The Only Payoff for Having Any Faith

Tick…. Tick…. Tick…. Tick

The steady rhythmic ticking of the clock in the hospital waiting room was driving him crazy. If something didn't give soon, Tadashi was certain he'd personally take it off the damned wall and dispose of it granting him and the others in the waiting room some blissful silence.

Tadashi had stumbled across Hiro right after breaking into the basement of the warehouse building they had targeted. Unfortunately he'd apparently startled his brother, causing him to fall back down the stairs he'd been using at the time. Tadashi had desperately reached out to catch him but had missed by mere centimetres leaving him to run down after Hiro. "Don't worry, Hiro. I've got you." He'd scooped his brother up into his arms and raced back up the stairs intending to put as much distance between Hiro and his captors as humanly possible.

Baymax had informed him Hiro had sustained a head injury. "Baymax, take us to the nearest hospital, now!" Baymax flew them to the nearest hospital, Tadashi mounted on his back and Hiro cradled in his arms. "Help! I need help! Somebody help me! Please." Tadashi had raced into the hospital Hiro back in his arms and had been reluctant to hand him over to the staff that had rushed forward. He'd been devastated. He'd just managed to find his brother and was forced to be parted from his side just mere moments later.

That's where the rest of the team found him. "You need to get changed." Gogo had steered Tadashi to a bathroom, away from peering eyes. "Wait here. I'll go get you a change of clothes." "Please take Baymax home…" With that she was gone. As per Tadashi's request, Gogo took Baymax back to the café, returning in record speed with some clothing for Tadashi to change into. Tadashi didn't know it was possible to change that quickly. One moment he was encased in armor and the next he was in his civilian clothes, rushing out the door and to the nurse's station in a desperate bid to get information about his brother's condition.

The nurses had informed him the doctors were still busy evaluating the patient and would give him a status update as soon as they were done which brought Tadashi to this moment and his desperate desire to vandalize a ticking clock.

"Tadashi!" His gaze shot up, searching for the source of the outcry. Aunt Cass was rushing forward, slipping past obstacles and other people with the practiced ease of someone who had done this many times in their lives. Clutched in her hands was a bright pink box filled with donuts which she was eating as she approached him. "What? I'm stress eating." Aunt Cass exclaimed, responding to the direction of Tadashi's gaze. "See what you made me do? Why didn't you tell me that Hiro's been found? Better yet, how did you get out the house without me knowing about it? I thought we were done with that kind of nonsense three years ago."

"Sorry, Aunt Cass." Tadashi's reply was automatic, a result of many years of practice.

"That's ok." Aunt Cass sat down beside him and gave him an awkward side-hug. "I understand. Any news yet?"

Tadashi shook his head, reaching for the strange bracelet around his wrist in order to absently play with it. "They're still examining him and will give us an update as soon as they're done."

Aunt Cass nodded in acceptance of the explanation reaching up to wipe the tears that were running down her face away. She sniffed bringing Tadashi's worried gaze to her. "Don't mind me." Aunt Cass spoke, wiping even more tears away. "I'm just glad they found him alive, even if he's here now…"

Tadashi reached over to return her earlier awkward embrace. "He'll be fine. If there's one thing we know it's that Hiro's a fighter. He wasn't king of the bot-fighters for nothing after all."

Aunt Cass chuckled wryly going along with Tadashi's poor attempt to lighten the mood. "He does like living on the dangerous side." She agreed.

'You don't know the half of it.' Tadashi remained silent, not giving voice to the stray thought that crossed his mind.

"Hamada? Hiro Hamada?" Tadashi shot out of the chair, heading straight for the doctor that had just stepped into the room carrying a clipboard.

"Here. I'm Tadashi Hamada. Hiro's brother." He introduced himself in a rush, desperate to get to the status update he'd been longing for. "How is he?"

The doctor paused for a moment, carefully taking in Tadashi's state before speaking. The silent appraisal gave Aunt Cass time to catch up as she too joined the group, standing just behind Tadashi. Flicking a page over, the doctor began to give his report. "Physically, he has a concussion, is covered in cuts and bruises exhibiting the classic signs of having been beaten and is malnourished. Mentally we cannot say yet. He appears to have gone through some rather traumatic events and only time will really tell how well he copes with them."

Concussion. Cuts and bruises from beatings. Malnourished. Hiro's captors had not only hurt him, they'd half-starved him. The information did not sit well with Tadashi but he didn't have time to dwell on it, more important things at the forefront of his mind. "Can we see him?"

The doctor closed the clipboard and nodded. "He's in room 204. I'd suggest you go in one at a time." That said, he turned and left to take care of his other patients.

Tadashi turned to face Aunt Cass. She was still crying. "You go first." She urged him. "He'll be excited to see you and I really don't want him to see me like this." She wiped an arm over her face trying to stop the tears pouring down her face to no avail. A new stream quickly replaced the one she'd wiped away.

Tadashi nodded leaning in to give his Aunt a proper hug. "Last Hug." He whispered before releasing her and all but running to room 204. The moment he arrived at the door he skidded to a halt strangely reluctant to rush into the room. He stared at the number and the hastily scrawled name listed beneath it.

Patient Name: Hiro Hamada

Hiro Hamada… His baby brother was just beyond the simple white door. He was bruised, hurt and traumatized but he was alive and was no longer missing. Taking a deep breath Tadashi prepared himself to face a version of Hiro he no longer knew, a Hiro that had grown for three years without him and then been changed by the recent events he had no control over. Pushing open the door, he stepped into the hospital room only to have his tentative faith that everything would somehow work out, shattered.

Hiro turned to face him. Light amber eyes met dark and then Hiro began to scream.

- BH6 - BH6 - BH6 –

WriterGreenReads: You had me confused for a minute there. Finally figured out that you're referring to the story title XD XD XD. Yeah there is a reason for it.

Anony mouse101: I'm so glad you love the previous chapter as much as I do. I pictured the cover page of my story as coming from it though to be fair the chapter played out very differently to what I originally imagined. PS: Love the pun.

Rosycat: Yes, as confirmed by this chapter, they found him. XD. The cliffies are to keep you on your toes of course, or perhaps to keep you coming back for more? ;) As for the story title - it belonged to Hiro all along though it did end up applying to Tadashi in some way too.

CrazyBlueOwl: Yup they found him. The cliffies are to keep you coming back for more ;D or to instigate rants as readers get involved in fictional characters lives XD

Ern Estine 13624: Yeah, now Hiro has to deal with the fact that Tadashi is alive.

Guest: Thanks you. I'm glad you enjoyed the rescue chapter. Now for the (as you've already pointed out) aftermath. I hope the way I have written it meets your expectations. Tadashi being alive came as a serious shock to Hiro XD. I really appreciate the compliment on the action scene. I really struggle with those which is why I don't write many.

RazzlePazzleDooDot: This right here, your reaction is the reason I like to write dramatic stories XD. I like writing intense emotional scenes because it is the emotional parts of a story that draw me in the most when I read so I write what I enjoy.

shooting2stars: He's just a little concussed from the fall. He'll be ok, especially once he gets over the shock of seeing Tadashi alive. Glad you liked the rescue chapter as much as I did XD. Tadashi's costume is based off of the rather common opinion that Tadashi will be coming back as Sunfire. One of my favorite interactions from the previous chapter is when Wasabi asks why Tadashi is the one setting the charges and Tadashi goes on about the colour of their suits.

Alexissenpai: Sorry about the previous cliffhanger. Here is another one to make up for it XD. Don't worry, it gets better. Let me know if you still feel it needs a sequel once this story is finished... I still have some plotline left for this one.