Reprogrammed (Hunter Angst)

The Third Day

TW: hospitals, medical procedures, and past abuse.

The paramedics told Darius that his kid had been very lucky in some ways, and unlucky in others. They'd finally stabilized him, and now a doctor was explaining logistics to a wrung out, beanie-clad Coven Head.

Hunter was lucky because he had thrown up some of the medication early on. He was unlucky because he was "extremely underweight", which meant that the high dose had a greater effect on his body. Hunter was lucky because Darius had found him so quickly, and had also wrapped him in a blanket, preventing medication induced hypothermia. If the adult had found him not ten minutes later, Hunter would have been dead.

Finally, the kid was unlucky because they couldn't neutralize the Alprazolam using another drug called Flumazenil due to the fact that Hunter was on an antidepressant. So, he was stuck in a coma.

Darius was in that hospital room every second he possibly could be. Camila followed suit, stopping by for any free moment she had when she wasn't working at the veterinary clinic.

"His vitals appear to be slowly but steadily improving. We're hoping to be able to extubate him tomorrow." The doctor explained to Darius. "He'll wake up when he's ready. It may also help to talk to him, maybe read to him. Coma patients often claim to have been able to hear the voices of loved ones while unconscious."

So, they talked to him all the time. Every one of Hunter's visitors did. They told him about the ongoing events of the Demon Realm, most of which involved Hexside.

Visitation took place on the third day of his hospitalization, when loved ones outside of family were finally allowed to come see the blonde. Practically everyone that knew Hunter from the Boiling Isles came to visit. Raine, Eda, and Eberwolf came by in the morning, the bard toting their violin. Eda listened as they played long, beautiful ballads for his small audience. Eberwolf snoozed on Hunter's stomach, not unlike a cat.

As Gus, Amity, Willow, Vee, and Luz arrived after a torturously long day of school, they were startled by what they saw. Hospital sheets nearly swallowed the boy as he laid still and relaxed in the bed. A host of various human machines and tubes traversed Hunter's body, providing various life sustaining services. The sight of the teenager so still and unmoving in bed made each of his friends cry almost immediately. The tube down his throat was the most heart-wrenching. It helped his chest rise; slow, even, artificial.

"Yo, great news dude! That bully, the one that targeted you in the bathroom, he... came forward, told his side of the story about how he targeted you. I guess you really actually knocked some sense into him!" Gus chipped in, trying to lighten the mood. "Bump wanted to apologize, said he misunderstood the situation. He wants to rescind your suspension!" Unsurprisingly, he was met with no reply, other than his friends' half-dazed nods. Gus's excited energy died off quickly, a terrible sadness filling the room.

"We really want you to wake up, Hunter. Nothing is the same without you." Willow spoke quietly after a lapse of silence, filled only by the beeping of various machines. A fresh round of tears started, and soon everyone was back to mournfully crying. Darius sat with his arms crossed in the corner, bitterly blinking back tears. He had not let himself cry since the start of the incident.

Camila came by just a few minutes after her teenagers left. Darius still sat in the hard, plastic hospital chair, stiff as a board when she walked into the room.

"Do you think they'd let me bring my armchair in? These chairs are awful. " The witch said through gritted teeth, by way of greeting. There was no real bite behind his words, but a bone-deep exhaustion laced every syllable. Camila laughed in reply; it was just as stiff.