A Complicated Web

Chapter Forty-Eight: Impossible to Predict

Hiro felt a little better when Dr. Bosch decided he wasn't going to dunk him in a tub full of ice after all. The swelling had gone down a lot during the night, which allowed the doctor to put an actual brace on Hiro's legs to better allow the fractures to heal. That and he'd fabricated a 3D brace for his broken arm that should, like Deana Troi's, help his arm heal faster. Dr. Bosch opted to forgo using a cast on either limb so he could remove the stitches when the time came. It was also less bulky. There was also the possibility he'd still implant either some kind of rod in each bone, or use pins to hold the fractures in place, which meant a cast would just get in the way.

The teen genius couldn't help but feel grateful for both of these concessions though. One, he didn't like the idea of being dunked into a tank of ice cold water. Even though he still wanted to see real snow one of these days. And two, casts were itchy and uncompromising. He'd had one as a child when he'd broken an ankle trying to use his brother's skateboard. The fact that Tadashi even had one was interesting to say the least, but it had been fun, up until he'd biffed it on the sidewalk and almost got run over by a car. He didn't like the idea of additional surgery to put in pins.

Unfortunately, Dr. Bosch insisted that the feeding tube stayed, regardless of Hiro's now conscious state. He didn't like how thin Hiro still was, or how dehydrated, which meant the IV stayed too. Apparently fluids just went right through him. It probably would have stayed anyway as it continued to steadily drip antibiotics into his system on top of the saline solution and painkillers. It was a precaution even Hiro could agree with after all his body had gone through.

But, even with the feeding tube in place, the good doctor required Hiro to try and actually eat something every couple of hours. It was nothing too crazy, a small cup of pudding, or some mashed potatoes. Everything offered was soft and easily eaten. He told Hiro he didn't want him to completely rely on the tube so he could eventually remove it without worry. He was only mildly surprised they didn't mix up some kind of smoothies made from raw veggies or something.

Loki had yet to reappear, which meant Hiro had to find something to occupy himself with. He wasn't allowed out of bed for at least another two days, not that it would have done any good since he couldn't really walk with opposite legs in practically full leg-length braces. They didn't want to risk opening up any of his internal injuries again. That and the braces made it hard to do much of anything. But at least the oxygen was gone for now. He just needed to convince Dr. Bosh the EEG leads could go too. So far the answer was no. But they were as annoying as he'd get out, though he kept telling himself he had to be good or they'd likely sedate him again. That was never pleasant. It always left a nasty taste in his mouth when he came to again, not to mention the disorientation that came with it.

Dr. Bosch insisted those sticky pads of doom stay, mostly because he wanted to make sure Hiro didn't have another episode. It didn't help that he still didn't have Baymax, which meant his usual anchor was missing from his life. He couldn't wait to get him back and leave this circus. And, of course, the EEG readings gave Dr. Bosch some sort of idea of how Hiro's brain worked. He just hoped the doctor wasn't going to use that to some evil end.

The thing that really sucked was that, despite the painkillers he'd been given, he still felt like Yama's men had pummeled the life out of him. There were bruises galore that he knew he'd feel for weeks before they finally healed. On top of his, he knew, from experience, that it would take at least six weeks for his fractures to heal as well. This, of course, didn't bode well for any potential escape plans. He'd have to rely on anyone he could to get out of there. Fingers crossed, Dr. Bosch was actually serious about helping him, along with Loki. Otherwise, it would be a really short venture, with consequences he wasn't sure he wanted to contemplate just yet.