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SDN is doing some charity work at a local hospital. It’s a more chill day helping around the hospital when needed. Robert is tagging along to also help, but most importantly to make sure none of his team does anything stupid.
So far it’s going great. The team is having a nice time and are actually doing this really well. Colm and Bruno are doing well with the kids in the pediatric wing of the hospital.
The more rowdy toddlers are climbing Bruno up like he’s a big jungle gym. He’s being extra careful with them though making sure they climb all safely.
Colm is making the kids laugh with his height and accent. They find him so hilarious whenever he puts up a little act. Best sound he’s heard in a long while if you asked him.
Janelle is surprisingly a calming presence for the little babies around. They seem to be mesmerized by her outfit and voice. She even calmed down a few of them when they were crying.
Victor and Malevola are keeping the old timers company. Listening to all of their stories from their youth and chiming in with their own experiences. Victor, to the demon’s dismay, impressed the geezers mentioning him achieving a Harvard degree.
Courtney could’ve been a nurse in another life or something with how fast she was around the hospital. She’s been getting equipment to people in a quick jog. She kinda game-ified it where she’s trying to break a record that doesn’t even exist.
Chad’s trying. He’s not too equipped for gentleness or being vulnerable like so many people here, but he’s fine with doing physical work. He can haul boxes of supplies in the storage room any day.
Alice has been just a big bright entertainer. She’s been singing and conversing with everyone. Doctors, nurses, interns, patients. Alice is just making everyone’s day with her energy.
Everyone is having a great time, except Herman.
Herman volunteered to do janitor duty. The other expected him to maybe work with the kids or at least something else, but default to his old job wasn’t one of them.
“I-I’m fine! Something familiar…y’know” he assured them all.
After checking up on everyone else Robert goes to check up on Herman. However, he can’t really find the guy in the main areas.
“Hey guys, have you seen Herm?” Robert goes to ask Chad, Courtney, and Alice since they’ve been on their feet around the hospital the most.
“Nope”
“Not at all”
“I passed him once. He was in the empty wing of the hospital around that way” Courtney said, point off in the distance. Strange.
“Okay, thanks guys” Robert left going in that direction. He walked and walked until he found himself in the quiet end of the hospital. Robert turned the corner to see Herm leaving a janitors closet. Mop and bucket right beside him.
“Hey Herm!” Robert called. It startled the lanky man making him jump.
“B-Boss! Robert,..I um mean Robert. Wha-What are you doing here so…f-far from the others?” He stuttered. More than he usually does. Only when he’s nervous to hell and back.
“I’m just checking up on you bud. Did I catch you stealing something?” Robert joked. He thought it would lighten Herm up, but he was still all tense up. From reading the room jokes didn’t seem like the best right now.
“You okay?” Herm didn’t respond. The grip on the mop became tighter as he looked down. Robert saw the prominent up and down of his chest as he breathed.
“I-It’s just…th-this place is just…um” Herm’s words died in his throat. Words that seemed too big for the thin man to communicate. Something Robert could relate to in a way. The dispatcher moved lessening the gap between them. A gentle yet firm hand is placed on Herm’s shoulder giving a reassuring squeeze.
“Hey you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Hospitals aren’t usually one to harbor the greatest of memories” Robert told him
“Yeah…don’t really like them that much” Herm muttered.
“That’s okay. If you want to be alone that’s fine, but I’m sure the rest of the team would like to see you with us. But no pressure, okay?” Herm gave it a small thought. A long pause of silence with only the hum of the lamps filling the sound.
“Okay…”
“Alright. Only if you want to” Robert and Herm made their trek back to the main hub of the hospital. Robert convinced the other to ditch the mop and bucket for a bit. Maybe help Colm out on entertaining the kids.
~~~
As they go down the to the main hall he sees Chad, Colm, Courtney, and Janelle talking to some of the young interns. They’re laughing about something and conversing about something.
“Hey guys look who I found” Robert smiled. The others turned around. Their eyes quickly went to Herm.
“You flooded this hospital wetrag?” Chad said so suddenly. The small sliver of comfort in Herm’s face disappeared so quickly. His grey-ish blue eyes went wide, brow furrowed in confusion and panic, and his smile downturned into a slight frown.
“What? What are you guys talking about?” Robert asked clearly confused at the question.
“Interns said that Herman here some years ago flooded the hospital. Ankle, almost knee deep water” Janelle briefly explained. The young interns nodded with a shit eating grin.
“Yeah. We had a rumor go around that a water powered teen flooded one of the floors. And today we over heard Dr. Freeman talk with Dr. Willow about him previously being here. Two and two together means that he’s the guy that flooded the hospital” one of them pointed straight at Herman. His soul looked like it left its body. It wasn’t his usual nervousness where his peach skin turned a bright red. No, this was pure and utter terror.
A chuckle spread around the group.
“A teen? Fuck sake Herm, I’d understand if you were a little boy unable to control your powers. But teenager?” Colm laughed in disbelief.
“Considering how his powers were when he started doesn’t surprise me” Courtney muttered.
It was the usual banter between the Z-Team. The kind that it’s sounds like it hurts, but they don’t mean it in a bad way. This time it hit a really bad nerve in Herman.
“Hey not cool guys” Robert tried to stamp it out, but it was already too late. Herman moved forward. His head downcasted to the floor in front of him. Robert caught a glimpse of his face. Eyes were shining with tears and his mouth in a grimace. He shoulder checked Chad as he passed by. Hard too.
“Hey what the fuck? We’re just taking the piss out of you, can’t take a joke?” Chad barked. Herm did it answer him. Didn’t look back at any of them. The interns quietly saw themselves out once the tension came in.
“I’m going outside…” he weakly told the others.
As he walked away he passed by Victor, Mal, Alice, and Bruno who were looking for the others.
“Woah what’s up with him?” Bruno looked back seeing the slim man practically sprint away in a walk.
“Herm’s just pissy because we found out he flooded the hospital” Colm huffed.
“What?” Malevola exclaimed in shock.
“No fuckin way? Herm did that?”said Alice chiming in.
“Yeah and he’s getting all mad about it like we don’t already jab at him” Courtney added. This talk is making Robert all pissed off now.
“Okay guys that was a shitty move. You gonna believe some dipshits over Herm’s word?” Robert argued.
“Robert, he looked guilty. Did you see his face?” Janelle retorted.
“Yeah I did. And he looked like he was about to cry. Even then why the fuck would the bosses of this place invite Herm if he flooded the place?” The group went quiet.
“He does have a point” Victor muttered.
“So maybe Herm didn’t flood the hospital. Even if he did, that was in the past and he clearly looks guilty for it” Robert added.
~~~
The commotion seemed to get the attention of Dr. Freeman the head doctor around here and Dr. Willow the head doctor of the pediatric wing.
“Excuse me what’s all this noise about?” Dr. Freeman asked.
“I’m so sorry Dr. Freeman. Some interns were spreading a rumor about one of our teammates flooding the hospital and some of us set off said teammate” Robert explained. He made sure to shoot a glare over to the four culprits at the scene. The two doctors paused sharing a small glance to each other.
“Was it Herman?” Dr. Willow asked.
“Yes…” Robert answered. The both of them seemed to give a reaction of frustration. Dr. Willow even fully turned her back to them rubbing her face, that’s how frustrated she was.
“Herman did flood the hospital. Back then” Dr. Freeman confirmed. The four looked over to Robert giving them an “I told you so” sort of look.
“Dumbass…” Chad muttered, aiming it toward Robert.
“Mr. Flambae I implore you to not jump so quickly on only a rumor” Freeman’s voice boomed so deep everyone felt a rumble. There was an air of seriousness that wasn’t there before. The doctor calmed himself, giving a second to breathe in and out.
But Dr. Willow didn’t give herself any time to decide to chew them out.
“Excuse my language, but you guys don’t know jack shit” she chuckled.
“That man has gone through so much as a child in this hospital right here” Willow chastised. Her words were quick and sharp when she said it. It shut all of them right up to listen to what she or the other doctor had to say.
“Herman’s father died here the day the hospital flooded” Freeman bluntly stated. No fluff, straightforward answer. The news made the Z-Team beyond shocked. Herm never really talked about his family other than his grandma. Mom and dad comments here and there, but nothing extensive.
“Ever since Herman was born, his dad and him had a strong bond. When he was born premature his father stayed at the hospital awake during the sleepless nights with him. Anybody could see that they had a strong bond” Freeman recalled.
“His mother left abruptly when Herman was around 7 or 8. That only made him and his dad closer. Every time they came over during checkups or the usual injury the staff saw how much Herman idolized his dad” Freeman continued. There was a small smile on his face. Memories of the tiny ginger boy running around the hospital with his father chasing after him. That is until the doctor decided to continue the story his face turned more grim.
“Herman’s father got diagnosed with an illness that slowly ate him away. The day he died Herman was 15 years old. He cried and cried next to that hospital bed. So hard his powers went haywire where water just kept coming” the doctor's voice broke a bit. The image of this young awkward teen still figuring out the world, lose the person he idolized, his lighthouse in a violent storm.
“It was enough to fill the ocean. That’s how the hospital flooded” Freeman finished. The other heroes were dead silent. The story sinking into their minds warping how they saw Herm as a whole.
“Fuck…” Courtney muttered. Regret seeped in her body along with Colm, Chad, and Janelle.
“When Herman was born I helped deliver him. He was kicking and screaming that day like no other baby I delivered” Willow continued on. Her eyes were misty thinking about the history she had with Herm. She was his pediatrician after all, so she saw him constantly.
“That day his father died it was the same thing. Begging for his dad to wake up. But we had to take him out of the dam hospital because the head doctors at the time demanded he be taken out. Didn’t wanna damage the equipment” Willow’s breath hitched. Her hand moved to cover her mouth for a second. A wave of emotion hit the others too. The image forming in their head was one that hit them with a sinking feeling in their stomach and a chill down their spine.
“I had to pull him off of his dad’s dead body. He was kicking and screaming…” Willow’s voice wavered. It was one of the most heartbreaking traumatic things she ever witnessed at this hospital.
“He never came back to the hospital after that, that’s how traumatizing it was. So I hope you feel fucking happy for your jokes and your laughs” Willow spat before turning away to get back to work. Dr. Freeman let her go to finally cool off. The heroes are left with that hard pill to swallow that they hurt one of their own.
“Go talk to Herman. He never was good alone, and at the end of the day you are all friends” Freeman left that with them before returning to his work as well.
There was a loud silence between the group. The chatter of the hospital being their background noise. The feeling like they fucked up sank in all of them.
“I’m gonna talk to him” Robert immediately moved to wherever the front was. The others followed him too. All of them felt a need to just be with Herm right now. God knows what memories were pulled back up again.
~~~
Herman sat on the steps to the hospital. His body curled in a fetal position. The man just stared off into the setting sun. A warm hue engulfing the soft blue sky. It would’ve been a nice sunset in any other circumstance. But right now it feels bitter.
“Herm” he didn’t turn around. The voice was one who brought comfort often, but right now he didn’t wanna face him.
“I-I didn’t mean to flood the place…it just happened. Honest” Herm sighed.
“My my powers th-they’re…kinda sorta based on my emotions. And that day…was not a good day” he continued on. Corner of his eye he spotted Robert sitting down next to him. His eyes showed a sympathetic look. The same one that comforted him in that janitor's closet.
“Freeman told us what happened” Robert confessed.
“Oh god” Herman groaned. Herm buried his head down in between his knees in shame. Us meant all of them knew. That was a sickening feeling.
“You should’ve been the one to tell us on your own time. Not some teens” Robert told him. A weak chuckle comes out of Herm.
“Wouldn’t have even said anything about him anyways. Even you Robert” he muttered. That was something he wanted to take to the grave. That memory needed to be long buried behind like the memory of his mom and his dads illness. Robert could see the bitterness in his eyes on the memory. But he knew it wasn’t just the pain of losing a father. There was the shame of the pain Herm released that day.
“I’m sorry about your dad. He sounds like a great man”
“Yeah he was…”
Death was a constant in Robert’s life. His dad, his grandpa, he thought he himself would succumb to that Mecha Man curse. That made his relationship with death very detached. Passive in a way even. It was difficult to properly find words to help Herm. But Robert still wanted to try his damm best.
Robert moved his body in front of Herman and puts his hands firmly on his shoulders. Hopefully to get him to look up. Slowly and reluctantly Herm lifted his head up to just peek over his knees.
“He’s probably really proud of you, Herm. He’d be overjoyed to see how far you came” the gloss in Herm’s eyes became shiner. His breath made a little hitch when he inhaled. Herm held in that sob. He couldn’t cry, he’d make a whole mess.
“N-No he wouldn’t. H-He would be disap…ashamed or…no he wouldn’t Robert” Herm heaved through painful hitches trying to keep the emotions in.
Then from behind were more footsteps. The two turned to see the whole team. All with equally guilty and sympathetic looks. The eyes on him made him panic more. Especially the eyes of the people who found out first.
“Herm. I’m sorry” Janelle stepped up first
“That was a real dick move of me, of us. We never wanted to hurt you like that at all” she continued. Colm and Courtney nodded in agreement.
“We shouldn't have given you shit either about being upset” Courtney continued.
“You were uncomfortable and we were being arseholes to ya” Colm added. Herm was taken aback by the apology. Not the quick sorry he expected to get, but one that felt more genuine. Then Chad stepped up. The emotionally stunted man went up to Herm.
“I’m sorry, Herm. I was being a total prick to you for no good reason. No man should’ve experienced being taken away from your loved ones last moments” the statement was so genuine and soft it shocked him to hear it from the hot headed man.
The others also chimed in giving support.
“You need space we can give you space”
“We’re here for you man”
“Your one of us”
It made him emotional to see the overwhelming support from them. Herm’s hand went to cover his mouth as tears started to fall down his face. God this team can be a mushy bunch and he hated it right now. Hated, but was so grateful for it.
“Fuck…” Herm whimpered. His body curled inward. The dam broke wide open. He sobbed into his hands. A mixture of shame, relief, and grief that was never buried. It came crashing down like violent waves on an ocean night.
“Fuck!” Herm shouted loudly. His voice cracking like lightning. He felt a hand go to his back rubbing it in circles. It was Robert easing him through the pain. Water started to pool out from Herm’s body. A stream traveling down the steps of the hospital as he cried. The wet dampness in his shoes was an all to painful memory on that day in that hospital room. That only seemed to make his cries intensify as the sensations, the smells, and the noises converged back into his mind painting that terrible memory.
The other team members joined on the steps on Herm’s right or left. They just let him cry it out. Didn’t stop him, didn’t speak, just let him release all of those pent up emotions.
It was loud and messy. There were cracks in his voice now due to the sheer volume and force his sobs carried. His whole body was wracked with that long pushed away grief he kept since the hospital. It shook with each gasp of breath he took in or out.
A few minutes would pass by before Herm calmed down a bit. Only reduced to hitching breaths. His body slumped forward with his arms resting on his spread out knees.
“Thank you” Herm wheezed. He moved his body to look back up at his friends. Reassuring smiles and nods of encouragement were met. Herm felt a warmth engulf his body replacing the cold pain him his chest. Being on this team is the greatest gift in his life.
“Can someone take me home? I-I would stay, I’m fine now, but…all the power, the energy I mean. It’s just…gone” Herm asked. Robert stood up from the steps.
“I can take you home bud. You guys good on keeping the fort down?” a chorus of yes’ and hums of agreement came after.
Herm got up from the steps. He looked down at the stream he made that went all the way down to the bottom making a puddle. Robert guided his attention away by brushing his hand to the taller one’s elbow.
“Wanna get something to eat before I drop you off?” he asked. Herm smiles back at him. The grief, the shame, the puddle an afterthought he’ll learn to come to terms with within due time.
“Sure”
The two walk off over to Robert’s car. The setting sun leaving a beautiful orange hue in the sky. Behind them, the puddle left by Herm was already starting to dry up.