For dinner, Heathcliff had prepared something more along the lines of kid favorites. Despite his endeavor to serve something more "normal", the macaroni and cheese wasn't the kind from a box, but was obviously gourmet made. And the chicken nuggets that accompanied them were shaped like little dinosaurs. That was Fred's suggestion. And the peas were nice and green, but buttery enough that even an eater as picky as Hiro could enjoy them.
While at the store, Honey and Deanna had insisted on getting some kind of booster seat so Hiro could reach the table without having to sit on a pile of books. The little chair was strapped securely to the larger piece of furniture so it wouldn't slide. Hiro was not amused by the little seat belt they insisted he wear, just in case. At least they hadn't suggested he use the tray that came with it and had moved the whole ensemble as close to the table as possible.
Even with those precautions, the area in front of Hiro got kind of messy. It wasn't that he tried to make a mess. It was just one of those things. With his coordination somewhat encumbered by smaller limbs he had yet to get used to, it was bound to happen. That and he had a hard time scooping anything up with the tiny fork and spoon they'd given him. It was bad enough that Fred and brought out a bib large enough to cover his front, but he supposed if he looked at it like one those bibs at the all-you-can-eat lobster places, he could imagine away the indignity of it all.
Picard and Q seemed less than amused by the shaped chicken nuggets, but at least the captain didn't comment. Q, on the other hand, had to have his say on the matter, muttering on how childish it was to have shaped meat products. And why were they so obviously catering to the little brat making a mess over at the other end of the table? Couldn't they move him to another room so the "grownups" could eat in peace?
The loud smack of GoGo's hand making contact with Q's face shocked everyone to silence. All conversation stopped as they turned to stare at the red welt rising on the impudent man's face. "That's my friend you're talking about," GoGo said in a tightly controlled voice. "If you have something to complain about, say it to me. Leave him out of it. He didn't choose this, okay? Back off."
Q's eyes went wide as he was told off by the spitfire athlete. He couldn't help but cringe as she raised her hand once more, the back of her knuckles less than half a meter away from his face. If she let lose, it would hurt more than the first smack did. "Well you don't have to be so snippy about it," he complained.
She raised her hand a little higher, her eyes narrowed, lips drawn together in a stern line. "Care to say that again?"
Looking more than a little affronted, Q stood from his seat. "Well I never!" With that he stormed out of the room.
The moment he was out of sight, GoGo let her arm fall back to her side as she returned to her seat. "Jerk," she muttered under her breath.
Worf eyed GoGo with a sense of approval. This one had fire in her and the idea of fighting alongside her in battle made his blood pump. She was a true warrior.
Slowly, the dim mumble of voices filled the silence once more. Silverware clinked off of plates as GoGo stared sternly around the table in general, daring anyone else to comment about Hiro's handicap. When no one took up the challenge, she picked up her cup and took a drink.
Feeling the danger was past, Honey looked around. She had to resist the urge to wipe cheese sauce from Hiro's face, even though the little tyke had a good mustache and beard going on. She noticed he'd given up on the fork and spoon and opted to use his hands instead. She made a mental note to request either a washcloth or a wet wipe to clean him up later.
The general talk returned to current events, mainly all the odd reports of random things happening around the city. Wasabi was all for believing half of it was provided by bored college and high school students. Some of the incidents just sounded too hinky for anything else.
Thankfully, the rest of the meal passed in a relatively calm manner. Without Q there, the overall attitude of the room seemed to change. Though Honey felt inclined to slip the sulking man at least a roll later on. His plate still had a good amount of food on it.
By the time dessert came around, something Hiro usually didn't want to miss, the tot was nodding in his chair. Both Deanna and Honey Lemon excused themselves to put the little boy to bed. Baymax followed behind with a hurriedly filled diaper bag in tow.
......................................
"Not sweepy," Hiro protested. He was barely able to keep his eyes open as the two women bustled around him.
Although both Deanna and Honey changed him out of his day clothes and into his pajamas, Baymax was the one who performed diaper duty. It probably wouldn't have mattered at that point, but Honey wanted to preserve Hiro's dignity as much as possible.
"I forgot something," Honey Lemon said as she placed the tot in the middle of his bed. "Hiro's blanket's in the library." She debated on whether or not to go get it. Part of her wanted to, but part of her also knew she'd promised not to look at his stuff. However, chances were also good Heathcliff might move them while checking the library. If that happened, she didn't know where they'd end up. "I'll be right back," she said, decided to just go after them.
From his vantage, Hiro could see that it was only eight in the evening. Thankfully, the clock in the room was in an area he could see it. "Too eawy," he protested again. But despite that, his eyes continued to droop. It had been a long day.
Deanna tucked the quilt around him with her uninjured arm. She had to sit on the edge of the bed to reach, but it was a small price to pay. The motion reminded her of her own child. She hadn't had him long. He'd grown from an infant to a confident ten-year-old in a matter of days. And then he'd left, realizing his presence was putting the Enterprise in danger.
"I once had a little boy," she mused as she ran her hand through Hiro's hair. "He was just as bright as you are. But he had to go away." She continued to tell him about her child, massaging his scalp in gentle circles. After only a few minutes of this, she sat back with a wistful smile.
Honey Lemon opened the door and slowly walked in, holding the blanket and Hiro's coloring book and crayons. She hadn't found the map from earlier and decided her earlier thoughts on the matter must have held true. "Is he asleep?" she whispered.
The counselor nodded. "Just barely," she replied just as quietly. She took the blanket from Honey as she handed it to her, placing it next to the sleeping child. "It's been a busy day." With that, she stood and left the room.
Blinking a bit, Honey couldn't help but notice a momentary look of sadness on the woman's face before she entered the hallway. Then she turned her attention back to the bed.
Hiro's hair had fallen over his face, something that wasn't all too surprising. He needed a haircut. Putting the notebook and crayons down on the nightstand, Honey pushed the hair back out of his eyes.
Baymax watched all of this from his charging station. Someone had been kind enough to move it into the bedroom for him. He slowly opened and closed his eyes as his scanner relayed information to his central processor.
When Honey turned to leave, she realized Baymax was still there. She pulled back just a little, mostly because she'd forgotten his presence, but waved it off. "Keep a close eye on him, okay, Baymax?"
The robot tilted his head to one side as he blinked slowly at her. "Of course," he said in his quietest voice. He watched as Honey Lemon turned off the light before leaving the room.
......................................
When Wasabi finally decided it was time for bed, he didn't expect to see Hiro sleeping on the floor. He'd turned on the light, forgetting the youth had gone to bed much earlier than usual. And seeing the toddler on the floor amid a pile of blankets and pillows was more than a little surprising. It almost looked like he'd built a little nest near the foot of the bed he should have been sleeping in.
Then Wasabi saw Baymax sitting against the wall closest to his young charge. "What do you think you're doing?" he whispered. "Shouldn't Hiro be sleeping on the bed?"
Baymax looked up from watching the sleeping toddler. "Hello, Wasabi," he said quietly. "Hiro was having bad dreams. This seems to be the only way to calm him."
"Oh." Wasabi felt slightly taken back by that. "Well then I guess that's alright." He hadn't realized Hiro was having bad dreams. Though he wouldn't blame him if he'd started having them just that night. It made some sort of sense if they had. "He's not going to wake up screaming or anything is he?"
The robot leaned his head to one side as he contemplated that idea. "It is a possibility," he admitted. "Young children tend to have more vivid dreams than adults. They are also more intuitive and have a heightened sense of the emotional."
Wasabi couldn't help but slump onto his bed as if in defeat. "Great. So the kid's going to be more sensitive. Just what we need." He took of his shoes and set them carefully to one side. He then proceeded to change into his pajamas.
"I will try to keep him as calm as possible," Baymax stated as he diverted his attention while the man prepare for bed. "However, I may not be able to do so. I would like to apologize in advance should that be the case."
By that point, Wasabi had changed and put his day clothes in an orderly pile before heading to turn off the light once more. "Don't worry about,' he said, hoping Hiro would sleep like the dead. He knew he wanted to.
.....................................
Almost as if an alarm had gone off, Hiro sat up from his nest of blankets. He blinked the sleep from his eyes, rubbing at them when that didn't work. The room was still dark. Wasabi was still snoring away in his bed on the other side of the room. Just what time was it, anyway?
Hiro turned to look towards the clock. The digital face read 5:00. Wow. That was a new record, he supposed. He hadn't gotten up that early on his own in a long time. This whole toddler thing was totally messing with his circadian rhythm. That had to stop.
It didn't help that Deanna had basically lulled him to sleep the night before, despite his trying to stay up longer. She just had to go and mess with his hair, effectively giving him a scalp massage. Those had always put him to sleep when he was younger. How dare she use that technique against him!
Seeing his young charge was awake, Baymax sat up from leaning against the wall. He activated his internal projector to supply enough light to see the room, but not enough to wake the sleeping man in the other bed. "Good morning, Hiro," he greeted the toddler in a quiet voice. "Did you have another bad dream?"
Hiro shook his head. To be honest, he really couldn't remember any of the dreams he'd had the night before. And part of him thought that was a blessing. He'd had some rather crazy ones the past few days. Add that yesterday's events... Yeah, he was cool not remembering any weird dreams.
"Do you want to go back to sleep?" Baymax asked next. He doubted it, as Hiro's brain seemed quite active. And the resulting head shake only confirmed it. "What would you like to do instead?"
The toddler had to think about that for a bit, and then decided it would be wise to prove to his friends he didn't really need a diaper. "Potty," he said as he pointed to the door. He was too short to reach the knob.
Baymax got to his feet and picked up the little tyke as he headed to the door. "Of course," he said, as if he'd known all along that's what Hiro would say. He grabbed a clean diaper just in case. Even if he was dry, he still should wear some kind of underwear.
When Hiro realized what Baymax was doing, he let out a little huff. Well soon enough he'd demand "big boy" underwear again and get rid of those things. If he had his way, he'd have a bonfire. Unfortunately, he doubted anyone would let him near an open flame. At least not until he was restored to his normal pubescent self.
...................................
By the time Wasabi woke up, it was eight in the morning. He yawned, sat up, and stretched. Then he did a double-take. This was followed by a mad dash to the other side of the room, and some rapid flinging of bedding from the nest on the floor. But the results were the same. Hiro and Baymax weren't there.
Feeling a bit self-conscious, Wasabi couldn't help but place the bedding back on the bed, folded in neat rectangles. This allowed him to notice, however, that the pad of paper and crayons were missing from the nightstand as well. He'd also sufficiently calmed down enough to be rational. If Baymax was with Hiro, he couldn't be in any danger. At least not any serious danger.
A little mollified, the OCD freak got dressed and headed towards the smell of breakfast. Like before, Heathcliff had delivered a warm meal. Only this time there was French toast and omelets made to order. Now that was more like it, he decided.
One by one, the various heroes and their guests made their way to the breakfast room. All except for Hiro and Baymax. Wasabi couldn't help but notice. He'd tried to keep an eye out for them, something that should have been easy, but no dice.
Finally, Wasabi turned to the three girls who were sitting together at one end of the room. "You guys wouldn't happen to know where Hiro and Baymax are would you?"
Deanna exchanged glances with Honey Lemon. GoGo remained impassive. "I haven't checked in on them yet," Troi admitted. "Why? Is something wrong?"
Wasabi tried to shrug it off. "I don't know," he admitted. "They weren't in the room when I woke up this morning. You know Hiro usually sleeps in until someone wakes him."
"Maybe I should go look for them," Honey worried as she set her coffee down. "Hiro might have gotten himself into trouble."
Fred shook his head as he listened in on the conversation. He'd requested Heathcliff make him a very special omelet with a mix of meat, radishes, and crackers. The last time he'd had it had turned out rather well and he'd had a craving. "I'm sure the little dude's fine," he reasoned. "I mean Baymax's with him. If something was wrong, wouldn't Baymax come find one of us?"
Picard chose to ignore the conversation as he speared a piece of sticky toast with his fork. As much as he'd hate to admit it in front of his friends, he was a little glad Hiro wasn't there right now. Even though he knew this was a temporary thing, Hiro's young visage reminded him of a lot of things that made him uncomfortable. He was trying to ignore it, but it was deeply ingrained and not as easily done as he would have liked.
Data observed the conversation from near the door. He'd found something to occupy himself while the others ate, since he didn't feel inclined to join them. "Perhaps he has merely become involved in some project and has forgotten the time. Or he may have fallen asleep in another part of the house," he reasoned.
"It wouldn't be good if we lost him," GoGo spoke up. "His aunt would be furious."
Fred pointed his fork in GoGo's direction. "She's got a point. Maybe someone should go look for him."
Worf eyed those around the table, most especially Q. Part of him felt a desire to volunteer, but part of him also wanted to keep an eye on the mischief maker already in their presence. Looking around, he could tell that almost everyone in the room was still eating.
Data seemed to observe the same thing. "If everyone would prefer to finish their meal, I volunteer to go in search of Hiro. This may give me the opportunity to learn more about his robot."
Picard waved his consent, mostly because his mouth was full of buttery goodness. He took a moment to clear his throat though, just in case. "By all means, Mr. Data," he said.
Having been giving permission by his superior, Data gave a slight nod in acknowledgement before turning and leaving the room.
.................................
Hiro lay on the floor, tummy side down as he concentrated on the map in front of him. With Baymax's help, he'd managed to look up more data to put on the thing. He only wished his hands weren't so weak and useless when it came to writing. In place of that, he'd had Baymax cut out the little snippets he'd found so he could tape them to the corresponding places on the map. He knew his own little fingers wouldn't work the scissors in the most effective manner. That and he doubted the others would approve of his use of non-child proof scissors while still in this form.
Baymax handed him yet another little slip of paper, which he put next to a messy red dot he's scribbled on the map. The surface was getting full at this point, if for no other reason than the fact that he'd included even the incidents that might be seen as pranks. Those he'd coded in blue as he wasn't sure if they were valid or not. It took a lot of concentration to make everything fit in nicely. And even then, things were still a bit messy.
When the door to the library opened, Hiro looked up quickly. He shoved the map under the upholstered chair he lay next to. He then pulled the pad of paper and the box of crayons closer so he could scribble on the blank pages. He wasn't ready for the others to see the map just yet.
When the android entered the room, Hiro felt a little surprised. He'd half expected one of the girls to come looking for him. But he didn't mind the change. "Data," he called out in his toddler drawl. "Wook." He held out the notebook as the intelligence officer moved closer.
Data knelt down on one knee as Hiro sat up and handed him the notebook. "Ah," he said. "I see you have a good grasp of color. However, the medium does not seem capable of showing the depth you wish to convey. May I?"
When Hiro nodded his consent, he sat on the floor, then lay on his stomach, placing a blank page in front of himself. Then he chose a couple of colors and began to draw.
Fifteen minutes later, Deanna Troi came looking for the both of them. She paused at the doorway of the library to take a moment to observe the two. A smile creased her face and she chuckled to herself. "So that's where you ended up," she said as she moved into the room.
Both Hiro and Data looked up at the same time.
"I was wondering what had happened to you," the counselor continued as she stopped in front of them.
Data moved to a sitting position. "Did the captain require my presence?" he inquired.
Deanna shook her head, still smiling. "No. But I wonder if someone shouldn't remind Hiro that it might be a good idea to eat something while there's still something left to eat."
At the mention of food, Hiro's stomach let out a loud growl. The small boy looked up with embarrassment. "F'got," he said by way of excuse. He then spread his hands out to indicate the drawings he'd worked on with Data. "Dwawed good."
Troi knelt to better see as she looked at the various pictures. It wasn't hard to tell which artist had done which. While Hiro's fine motor skills were that of a toddler, Data's were decidedly firm and strong with bold lines. "I can see that," she commented, then pointed at one scribble in particular. It was a cotton candy cloud assortment of blues, pinks, and other pastel colors. "What's this suppose to be?"
"Cwouds," Hiro answered as he also contemplated the piece. "Pohtaw cwouds."
Data took that opportunity to get back to his feet. "Hiro and I have been comparing places we've either seen or visited."
"I see," Deanna said as she returned to a standing position as well. "But don't you think that can wait until after he's had something to eat?" She glanced towards Baymax, who remained impassively standing nearby. "And why didn't you remind Hiro it was time for breakfast?"
Baymax contemplated that question for a moment. "I believed Hiro would tell me when he was hungry," he finally answered. "However, you are correct in saying Hiro should eat something." Aside from which, he'd kept close tabs on Hiro's blood sugar levels and had not found any reason for concern.
Almost as if the boy felt bemused with this idea, he let his shoulder sag to one side and gave his companion a slow eye roll. "Got busy," he said by way of explanation. "Food now?" Surely Baymax would have said something if he'd thought it was a problem. He'd had no qualms of doing so in the past.
Deanna shook her head at the spectacle. "Yes," she confirmed as she reached for his hand. "I asked Heathcliff to set something aside for you when you didn't show up for breakfast."
"Kay," Hiro answered rather innocently. He didn't mention, nor was he sure he could accurately get it across, but he'd had a decent snack around six that morning when the butler had found him and Baymax already in the library. But an actual meal sounded like a good idea too.
Data straightened the drawings on the floor. "I'll just straighten up a little more in here," he announced as he set the drawings in two different piles, one for his and one for Hiro's. He then put the crayons back in their box and placed it all on the desk by the computer while the other three left the room.
Out of curiosity, he turned on the blank monitor. Fred had shown him how it worked the other day. The image that came into focus straight off was a search engine result page full of incidents in and around San Fransokyo. "Curious," he said to himself, then proceeded to go through the data on screen. Part of him wondered who had been doing the research, Hiro, Baymax, or someone else.