Part IX

By the next morning, Michael and Kitt had learned that Peter White had checked out of his room the previous day. He had been there for a little less than a month and paid the bill in cash. Michael and Kitt couldn't get anything else out of the manager, except that White had gotten into a gray car that had two other men in it.

Kitt had a hard time accepting that the manager had no idea what type of car it was, not even telling them if it was new or old. Michael pointed out that not everyone was familiar with cars, except maybe the ones they drove. Kitt, though, felt the same as Michael did—they had returned back to the foundation empty handed.

Unfortunately for Kitt, though, the day had come and he'd have to stay away from Nadine's case for a while. Perhaps it was because he didn't have the human nerves when he started his whole conversion, but he found that his stomach had no desire to calm down as they arrived at the hospital.

"Kitt, everything's going to be fine," Michael assured him.

"Michael?" Kitt said as they arrived on the floor they were due on.

"Yeah?"

"Please be quiet."

They signed in and within minutes Kitt was called in for preparation. He changed into the flimsy gown and felt like a fool sitting on the bed with Michael, Bonnie and Devon standing around him.

After a while, a nurse came in and checked his blood pressure and started to hook him up to the I.V. unit. Kitt could feel his stomach twist even more so than before when his friends were told nurses would be right in to take Kitt and they could wait in the small waiting room outside.

Kitt lay down on the bed and looked around as four nurses came in and rolled the stretcher out of the room. He tried to look down towards his feet to where they were pushing him, but that wasn't exactly comfortable. Through two large double doors they went and into a room with three large lights hanging from the center of the ceiling and a table under that.

"Alright," Dr. Larson said coming up to him. "Are you ready, Mr. Knight?"

"Not really, but I don't think I have a choice in the matter," Kitt replied.

Dr. Larson laughed and waved over a nurse. She held a mask, and Kitt knew what was about to happen. They told him to start counting backwards, starting at ten. The mask was put over his mouth and he smelt a funny odor as he mentally said ten, nine…and then he was gone.

óóó

As he did the first time Kitt underwent "human surgery" Michael was as close to his side as he could get while Kitt was under. Kitt had been there for well over two weeks and Michael had been there as much as possible to spend time with his friend as he started his life as a human; he wasn't about to desert him this time—the procedure was just as complicated and stressful.

But it wasn't half as long as the twelve hours he spent waiting before a nurse came by to tell him that the procedure was finished. However, he was hoping that Kitt's chip wasn't the problem and that it just wasn't installed properly the first time. Bonnie told him that chances were that it was the chip, not the doctors, although Michael thought that they should've inspected it before they put it in.

As planned, Kitt's memory chip had been taken out after they got in his head and discovered that it was faulty. To prevent complications, the doctors kept the body in a temporary and harmless coma induced sleep to prevent complications between the brain and the lack of the memory chip that it had been accustomed to. They'd replace it the following morning after a clear copy had been made.

And as for the memory chip itself, the head scientist of the operation had put Kitt's it into the black box that was equipped with the voice modulator so he could communicate with anyone during the night.

Michael didn't understand everything that was basically going on. The extent of his knowledge was that Kitt's memory chip was now in the box for the night and they'd put the new one in his head tomorrow and destroy the present one once everything was operational. Basically, as he understood it, Kitt was getting all new parts in his head. He didn't like the sound of it, but Bonnie assured him that he'd be fine.

Doctor Larson had told them it was okay to go see Kitt whenever they were ready. He claimed the procedure went well and according to plan. They made their way down the hall and into the small private room they had put Kitt's body in. There was a tube going down his throat, and wires and small tubes littered the white hospital bed.

"Kitt?" Michael said after noticing the black box on the bedside table.

There was a short silence, but finally the familiar voice panel lit up in its three red bars and sound emitted into the air. "Michael?"

"Hey," Michael said with a smile. "How are you feeling, buddy?"

"I don't feel a thing, Michael," Kitt replied. "I'm assuming they have to repair the chip?"

"Yes, but Dr. Larson gave full assurance that after this, you'll be as normal as us," Bonnie told him.

"As you and Devon, you mean," Kitt joked. "Michael wouldn't fit into that category."

"Wise guy," Michael said with a small laugh.

Later that evening Michael had joined Bonnie in the cafeteria for dinner. Devon had gone home, hopefully to find some progress had been made on the search for Robert Oliver or Peter White. During that time, Michael realized just how much he disliked cafeteria food from places like that when he opened his small box of chicken nuggets to find that every piece was practically mush on the outside and sat next to uncooked carrots and stale-tasting mashed potatoes.

What he didn't expect, though, was to see Nadine coming up to them as they ate. "You don't look very happy to be eating that," she said with a small laugh.

"If you want it, you're more than welcome," Michael told her, holding up the tray.

"No thanks, I've eaten real food," she said. "Mind if I join you two?"

"Not at all," Bonnie said nodding to the seat next to her. "Did you drive yourself?"

"Max the security guard agreed to drop me off on his way home, seeing that he lives two blocks away from here," she explained. "How's Kitt?"

Michael nodded as he quickly washed down the last of the mushy nuggets with his Coke. "He's good. They're going to finish tomorrow afternoon."

"Finish tomorrow? Why not when they were in?" She asked, having not heard of what the possibilities had been.

Bonnie laughed. "Don't worry, they didn't quit for the night and go home for dinner. They have to make a new memory chip since the first one was damaged. But they put that chip into a portable unit for the time being so he's not completely out of commission."

Nadine narrowed her eyes and raised half of her brow. "Why didn't they just put the new one in right away?"

"They have to copy his memory," Bonnie said. "Either that or he'll have no recollection as to what happened for the past six months."

"So when are they going to do that?"

"It's actually in process now," Bonnie told her. "The head scientist at the foundation developed a system that would copy his memory during the night, but it wouldn't interfere with any interaction with us or nurses or whoever while it was working."

"I see," Nadine said. "I never was much of a science kid."

Michael laughed and got up with his tray. "Don't worry; even after working with science's best creation, I still don't get it." He threw away the contents on the tray and then proceeded to do the same with Bonnie's.

"You want to talk to him?" Michael asked Nadine as he picked up his jacket.

"Talk to him? How?" Nadine asked, looking to both Michael and Bonnie.

"Same way I talked to him for over a decade," Michael said with a smirk.

"Well, you two go on. I'm going to head across the street to the convenience store," Bonnie said.

"All right, we'll see you later," Michael replied and gave her a quick kiss good-bye. Then it was up the third floor to where Kitt was. Michael let Nadine go in first, but he could tell that she felt awkward.

"My God," she said softly as she looked at how much he was hooked up to. "Can this work a second time? I mean, he can't go into a coma like Scott did, can he?"

Michael shook his head. "No, they said that basically he's just being kept asleep for now until they bring him back into the operating room." He laughed. "I don't know—it's more science I don't understand. He might be able to explain it though, if you asked."

"Yeah, I'll remember to do that," she said with a small smile. Slowly she walked around the side of the bed and stared down at him, her coat draped over both of her arms in front of her, her eyes resting on his face.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone for a while. I'm gonna run down the hall to the little boys' room," Michael said and left the room before Nadine caught onto what he said.

Nadine looked around the room and listened to the steady pinging sound of the heart monitor. She laid her coat on the back of one of the two chairs that sat in the corner of the room and then went back to his side, putting her hand on his, although she avoided the needle that was inserted.

"I wish I didn't have to see you like this," she said softly to herself. "I'm not fond of scenes where people are hooked up like a TV set."

"Do I really look that bad?"

Nadine looked around. "Kitt?"

"Yes?"

Finally she noticed the black box on the table and realized that's where the sound was coming from. She bent over so she could be face to face with it. "Are you in this thing?"

"If you mean this small CPU-like hell hole, then yes," he said sarcastically. "It's a tight fit, but seeing that's its only until tomorrow, I'll survive."

Nadine laughed. "Can you see me?"

"No, unfortunately not," Kitt replied light heartedly. "The extent of my capabilities in this thing is hearing and talking. That's about it, I'm afraid. However, I'd be most appreciative if you told me whom I was speaking to."

"You can't tell?"

"I heard the vibrations and I can pick up the words, but with a voice analyzer, I haven't the slightest clue."

"That stinks," she said. "It's Nadine." She pulled up one of the chairs next to the bedside and looked over the box, forgetting for a while that his body was next to her on the bed. "So this is what you lived through for ten years?"
"Only in a car," Kitt said. "Except I could see you, of course with the monitors I was equipped with."

Nadine thought it quite amusing to see the three bars of light beam at different rates as he said each word. "I guess I really misjudged you, Kitt."

"How so?"

Nadine was quiet for a while as she thought it over in her own head. She had always disliked Kitt because she felt that he stole Scott's body; she had gotten over the fact that Scott wasn't coming back, and it was probably better this way, but never did she even start to attempt to think of just what Kitt was like outside of looking like her ex-fiancé.

"Nadine? Are you still here?"

"Yeah, I'm here, sorry," she said, looking at the man on the bed. "Kitt, I never really thought about you as…well, you. I mean, you're a computer."

"Thank you for pointing that out," he said humorously.

Nadine smiled, although she remembered he couldn't see it. "What I mean is that you're a computer that's human in every way except form. I have to admit, you're better than a lot of people I know."

"Thank you," Kitt said.

Nadine picked up a hint of embarrassment in his voice. Unfortunately, though, their conversation was cut off when Michael returned and asked how they were doing. Nadine couldn't bring herself to talk to Kitt with Michael there. It wasn't that she felt ridiculous, but the fact that she wanted to restate her apology to Kitt and ask him to give her a second chance…because she was going to definitely give him one.

óóó

Kitt was disappointed that he missed the ringing in of the New Year with Michael and Bonnie like they had planned to do before they knew he'd be spending the holiday at Red Wood Memorial. Yet the nurses had grown to like Kitt's personality, not to mention Michael was convinced that the head nurse had a crush on him (Michael), which all together got them the permission to stay the night and celebrate with Kitt as he stayed in the black box.

It never occurred to Kitt that Dr. Larson and his crew would be taking a good chunk of time out of the holiday to finish the procedure; he had to remember to thank them greatly for it. But it was over and done with by six o'clock New Year's Day and Kitt was out of the box and back to being his human self.

He slept for a good portion of that night, waking up long enough to convince Michael and Bonnie that they could go home and get some sleep after they, including Nadine and Devon, had spent the entire night there the day before.

Sunday morning, though, Kitt was awake and aware of everything going on. Dr. Larson called up on him to see how he was making out, and left after calling Kitt the miracle project several times. Just as the doctor left, Michael and the crew walked in.

"Look at you all wide awake!" Michael commented with a large white smile. "Any flashbacks?"

"So far no," Kitt replied with relief. "Last night was dreamless, as far as I remember."

"Good," Bonnie said. "Maybe now you can stay away from this place."

"It will be a pleasure," Kitt laughed.

"And more good news," Devon piped in. Kitt saw that he was wearing the sweater they gave him for Christmas and a plain pair of beige slacks. "The local police found Peter White and brought him and his collaborator in last night."

"That is good news," Kitt said. "Did they get anything out of him?"

Devon gave a slight roll of the eyes and tilted his head in a shrug. "Not much, I'm afraid, at least what would be of any value to us. He admitted to running away from police in now four states, admitted to driving after you and Miss Corvonce while Robert Oliver shot at you, but the only thing he said about Oliver's whereabouts was that he high tailed it out of here, to quote directly."

Kitt sighed. Bonnie sat on the edge of his bed and put her hand on his. "Don't worry, Kitt. His friends are behind bars and it's only a matter of time before he is too. You, on the other hand, have more important things to worry about."

"Such as?"

"Getting better so you can come home by Tuesday," she said with a smile.

"So soon?" Kitt asked astonished.

Michael looked at Bonnie with a fake surprised look. "Yeah, so soon?"

Bonnie shook her head and gave him a light punch in the shoulder with her fist. "You're body's already adapted to you for the most part; they'll keep you here for a few days, and then have a visiting nurse come to the house every day to check up on you."

"What fun," Kitt said dully. He wasn't a fan of those visiting nurses who seemed to have the thought that he was completely helpless and might die at any moment.

"Unless you want to stay here for a few weeks, of course," Devon said trying to suppress a smile.

"Tuesday it is," Kitt said.

Although Devon protested at first, saying that gambling wasn't appropriate for a hospital, the four of them sat in Kitt's room, the tray table over the bed, and played poker for two and a half straight hours. Devon happened to win three games, Kitt five, and Bonnie twice; Michael claimed they were cheating and ganged up on him to prevent him from winning.

After that, Devon left, leaving Michael and Bonnie to join Kitt in watching "It's A Wonderful Life" making Michael complain that he failed to see the point as to why it was a classic.

Dinner time rolled around, and Kitt encouraged them to go out to a nice restaurant for dinner instead of sticking around the hospital. Michael agreed, although it took a little more persuasion to get Bonnie to leave, she having the thought that it was rude and selfish to Kitt to leave him to be subjected to the hospital food.

When his meal was brought, Kitt silently wished to himself that he was with them instead of suffering through soup and Jell-O. He asked if he could have something more appetizing, but the nurse said that he could only eat light for now.

"Arguing with the nurse, huh?"

Kitt looked up and put his spoon back in his bowl. "Nadine," he said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd pop by and see how the patient is doing," she said with a cheerful smile, the most cheerful Kitt had ever seen her with.

"Please, pull up a chair," he said and quickly offered her his Jell-O.

"No thanks," she said looking at the green wobbling food in the small plastic dish. "We already ate before we came."

"We?"

"My grandmother's on her way up. She saw someone she knew downstairs and they got caught in a conversation. I wasn't about to hang around while they compared wrinkles."

Kitt tried not to let himself laugh to hard, afraid he'd pop a stitch in his head, although he knew that the chances were slim.

Nadine looked at the wrapping on the top of his scalp and shook her head. "Trying out new nightcaps?"

It took a moment for Kitt to figure out what she was jesting at, but then his mouth formed a quick smirk. "Don't tell me you don't like it," Kitt said with a wink.

"Did they have to shave your hair off?" She asked innocently.

"They didn't last time," he replied, "so to my knowledge, no. At least I hope not."

"You seem a little perkier than you were the other day," she commented. "Although I must say it was amusing to hear you, but not see you, but still be in the same room as you." Kitt gave her a bazaar look, not having the slightest clue what she was talking about.

"Kitt, don't you remember our chit-chatting New Year's Eve?"

"I'm afraid not," he said. "You must be talking about when I was in the box."

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "Every time you spoke you had these little lights flash on for every word."

"Ah, yes, the voice unit," Kitt recalled his old function. "I'm afraid I don't remember anything that happened before I went under that morning. They copied the existing memory on the chip; no new information was put on it during the process."

Nadine let out a heavy sigh. She confessed to him about being wonderful for nothing; he had no idea she did it. She attempted an apology for the second time, and he didn't hear it. Her grandmother walking into the room, however, hurrying over and giving Kitt a quick kiss on the nose was enough to help her forget for the time being.