Chapter Thirty Eight: Just like that?

Baymax contemplated Hiro as he watched him sleep. The boy had decidedly had a rather rough go lately. It would be a lie to say otherwise. And now that Tadashi knew some of their secrets, it would make life even more interesting for him.

The robot wasn't sure just how much Tadashi knew, though he was aware that the older Hamada had met the Doctor. What the Doctor had told him was still a mystery, one the robot would not contemplate at the moment. There were enough things to worry about without adding to the list. That and Tadashi had requested he not tell Hiro about his having met him. Ever.

The good news was that Hiro did seem to be improving. Whatever the Doctor had given Tadashi for Hiro seemed to be doing a world of good. After several hours, his neurotransmitter levels were closer to normal than they had been in some time. He still detected some anomalies, but that was not unexpected.

Hiro stirred in his sleep, causing the robot to refocus his attention. Brain activity suggested the boy was in REM sleep. That was good. It would help him process everything that had happened so far. And maybe it would stave off the inevitable. The robot didn't need the Doctor to tell him the kind of toll repeating timelines had on Hiro's mind and body. He could see it for himself and wondered if that was part of the reason the energy entity had sent him back with him.

Baymax was only mildly surprised when Tadashi returned more quickly than anticipated from the SFIT campus. He greeted the inventor in a quiet voice, then noted his mental and emotional state. "You seem distressed. Did something happen at the showcase?"

Tadashi went to his side of the room and hung up his cap before sitting heavily on the edge of his bed. "You could definitely say that."

The robot waddled closer to the older brother and contemplated him. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Tadashi suddenly felt glad he'd taken Honey Lemon home before returning to the café. He wasn't sure he could have this conversation otherwise. After all, she didn't know just how advanced Baymax was. Just to be safe, he glanced over at Hiro to make sure he was still asleep. Running a hand through his hair, Tadashi slouched. "Someone broke into the showcase last night and stole several projects. Hiro's was among them."

Baymax blinked at this revelation. "Are you debating the best method to tell Hiro this news?" He tilted his head quizzically to one side.

Tadashi let himself fall back against the bedding. "Yes," he admitted. "I just don't have any idea how this will affect him. After everything that's happened, I mean."

At that moment, Hiro groaned as he rolled over, causing both robot and brother to move so they could see him. When the boy continued to move, Tadashi got off his bed and walked over.

Hiro went to rub at his eyes, feeling rather stiff. He blinked his eyes open, a dull throb pinging at the back of his head. And there was the most unpleasant taste in his mouth.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Tadashi greeted affectionately. "How you feeling?" He held off getting too close, just in case Hiro's mood had swung to an extreme again. He didn't want to end up with another black eye.

The boy sat up, working his mouth and tongue to try and displace the awful taste. "Stiff," he answered, groaning as his muscles protested. "Sore. And a whole lot of thirsty." He paused, looking confused. "Why does my mouth taste like I drank a survival pouch from Davish Seven?"

Tadashi let out a chuckle. "I'm not sure about the survival pouch, but I did give you something to break the fever. Do you remember any of that?"

Hiro blinked a few times, slowly shaking his head. "No? I mean, I don't think so? I did have a fantastic dream about falling down the stairs though."

"That wasn't a dream," Tadashi informed as he reached a hand to feel Hiro's forehead. "It's probably why you're sore now. But at least the fever's gone, so that's an improvement."

Hiro looked mildly alarmed. "So I really did fall down the stairs?"

"Yep," Tadashi confirmed. "Face-planted on the next floor down." He ruffled his brother's hair as he sat on the bed. "Luckily, you didn't do too much damage."

During their conversation, Baymax managed to shuffle down the stairs and now returned with a glass of water. "You are dehydrated," the robot informed his patient. "I suggest drinking clear liquids to compensate."

Hiro gratefully took the offered cup and sipped at it. "Thanks, Baymax." The wheels in his head began to turn while he drank They felt feeling rusty and unused. "What about the showcase?" he asked his brother. He vaguely remembered Tadashi forbidding him to go because he was ill. "Did anything exciting happen?" Like a fire?

Stealing a glance at Baymax, Tadashi prepared himself for what was coming next. "Actually," he hesitated, "something did happen after it ended."

Hiro couldn't help but lean forward, his muscles tense. That didn't do his body any favors, but he had to know. "What happened?"

Tadashi rubbed at the back of his neck. There was no easy to way to say it. Might as well just do it quick, like pulling off a band-aide. "Someone broke in and stole several experiments, yours included."

It seemed as if a weight briefly settled over Hiro, but was just as quickly displaced as the boy let out his held breath. "Did they get my transmitter too?"

Tadashi's nod was enough to confirm things, but instead of looking devastated, Hiro seemed to shrug. "Okay," the boy said. "I guess it could have been worse. At least no one set a fire to the building."

At exactly nine fifty seven pm, you were supposed to hear the sound of a fire alarm and go to investigate. You were supposed to go inside. You were supposed to die.

The Doctor was right, Tadashi thought. And Hiro was still trying to save him. The man had been right all along, which meant the other things he'd said had to be right too. He had to find a way to help his brother understand that changing history was a bad thing. He just had no idea how.

"Hey," Hiro said, breaking into Tadashi's thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Tadashi looked up with a decided air of distraction. "Hmm?"

Hiro gave him a knowing look. "You have that 'lost in thought' look on your face," he clarified. "You know, distracted. Need a sounding board?"

Quickly pulling himself back together, Tadashi stood. "No. I'm good. It's just been an interesting past day or two. Honestly, I'm a little surprised you're taking the theft of your microbots so lightly."

The boy almost rolled his eyes, but how was his brother supposed to know? "About that, it's really not that big of a deal. I mean, I can just activate the kill switch and there's no problem. The circuits will fry and no one can use them. In fact," and he moved towards his computer, scooting around Tadashi to do so, "I think I'll do that now."

Tadashi couldn't help but look on in a disbelieving manner. "Just like that?" Obviously his brother had gotten to a point where his inventions didn't seem to mean much. At least as far as the microbots were concerned. Just what all had happened during the previous timelines? he wondered.

Hiro accessed the program he'd build for such a purpose and put in the destruct code. He hit the enter key with a little ceremony, his finger hovering momentarily over the button before pressing it. "And with that, it is done." He flopped back into his swivel chair, allowing his body to go limp. It felt liberating but like he'd cut off his big toe at the same time. He'd survive, but the lost appendage wouldn't.

When had his brother changed so much? Tadashi wondered. And how had he missed it? He supposed it was easy, given the boy had had a rather rough go as of late. Perhaps he'd simply not noticed because he wasn't willing to acknowledge the difference, but he had to now. "So, now what are you going to do?"

The chair swiveled from side to side at Hiro's biding. "I don't know," he admitted, arms slack on the rests. "I didn't really think things past the showcase. I mean-" he stopped suddenly, realizing he'd almost revealed his time traveling to his brother. That was a big no no.

Tadashi gave him a questioning look. "I suppose you were hoping to get into the school and start right off the bat," he supplied for him.

"Something like that," Hiro admitted, though he wasn't sure if it was a lie or not. He'd only gotten past the whole microbots being stolen thing without Tadashi dying in the fire one time. And that hadn't ended well. But now the microbots weren't a factor and that changed the entire game.

Before the older Hamada could question further, his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. "I have to take this," he said as he stood to go to his side of the room. Once past the screen, he answered his phone. "Hey professor. What can I do for you?"

At Tadashi's insistence, Hiro took the next three days to recover. He didn't like it, but he had to admit his brother had a point. Having tumbled down the stairs, he had several decent bruises. And, after his fever, he did feel a bit weak. So he hung around the garage while his brother went to school.

"This sucks," Hiro told Baymax, who Tadashi had left to keep an eye on him. "Not only am I not supposed to set foot out of the house, but Tadashi leaves me with a babysitter!"

The robot merely blinked at him. They'd had a similar arrangement before, after all, just in a different timeline. "Tadashi only cares about your well-being," he reprimanded the small boy.

Hiro spun on his swivel chair. He'd pulled up the schematics on the holographic computer for his super suit, wondering if there were any ways he could improve upon the design. Of course, if Tadashi saw him doing that, he might be in an even bigger kettle of fish. The last time he'd brought it up his brother had shut him down pretty quickly. Of course, that was before his super migraine and fever.

"I am curious," Baymax interrupted his musing, "what do you intend to do with the fire suppression bombs you left at the showcase building?"

The boy had almost forgotten he'd made and installed the devices all over the auditorium prior to the showcase, in the event that Callaghan went ahead and set fire to the place. Apparently they were no longer needed. "Leave them there, I guess," he replied with an air of distraction. "It's not like they won't eventually be useful. And no one's seemed to notice them there, so why not?"

Baymax agreed. An ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure. "What will you do now?"

Hiro pulled up the schematics for Baymax's armor. "I'd like to rebuild this," he said. "You reminded me, maybe a few weeks ago, that Abigail's still in the portal. Maybe if I go find it, I can fix it and bring her back. Callaghan won't have a reason to go after Krei anymore. And, maybe, just maybe, I can get the team back together."

"I do not remember having this conversation," Baymax declared. "When did it take place?"

Still intent on the designs, Hiro only paid half attention. "A week before the showcase," he replied, sending a command to the 3D printer.

The machine began to hum as the arms inside recreated the first segment of a chest plate. Hiro walked over to retrieve it, pausing to send more data to the printer. "You asked for me to come see you at Tadashi's lab."

Baymax watched the boy thoughtfully as he worked. Thanks to this new tidbit, he had some idea of what might have triggered Hiro's downward spiral. "I see. Did I say anything else?"

Still distracted, Hiro merely shook his head. "I don't remember." He fitted the next few pieces together, removing them from the printer as they finished. Baymax's armor came first, then Hiro's.