Frozen Wings

Chapter 23

Hawks' POV

"Alright. Todoroki's out of surgery and unconscious until the anesthesia wears off." Storms took off her gloves. I sat on a chair outside of the UA surgery room, bouncing my leg anxiously.

"I-Is he-"

"He's fine, Takami. He'll just need a bit of time to recover, like any procedure. Speaking of, are you ready for yours?" She looked at me intently. I swallowed the lump in my throat, nodding. I had been warned of the risks if this didn't work. I would either have full control of my wing as if nothing had ever happened, or I'd be grounded permanently with severe back pain. It was a 50/50 chance that I was willing to take. I nodded, standing up.

Storms led me onto the operating table, which had been adjusted so I could lay on my stomach without suffocating myself. It was like one of those chairs at massage places, with the headrest having a hole in the middle, but obviously more suited for surgery, since it was an operating table and not a chair at all.

She gave me a few minutes alone to strip down to my underwear and slip into a hospital gown. I laid stomach first onto the operating table, my head to one side so I could listen to Storms before I was knocked out.

Storms came back into the room, Recovery Girl with her. She walked over so she could see my face. Her brows creased with worry as she saw me. My friend gently picked up my hand, holding it in hers. She rubbed her thumb against the back of my hand.

"You'll be alright, Takami. There's no need to worry." She murmured, giving me a comforting smile.

"I'm scared..." I admitted. I had grown up with a Quirk my entire life, and if this was it... I didn't know what I was going to do afterwards.

"I know you are. I can tell. But that's okay. You've got a lot on the line here, which is why I spent so long making sure my ice was perfected before I tried this. If it makes you feel any better, remember I did this to Todoroki first." She said.

That's right. She used the same type of ice to heal his paralysis. She loves that kid like he's her own. There's no way she'd risk making him worse if she wasn't sure this would work.

I reminded myself. I winced as Recovery Girl put the needle for the anesthetic in my arm.

"Have you ever gone under before?" Storms asked.

"No."

"Well, I have. And it's kinda nice. It's like an escape from reality. No dreams, good or bad to interrupt you. And when you wake up, I'll be right here. You'll be sore but that's it. We administer the pain medications while you're unconscious so it won't hurt when you wake up." She explained.

I felt a little better, but was still nervous. I had heard of people going under for the first time only to find out they were allergic to the anesthesia and have it kill them.

"Hey, how about this. Once you're awake enough I'll do a movie marathon with you, and we can get all the fried chicken you want." She offered. I smiled, feeling drowsy.

"Yes..." I replied, too tired to think of a full answer. Storms chuckled lightly, making me feel better as I slipped into unconsciousness.

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I blinked, the lights way too bright for my liking, even if my head was tilted to the side with me laying on my stomach rather than my back. My throat hurt like hell. I groaned, fingers twitching as I woke up.

I want Storms... where's Storms...

I felt tears start to well up in my eyes.

"Takami? You awake?" Her sweet voice broke into my thoughts. I groaned again to get her attention.

"Hang on." She adjusted me so I was on my side. I had been moved to the recovery room. Storms crouched down to my level so I could look her her in the eyes.

"Aw, Takami, why're you crying?" She gently wiped the tears out of my eyes. I wanted to tell her but my throat was sore so I just blinked.

"Your throat must hurt. Don't worry, you don't have to tell me right now." She smiled warmly.

I shakily reached out to grab her hand. She noticed, meeting me halfway. I felt calmer afterwards, closing my eyes.

"Get some rest." She murmured. My eyes shot open as I panicked that she would leave.

"I'm not going anywhere! It's okay." She squeezed my hand once, not letting go. At this point it wasn't helping. I whimpered softly. Storms sighed, standing up for a minute. She lifted me up so I was further towards the edge, then sat down on the bed, picking me up and putting me on herself. I laid on my side, nuzzling my head into her neck. She wrapped one arm around my lower torso, the other around my shoulders so she could rest her hand on my head. I closed my eyes, letting out a shuddering breath. Storms gently ran her fingers through my hair. I felt safe in her arms.

My heartbeat slowed down as my anxiety faded. "I promised I wouldn't leave." She murmured. I nuzzled into her further, pulling my legs onto her lap so I could curl into a ball. Storms picked up a blanket at the end of the bed by using her ice to grab it. She opened the fluffy blanket up, covering my entire body, not bothering to share the blanket with herself.

"I'm sorry I was never very kind to you. I shouldn't have been so cruel when I first met you. It's just... I find it hard to trust people. But that doesn't give me the right to be so mean. I'm so sorry." She apologized. I opened my mouth to speak, only managing to get out a squeak.

Storms chuckled. I felt the rumble in her chest, which only made me feel safer. I closed my eyes again, pressing my head against her neck.

Thank you Storms. Thank you.