I Didn't Realize

Chapter 30

       I opened the door and chuckled at what I walked in on. Baymax was sitting on the floor, petting Mochi, and saying what seemed like nonsense.
"Hairy baby," he slurred. "Hairy baby..." As soon as Hiro entered the room, Mochi hissed at him and scampered away. I set down Hiro's plate on his desk and then walked over to help him put Baymax on his charger. After slinging a shoulder under his arm, Hiro and I guided Baymax over to the charger.
"Alright... we got this," I murmured. "That's it." Baymax attempted to put his foot into his charger, but his perception was off, and it slipped. "One foot in front of the other." Finally, Baymax was able to put both feet in, and he began re-inflating, and in a matter of moments, he was fully recharged and inflated. Hiro relaxed and sat abruptly in his chair, while I flopped down onto his bed, causing the mattress to bounce a little bit. I then sat up and looked up to see Hiro nibbling on a spicy chicken wing. He looked back at me and held out the plate.
"Do you want one, Mae?"
"No, I'm alright. I'm not exactly hungry right now," I sighed, slightly pushing the plate away. Hiro looked at me with concern, but turned back around to focus on trying to figure out who those people were. He picked up the Microbot in the petri dish and sighed deeply.
"It doesn't make any sense..."
"They had to have been able to replicate them somehow. Maybe they had someone do some spy work and they saw how you were making the Microbots."
"How would they do that, Mae? Tadashi and I would have seen them."
"Unless they bugged the garage somehow..."
"Hmm... you've got a point...."
"Tadashi."
Hiro and I both looked up to see Baymax staring at Tadashi's untouched side of the bed. I looked over at Hiro and sympathy flashed in my eyes. How were we supposed to explain this to something that acted like a child?
"What?" Hiro asked.
"Tadashi." Hiro stood up to close the divider between their sides of the room.
"Tadashi's gone," I explained.
"When will he return?"
"He's dead, Baymax." Hiro's response was blunt, and it shocked me that he was able to say that without missing a beat.
"I see no evidence of physical injury on Hiro." Hiro sat back down and began messing with the spring on his desk lamp. I placed a hand on his shoulder and looked sadly at Baymax.
"Wait, why is there only evi-"
"It's a different kind of hurt," I hurriedly stated, cutting off Hiro.
"You are my patients. I would like to help you." Baymax walked over and placed his hand on one of Hiro's monitors. Images flashed across it.
"What are you doing?"
"I am downloading a database on personal loss." After a few more seconds, he lifted up his arm and the screen went black again. "Database downloaded. Treatments include contact with friends and loved ones. I am contacting them now." Wasabi, Fred, Gogo, and Honey Lemon's faces appeared on Baymax's stomach as he contacted them.
"No, no, no!" Hiro cried, leaping up. He placed his hands on Baymax's stomach just as their images left the screen.
"Your friends have been contacted."
"Unbelievable." Baymax waddled over and wrapped his vinyl arms around Hiro's skinny frame. "Now what are you doing?"
"Other treatments include compassion and physical reassurance."
"I'm okay, really."
"You will be alright. There, there." He gently patted Hiro's head.
"Thanks, Baymax." Hiro pushed away from Baymax and looked at him.
"I am sorry about the fire."
"It's okay. It was an accident," I said, my gaze flickering over to Hiro. He looked down at the petri dish, and the look on his face changed to one of suspicion.
"Unless... unless it wasn't."
"What are you talking about?"
"At the showcase... the guy in the mask stole my Microbots, and... and set the fire to cover his tracks. He's responsible for Tadashi! We gotta catch that guy." Hiro sat back down on his chair and turned to look at me.
"Hiro, I see where you're coming from, but this guy has control of all of your Microbots. We'd need a superhero to stop him." Hiro looked over at Baymax and I rolled my eyes. "No offense, but how is fluffy old Baymax that can barely throw a punch supposed to fight off thousands of Microbots?"
"We could... design some sort of suit for him... and I could program some moves into him. We'll just have to draw up some designs really quick. You ready to draw?"
"Uh, always!" We both laughed and I pulled off my sweatshirt, which ended the happy moment all too quick. He looked down at my arms and I swore.
"Mae... what is this?"
"Uh, no-nothing...?"
"Mae..." He buried his head in his hands, frustrated. "Why?"
"Hiro, to my brain, this is the only solution. Are you not understanding me? I know I told you I'd try, but I can't stop this!" I tried to keep my voice down so Aunt Cass wouldn't intervene. Hiro finally looked up, and his brown eyes seemed to be begging.
"Mae, please stop. I know that this can kill you, and I care about you enough to not let that happen. Last time, I let you off easily, but I'm intervening this time. Tonight, you're sleeping in here, and tomorrow, I'm taking away everything that you can use to cut yourself, okay?"
"Hiro, it isn't your job to protect me. I'm going to keep whatever blades I have for as long as I want."
"No, Mae, you're not. I care about you, and I don't want to see you dead. I can't lose you too, Mae. Please-" he grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes, "-stop this, for me, for Baymax, for Tadashi." At the mention of Tadashi, I stopped and thought for a moment. This isn't what Tadashi would want. He always tried to make me feel better, no matter what. I sighed and ended up caving.
"You're right, Hiro. This isn't what Tadashi would want... but that doesn't mean that I can just suddenly stop." Hiro looked at me with desperate eyes. "I'll do what you've asked me to, though." A tiny smile grew across his lips. He reached over and pulled me into a hug and I nuzzled my head into his shoulder. Eventually, we both pulled away and I smiled at him, our faces a mere few inches away.
"Now let's go try to catch that guy," he said, and we both lept up.