Chapter 6: Hospital Day
Blues is far too comfortable to be bothered to wake at the moment, so if Megaman should happen to get up early he may yet catch a glimpse of his brothers uncovered face.
As it is, the doctor is already back up making more phone calls, working tirelessly to secure them a new safe place to call home.
It is not long before the presence of activity helps to rouse Rock from his sleep. He yawns and stretches, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As soon as his processor becomes more alert, he remembers that Blues had slept over. Was he still here? The robot boy hops out of bed to go see. When he enters the living room, he slows to a quiet tiptoe just in case he was still asleep. He creeps to the couch, holding his breath until he finally sees his brother's sleeping form.
...!
Rock has to cover his mouth to keep himself from gasping. To his shock, Protoman isn't wearing his visor. As he looks over the older robot's face, he's quick to recognize the similarity to his own features. They even have the same colored hair, though somehow Protoman's is even messier than his. Not sure when he'll get this chance again, Rock decides he'll commit his brother's face to memory now. He only wishes he could see his eyes, but he'll get to see them as soon as Blues wakes up.
It's the smell of breakfast cooking that finally wakes the older boy. Sea green eyes flicker open blearily and he stretches out, yawning.
...!
...!
Blues touches his bare face. WHA-
To Rock's surprise, Blues's eyes are different than he thought. He doesn't have the same blue eyes as he does, but it's a nice color all the same. Sensing that Blues might not be very happy in a second, Rock turns around and decides it's best he escape now.
Not noticing his brother, Protoman quickly grabs his helm and slams it back down over his head and fits his shades back on underneath. He's far from pleased. If someone managed to take that off while he was asleep, what else could they have done? He's usually such a light sleeper… or at least he fancied himself one.
Rock runs in the direction of the scent of breakfast and clings to Dr. Light's leg. "Dad dad!" He says excitedly before he realizes he doesn't want Blues hearing. He drops his voice to a whisper. "I saw his face!"
Roll, who only just woke up herself, enters the kitchen behind her brother. "Who's face?" Rock pulls his sister close to whisper to her. "Blues! He looks a lot like me."
"Really?" Roll turns and steps towards the doorway to have a peek for herself before Rock pulls her back in. "No don't. He's already up, and he put his helmet back on."
"Aw, I missed it!"
The doctor smiles. "Now now... It's probably best to let him show you in his own time... Perhaps you two should invite him in to breakfast?
However, when they get back to the room, Protoman is gone. The blankets on the couch that he was using are neatly folded and glass door leading out to their balcony is ajar, leaving no question as to what his escape route was.
"Oh no!" Roll cries. "He ran away!" Without a word, Rock runs out the door and onto the balcony. Acting on a bunch, he climbs up to the roof of the building.
Protoman turns when he hears his brother climb to the roof behind him. He was just getting ready to leap away.
Megaman perks. "Hey wait!" He runs forward but stops himself before getting too close for his brother's comfort. "Don't you want breakfast?"
" 'Preciate the offer but I've stayed long enough." Blues salutes. "I've got things to do and places to be."
Megaman frowns. "Are you SURE? You could use one more good meal before you leave."
Protoman chews his lower lip. It's tempting. Very tempting. "See you around."
He shoots off.
Megaman sighs sadly. He makes his way back inside and faces his family with a big frown. "He didn't want breakfast..."
"Ah well" sighs the doctor. "It's miraculous that he stayed as long as he did. We can't force it. But this gives me hope that he may continue to return."
Megaman cheers up a bit. "Yeah. I hope so."
Protoman dashes towards the suburbs. Today is hospital day. He has a cat to pick up.
After he stops by Clarisse's house and grabs Mr. Kittypants he continues on to the hospital. The pudgy, spoiled cat is very used to this trip and doesn't protest at all as they leap over rooftops. When they arrive at the city children's hospital front desk, no one remarks at the strange arrival. "Good morning, Ethyl," Protoman greets the woman at the front desk.
"Oh, good morning Mr. Hero! The kids are waiting for you in the playroom. I've already checked you in."
"Thank you."
"Oh and Maggie had her chemo a couple of days ago, so she wasn't able to come, but if you could spare the time to pay her a personal visit, I'm sure she'd be glad to see you."
Blues nods. "Of course. I'll make sure to stop by. Where is she?"
"Ward E, room 33."
He whistles grimly. "That bad huh..."
Ethyl sighs and nods. "Poor girl."
The moment Protoman enters the playroom with the cat he is mauled by children.
"Protoman!" They are all about and surround the robot instantly. Some cling to his arms and legs while others reach right for the cat. "Hi there Mr. Kittypants!" One girl says. "Hehe, he's so fat now!" Another boy giggles.
"We were worried about you! They said on the news that Wily destroyed one of the houses in the city and that you and Megaman were there fighting a bad guy!"
The cat eagerly transitions into the children's waiting arms for attention while Protoman strikes a heroic pose and belts out "That's right! It's me, PROTOMAN! And my trusty sidekick, Mr. Kittypants! I'm back from another mission to save the day! Who wants to hear about how I single handedly staved off a sniper Joe invasion, defeated my arch-nemesis, Bass, and thwarted the WICKED Doctor Wily!?"
"ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME!"
Storytime is started and Protoman nimbly leaps to the makeshift stage while the kids swarm around its base in rapt attention. What ensues is a HEAVILY embellished version of the events of the last three days.
"...and just then, after Mr. Kitty turned invisible and shot down the rest of the Joes with his DEATH RAY, I tragically... Passed out! And when I awoke? I was strapped to a table in the lair of the SINISTER...doctor DARK, with none other than Megaman standing over me!"
The children gasp. "Oh no! What did Megaman do to you?!"
"Nothing! He just stared at me... Grinning sinisterly. 'Doctor Dark has some repairs to make on you!' He said. "Give up. You'll never escape.'"
"Never!" I cried, and I used my SUPER STRENGTH to break free! But Doctor Dark wasn't letting me go that easily... He sent his blue henchman to attack me as I fled!"
"Oh no! Did he get you?" One little boy with an IV stuck in his arm asks.
"Just then, MR. KITTY flew in through the window to save the day with his utility claws! Megaman didn't stand a chance!
"Yaaay! Good kitty!" The cat gets lots of pets for a job well done.
"In the process..." Protoman continues, "I discovered where Dr. Dark's secret lair was... And I knew in that moment, I had to use my chance! But alone, Mr. Kitty and I would be no match for the doctor and his forces of darkness... There was only one way... So with courage and determination, I turned towards my only option... And infiltrated the lair of Doctor Wily!"
Another gasp. "You did?!"
The next 30 minutes of the tale start out looking hopeful as Doctor Wily agrees to form a temporary alliance with Protoman to stop the greater threat of Doctor Dark, but things take a turn when the "Proto cave" is looted by Megaman and blown up for dramatic effect. Protoman is arming up with Wily's generals to take down the tyrannical Dark when betrayal strikes, and doctor Wily's forces begin attacking civilians against their agreement. Now Protoman and Mr. Kitty are up against impossible odds fighting for their lives against their arch nemesis Bass when who should show up to assist him but Megaman? Using the power of teamwork they save the day and Protoman displays a hero's honor when he neglects the chance to have Megaman finished off once and for all and saves him under his very own handy protoshield, sacrificing himself in the process and falling unconscious once more.
Now the story gets trickier, and Protoman wonders how to tell it.
The kids still stare at absolute rapt attention. "So c'mon Protoman! What happened next?" "Yeah, how did you make it out?" "What did Megaman do with you?" "Tell us tell us tell us!" they plead, desperate for a resolution to the story.
"When I woke once more... It wasn't the lair of Doctor Dark I was in... But there he was... The most terrifying of all evil-doers was standing right above me. Only... It wasn't. For you see, when I accosted him for his crimes he looked at me surprised! That's when I noticed the bump on his head and realized that... Doctor Dark had amnesia! He had forgotten all his years of evil doing and returned back to being the once-good doctor Bright!"
There are ooohs from the crowd. They know from previous storytimes the tragic backstory behind doctor Bright, the genius scientist turned evil. The kids who have been at the hospital longer catch up the newer kids who are just getting here for the first time.
"Doctor bright brought me back to his lab with mega man's help and fixed me."
"What?! Really?! You let him fix you?!"
"I well... Um... It happened while I was knocked out! The doctor just fixed my injuries from the fight. He didn't mess with my super power core."
"Okay...but what about Megaman?"
"He obeys Doctor Dark-and in this case Doctor Bright! So he was okay."
Several children nod sensibly. "So what did you do when you woke up?"
"Anyway... After doctor Wily's betrayal I stormed his lair, fought off Bass again, and then after an epic battle with Wily I ripped his mustache CLEAN OFF, warning him that if he ever tried to get the civilians again he'd have me to deal with!" Another heroic pose. "Once again the city is safe, all thanks to PROTOMAN! And Mr. Kittypants!
The children break into a chorus of cheering before they surround their hero again. "Thank you Protoman!"
He laughs uproariously in an overdone way among his throng of fans.
"So what are ya gonna do now, Protoman? Are you gonna find a new Protocave?"
"Already have, in fact! But shhh. It's a secret."
"We won't tell, promise!"
"Good! Now who wants to make some crafts!?"
For the next thirty minutes Blues leads craft and playtime for the kids, jumping in and out of all sorts of activities until playtime is over and everyone has to go back to their rooms.
"Goodbye everyone! We'll be back next week!" He waves with the cat, "Just remember to follow my motto-never give up, never surrender, fight to the finish!"
"Proto forever!" They all finish for him, cheering and waving goodbye to their real-life superhero.
The cheering can be heard when he opens the door and steps back into the hall. One of the doctors who usually has a shift on his visiting day, Mrs. Sylvia, is outside beaming at the robot boy. "Hello Protoman. Good to see you again."
He grins at her. "Hello ma'am"
"Thanks again for stopping by. You have no idea how much good it does for those kids to see you."
He scratches his head self-consciously. "Ahaha... Well you know... They do me good too. ... I just wish I could do more. You guys are the real heroes."
She smiles down at him, a bit of sadness in her eyes. "Well...there's only so much we can do too. But all we can do is our best, right?" She approaches him to squeeze his shoulder. "And believe me when I tell you that your best really does count around here."
He nods looking hopeful. "Well... I'm gonna go see Maggie before I leave."
"Sounds good. She knows you're coming today, and she was really upset when she thought she'd have to miss you."
"Ha. Time to cheer her up."
He steps down the hall into the other ward and peeks his head into a quiet room where a young girl lays resting. As soon as she catches sight of him at her doorway, her eyes light up. "Protoman! You came to see me!"
He grins. "Of course I did, tough girl. And look who I brought with me!" He holds Mr. Kitty up to her.
"Mr. Kittypants!" She squeals and happily begins petting and scratching the cat.
It strikes him as he draws close how pale she is. A clip on her finger is hooked up to a heart rate monitor and she has oxygen lines hooked up to her nose. She looks a lot like Clarisse did... He finds himself fighting not to tremble.
"H... How are you feeling?"
She offers him her bravest smile. "I'm alright. It's like you said, remember? Never give up, never surrender, fight to the finish!"
He nods happily. "That's right! You've got it. Just keep doing that and one day when you're all healed up I know you're going to be a great new sidekick to me and Mr. Kitty."
She gasps. "Sidekick?! Do you mean it?"
He nods. "Of course! This city needs more brave heroes like you."
She grins and sighs dreamily. "That'd be amazing..."
He nods. "For now though you just focus on getting better, okay?"
Blues launches into a less theatrical, more refined version of the story he told the other kids earlier, and once he's done he continues to hang out in the room with her. The nurses peek their heads in occasionally but otherwise no one is there, and Blues remembers that Maggie's mom has to work later into the afternoon before she can come back to the hospital to check on her daughter. Thus, even once she falls back asleep, he stays by her side watching the TV muted while the cat chows on some food a nurse was nice enough to bring by.
When Maggie's mother at last comes in the door she doesn't seem entirely happy that Protoman's there. Unlike her daughter who admires the robot, she's heard enough to be skeptical of him. She only let her daughter begin attending the play dates with him after the hospital staff urged that he was a positive role model and they did see improvements in the spirits of the children who were around him, and sure enough, the first time Maggie went the young girl lit up...
"I'll be on my way out." He says as she enters, getting up.
"I... Oh... Um... Thank you for staying with her while I was gone."
He nods. "She's been out for a couple of hours but she managed to eat some soup beforehand. When she wakes up the nurses asked that they be called and they'll try to fix up anything else that she feels like he can eat. She mentioned pudding, maybe."
Even though they talk quietly, the young girl begins to stir from her rest.
"A... Are you leaving?"
He moves to her bedside and places a hand gently on her bandaged head. "Mhm... Sorry MegaMags, the city needs me. But I'll be back soon, okay?"
He leans in and places a kiss on her forehead before picking up the cat and heading out the door.
After he leaves the hospital and drops the cat back at Clarisse's house, Blues decides to stop in the library while he's in the neighborhood. He renews his checkout of "Frankenstein", turns in "Night", and picks up a copy of the Hunger Games while there. He uses a public computer to check the news and watches the 8:00 report before walking back to his new nook. Things have been quiet today. No sign of doctor Wily, no notable crime.
He leaves before they make the announcement that construction has started in the downtown district and marches all the way back to his condemned building... Only to find that it's been torn down ahead of schedule.
"..."
The red bot sighs before starting to sift through the rubble, both annoyed and glad that he hid his possessions in a dug out hole under the ground floor. At least they're PROBABLY intact
Blues doesn't get far through the rubble when the storm hits, and as it grows rainier and darker he's forced to abandon his quest to save his things and seek shelter for the night. Seeing as how he's on decent terms with Megaman at the moment... he decides to return to his old watering hole-the car on the theater stage. Water drips through a few of the cracks in the ceiling but his car is in a dry spot so he's fine, although it does sadden him that he lost his cot in the building collapse... it's probably unsalvageable.
Blues hasn't eaten anything since the meal the previous night, but he has enough of that that his tanks, even after sifting through rubble to hold him, so there's no great need at the moment. Besides, even if he was hungry, what little money he has to buy such things is buried underneath several feet of rubble. He quietly settles down and starts back to reading where he left off in Frankenstein. As he goes on, he unconsciously gravitates towards the monster and its situation, and when he consciously realizes how similar it is to his own he becomes hostile, as he reads verbally berating the fictional doctor Frankenstein for the way he treats his creation.
He sleeps peacefully through the night and is up bright and early the next morning digging through rubble again and making no progress fast. He has to pace himself. Even with his nuclear core this takes a lot of energy and overdoing it puts him at his limit. ***
Meanwhile, Doctor Light continues his phone calls. It's been two days now and still no luck... None of his acquaintances seem to know a place that will suit his family's unique needs. There just aren't many places equipped with both the living quarters and the heavy-duty lab equipment necessary for caring for his children...
Light is getting low on his list when he hits upon an old acquaintance of his... a once student, now owner of a successful construction company. If ANYONE would have ideas of real-estate...
The doctor gives him a ring.
"This is Bradford Construction!" A voice answers on the other end. "How can I help you?"
"Hello John? This is Doctor Light. "
"Doctor Light! Hey professor, it's been years. How are you?"
"Ah! Good goo-...well... I've been better my friend... I actually called to ask for some assistance. You see, as of yesterday my housing situation is a little..."
"Aaah... don't tell me. That building that was knocked down the other day. You lived there?"
"Well ah... yes actually... how did you...?"
"My phone has been ringing off the hook today. I've gotten all sorts of calls. Right now I'm being commissioned to create all sorts of new intercity housing. We've been tearing down condemned buildings and building new ones and now we've been asked to double-time it on the building part. We try to reuse materials from our condemned buildings in the construction of the new ones, but it takes time... Not to worry though! When it's made, the people who lost their homes are being re-located there! The city's covering most of the cost."
"Ah... well that's wonderful but... you see... My home was somewhat special... You see because of the needs of my family it is imperative that I have a lab setting integrated into my home. One with a power grid capable of supporting heavy machinery... The reason I called was to see if you knew of any such residences available within the city limits... I know it's a stretch, but..."
"Hm... yeah I don't know of anything like that honestly..." John replies.
"Oh..." Light sighs. Another letdown. "W...well... thank you John... sorry to take your time."
"Hey wait!" The man stops him. "I may not know of any residences like that... but that doesn't mean I can't make one!"
Thomas Light's eyes widen. "R..really? I... Well... Well I suppose having your company make a new house would be good but... I dont know if I can afford-"
"Nonsense. I'll help you with the cost."
"Wh-...no but I couldn't possibly accept such an offer!"
"Doctor I owe you a debt. My business would be nothing without your construction bots. Each one gets the work of three men done and allows my human employees to stay safely on the ground out of harm's way. That alone is worth more than I can possibly repay you. It would be my HONOR to help you out with this."
!
The doctor's chest tightens emotionally on the other end of the line. "Th... thank you John... If you're really sure... I would be honored to have you construct our new home."
"Sure thing! It might be a little while before I can get started, but you can bet that it will be done. I'll have one of my architects start drawing up some specs and try to run them by you later this week. I assume you have a place to stay in the meantime?"
"Yes I do. And thank you again... this will be a lifesaver."
"Not at all. Well, I'll talk to you later, Professor! Take care."
Later.
Protoman finally uncovers the spot where his things were and digs up the box that they're contained in deep in the midst of a pit of rubble. Thank goodness. Everything seems to be intact. He's just about to get up when there's a sound overhead. Laughter.
!
Protoman whips around to look above him. "Bass."
The black bot chuckles. "Looks like you're in a little too DEEP this time, Protoman. Night night."
Protoman realizes what he intends to do a second too late. Bass's fist pounds into the rubble above him. There's a sound like an earthquake and in moments he is buried alive.
End of Chapter