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Chapter 44 – The Boy at the Hospital

The hospital sat between two huge statues of former kings of Andromeda. Carved into the side of the canyon, they stood 300 feet tall. A waterfall fell between them. The hospital, built into the canyon, looked almost like a large anthill. The lights from the tiny windows dotted the earth. Moss and vines seemed to hang throughout the cliff banks. One of the two suns for the planet seemed to be setting. The sky was full of oranges, pinks and yellows. The other sun hid behind the clouds. The scene couldn't have looked more lovely.

The Doctor, piloting a small shuttle from his ship, saw Tony's face as he watched the landscape from the window. "This is beautiful. It looks like a resort, not a hospital."

The Doctor nodded, "Yes. Clagl had it built into the canyon, the same time as the castle was constructed. He liked the look that it gave. Plus, it keeps it safe from any sort of bombing. Air raids. You know."

"That makes sense. Now, why didn't we just transport down here?"

"Ah. I needed to take the shuttle out. I've not flown this one and I knew you would find this interesting."

The shuttle they flew was the smallest that the Doctor had on his ship. It was silver and reminded Tony of a Range Rover with its boxy shape, and the eight bucket seats that sat in four rows inside. There was only one door on the side of the craft that sat between the second and third rows.

They landed the shuttle on the rooftop of the hospital. A teenage boy wearing a white suit opened the door for them. "Welcome, Princeps. Shall I park it for you?"

The Doctor walked out of the craft with Tony. "Nah. She's on a return program. We'll transport when we're finished."

The boy nodded his head and spoke into a radio on his shoulder. "Yes, Princeps. They are awaiting your arrival. The lift is just that way there. They are on the 87th floor."

The Doctor buttoned his jacket as the cold wind blew through his hair. "Thank you."

They walked off of the roof to the lift. Tony was surprised to see the shuttle launch itself and head back into orbit. He pointed at it. "That…is wicked cool. I had no idea it could do that."

The Doctor smiled. "You'll probably see some strange stuff here."

"I'll be good." He insisted as they got into the lift.

The Doctor spoke, "87." The lift jumped to life. "How's the nose?"

Tony pat it unconsciously. "Sore. The kid has a great jab. That tiny little fist is like a hammer. Just… pop." He motioned a jab.

The Doctor smiled, "Thank you for helping him. You are rather good with children."

Tony put his hands in his pockets. "Pepper would say it's because I'm one myself. Ah. He just needs to know he's not alone with this shit. We have his back."

"You know that, don't you?"

He looked back at the Doctor. "Are we going to start singing now?"

The lift's door opened.

Tony held out his hand. "After you. Princeps."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and walked out of the lift. He was met by the alien woman he had spoken to the night before. He took her hand, "Ma'am Taufe."

She smiled, "Princeps Doctor. Welcome to our hospital. It is an honor to have you and your guest here."

The Doctor pointed at Tony. "This is my associate, Tony."

Tony smiled. "Ma'am Taufe."

"Such an odd name."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I get that a lot here."

She led them down the hallway. "The boy you were curious about is just up here."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"We don't know much about him. He was found by some shop keepers behind their establishment, and they alerted the authorities. We are concerned that he was taken by the Jeclaonides, and then returned. There have been several reports of that happening over the past few days. The Queen has insisted that a guard has remained with him after you expressed interest in him last night. Primus Summus sent over one of the Royal Guard. She has also declared that you have complete control of this case."

The Doctor walked with his hands in his pockets of his suit.

Tony asked, "Parents? Guardians?"

"We've checked every available missing child notifications here and off world. No one knows where he came from. He's just in here."

They walked into the room, the Quauhtin standing guard bowing his head as they passed through the doorway. The room was bright white with a bed in the center of the room. The small, thin boy lay on his back, sleeping. He had brown hair that hung in long curls and appeared to be bruised on every inch of his body. His eyes were swollen shut.

The Doctor put on his glasses and looked at the screens behind the bed. "Has the heavy brain activity lasted this entire time?"

She nodded. "Yes. Our people are not telepathic, and the tests doesn't identify that he is. Although, we're not completely sure he's Andromedean."

The Doctor looked at him closely. "Are all of the medications he's on listed here?"

"Yes. Everything you need is on the screens." A nurse called for the woman who was with them. She turned, "If you will excuse me."

"Yes. Thank you, Ma'am Taufe." The Doctor said as she walked out of the room.

Tony stood next to the child's bed side. He shook his head as he took in the bruises and marks on his body. "Who would do this to a kid? Is he human?"

The Doctor rose up the blanket and looked at the boy's legs. They appeared to be bruised just as badly. "No. A human wouldn't have survived this. I'm not certain what he is." He grabbed a stool and pulled it underneath him as he sat down. "Before you get angry, get all of the information."

Tony crossed his arms and sighed. "Well, anger is taking over everything in my head at the moment. I've never seen someone beat up like this."

The Doctor positioned his hands on the boy's face and closed his eyes. Tony rolled the little boy's arm over and saw he was bruised there. Long dark lines ran through his body. Purple and blue bruising filled in the areas in between. Tony sat down and took the small boy's hand in his. He noticed his fingernails and tips of his fingers were black.

The Doctor opened his eyes and looked at Tony. "Well, he wasn't beat up. This isn't what it looks like."

"No?"

"He was electrocuted."

"Yeah, that's so much better." Tony nodded his head.

"This should have killed him. This doesn't make sense." He stood up and clicked a few areas on the records behind the boy. He read the records and pointed, "This really doesn't make sense."

Tony grinned, "You love this shit, don't you?"

The Doctor rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Oh, this isn't what I thought. This is something I've never seen before. And it's not often I can say that."

He suddenly held his hand up and listened. Tony recognized it as the look he got on his face when he was talking to Rose or one of the Quauhtin. "That sounds like Lewis."

"What is he saying?"

He shook his head. "I can't make it out. It's…. like a child. It's….mushed all together."

"Like yesterday?"

He nodded, "Licis heard it, too. That's promising."

Tony took the boy's hand. "Did you see this?"

The Doctor looked at the black fingertips. "I bet his toes are the same." He went down to the end of the bed and pulled back the sheet that covered the boy's feet. The toes looked to only be bruised.

The Doctor put his hands on his hips. "Lighting. This little boy was struck by lighting. That's what happened."

"Lighting?"

"Yeah. And they don't have lighting here on this planet. The atmosphere can't support it. This couldn't have happened here. Interesting."

"Really?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. That's why he has these large streaks of black under his skin and then it exited his body through his hands, but not his feet. That's strange."

Tony watched as the Doctor rubbed his chin and looked at the boy and mumbled, "That's very strange. Just his hands."

Tony asked, "So, that's a shitty deal, huh? Extreme electrocution. He probably can't recover from -"

"Nah, he just needs our device we use on our bruising. Well, that and….some other stuff I have up there. That will sort him right out. He'll probably wake up if his body doesn't have to work so hard to repair this."

Tony nodded. "Right. So, we'll bring it down-"

"Hell no! We're taking him with us! Something here doesn't add up. Plus, I hate hospitals." He walked out of the room to find Ma'am Taufe.

Tony held the little boy's hand. "Buddy. You'll be alright. He's not as crazy as he might sound."

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Pete walked down the hallway of the med bay until he got the room where the small boy lay in the bed. He looked at him and put his hands on his hips.

"So, it is true. I thought Stark was kidding."

"It's true. We're heavy one."

The Doctor put up the device he had used to repair the bruising back in a cabinet. He took out a cold compress and put it on the boy's eyes. The boy had returned to a more normal, pink color. The screens behind the bed showed his levels, which all seemed to be in the green.

"They just let you take him?" Pete asked.

The Doctor, wearing his glasses, looked at the screens behind the bed. "Oh, I was hoping someone would try to stop me. I don't need to get angry, but….oh this shit really has me wound up."

Pete nodded, "Why?"

He didn't answer as Tony walked back into the room. He had changed out of the suit he had worn to the hospital, and was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. "John, you need to get the hell out of here if you're going to get to your party in time."

"You're not coming?"

"Nah. Someone needs to be here in case he wakes up. I'll explain to him that he's been abducted by aliens. Don't worry."

"We have no idea about this child. He might have never seen an alien-"

Tony looked at him seriously, "However, he was found on a planet that doesn't support lighting, after he has been stuck by it. Explain to me how he wouldn't know about aliens."

Pete chuckled, "Stark makes a good point."

The Doctor groaned, "This is a sad day indeed. Well-"

Tony went back to clicking channels on the telly. "Stop worrying. I'll be gentle. He's a kid. Relax and get the hell out of here."

The Doctor looked back at Pete. Pete shrugged his shoulders. "What else can you do?"

"Fine. I need to change anyway."

"So, everything needs to stay in the green?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Keep an eye on this. He has traces of a drug in his system that was keeping him asleep. Something isn't lining up to the story we got at the hospital."

Tony sat down and propped his legs up in a chair. "There's a lot that doesn't make sense about this kid."

Pete crossed his arms. "Where are his parents?"

Tony waved his hand. "No one knows."

The Doctor groaned, "I really hope he can tell us."

"If he can't?" Pete asked.

"I'll ring Lenox."

Pete raised his eyebrows. "Well. I haven't thought of that. Damn."

The Doctor pressed some buttons behind the bed. "Tony. I have his stats with me, but…ring me if anything changes."

Tony rubbed his face and quickly jerked his hand away as he hit his nose. "Aw! Yeah. We'll be fine. Go, have a party."

He turned and looked at Pete.

Pete smiled. "I've got a game to watch with Lewis and the boys. I'll walk you back."

They turned to walk out of the room. Tony was already interested in something on the telly.

The Doctor asked, "Tony? Are you sure?"

Tony didn't look up and pointed to the door. "Beat it. I'm watching Top Gear without you, freak."

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