SSD II: Keenan

49. Shift

They should have been out there. They should have been out there looking for their daughter. They should have been out there right now, but instead they were waiting in a hospital for news on the murderer they happened to be taking care of at the moment. Any attempts Aizawa made to leave so he could make a start on kicking doors down to find their child were quickly shut down by the tightening of Yamada's grip on his hand. The blonde hadn't let go since last night and Aizawa didn't have the heart to yank his way out of it.

He couldn't understand why Yamada didn't want to be out there too, doing something now rather than waiting uselessly, helplessly. Their daughter was in danger. Why did they even care if Silver was fine or not?

Recovery Girl had come in as soon as Aizawa called and she'd sat dutifully with the couple as they waited to find out if Silver's surgery was a success or not. Apparently, the stab wound to her right side had been made with a plastic knife that shattered when it hit her hip bone. Fortunately, the bone itself was undamaged, unfortunately, plastic chips were stuck inside her. But the doctors had removed all of it without any complications, all three wounds were stitched and Silver was left to rest with no visitors allowed.

Chiyo, as a nurse, was an exception to that rule. She'd entered the room an hour after the surgery and hadn't left yet. Aizawa and Yamada had no idea what was going on. They were both falling apart knowing their daughter was out there, and while Aizawa wanted to go and do something right now, Yamada was doing his damnedest to keep his head on straight. They weren't going to find Eri breaking down doors, kicking ass and taking names. Silver knew these people the best, she'd know, and she'd be as desperate to help as Aizawa and Yamada were. The blonde knew it, so they'd wait, they'd wait for her.

Aoki Masae, though only sporting a few minor burns, was also in the hospital. She'd been given a room and asked not to leave the premises because of an irregularity in her blood the hospital wanted to check over before discharging her, but she was healthy enough to go for a walk. It wasn't hard to spot Eraserhead and the famed Present Mic in the waiting area, she hurried over to them quickly.

Yamada stood as soon as he saw the woman. "Aoki." Tears brimmed in her eyes and he gave her a tight hug. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head lightly. "Just a few bumps and bruises, would've been a lot worse if Silver hadn't been there— that knife was aimed at me." She sniffled, trying to blink back her tears. "Is she alright?"

Yamada nodded, giving the woman a reassuring smile.

She sighed in relief, trying to wipe away the few tears that had already fallen. "She fought so hard but, she just wasn't strong enough to protect Eri."

Aizawa stood abruptly, already walking away. Yamada looked between him and the woman for a moment. "Um sorry, I'm just-"

"Go, go, of course, I'm in room one-oh-four if you want to talk," she said, already ushering the man after his husband.

"Thanks."

Yamada hurried after Aizawa, he didn't know what was wrong— aside from the obvious— but he was going to find out just as soon as he caught up with him.

"Sho!" he called from down the corridor. Aizawa didn't respond, he didn't even slow down, leading Yamada to jog to keep up with his fast strides. "Sho, wait!" But the blonde's beloved ignored his calls. Aizawa kept walking away, as fast as he could, he didn't care that this was a hospital, he didn't give a damn that his husband was calling him, he cared that his daughter was out there somewhere, scared and alone. "Sho!" Finally, Yamada got there, he stood in front of the other, one arm firmly on his shoulder so he couldn't leave. "What's wrong?"