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The sterile scent of medicine, latex and plastic surrounded Casper's senses with a soft foundation finding itself beneath his frame. An immense pain echoed throughout his body only moments after consciousness returned, his fingers gently tracing the softness below. He noted that his right arm was very hard to move and more so to manage, though it was still attached. The pain reminded him of that. How did he get here? Speaking of which, where was he? Trying to open his eyes offered a blurry image quickly overtaken by strong lights. The hospital? He had to be there. What about the other guy? The insane Evo he had fought? [color=00aeef][i]"Shit really went down..."[/i][/color] Trying to regain his senses was a difficult task. How long had he been out? There was no telling much time had passed since that fight. Yes, the fight. It's what put him here, wasn't it? [color=00aeef][i]"Freya..."[/i][/color] A familiar name made its way through the boy's mind, jabbing at him like a serrated knife. [color=00aeef][i]"Why do I care so much about a person I just met...? Why does she care about me? I don't know what's real and what's a game...I don't know what to believe...I don't know who's an enemy and who's an ally..."[/i][/color] Trying yet again to open his eyes, now more used to the light, Casper managed to make out a few shapes. One of them was moving, footsteps reaching his ears in tune with the blurry image. 

"How is he doing?" That voice, it was Donna. Where was she? The voice came from the left, high heels making their way into the room. 

"He is stable." The blurry image returned, another female voice. "I'll get the doctor, Mrs. Everose." 

"Please." Donna nodded, sitting down on a chair next to her adoptive son. 

Soon after the blurry image from before, probably a nurse, left the scene, Mile's voice could be heard as well. "Don't worry, dear. I am sure the boy will be fine."

"One day, Miles." Donna shot back at the man. "He has been here for one day and he gets into trouble. Was this a mistake? Was adopting him a mistake?" 

"He protected Freya, my love. He protected everyone in that park. You saw the video." There was a video? Some asshole had actually filmed it? 

"He did, and I'm grateful." A heavy sigh left her lips. "But if he wasn't here, she wouldn't have been in that park."

"Everyone else would have, though." Miles rubbed his wife's shoulder lovingly before planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I am actually quite proud of him. You did a good thing, adopting a child from the backwaters of life. In turn, he saves people. This is good, Donna."

"Maybe so, but the news coverage on this will be a hassle to say the least." 

"Perhaps." Miles shrugged, approaching the new addition to his family. "He doesn't look like us, he doesn't act like us, he doesn't talk like us." The man chuckled softly, moving some bangs from the boy's forehead. "Sometimes I have a hard time understanding why you went through the trouble, Donna...but seeing Casper...I think we did the right thing."

"Truly?" Standing up, Donna joined her husband's side and looked down at the boy she now called a son. "Freya adores him." 

"He has been good to her for the brief time they've known each other. Yes, he's vastly different from us but perhaps that's a good thing. Freya seems to think so, and adopting a boy from the slums isn't exactly something you would have jumped at a few years ago." Miles managed another chuckle, softly placing his hand on Casper's chest to feel the boy's calm heartbeat.

"He is a good boy, but hopefully events like this won't be commonplace." 

"We live in a very chaotic world, love. I admit that I'm just happy he was there today. The alternative would have been a massacre." Miles finished before the doctor stepped into the room. An older man with thick, rimmed glasses approached the couple, a clipboard in hand as he gazed down at the barely conscious boy.

"Mr. and Mrs. Everose?" 

"Yes." Donna responded. 

"Casper has sustained damage to his ribs and right arm. He'll be fine, nothing is broken and all of his wounds are superficial but dangerous all the same. He can leave the hospital after he wakes up but keep a close eye on him. The police would also like to have a few words with the boy as I'm sure you both know." A painful flinch brought the group's attention back to the bed as they saw Casper slowly opening his eyes. He attempted to sit up but a jolt of pain shot through his body, making the feat a difficult one. He did however manage without falling back to the pillow. "Ah, welcome back." The doctor finished.

[color=00aeef]"Hi..."[/color]

"How are you feeling, dear?" Donna spoke up, giving the boy a gentle shoulder rub not to damage him further.

[color=00aeef]"I'm okay...how's Freya...?"[/color]

"She is fine, worried sick for you, but fine. She's at home." Miles added, crossing his arms as a soft smile met the boy. 

[color=00aeef]"That's good..."[/color] Tracing the bandages on his right arm, Casper managed a heavy sigh before his head dropped in defeat. [color=00aeef]"Sorry for makin' a mess...I know I screwed everythin' up..."[/color]

"Fifteen people at the park would offer a very different story." The doctor answered, rubbing his chin. "You're probably going to be in the spotlight for a while, Casper. You'll need all the rest you can get."

[color=00aeef]"The police wanna' talk to me...?"[/color]

"They do, but they've agreed to give you some time to recuperate. You should go home now, son." Stepping closer to the bed, the doctor motioned for Casper to place his feet on the floor. "Let's see if you can stand. Take your time, don't rush it." After a few attempts, the boy managed to fully stand albeit with Donna's help who held onto him as he did. Getting into his clothes required help as well, as awkward as it felt, but he wasn't going to be stubborn, not now.

"Can you walk?" Miles asked, his voice soft and serene as he tried to lead the boy towards the door.

[color=00aeef]"I'm okay..."[/color] Casper managed, following his new parents to the parking lot. It would feel good to go back home...yes, home. He needed to assure Freya of his health, after all. He also needed to meet up with that girl Riley again, hopefully under better circumstances. Most of all however, he needed to eat. Now that he got a chance to breathe, he could hear his stomach growling louder than any pain sustained from the fight he was in.