Walking through the calm hallway leading to where Danny's bedroom is, Hansel passed through a couple of moving bystanders, some of whom greeted him with smiles on their faces, but Hansel wanted to respond back at them.
The head doctor himself is currently too preoccupied with thoughts of the boy he just spoke with, Toby, and the cruel fate that befell him to give much attention to anything else other than dealing with the bullies responsible for his torment that caused such an innocent child to suffer needlessly.
He can't imagine the horrific things bullies are capable of doing to another person, especially if it's a child who doesn't have the strength or maturity to defend themselves.
Truly heartbreaking subject to think about, "Ugh..." Groaning under his breath, he shook his head from the morbid thoughts that kept swirling in his mind. "What should I do with them?" While the supposed twins are responsible for the kid's condition, he still doesn't know what kind of punishment he wishes to bring them.
As a good man who adopts the philosophy of being humanitarian, he doesn't have the strength to kick anyone under his care. Its borderline insanity for him to do such a thing no matter how much he dislikes those who hurt each other.
"I can't let them get away with this," thinking aloud, he tried his best to think of other alternatives to making a peaceful solution to stopping their bullying ways: "I'll just talk to them," a final and easy solution for anyone currently in his position:They're just kids, dumb and irresponsible children."
Yes, that should be his first priority: to have a proper conversation with Michael and Mikey and make them understand the gravity of their actions and the consequences of hurting others. In that way, no one gets physically harmed, and they will learn a valuable lesson from him.
Its tactic he believes will work better than just beating the crap out of them or yelling at the duo in the top of his lungs, as fighting aggression with aggression will lead to nothing but more problems in the future.
Finally arriving outside his friend's room, Hansel paused for a moment, his hand on the door knob, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. This is going to be a tough conversation, but he's confident he can handle it.
Most people these days don't want to deal with adopting children or pets under their care for many reasons that vary from person to person. Luckily for Toby, however, the head doctor knows Danny will accept his simple request, regardless of how stupid it sounds.
Taking care of someone is a lot of work, especially when Danny is already doing that with Unity. Although Hansel never thought of asking him to adopt another child before, it is something he would consider as long as his friend agrees with his decision.
Pushing open the door gently, he stepped inside, calling out for his friend, "Danny?" softly speaking his name in the open, hoping he's not busy with anything else right now. "We need to talk," but his eyes immediately landed on the unconvinced young man.
Alongside the unexpectedly frightened young woman who is constantly trying to wake him up as she keeps shaking his shoulders vigorously, "Unity?! What happened to him?!" In panic, he rushed towards Danny, who is currently lying on the floor on his back, before kneeling down at his side and saying, "hey!"
Grabbing his friend's wrist, he checked his wrist to see if there was any pulse. "He's alive, thank God," he said, breathing a sigh of relief after noticing the appropriate pulse rate for a human being who is alive and well.
Hansel had almost called his fellow coworkers to bring Danny into the emergency room due to his current state; however, feeling the pulse helped him to calm down a bit. "What...what happened here?" Asking the girl who is still shaking him endlessly, Unity was never paying attention to anything other than the young man on the gorund until Hansel started talking to her.
"Unity, stop," he said softly, placing his hands over hers, "it's okay, he's alright," reassuring her, "just let go for a second; I need to check him further," and asking her to release Danny's body from her tight grip.
Hearing her name being called, she immediately stopped and turned to look at him with an inquisitive gaze. "Ahh?" Confused, frightened, and alarmed, Unity doesn't understand what the man is trying to say, but reading the tone of his voice, including the body language being displayed before her eyes, she was able to get an idea that he's trying to help Danny somehow.
"Ohhh," like a special needs person, she nodded slowly in understanding. "Danny," she whispered, looking down at the unmoving figure of the young man.
Seeing her relaxed and calm, Hansel smiled at the young woman before focusing back on checking Danny's vital signs. "Yes, Danny," he muttered in response, relieved to find no serious injuries.
"His fine; I just need to check more of his current condition," prompting the girl to give him some space so he could examine him properly. "You did good, Unity," praising her for acting quickly in response to the situation. "He's lucky to have you watching over him," remarking upon their unique bond.
Feeling his positive response targeted towards her, she nodded happily with a smile of her own as she moved a little bit backwards to give the doctor some space with her knees sliding along the cold floor.
"Mraaa!" Letting out a joyful answer, placing her complete trust in the blond man's expertise in helping Danny recover from whatever happened to him, "Danny mraaaa!" she said again, this time with more emphasis on his name while pointing towards him, gesturing how desperate she is to know his condition.
Raising brow, "I'm going to start okay?" Despite not clearly understanding what Unity is communicating through her sounds and gestures, Hansel understood the urgency behind her actions before beginning his work as a licensed medical doctor.
Starting first with putting his ear onto the young man's chest, "hmm," studying further, he quickly felt the chest rising and falling, a good sign that Danny is indeed alive and well. However, that still doesn't explain what caused him to be lying on the floor in the first place.
Moving his ear to where the mouth is, he waited another ten seconds while deeply analyzing the breathing pattern before turning his head to look at Unity. "He's conscious, but not awake just yet," he explained to her, "proba just knocked out from the lack of sleep," a reasonable assumption based on the scene before him, "we should still check if there are any possible anomalies,a cautionary tone evident in his voice,just to be safe."
Using his right hand, he put two of his fingers, the thumb and index, towards one of Danny's closed eyes before opening them.
"Non-rapid eye movement sleep," he answered, surprise iced over his face, "not expected, given the state he was in when I found him," observing Danny's frozen pupil with utmost concentration, "it seems his currently having a disconnected dream," conclusion drawn from the young man's brain activity, "or maybe even a nightmare," possibility that crossed his mind.
"Either way, his too deep in his subconscious to wake up naturally anytime soon," truth that Hansel had to accept, "let's just hope it's a nice dream," praying for the best outcome, "and not something terrifying."
Whatever his dreaming, Hansel knows his friend is currently in stage 3 NREM sleep, a light slumber phase characterized by very slow brain waves, relaxation of muscles, and so on.
This is a crucial period for physical restoration, memory consolidation, and emotional processing. It's also a vulnerable state, making Danny more susceptible to outside forces, as regardless of what they do, people in this stage have a difficult time waking up. Although it nonetheless reassures him, their friend is alive and well.
" His dreaming somewhat," the head doctor said to the girl, his gaze meeting her confused eyes, "deep asleep, currently his brain is active, working through things in his mind," trying to explain this complex psychological phenomenon in simple terms, "like processing memories or emotions, or even creating new ideas," elaborating further, "in this stage, his body is repairing itself, building strength, and learning," summarizing the benefits of this vital sleep phase, "so we just need to give him time to sort it out by itself."
She nodded quickly, understanding his words to some extent: "Mraa...raaa..." Replying worriedly despite the reassurance offered, "Danny!"
She insisted, while assured the man laying down on the ground is alive, that Unity is still concerned about his condition, after having seeing him fall unconscious without any apparent reason, expressing how anxious she is for him to wake up as soon as possible, for her heart still ices over with fear whenever thinking about the moment he collapsed.
Hansel placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know it's scary, Unity," he said softly. "I promise you, Danny is fine as I say this," offering her a gentle smile. "Just let him rest." Smiling warmly to ease her worries, he then turned his attention back to Danny, observing him closely.
"Let him rest for now," reassuring the girl once more before standing up. "Come on, I would like to show you some delicious food we got yesterday. Everyone is currently eating in the cafeteria. Want to join us?"
The offer seemed to lift her spirits instantly. "Mhmmm!" Unity exclaimed before standing up with both of her feet touching the floor as she bounced up and down excitedly at the prospect of eating some real food for once.
For her to hear something outside of her usual routine, it was always nice to have such a distraction. In addition to moving away and having to eat left-over debris and molded or rotting food she often finds around this deserted world, the very idea of freshly cooked meals is a dream come true.
Extending his hand towards her, he then said, "Take my hand." Hansel kindly requested, "I'll help you walk there," offering assistance to someone who needs guidance. Its important duty as a doctor to help the less unfortunate get through their lives, and Unity is no exception.
"Come on, let's go get our feet going," encouraging her to take a step with him, which she was hesitating at first after she laid her eyes on the sleeping form of the young man, "his fine," putting on a soft tone of voice to ease her worries.
Glancing down at Danny and then his hand repeatedly, she finally took a deep breath before finally placing her palm atop his, agreeing silently and trusting the doctor's judgment.
She allowed herself to be led outside of the room, leaving the unconscious Danny behind as they headed into the cafeteria, where the smell of food was wafting through the air, enticing their senses and filling their bellies with hope for the future and the promise of something better than the harsh reality they live in.
The only regret both of them have is not bringing Danny along with them. They sighed and hoped that he would wake up soon, feeling guilty for leaving him alone but knowing it's for the best.
The knowledge of knowing he is alive is what matters most right now, and so they decide to push on, hoping for a brighter day ahead.
As the two walked side by side, the sound of their footsteps echoed through the busy halls, yet in each other's company, they found a fleeting sense of comfort that people will always find a way to make themselves comfortable and happy.
It is nice to feel a bit of normality in this desolate place, a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is still beauty to be found, and it is precisely those moments that keep us all going, one step at a time, towards a future that seems increasingly uncertain, yet somehow still holds a glimmer of hope. Or that is what he himself believed it to be.
