Chapter 21 Back in the Hospital

Luigi groaned. His body (well, he wasn't sure if it was his body or Mario's) hurt like hell. The skin stung like it would if he had acquired a sunburn. He tried not to let the pain become too overbearing as he attempted to open his eyes. This task required more effort than constructing a building all by yourself, but that didn't stop him. He had to see what was going on. He had to see if the mind switching helmets had done what they were supposed to. He had to see, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was back in his body.

So, he continued on trying to open his eyes. After what felt like ten minutes of trying, he teetered just on the edge of giving up and letting the sleep he experienced run its course. Thankfully, right as he was feeling this, his eyes opened. He breathed a sigh of relief; now he could see. Now he could take in the world around him via sight, and find out what said world offered in terms of information.

With this thought in mind, he looked around. The first thing he saw was E Gadd, reading a book in a chair. For a brief spell, Luigi reasoned that he must still be in the Professor's house. They must have been taken to another room, most likely the bedroom. While in the bedroom, they could recover from the literal shock that the mind switching helmets had put them through much more efficiently. Once he got a better view of the room he was in, however, he realized that wasn't the case. The walls were eggshell white. The room itself was completely barren save for the bed Luigi sat in, a bedside table, and the curtain that divided the room in half. This meant that Luigi was in the hospital. E Gadd had transported them here, far away from the body swapping invention to a place where they had as much time as they needed to recover.

Which…okay yeah, Luigi was grateful for this. It was the smartest move, as suffering from electrocution did require a lot of medical attention that E Gadd more than likely couldn't provide himself. Luigi didn't blame him for doing what was most sensical and logical. On some level, however, he wished that it hadn't been necessary. He wished that the mind switching helmets had switched them back while tuned into the default setting. They shouldn't be in the hospital. They should be getting back to their normal lives, not worrying about body or life swapping for the rest of their days.

"E…E Gadd?" Luigi asked. His voice was groggy, enough so that he couldn't determine whether it was his voice or his brother's. Thankfully, it was loud enough to get E Gadd's attention. He looked up from his book, his brow furrowed in such a way that it was almost uncharacteristic of him.

"Good. You're awake, dear boy." His brow furrowed even more. "Are you…?" He cleared his throat. "Are you Luigi, or are you Mario?"

That question caused Luigi's heart to skip a beat (he wasn't sure why though). "I'm Luigi."

E Gadd blinked a couple of times before his face fell. "Oh, bother." He put his head in his hands. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

This reaction confused Luigi. "E Gadd, what's…?" Then, like two puzzle pieces falling into place, it occurred to him. "No." He had hoped this wasn't the case. With every fiber of his being, with every corner of his heart. Feeling a lump forming in his throat, he looked down at his hands. He studied his chest, he felt his face. His heart sank when he did. "It didn't work." He shook his head, feeling a very strong urge to swear. "Gosh darn it, it didn't work!"

He was still Mario. All the trouble that the body swapping helmets had put him and Mario through hadn't even been worth it in the end. Why…did life just hate him? Did the reality that he lived him wake up one day and magically decide that it held a grudge against Luigi? Why couldn't they swap back? Both methods they tried so far, the wish on the star and E Gadd's device, hadn't worked. Were he and Mario just doomed to stay this way, doomed to not swap back until they were old and gray like Luigi feared?

When that question popped up in his mind, Luigi shuddered. Please he thought. Please oh please don't let that be the case. He lowered his head. Dear sweet Lord, I'll do anything if it means that this whole endeavor can stop.

Right at that moment, a toad nurse came into the room. When she saw Luigi, she smiled. "Oh good, you're awake!" She approached. "It's not everyday that a hospital gets to treat the Mushroom Kingdom's greatest hero."

"Heh," Luigi said, the laugh more hollow than a chocolate bunny during Easter. "Well…I guess you're just lucky." Unlike me.

"Yes." She pushed back the curtain in the middle of the room, allowing Luigi to see the other bed that had Mario in it. As soon as the division was one hundred percent gone, Mario woke up and lifted his head. He looked happy to see the nurse. He didn't look nearly as thrilled when he got a glance of Luigi.

"Oh, come on!" he said. He sighed, shaking his head as he did. "Why, just why?"

The nurse looked confused when he said that, but thankfully didn't question it. "Well boys, you two thankfully hadn't received any severe or permanent injuries from your electrical shock. So, the doctor says you'll be able to leave tomorrow without any major complications."

Mario shook. "Tomorrow…" he exchanged a look with Luigi before looking back at the nurse. "That…that's good."

"Indeed." She frowned a little. "Just, some advice for future reference. Don't get your toast out with a fork, be safe around electrical outlets, and don't try to touch telephone wires. The last thing any of us need is you two getting really hurt when you have to handle electricity."

Luigi's face fell. The way that sentence was delivered almost sounded like the nurse was making fun of them. Almost.

"We'll…we'll keep that in mind," Mario said.

"Mmm, yes," E Gadd said. "And believe me Miss; I will personally go out of my way to educate the brothers and keep them safe from the dangers of electricity."

That sentence earned the Professor a glare from Luigi. You say that as if this whole thing wasn't your fault.

"Good," the nurse said, completely unaware of the death stare Luigi gave to Elvin. "Good to hear." She approached Luigi's bed. "Now, I have to go. But, before I do…" she smiled, pulling out a notebook and a pen. "Do you mind if I can get an autograph, Mario?"

Luigi blinked. He looked over at Mario who, while looking a tiny bit jealous, also willed him to do it with his eyes.

"Uh…sure." He took the pen and notebook.

"Great! Please make it out to my son Barry; he's a big fan."

"Sure thing," Luigi said with a nod. He wrote To my biggest fan, Barry, doing his best to replicate Mario's handwriting and signature as he did. He felt as if he did a good job, which was more relieving than anything else.

The nurse looked ecstatic when she got the notebook back. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Of course." Luigi looked over at his brother. "Do you, uh…" he gestured to Mario with his head. "Do you want to get his autograph too?"

The nurse froze. She looked over at Mario, blinking as she did. "Uh…who are you supposed to be again?"

Mario sighed, the tone containing the edges of frustration. "Nobody. You can go."

The nurse nodded and left the room, practically creeping out as she did. Once she was gone, Luigi stared at Mario.

"Nobody, huh? Is that how you see me?"

"No! I…" Mario shook his head. "You know what? Now isn't really the time or place to start an argument."

"Right you are, dear boy," E Gadd said. He stood up from his chair, walking over to the area between the two beds so that they could both get a full view of him. "This sticky situation that you two have found yourselves in has only gotten more unmanageable with the passing of time." He looked at them, his brow furrowed. "I still for the life of me don't understand how the mind switching helmets failed to…well, switch you."

Luigi bit his lip. "I don't either. I mean…every other invention you've built works."

"Yes…" E Gadd's face fell. "I suppose I can kiss my perfect streak goodbye." He actually sniffled when he said that, surprising Luigi.

"Well, we can't focus on that right now," Mario said, drawing E Gadd out of what was sure to develop into a pity party. "We have bigger things to worry about." He looked over at Luigi. "We still need to figure out how we're going to fix this."

Luigi nodded. That had been their main focus in the past twenty four hours, and he was determined for that to stay their main focus until both Mario brothers were back to normal. He wouldn't eat. He wouldn't sleep. He wouldn't blink, cough, or sneeze until everything was taken care of, until he was Luigi and Mario was Mario again.

E Gadd seemed to share these thoughts, as he put his hand to his chin. "Yes. Although this is a phenomenon that hasn't occurred…well, at all in the history of the Mushroom Kingdom, if my research is correct, there still has to be away to reverse the swap. I mean, that would only be logical."

"Of course it's logical," Luigi said. "But how are we going to do it if mind switching helmets are completely ineffective."

"Hmm…." E Gadd delved deep into thought, his foot tapping at a speedy pace as he did. Luigi didn't know how long it would take him to find the answer, or even if he could find the answer. Regardless, he kept his eyes on him at all times. Mario did too, shaking as his eyes stayed glued to Elvin and his concentrated form.

"Perhaps…" E Gadd looked up and gave each brother a glance. "Perhaps what we need to do is reexamine how the swap came to be in the first place."

Luigi blinked. "Uh, E Gadd, I told you how it came to be in the first place. I wished on a shooting star."

"True," E Gadd said. "And yes, one could view that as nothing more than a simple, fairytale-like reason. However, I think there's more to it. Even in the Mushroom World, shooting stars don't typically grant wishes."

"That is true," Mario said. "After all, the wish Luigi and I made on another star last night didn't come to pass."

"Exactly," E Gadd said. "There's more to the star that Luigi wished on than meets the eye. I don't know what it is, but I have a feeling that the three of us can find out." He smiled. "What we need to do boys is dedicated sometime combing through the books in the Toad Town library until we find the answer."

Luigi's spirits actually rose. That…that was actually a decent plan. And yes, what E Gadd was saying actually made a lot of sense. There had to be more to that shooting star. There had to; it only made sense! If they could find out what it was, then they would understand how this whole fiasco started, and they would have a clearer idea on how to end it once and for all.

"Good idea, Elvin!" Mario said, smiling as he did.

"Yeah," Luigi said. "As soon as Mario and I are discharged, we can all go down to the library and…"

At that moment, Mario's phone chimed. Luigi blinked and got it off the nightstand beside the hospital bed. He saw that the message was from Peach.

Hey, Mario. Rosalina is going to be arriving at the Castle tomorrow at nine o'clock. Will you be there with me to greet her?

Luigi's face fell. "Actually, it looks like only you two will be going to the library. Peach has something she wants me to do."

Mario's face fell, possibly for more reasons than one. Regardless of that, E Gadd remained as chipper as ever.

"Well, that won't be an issue! Even two people dedicating a decent amount of time to finding answers is sure to yield promising results." He grinned at Mario. "Provided you're willing to do it, Mario."

There was a pause before Mario nodded. "Of…of course I'm willing to do it."

"Splendid!" E Gadd exclaimed. "Then we all have a gameplan for tomorrow."

"Yes." Luigi looked back down at the message from Peach. "Yes we do."