Aftermath (a BH6 crossover)

Chapter Thirty Four: Rebound

Loki had to say he felt immensely better after getting some actual food into his stomach. Sure he'd only gotten a few mouthfuls in before he had to stop and make sure it would all stay there, but he definitely felt his strength returning and it showed. He could now successfully sit up on his own and move his arms freely, even though his legs still felt a bit on the numb side.

For her part, Cass sat on the other side of the bed, nibbling on her own sandwich, the plate between them. Hiro still lay near the foot of the bed, not having moved since they'd put him there. "I can't help but wonder how much longer he's going to be out," she said with a sigh. It was anyone's guess, she knew, but it still concerned her. He'd already been out once earlier today, for at least a good hour or two. If this kept up, there was no way he'd be able to sleep later that night.

"I'm sure he'll wake when he's ready," Loki answered as he risked taking another bite of his sandwich. So far so good, but he didn't want to overdo things, having seen what happened to Hiro upon earlier occasions. Now he knew why the youth had practically starved himself while at the Hydra base and couldn't say he blamed him. There were, indeed, very few people who could probably understand what he'd been through. And, having lost his adoptive mother while in custody, Loki felt himself more qualified than most.

Baymax tilted his head to one side, blinking his robotic eyes. "I have been constantly bombarded with inquiries as to our whereabouts by Sammy," he informed. "Apparently Kally and the others are worried about recent events and wish to know where we are. Should I inform her of our location?"

"No."

Loki answered so quickly and decisively that Cass didn't even think about protesting. She simply looked at him with a bit of a frown.

"I will continue to refrain from informing her," the robot decided, feeling Loki had his reasons. "I will, however, pass on the assurance that we are all well. Is that acceptable?"

Cass nodded, not waiting for Loki to veto that one. "I'd like to know where they are though," she admitted. "I am, after all, one of Kally's legal guardians and should know where she's at."

Baymax seemed to nod as he straightened up. "Kally and the others are located on the pool deck," he informed. He decided to omit the detail that Sammy had tried to hack her way into his system to reactivate his GPS function, only to fail. JARVIS had taught him a thing or two about those kinds of things and it had certainly come in handy. "According to Sammy, they are having lunch."

"Well, at least there's that," Loki commented as he risked another bite of his sandwich. "We shouldn't have to worry about anyone intruding until we're ready to face the others." It was unfortunate that he still wasn't sure about the use of his legs just yet.

That earned him a bemused expression from Cass, though she couldn't exactly argue with the idea. She wasn't ready to face the others yet, nor the questions they might ask. And she was sure Hiro wasn't, mostly because he was still out for the count. "So what do you suggest we do while we wait?"

Loki shook his head. "I haven't the slightest idea, outside of waiting for a certain young man to rejoin the world of the living. I have some questions I'd like clarification on."

You and me both, Cass thought, though she didn't say it aloud. Chances were good she wouldn't get any of those answers any time soon, but she was willing to wait and see how things played out.

At that moment, Hiro mumbled in his sleep. He went to roll to one side. The only problem was that it was towards the edge of the bed, and his momentum didn't just stop at one partial turn. Instead, his momentum took him right off the bed, where he ran into the floor. "Ow," the teen said through a slightly groggy voice.