It was dark by the time Hiro finally opened his eyes again. His headache had changed to a less intense throbbing above his ears and temples, though it still hurt. At least it didn't feel like someone was stabbing him anymore. It was nice to just lie there, though his bedding was, once again, twisted.
He had no idea what time it was, and part of him didn't even care. But another part of him said there was somewhere he was supposed to be, though he couldn't remember where. And that bothered him. In fact, everything felt rather bland, like someone had erased something important that he needed to know. He just didn't know what.
"You awake?" Tadashi asked in half a whisper as he moved into view. "How you feeling?"
Hiro groaned as he turned onto his side to better look at his brother. "I've been better. How about you?" Despite the low light, he could still see the discoloring around Tadashi's eye.
Tadashi carefully settled on the edge of the bed. "I'm okay," he answered. "You've slept most of the day away. Though I'm pretty sure you needed it."
That comment brought Hiro to a sitting position in a hurry. "What!" He scrambled to untangle himself from the bedding as images of the showcase shattered through the numbness he'd felt only moments before. "I gotta get to the showcase! They're expecting me! I gotta stop-"
The pressure of Tadashi's hand on his shoulder stopped him from giving away too much. "You're not going anywhere," his older brother admonished. "Besides, I already told the committee you couldn't make it."
"What!" The look in Hiro's eyes was almost frantic as the implications set in. "Why! I need to go to the showcase! I have to give my presentation!" As he spoke, he broke free of his brother's grasp, his gangly legs flailing in agitation. "I gotta stop the fire!"
Before he could get too far, though, Tadashi had grabbed him around the middle and pulled him back onto the mattress. "Hiro, you can't."
Hiro sobbed in his brother's arms, too worn down to apply the proper care to his thoughts or words. "But I gotta protect you! I have to keep you from going into the fire! I can't lose you! I can't lose you! Not again!"
Despite the fear that clenched his heart, Tadashi remained calm. "There isn't any fire, Hiro," he said. "You're just confused, mixing dreams with reality. But it's okay. I'm going to help you figure this out."
Hiro squirmed as the sobs continued to shake his body. All filters were gone now, pure instinct kicking in. "But I have to stop Callaghan!" he protested. "He's going to steal my microbots and set the showcase building on fire! And you're going to run in to save him when he doesn't need saving! And he won't even care!"
Tadashi held his brother more tightly, ignoring his flailing arms and legs. "Shh," he tried to soothe. "Callaghan isn't going to do anything. No one is going to steal your project. And I'm not running anywhere."
The small boy's body continued to shake, though he'd stopped fighting to get free. "But you're going to die! I know you are!" He hiccuped between sobs.
The older Hamada took a deep breath, closing his eyes while he exhaled. "Everyone dies eventually," he said softly, not sure if his brother heard him or not. After all, their parents had died early on. It was all just a matter of time, really. And it wasn't fair for him to promise something he knew would happen eventually. "But I don't plan on dying any time soon," he said, settling on the best answer he could come up with.
"But you will," Hiro said, his voice almost a whisper as the tears continued to flow. He seemed to shiver in his brother's arms, despite still wearing his flannel pajamas. And his breath felt hot against the older Hamada's skin, even though he'd somehow managed to curl up like a pill bug in his lap. His arms had drawn up against his chest, his knees doing the same as he basically sat in fetal position.
Going on impulse, Tadashi moved a hand to feel his brother's forehead. It felt warm against his skin. Too warm, actually. "Do you have a fever?" He turned the boy so he could better feel his heated skin. "You do have a fever."
Hiro shook his head, not denying anything, just oh so confused. "I can't do this anymore," he whispered, still fighting against the tears. "I can't keep fighting against it. I can't... I'm sorry." His breathing seemed more shallow than before.
Tadashi's eyes widened, panic beginning to surface. He looked around the room, stopping at the sight of the red case he'd plugged into the far wall. "Ow," he said loud enough to activate the robot within. "Baymax! I need you right now!"
The robot seemed to inflate much faster than usual, though it still seemed like an eternity as Hiro lay curled up in Tadashi's arms. The boy's breathing was labored despite its shallowness, and he didn't seem fully conscious anymore. Had he really been awake to begin with? Or was this another sleep terror? It was hard to tell.
"Hello. I am Baymax," the robot began but was quickly cut off by a gesture from his creator.
"Baymax, I need you to scan Hiro. Now." He was tempted to move, set his brother down on the bed, but couldn't seem to get his fear frozen muscles to work.
Baymax waddled closer, moving to stand in a better position to scan the semi-conscious boy. "Beginning scan. Scan complete."
Tadashi's heart beat at least fifty times between the moment Baymax announced the start and end of his scan. His heart beat almost a thousand times before the robot said anything else.
"Hiro appears to be suffering from a high fever," the robot announced. "My scans are unable to determine the cause."
The older Hamada looked up sharply at that admission. "What do you mean you can't determine a cause?"
Baymax shuffled a little closer. "I do not detect any signs of infection," he replied. "However, Hiro's blood pressure is elevated. I also detect abnormally low neurotransmitter levels. This indicates he is experiencing intense distress. Diagnosis, psychogenic fever."
Tadashi had never heard of such a thing before and quickly questioned the healthcare robot about what that meant. It wasn't too surprising to note the condition was associated with high levels of stress, but an explanation that finding the root cause was paramount in curing the condition definitely caused more trepidation.
"I know he's been stressing a lot about the showcase," Tadashi admitted. "That on top of his recent surgery, I suppose it's not entirely surprising. What are the recommended treatments?" He braced himself for the answer.
The robot seemed to contemplate this for a moment before answering. "Suggested treatments include sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs to help calm the patient. Other treatments include therapy and talking to loved ones about the stress-inducing elements."
Double-strike there, Tadashi thought. There was no way he was going to get Hiro anywhere near a doctor to prescribe any such drugs, let alone to a therapist. If he thought doctors were bad, Hiro would definitely not like the idea of going to a counselor and spilling his guts out to them. That left talking to loved ones, but would Hiro let him in? So far, that hadn't really happened.
Shaking his head, Tadashi moved to set Hiro back against the bed. It was a bit difficult as he'd somehow wrapped his arms around the one Tadashi still had around his middle, but he managed. The boy's eyes had closed again, though he wasn't sure if Hiro was really asleep or not. "What brought him to this?" he wondered aloud as he rubbed at the back of his neck.
"Can you think of anything that Hiro may have mentioned recently that might induce a high-stress state?" Baymax asked as he tilted his head to one side, blinking at the overwhelmed college student.
Thoughts of the past few months filled Tadashi's mind, memories of his brother crying out in his sleep. The things he'd discussed earlier with their aunt... "Only the things I've already told you," he finally answered, then paused. "Well, that and he had a severe migraine this morning. I also know he hasn't really slept lately, so that doesn't help."
Another thought struck Tadashi as he contemplated the changes in the past week. "Actually, I think this might have something to do with him talking to you a week ago." He looked pointedly at the robot.
Baymax blinked, straightening his head to look directly at Tadashi. "I do not have any memory of this encounter," he stated, somehow managing to sound confused.
Tadashi almost stood, his arms gesturing his denial. "That's not possible," he protested. "I was there when it happened. Well, when most of it happened," he added thoughtfully. "A fellow student called me out into the hall for a few minutes, but I know you talked to Hiro. You requested it after I told you about his recent behavior."
"I do not have any memory of this incident," Baymax said as he blinked. "I do not recall requesting to talk with Hiro."
That comment brought Tadashi to his feet as he shook his head to deny the possibility once more. "I know what I heard and saw," he insisted. "Either you really do and can't remember because of some malfunction, or someone messed with your programming."
He began to circle the robot, as if he could find the answer by looking at his outer frame. "But I can't find that out unless I run a diagnostic, which I can't do without the program. This means I'd have to either take you back to my lab or go there and download the program and bring it back here. But, in the meantime, I can't leave Hiro alone. And I can't involve Aunt Cass in this just yet. She's got enough to worry about with the shop."
Baymax blinked at that, offering no suggestions.
Tadashi glanced at his brother to make sure he was still there. He hadn't so much as moved since he'd set him down. Someone was obviously playing a cruel joke and he didn't like it.
"I will run a self-diagnostic now," Baymax announced as he seemed to straighten. Several seconds passed before his head tilted downward to look Tadashi in the eye. "Diagnostic complete. I seem to have several gaps in my memory that I cannot account for."
Tadashi stared at the robot in surprise. He hadn't programmed him with a self-diagnostic tool. It was something he'd thought about doing but hadn't gotten around to just yet. But hearing there were bits of his memory missing was even more disconcerting. "What's going on?" he asked the air.
"I do not know," Baymax answered, even though he wasn't sure if the question was rhetorical or not. "May I suggest deactivating me for now, then retrieving the diagnostic programming for a more in-depth examination? If my protocols have been violated, I would prefer to not have them violated again while I am caring for my patient."
That brought a thoughtful nod from Tadashi. "I agree. The sooner we get to the bottom of this the better. I am satisfied with my care."
Baymax turned and shuffled back to his case, deactivating as Tadashi contemplated the situation at hand. Aunt Cass would likely come and check in on Hiro if he asked. He knew that if she could, she'd pull away from the café while her employees took charge. He wasn't sure if that was completely necessary, seeing as how Hiro seemed rather out of it again, but he'd feel better about things if someone was there to keep an eye on him. And not just an intermittent one.
An idea came to mind and he wondered how it would go over. But he didn't feel comfortable leaving Hiro alone, not knowing something was terribly wrong. He made the call.
..................................
"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Tadashi said as he closed the door. "You don't know how much this means to me."
Honey Lemon gave a rather timid smile as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know I'd do anything for you," she said as she followed him up the flight of stairs that led to the living level of the café. She'd only been there once, though entering from the private entrance was a little weird.
"My aunt's busy with the café downstairs," Tadashi continued as he moved up the second flight of stairs. "And I wouldn't ask just anyone to keep an eye on things, but I felt it would be better this way. I don't know if you'd noticed, but Hiro's not doing so well."
The chemist nodded, even though Tadashi wasn't looking her way. "I wondered," she said. "I mean I don't really know him all that well yet, but it did seem like something was bothering him. I'm only happy to help."
Tadashi continued up the second flight of stairs, feeling a little embarrassed to be taking her to his room, even if it was for a good reason. "Hiro was asleep last I checked. I don't expect him to give you any trouble, but I don't feel comfortable leaving him alone while I go and get what I need from the lab. I just don't know how long it'll take me."
Honey Lemon put a reassuring hand on Tadashi's shoulder as he paused at the top of the stairs. "It's okay," she smiled. "I know Hiro means the world to you. And after helping him with his microbots, I'm sure the others feel the same. He's a great kid."
"Thank you," Tadashi said again as he gave her a hug. He hadn't told her part of the reason he'd asked her to come was to make sure nothing weird happened with Baymax, though he hoped she'd call immediately if anything did. With the robot's report of missing memory data, he knew someone was tampering with his project. He had to find out who and why. Because whoever had tampered with Baymax was messing with Hiro and that definitely couldn't be allowed to fly.
A bit surprised, Honey Lemon returned the hug, a slight blush coloring her cheeks, though it was hard to see because the light was turned off. "I'll call you if I need anything," she assured him.
Taking one last look back, Tadashi headed back down the stairs. He hoped he was making the right decision.