Everyone in the room remained silent, listening carefully to the doctor.
"Unfortunately it is still too early to tell how much the seizure might have hurt him. Yes, he could end up with some sequelae, but he could also come out of this situation unscathed."
Each time the doctor stopped talking, silence covered the room. The only sounds were those of the equipment connected to Ben.
"And when will we know if he has any degree of sequelae?" - said Gwen. Standing at her cousin's bedside, her crossed arms were an attempt to contain her anxiety and feel embraced at the same time.
"That we will only be able to tell when he wakes up."
Yes...
He wakes up.
Benjamin Tennyson was in a coma.
After the Brainstorm transformation went out of control, Ben was rescued by the medical team and brought to the Plumber's base. Grandpa Max also received first aid, but his physical injuries were less severe than previously thought.
"Any idea when this might happen?" asked Kevin. Leaning against the wall of the room, he avoided looking at his injured friend.
"We don't know. Some patients come back from coma in a matter of hours, others may take days," answered the doctor. "Unfortunately, there are reports of patients who only come back after years. It varies from patient to patient."
The doctor tried hard to comfort Gwen, Kevin and Grandpa Max. But he also knew that the family members needed to be fully aware of Ben's current state of health, so even if it was painful, the truth was ultimately much more necessary than unfounded hope.
"We will keep him under constant observation by our team. We will inform the family of any news."
"Thank you, Dr. Lünderg," said Gwen.
"If you have any questions, just call me. I'll leave you alone for now. Excuse me," and closed the bedroom door behind her.
Again, the only ones who were willing to engage in any conversation were the medical devices with their beeps and vuuucks.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Beep - did the heart monitor.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Beep.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Beep.
"It was my fault," Kevin began.
"Kevin, don't say that, it's nobody's fault," said Gwen.
"Tennyson can't take care of himself without his damn watch, Gwen, you know that!"
"It doesn't matter, Kevin!" a tear kept coming out "What happened, happened. Now we have to try to find a way to help him."
"How?"
"W-we..."
"Do you know how to operate on someone's brain?"
"No, but I can..."
"Fix neurons!?"
"N-n-no-"
"How are we going to help him then, Gwen, you tell me!"
"I don't know!" a tear escaped.
Kevin's tear escaped too.
"..."
"..."
Sitting in his companion's armchair, with a band around his forehead, Grandpa Max kept a constant dialogue with his thoughts. Sometimes the dialogue turned into a huge argument, with vulgar words and insults that would offend even the most peaceful of monks. But on the outside, his expression was serene and serious.
He then stood up and walked towards the door.
"Grandpa, where are you going?" said Gwen.
"I'm going to find Azmuth," he answered without turning around.
"One of us is going with yo-"
"No."
"But Grandpa..."
Max looked at his granddaughter. He didn't say a word. He waited for her intelligence to understand all the unspoken words that he would not be able to say.
Gwen understood.
"Be careful, please," she said at last.
"I will. Take care of Ben, and anything new... You already know."
"We'll let you know."
During the dialogue between grandfather and granddaughter, it was Kevin's turn to remain silent with his thoughts. As soon as Max Tennyson walked out the door, Kevin also finally decided what he was going to do:
"I'm leaving."
"Where are you going?"
"Behind Albedo."
"Don't be stupid, Kevin!"
"Relax, Gwen!"
"What do you mean, relax!?"
"I'm not going to confront him... I'm going to try to find out what he's planning."
A few seconds of silence before Gwen resumed speaking:
"Promise me."
"..."
"Kevin, I know you well enough to know that you will go after Albedo the first moment you meet him, so don't-"
"I promise."
"..."
"..."
"Let's go get him. Together," Gwen said.
"Why don't we go now?"
"I need to try something."
"Okay..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Be careful," Kevin said.
"You too," said Gwen.
Before closing the door, Kevin risked a glance at his friend. He nodded and left the room, heading for the base garage.
Gwen stood for a few minutes watching her cousin. All around her, the devices continued their rigidly obeyed symphony. The young woman uncrossed her arms, took hold of one of her cousin's hands, and said:
"You'll come out of this, Ben. I know you are. And I'm going to do everything I can to help you."
Gwen moved away from the bed and sat down in the companion chair. She crossed her legs and placed her hands in a meditative position. She closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them with a rosy light filling them.
His mind was no longer in the room.
It was traveling through space.
Through time.
Through dimensions.
It traveled paths unimaginable by the human mind.
Suddenly it stopped.
Gwen found herself in a corridor between bookshelves. The place had a high ceiling, with a beautifully adorned dome. She walked down the corridor until she reached a wide, elevated, well-lit area with only one table and one chair, already occupied.
Then she said:
"Hi, Charmcaster."