!
"MEBO-1, open terminal program zero-zero-six-one," May started, the robot rolling up next to her.
It beeped. May had to get her brain running now. No more idle white noise. It was go-time.
"Two injured confirm, severity unknown. Set assumption level to one-hundred percent. The course of action is as follows: MCI protocol three-five, trauma indications set to high." She continued speaking, the large dome building growing in size.
The robot's eyes shifted between red and white. May glanced between the building and her robot assistant, trying to push forward. Her legs were weakening, stumbling over a rock every so often. A bead of sweat dripped from her forehead.
"Are scanning systems operational?"
"One-hundred percent, Kataoka May."
"Perfect," May said through her teeth, the heaviness of her backpack and the exhaustion from constant running began to wear on her. I need to work-out more.
A shockwave rattled the ground, causing May to stumble forward. The momentum of her backpack almost took her out. She used all of her body weight to slingback, which worked. Something exploded from the dome, a puff of smoke emitting from the building.
I'm not prepared for this.
May secured the straps again and willed herself to go faster. Faster. Faster!
The pro-heroes had already entered the building. May knelt to the ground, opening her backpack. What was first? She shoveled a blood pressure cuff into her pocket, ripping open packets of new equipment.
As her fingers darted between each instrument, her thoughts were focused.
I need to get a baseline, but if they're mortally wounded, I can just go ahead and inject. What would be the best thing to do? Any time delay is terrible. What am I down to?
May's eyes flashed down to her watch.
Twelve minutes? Alright. Remember May. Step by step. Locate, neutralize, move on. That's what I have to do. Which hospital will victims transfer to? Do they expect me to deal with this on my own? No, stop. That's too far in the future.
Remember.
Midnight appeared at the entrance, ushering May in.
Locate.
May swung the backpack over her shoulder. She entered the building, inhaling sharply and coming to a stop.
A group of students was standing near the entrance, pro-heroes and downed villains scattered the building. May had never seen this much catastrophic damage. Only on the television, when the helicopters would circle over a villain attack.
There it was. Like the disaster simulations.
Except it wasn't a simulation.
It was real.
During her training, they called it the recalibration sequence. A new term that recently surfaced in the medical field. A provider would stop and stare at their new reality. It was a way for them to rewire their brain to adjust to circumstances. It only lasted a second. Then—
May looked to the group of students. Some of their faces were stern, unwavering. Others, terrified. She saw no apparent signs of injuries, no students leaning against each other. It was a quick scan. Green.
May caught sight of students holding up Thirteen. She motioned for them to set down the injured hero. Pro-heroes were around, scanning every area of the building and completing a final sweep.
A cement wall was in the distance. That must be Cementoss. Why did he do that? Enough of that. Focus.
Since it was—what did they say? —the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, plenty of stretcher bots were onboard.
"Hey, Thirteen, it's Dr. Kataoka. I'm here to help," May said and knelt down to open her backpack. Thirteen said something incoherent, but May didn't pay mind to it. Altered level of consciousness, check. Nothing was evident from the front of their body.
May circled around.
There it was.
Red. Thirteen's entire back was exposed to air. Ripe, red flesh bleeding and raw. It was as if a vacuum completely sucked away the majority of Thirteen's upper dermal layer. May put on a mask, sliding her bag across the ground. How superficial is this wound?
A large dressing found its way into May's hands. It was made for the abdomen, but it would have to do. She pressed it against their back. No time to clean. No time for anything at all.
Stop the bleeding.
"Aiza—Aizawa... He needs," Thirteen said in-between ragged breaths.
May knew it hurt. It had to.
They're talking. Airway clear.
"Thirteen, you're going to have to stop talking about that right now. Can you count backward from one hundred for me?"
Calm the patient, a distraction. May pulled out one of her syringes. Thirteen was kind of doing what May asked, but all she cared about was the effort.
I can inject this directly into the wound, it'll begin the healing process. I'll have to go in, and spot-treat around the remaining in-tact skin once everything kicks in.
Holding the syringe in one hand, May reached around for one of Thirteen's arms. They didn't fight the process. Their limbs shook, which was not a good sign.
Let's see... Pulse is high... Good still a strong radial... Adrenaline is still kicking. That's not going to last long. Maybe if I can pull out some morphine. Do I have time for that? No. I have another patient somewhere.
"You're going to feel a prick and then nothing at all, alright?"
Thirteen grunted in response. May lifted the dressing and injected her blood into the exposed tissue. That was all she could do at the moment.
She tried her best not to press her gloves against the pink flesh, avoiding as much touching as possible. May plucked some medical tape out from her bag and secured the dressing to Thirteen's back.
Quickly, she took some vital indicators. May needed a number to grasp onto. Thirteen's blood pressure was low, but in two minutes, it managed to level again. A more energetic pulse was present.
She picked up her backpack, moving around Thirteen to face them again. Beyond the splintered helmet, May caught their eyes, shrouded in darkness. Panic became relief. The internal clock shifted. Forty minutes added for Thirteen.
Neutralize.
May switched her gloves, her words quick. "I have to move on, but the stretcher bots will take you outside. You—"
She pointed to one of the pro-heroes. She couldn't remember who it was, but it didn't matter.
"—Monitor their condition. If anything changes, yell for me. I'll meet you outside."
Move on.
May didn't wait for a response, she pulled down her mask and headed toward the next group of gathered pro-heroes. Who was it? At the center? Who was so injured that their faces contorted in disgust?
Locate.
Eraserhead?
The other pro-heroes helped him down. The first body scan indicated grievous injuries. Pale skin, arms hyperextended. Red. May's facial expression hardened, swallowing down a feeling of regret. The numbers in her mind dropped.
I should've gotten to him first. He's in worse shape than I could've foreseen... My logistical mistake... Fuck, I didn't triage right. I... I forgot to card first... I shouldn't have spent so much time... What happened? Was he crushed?
"Hey, Eraserhead? Can you hear me?" May asked, simultaneously throwing down her bag.
There wasn't much of a response back. The other pro-heroes didn't know what to do, they just stood around. Typical bystander behavior. You would think they'd know something... Ah, never mind! I have to focus—
May whipped out a pen from her pocket. She lifted a limp hand, pressing the pen hard on the nail bed. His fingernails were caked with dirt and dried blood. No, not dried. It was all fresh, seeping down onto the ground below. May waited for something, anything, pressing harder. There was a groan of pain, a response.
"Good, good," May muttered to herself. Lifting her mask back up, it was on to the next step. Figuring out the extent of his injuries.
Moving her hands to his head, she pressed. Immediate skull depression. The bone was loose against her fingertips. It was impossible to see underneath all of his black hair. She pulled her hands away, scarlet red accompanying them.
What are the extent of his skull injuries? I shouldn't press anymore here... I could seriously disrupt something. Okay... what about the face?
May's fingers pressed gently on the orbital bone right beneath his eyes. Another depression. Prickling under her fingers, shattered remnants of his eye socket shifted. His face was blood stained, lines of red racing down the sides of his face like warrior paint.
I can fix that. I know I can. It's going to need extra work on my end, though. I can't sit here and dwell on it. I have to keep moving.
Nothing, no changes along his neck which was incredibly lucky. She got down to his arms. Both were wrecked, fleshy, completely exposed. May could see the blood pulsing through his veins, leaking out onto his sleeve. White bone peeked out underneath tendons and muscle, cracked and falling to pieces.
What the hell kind of injury is this? It's like it's— Okay, okay, no time to think about that. Stop bleeding. That's first. What's the best way? His head is still wounded, that needs to be wrapped. But the depressions, the cracks.
She started on the elbows first, gently pressing a large piece of gauze on the injury site. Then, wrapping to the best of her ability. It had to be fast. She had to get to the head.
But she needed a second. A second to think. Just one. The clock wouldn't let her think, it kept ticking downwards. Down. Down. Down.
If I can immediately inject into his neck, it can work on refusing the bones while I wrap. It'll provide security. If I could just—
His finger twitched, grazing her coat sleeves. It was small. Her eyes skated over toward the source, his face contorting for a moment. So much pain. May didn't stop moving, in fact, pushing harder.
"That's it. You're doing great. Keep hanging on," May said, her voice low and calm. She took out a syringe filled with her blood.
Kneeling over him, she found his carotid. It shouldn't be this difficult to find, but it was. Weak, but fast. Shock.
His blood pressure must be dropping.
Her golden hour was almost up. Rolling Aizawa towards herself, she used her fingers to find the right spot along his neck, running over each bump. There was a specific spot along his spine that would allow instantaneous transfusion. She just had to get to the right cervical structure...
C1...
C3...
C5...
C7... There!
May plunged the needle into his neck with precision. She was running out of time, but her hands remained slow and methodical. Holding pressure on the spot, she continued to examine his head, gently rolling him back over.
The right eye. There's severe damage surrounding it. I... I'll have to do some spot work. Is there any way I can keep it from scarring?
The effects of her injection were immediate. As she started wrapping his head, finding the bloody spots, she saw twitches and felt the depressions lift. No more loose movement.
His teeth grit more, his jaw flexed. Aizawa muttered incoherent things, his eyes moving underneath the lids. They would blink every so often and then close for a longer time.
Forty minutes added.
Neutralize.
"The police are here; do we have everything in order?"
With the help of the stretcher-bots, May managed to move Aizawa. She checked his pulse and blood-pressure while he rested, ignoring the sounds of sirens wailing in the distance. It was headed toward a healthy range.
A steady radial pulse, no longer cool to the touch.
Good.
Move on.
Snipe walked up to May and she lowered her mask to speak to him. "This should keep him stable, but he requires extra care. I can't do that here."
"I'll wait with 'im. I think you got a couple more down there with Cementoss," Snipe said.
"Alright, when more help arrives—" May said, slinging her open backpack over her shoulder. "Let me know, I'll meet you outside soon."
"Aye, Doc."
"Wait." May looked to the small robot following her. It was doing its job the whole time, scanning and collecting data for later usage. "MEBO-1, transfer leadership to Snipe."
"Located in pro-hero database number one?"
"Yes. Follow Snipe and monitor patient T-One and T-Two."
"Confirm by repeating name, Kataoka May."
"Kataoka May."
She was off.
Locate.
May removed her gloves while heading toward the cement wall. The whole situation was chaotic, much more so than an emergency room. She, at least, had a team. Meeting halfway with the Cement Hero, May rolled her shoulders.
"What else you got for me?" She asked, pulling out the third pair of gloves in her pocket.
"See for yourself."
The wall was tall enough to block any outsider viewing. May peered around the corner.
All Might and... Midoriya?! A kid! Both... yellow.
She flipped her backpack open to one side, so it rested on the front of her chest. All Might, completely zapped and swaying like a thin sheet of paper in the wind, managed to stay standing. Pulling out a packet of blood, she shoved it into his hand.
"You know what to do."
He didn't respond; he just chugged. May approached the green-haired teen on the ground, taking in the condition of his legs. They were broken and twisted in so many different directions. She had no idea how he was still conscious.
"Hey, Midoriya. Legs this time, huh?" May said, her tone unchanging from monotony.
"Doc... Doctor!"
He's talking. Airway clear. But, he's in pain. They all are.
May worked on his vitals, watching his breathing. The teen was rambling about God knows what and she nodded along absently.
Everything was heightened due to exercise, but otherwise, nothing was alarming. Fast, bounding pulse. Her quirk could fix this with ease.
"Can you do something for me?" May interrupted Midoriya's spiel. She hid a syringe by her thigh, hoping that trying to hold his stare would prevent any undue panic.
"I'll do... I'll do anything!" Midoriya had a determined expression on his face.
"Okay." May moved the syringe slowly. "Be brave. I'm going to inject you with the same materials you've had to drink before. It'll work faster and I—"
"Same material? What material? Inject? Doctor... I... What're you talking about?"
I'm so bad at talking to teenagers. He just has to listen to me.
"Yes. I want you to inhale right now."
The teenager did as May asked. It kept him from asking more questions.
"On three, exhale with me, okay?"
He nodded.
"One... two... three."
They exhaled together while she completed the injection. He trembled for a moment, watching her and then relaxed.
May forced a tight smile. "Good job being brave."
Why is everything I say so robotic? Gah, it doesn't matter! No time to think about it now.
Stretcher-bots arrived, and Midoriya was loaded. Using some quick splints, May took the opportunity to properly align his legs so her quirk would fix everything at a much faster rate. Rudimentary, but it worked.
Neutralize.
May turned to All Might, who was already standing straighter.
Move on.
"I have to go check on the others," she said to him while zipping up her backpack. "If you wait for me in the Recovery Room, I'll be back soon. I have to speak to Nezu about arrangements."
"You mean, you don't know?" All Might asked, starting to walk alongside the stretcher as it moved. They were beginning to walk toward a different exit, one that would skirt around the other heroes and students.
"Don't know what?" May asked, getting off of her knee.
"I thought he discussed this with you." He winced. "All patients on school grounds are under your care. They've probably sent them back to the main campus already."
They... what?
May blinked.
My patients... I left them... My patients!
May felt her arms splay out to her sides. She nodded to All Might, her finger shaking erratically as she tried to conjure words. I must've forgotten those discussions. How could I forget something so important? I—
"Alright... Um...—" Holy shit. "I'll... I'll meet you there... Okay?"
May stumbled as she sprinted back toward the main entrance. She made it outside, looking through the growing number of cops. Stretchers. Why don't I see any stretchers?
"Dr. Kataoka!"
I'm going to rip that mouse in—
"Your ride is here," the Principal said, standing next to a detective.
"When did we ever discuss hospital arrangements?" May said breathlessly, trying to keep her voice down in front of the students. She pushed back strands of hair, exhaling as her eyes searched through the police cars.
It was the first time during the whole event where her voice began to rise. "More importantly, where—?"
The Principal kept a smile on his face. "My apologies, Doctor. It was in the contract you signed. To avoid media attention, especially today, we wanted to keep this under wraps."
May's gaze was anywhere but the mouse, spinning on her heel.
"I... I don't..." May shook her head, scrunching her face in frustration. "Patients. Where are my patients?"
"With the help of your robot, they've been constantly monitored. Both rapidly improved in the span of minutes and were stable enough to travel! Absolutely astounding." The Principal's eyes sparkled while he spoke. "They're heading back to the school in an unmarked vehicle. We have one for you too if you—"
Her clock, still in the red, pounded louder in her head.
"Take me there. Now."
—
—
When May entered her office, after sprinting for what felt like the fortieth time that day, she was greeted by Snipe and Midnight. Without much more thought, she gloved up again and attached her mask to her ears.
Twenty minutes. She had twenty minutes to get to her patients and stabilize them further.
"MEBO-1, quick report," May said, practically ignoring the other heroes in the room. Heroes were exhausting her. They were just...
"Patients in moderately stable condition. Vitals are within normal range for multiple trauma survivors. No noticeable fluctuations. Treatment plan eighty-five percent successful for T-One. Treatment plan seventy percent successful for T-Two."
What I expected, I'll have to go in more precisely and see if I can arrange anything. I'll have to use some heavy sedation without compromising the airway. What can I do about that? I know I'm going to need a set of sterile tools. Alright, let's get started on that. My hands, I need to wash them—
"Doctor?" Midnight's voice rang out over her thoughts.
May snapped her attention back, realizing she had gotten up and threw off her coat. She was in a tank top, soapy water halfway up her elbow. May cleared her throat.
"Yes?"
"Is there anything else we can do?" Midnight's face softened; her voice quiet. She looked toward the hospital beds. "Your bots told us how to hook up some of the monitors."
The beeping hadn't even dawned on May. She dried her hands, replacing her gloves and grabbing a new mask. The other one had dirt on it.
"They did?"
Of course they did, dumbass. You programmed them. Monitor, talk, scan, direct. That's their purpose.
"Yes," Midnight said and stood more confidently. "We can stay and help you."
May opened one of the cabinets. She opened the sterilization machine, using the edge of the tray to pull out various tools. More time added.
Unfortunately, she was going to have to get in there. Small syringes, little scalpels, the works.
May pulled up her mask, so it was over her mouth again, speaking through it. "You have a strong stomach?"
Complete silence, Midnight and Snipe exchanged eye-contact. Midnight had a growing grimace, which she was desperately trying to hide.
Snipe's head downturned. "I think I gotta tap out, Doc. I ain't got the chops for this."
"Never asked you to stay. I was kidding," May said, but none of her words were right. Instead, the other two pro-heroes laughed nervously. She tried to recover from her deadpan statement.
How do they feel right now? Responsible? Confused? Upset? You're not their mental health provider, May. Just... I don't even know... Um. Dismiss them?
"I'll be alright. They're stable."
The two pro-heroes left. May sat down on a rolling stool. Her back screamed at her, telling her it was time for bed. She ignored it. Before starting on detailed work, May began pain management sequences and proper sedation. Waking up while replacing bones would be less than pleasant.
After working with fluids and medications, she reached for her magnification glasses.
Hah, double glasses.
Hiroto used to make so much fun of her double glasses.
May shook her head, purging the thought. She sighed and stared down at Aizawa. Even in an unconscious state, he looked like he despised her.
"Hey, Eraserhead. How about Aizawa? Is that better?" May spoke softly, lifting up his arm. Now that she got a better look, under better lights, it was completely shattered.
She unwrapped the arm. Her quirk was working, but it struggled. She pulled out a small pair of tweezers, trying to look between the layers of skin and trying to spot bone fragments that lodged themselves in the wrong places.
"Who on Earth did this to you?" May asked her unconscious patient, a delicate piece of bone gripped tight in her tweezers. "This isn't even broken—"
She held up the bone fragment toward a light provided by MEBO-1. It was shaved along the sides. In fact, all of the fragments were granulating into pieces. The bones started to fuse back together with assistance from her quirk once properly placed, but it was... strange.
"—It's completely disintegrated."
The door jingled. All Might stumbled in, followed by a stretcher carrying Midoriya. He was sitting up straight, talking away about the events that had transpired. May continued to work on Aizawa's arm.
"Come in, choose a bed."
"Sounding chipper, Doctor Kataoka," All Might joked, letting loose a cough.
"Careful, Toshinori." May plucked out another piece of bone. "You may actually start believing it."
After wrapping up Aizawa's arm, May took off her magnification glasses and pulled down her mask. She looked between All Might and Midoriya.
"How are we feeling?" she asked.
"My legs don't even hurt anymore," Midoriya said. The scratches on his face had disappeared. "I can actually move them!"
Toshinori sighed. "Feeling as fine as I can."
In the meantime, May prepared two drinks for them both. She bandaged any spots that had gone untreated. A detective even stopped by, but May wasn't paying attention.
With curtains drawn, she was working on Aizawa's other arm. Her intravenous transfusions for both heroes assisted, even though she was using blood that wasn't as fresh.
Midoriya and All Might had small discussions while they rested on their chosen hospital beds. Occasionally, they would ask for May's opinion. She would give them an open-ended one, without much thought. It would keep them talking between themselves.
Eventually, when conversations waned and the sun lowered in the sky, Midoriya's mother arrived at the school.
"Hello, Mrs. Midoriya," May said, meeting her outside the office.
"I apologize for my son. He's been... such a trouble-maker lately. Hurting himself so much," she said and wrapped a finger around her dark hair.
"Your son is just fine," May said absentmindedly. Her brain was back in the Recovery Room, ready to continue on her detailed work. "I have some more instructions printed for you. Call me if anything changes. I'll be there."
They parted ways, Midoriya waving to May.
She entered her office again. The wave of exhaustion kept coming. With a large iron boat of will, May staved it off. Leaning against the wall for a moment, she heard All Might again.
"Is there an award for 'Toughest Doctor I Know'? Because you've earned it," Toshinori said through sputtering coughs.
May opened her eyes, putting her mask back on. "I haven't earned anything."
"Why are you so hard on yourself?" he asked, watching her open the curtain again. She had a new tray of tools in hand. "You're not even a pro-hero, and you kept up with them."
"I didn't have a choice. I had to do my job. If it meant running a mile or two, I would."
"You did run at least two."
"Don't remind me," she said and smiled from behind her mask, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, I've got your pills and the sheer will to live!" Toshinori turned on his hero-voice for a moment.
May snorted, shaking her head. "If death-defiance was a person, I'm certain it would be you."
There was a pause. May held the curtain open, still.
Should I ask this? Is it my place? I... What did all of this? What's the cause? I have to know.
"Wait, Toshinori?"
He stopped at the doorway.
"Who did this to them?" May asked, motioning toward the two heroes in hospital beds. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"
"Villains, Dr. Kataoka." He rested against the frame. "It's been quiet for too long, and a federation has formed. As for why?"
May's gloved hands rubbed together. A league of villains? Why? What do they want? Whatever, not my fight. But...
"Yes." Her curiosity got the best of her. "Why?"
There was hesitation. May could tell he was thinking about something. He even opened his mouth and closed it again.
"I... I don't know."
"Well..." May didn't think too hard about his hesitation, or the growing look of concern scrawling across his features. She had more important things to worry about. "I hope they figure it out soon, so this doesn't happen again."
"Me too. Good-bye, Doctor."
"Take care of yourself, Toshinori."
The door closed, and May settled back into her chair.
The clock wasn't stopping. She still had work to do.