The morning seemed more than a little tense as the intrepid heroes and their guests waited on events. Thanks to some counseling from Deanna, Fred and GoGo had a nice chat with Wasabi, who was now at least more willing to admit Fred hadn't completely lost his marbles. Honey felt better about the situation all around, though she still wondered if there might be some repercussions from recent events.
James had regained consciousness and was returned to his holding room. Everyone involved thought it would be best to leave him alone for a while to cool down. He'd woken in a mood no one wanted to deal with. It had taken both Data and Worf to return him to the room he'd been sequestered for the previous night. He was less likely to get into trouble that way. Baymax had confirmed this was probably the best course of action as he didn't feel it would be wise to sedate the man in his current state.
Q decided to intrude on Baymax's territory and parked himself on the spare cot he'd used to sleep on the night before. He'd refused to move when confronted. And, after some consideration, Picard ordered Worf to leave him alone. He wasn't hurting anyone. In fact, he seemed content to just stare at Hiro, who still remained unconscious on the examination table, all the tubes and wires making him look smaller than he actually was.
Picard, for his part, decided there wasn't much they could do until Hiro's condition changed, so he returned to the library to finish his book. He didn't know if he'd be given any other chances to do so and wanted to take every advantage possible. After all, he wouldn't be able to take the book with him when all was said and done.
And Honey went to work with her chemistry set. It at least gave her something to do as she worked on perfecting her various formulas. That and it kept her in close proximity to the medical room in case Baymax or Data needed her assistance. She couldn't help but feel a need to keep checking in on Hiro, like if she didn't he might disappear on them or something. Or she'd miss something important.
The two Doctors had disappeared into one of their TARDISes to try and figure things out. One of them kept muttering about finding a way to collect the energy without hurting the vessel, though why he said that was beyond any of the heroes. There were still too many unanswered questions and no real way to find the answers. They both suspected things but weren't ready to voice them just yet.
In this state, the morning turned into afternoon with little change. Except that James seemed to calm down enough for the counselor to get some semblance of sense out of him, enough to understand how Q's energy had come to him in the first place. However, any explanation of what happened after that became impossible as James seemed to snap back into a less stable mental state, almost as if he'd been pushed past his limit. Perhaps he had.
Thanks to some contacts through Heathcliff, they decided it would be best to transfer James to a mental facility where he could be more closely monitored. The head psychologist there was friends with the butler and promised to relay any information that might be helpful. That way none of the Heroes had to worry about their identities becoming compromised. And since Heathcliff had performed similar services for Fred's father, no one suspected it had anything to do with his son.
The afternoon slowly ate away the time and those gathered at the Whitmore Manor became understandably more anxious as time went by. The Doctors still had not emerged. Picard grew bored of his book. Fred and GoGo returned from a long drive, only to hit the gym with a vengeance. Wasabi opted to join them, along with Worf. Q stayed in the medical room with Baymax and Data, with the addition of Counselor Trio. To say the tension was mounting would have been an understatement.
"Vitals remain stable," Data announced. With only one patient, things became much easier on the two medical attendants. The unfortunate thing was that not much had changed since the morning. Hiro's brain waves remained steadily active, despite the proprofol running in his system. The only difference was there were occasional dips in activity, potentially signaling either the completion of a memory integration or a period of mental rest for the youth.
Baymax had just finished cleaning out Hiro's feeding tube, injecting 5cc of water to reduce the risk of clogs. At least the nourishment seemed to be helping. Hiro's complexion had returned to a more normal color. And with the IV dripping away, the healthcare bot could safely say the boy was no longer dehydrated. He just had no way of knowing when the memory reintegration was complete, nor how much longer it would take. But he kept careful watch over all of Hiro's vitals, waiting for the slightest change to signify the need to at least reduce the medication keeping him under.
The device the Doctor had made still sat on the counter closest to Hiro's head. And it seemed to continue to do whatever it was supposed to. There were no more spikes of energy, though both Data and Baymax knew it would eventually have to be turned off. While the android was not as familiar with the process of Hiro becoming a vessel for any type of energy, he had hypothesized all manner of ways to try and contain the high probability that Hiro would self-combust from the sheer amount of energy he would have to hold. So far they hadn't come up with anything concrete.
The truth of the matter was that in Hiro's current physical state, there was no way his body could handle that amount of energy. Despite this, the energy seemed to continue to gather above the manor, almost as if called. But the device kept it from converging on the youth. And until they figured out a way to return Hiro to his more normal form, they both wanted to keep things that way.
The monitor attached to Hiro's chest gave an unusual jump on the readout line, causing both robot and android to refocus their attention on their patient. "This is most unusual," Data announced when it happened again.
Hiro's pulse had remained steady and rather sedate. But now it exhibited the occasional burst of abnormal activity. Baymax quickly scanned the boy for any other irregularities. When he could find none, he turned to look at his companion. "I cannot explain this phenomenon," he confessed.
Another particularly strong pulse lit up the EKG screen. This was followed by several other intermittent spikes. Data studied them for the briefest of moments. "Perhaps Hiro is trying to exert control over his body once more," he theorized. "Should I decrease the flow of proprofol?"
Baymax contemplated that theory for a moment. Part of him wondered how they'd be able to tell when Hiro was ready to wake up. Perhaps now was as good a time as any to find out. If he was ready, his vitals should remain stable once the drug had run its course, something that should happen fairly quickly. If not, Hiro's brain would probably swell once more. Either way, it wasn't a bad idea to make sure. "Yes," he finally answered the android. "Please discontinue the flow."
Data made the appropriate adjustment, ready to return the flow should Baymax deem it necessary. "How long will it take for the drug to no longer affect his system?" he inquired.
The robot accessed his memories for the information before answering. "We should see changes in approximately one hour," he replied. It would likely take only half that time for the drug to run its course, but the effects might last longer, sometimes between twelve and twenty-four hours. But he would monitor Hiro closely the entire time just to be sure.
.........................
Hiro couldn't help but feel like a surfacing swimmer caught underwater for far too long as he let go of the last memory. It had decidedly been intense. In fact, his entire body seemed to tingle with memory, even though it had safely reintegrated with the rest of him. Definitely not one of his favorites. He could still remember the acrid taste of the serum Tadashi had essentially forced down his throat after he'd fallen down the stairs.
The fact that the memory hadn't fragmented was another interesting factor. He'd gone through the whole process of chemical re-calibration without interruption, complete from irate temper to sobbing mess in record time. And the sensations were just as unpleasant the second time around as they had been the first time.
Hiro shuddered as if to dispel the awful taste from his mouth. "I never want to taste that stuff ever again!" he declared as Tadashi watched him cautiously. "Never again."
"How do you feel?" Tadashi hazarded as he glanced at his baby brother. "No adverse reactions? No side effects?"
At first Hiro wasn't really sure what to make of his brother's comments. But then it dawned on him. This had been the last one, outside of that one tendril he'd vowed to avoid at all costs. He still had no idea what it represented; just that he didn't want to touch it. He took a moment to evaluate himself, running a full system's check. "I think I'm okay," he finally answered.
Tadashi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at that. "Good. I've been trying to signal those outside that you're just about ready to wake up," he informed. "I think they've made the necessary preparations. But that still leaves us to figure out what to do once that happens."
Hiro gave his brother a rather confused look, not sure what he meant by that. "What do you mean?" he finally asked hesitantly. "I figured once we'd finished this, and I woke up, everything would go back to normal."
With a shake of his head, Tadashi sighed. "Not quite. Out there, you're still the size of a toddler, remember? You and I both know that to successfully collect Q's energy, you're going to have to find a way to return to your normal form."
It took Hiro a moment, but he realized the problem. "Okay," he said. "So, here's a question for you, if I need to be my usual teenage self to collect the energy, why did it turn me back into a toddler?"
That seemed to make Tadashi think as well. He put one hand to his chin as he thought about it. "Going off of what I know about the human body, I'd have to say it was because younger children's brains are more malleable. It would make it easier on your mind to reintegrate all of those memories to return to a less set period of your life. My guess is that if you hadn't been transformed to a younger age, your mind and body couldn't have handled the process."
"Well then," Hiro said, awkwardly clearing his throat. "Do you think that energy will return me to my normal form?" Part of him really doubted it, but he wanted to hold on to the possibility. After all, it had gotten him into this mess. It really should get him out of it.
But Tadashi shook his head. "I don't think it's going to be that easy," he countered. "The energy has been gathering around you, waiting to come inside, in a manner of speaking. I don't think it's going to do anything else to change you from your current state. That's all on you."
Hiro couldn't help but pout at that. "Really? The least it could do is at least give me a hint! The universe can't really be planning on leaving it all up to me! It's impossible! There's no way I can make my body grow back to its usual age in only a matter of hours! And I don't want to contemplate what will happen if everyone has to wait for me to grow up all over again. That would suck!"
"Maybe you're thinking about this all the wrong way," Tadashi stated. "Maybe you should look for a new angle. I don't think the universe would leave you without a solution. It goes against the flow of logic."
Rolling his eyes, Hiro slumped to the figurative ground. "Thanks a lot. That's so helpful," he quipped. "I'll just go ask the universe to tell me the answer!" He fell back so that he was now lying down. "You know it's not going to happen."
But Tadashi wasn't having any of that. "This isn't time for a pity party," he admonished as he grabbed his brother by the waist and threw him over his shoulder so that he now held him upside down by the ankles.
"What are you doing?!" Hiro protested as his brother jigged him up and down, making him bounce like bait on a string.
Tadashi only smiled. "Shake things up! Look for a new angle!" he reminded. "Think you're way out of it."
Images flashed in Hiro's mind, newly reintegrated memories, older memories. There had to be a pattern in there somewhere, something he could use. If only he could just see it.
...........................
"Heart beat is increasing," Baymax announced as he continued to monitor his patient. "Respirations also increasing." If the signs were correct, Hiro was indeed coming out of the coma. And, thankfully, there was no swelling of the brain, though the activity didn't abate. The only real concerning matter was the fact that Hiro's temperature hadn't yet gone back to normal. It was still elevated enough to cause some concern.
Data confirmed the readings on the monitors and with his tricorder. "Progress remains stable," he informed. "I believe we may, as the saying goes, be out of the woods."
The healthcare bot watched as Hiro's muscles began to twitch, mostly in his fingers and toes. That was a good sign. It meant his motor pathways remained intact. No more than twenty minutes had passed since they'd cut off the proprofol, which meant Hiro's body might be burning through the remains of the drug at a much faster than anticipated rate. In a way, it wasn't entirely surprising, given the circumstances, but it still gave rise to a need for constant monitoring.
Q took that opportunity to jump up from his perch on the far cot. "Looks like he'll live another day," he quipped. "Perhaps someone should tell the others he's waking up. I'm sure they'll be overjoyed."
Not sure about his tone, Data glanced up in confusion. "Though your words indicate potential joy at Hiro's improving condition, your tone denotes otherwise. Are you happy he is regaining consciousness or are you being facetious?"
The man in question snorted. "While I care nothing for the whelp, the fact that he will soon be able to return my energy to me is of monumental importance to me, as it should be to you and the rest of your crew. It means you'll all soon be able to go home and I can be rid of your odious company."
With that said, it wasn't hard to see Q's point, as repugnant as it was. "Ah," Data replied, though part of him couldn't quite believe Q had no other feelings on the matter. "Perhaps it would be wise to wait, then, before informing the others. At least until Hiro has regained consciousness."
"That's probably a good idea," the bow-tied Doctor said as he entered the room, his companion right behind him. "While regaining motor functions is a good sign, it's probably best to wait until we see what state of mind he wakes in."
Baymax blinked at the Doctor in confusion. "I do not understand," he admitted as he watched the man circle around to the other side of the examination table. "The propofol should not alter his mental stability."
The other Doctor moved to stand next to Baymax. "What he means to say is that memory integration is always a tricky thing. We shouldn't go celebrating until we're sure he's returned to his normal mental state."
"I tend to agree," Troi added as she entered the room as well. She'd left to take care of a quick personal errand that had ended up taking a bit longer than anticipated, mostly due to her brace. It made some things more difficult. "When a patient first wakes from a coma, it's best not to overwhelm them. That and his brain has gone through a great deal of change during this whole process. While I'm sure his personality hasn't undergone any change, we still have to hold to the possibility of his mental regression. Let's not overwhelm him any more than is absolutely necessary."
At that moment, Hiro began to make more noticeable movements with his body. His tiny arms moved to rub at his eyes, rubbing his arm wrapped with gauze to keep the IV in place so that it threatened the catheter.. Baymax gently took that hand into his own so he wouldn't dislodge the catheter too soon. "Hiro? Can you hear me?" he inquired softly.
Hiro's other hand went to the tube coming from his nose. Deanna moved to take hold of that hand so he wouldn't displace it. He made little groaning noises in the back of his throat, his little harms trying to pull free from the hands that held them. Then his eyes opened, blinking rapidly as if to clear his vision. "Max?" His voice sounded gravely, as if with extreme disuse or partial constriction.
"Hello, Hiro," Baymax responded. "How do you feel?" He continued to hold his patient's gauze-covered hand, just to be safe. He wasn't ready to remove the line just yet.
Hiro squinted due to what seemed, at least to him, bright light. "Yucky," he answered quickly. "So bwight," he added as he tried to pull his hand free from Deanna's so he could shade his eyes.
Sensing he wasn't going to try and pull at the feeding tube, Deanna let his hand go so he could shade his eyes. "He does have a point," she admitted. "To someone who hasn't opened his eyes in some time, it would be considered bright in here." She then turned her attention back to Hiro. "Don't worry. Your eyes will adjust in a little while."
The small boy turned his head towards her. "Twoi?" he inquired. "Dat you? whewe evone else?" He tried to clear his vision enough to see beyond the haze of light but his eyes weren't cooperating just yet. He still felt more than a little groggy. And his head hurt.
"Perhaps Hiro feels yucky because he is need of a diaper change," Data hypothesized. There was the unmistakable smell of urine in the air, though he doubted his human counterparts could detect it. Their noses were not as sensitive.
The Doctors pulled back a bit, giving the others some room. "Looks like his short term memory is intact, at least," the bow-tied one commented to the other. "He's able to recognize those immediately around him. That's good."
While Data took care of diaper duty, Baymax performed a more in-depth scan, just to be safe. "Your vital signs have returned to normal," he told the tot. "However, you seem to be experiencing a lingering fever. You will likely feel weak and disoriented while your body regains its strength. I would like to keep you here to monitor for other potential side effects."
That didn't sit too well with Hiro as he folded his little arms over his chest. The motion pulled at some of the leads attached to his chest and he resisted the urge to scratch at them. The adhesive was a bit irritating to his young skin. "No want stay," he protested. "Want you fix me! Want be big again!"
Deanna took that opportunity to distract the irate boy. "Hiro, listen," she soothed, running a hand through his hair, "Baymax only wants to make sure you're okay before you go back to your usual activities. And we're still trying to figure out a way to return you to your normal form. Give it some time. You've been unconscious for several days now. Be patient."
Hiro let out his breath in agitation. There were so many things he still needed to do. He had no way of knowing what all had happened while he'd been out of it. Apparently a lot had happened, if he was any judge of things. That and Tadashi's comments echoed in his mind of the whispered things that had happened. It was best to take things in stride. But he still had to figure out a way to return things to normal. "Fine," he pouted. "No mowe tubes? Pweeze, Max? Take off?" He gave Baymax the full on puppy dog expression.
Q chose that moment to leave the room. He didn't say where he was going, though he looked like a man on a mission. The two Doctors decided to follow him out, just to be safe.
"I do not believe removing the feeding tube and IV would be advisable at this time," Data spoke up, looking directly at Baymax. "However, as Hiro has regained consciousness, and seems aware of himself and those around him, it might not be inadvisable to remove the monitor leads. I believe your abilities will be enough to monitor his vital signs."
Baymax seemed to contemplate this suggestion, as well as the emotional state of his young charge. "I believe you are correct," he stated. He turned to Deanna. "Counselor, would you please remove the leads?"
Feeling a bit taken aback for being singled out for this purpose, Deanna wasn't sure what to say at first, other than that she wasn't medically trained. However, upon further reflection, she could understand why Baymax had requested she do it. Gently, she peeled the adhesive pads from Hiro's forehead and chest. They left behind reddish blotches where the adhesive had stuck to his skin.
"Itchy," Hiro complained as he went to rub at one of the spots. It had pulled at the skin, despite Trio trying to be careful.
Baymax decided it would be best to apply some anti-itching medication to the afflicted spots and proceeded to do so, dispensing it through the small nozzle built into his finger. "Is that better?" he inquired. "It is likely your skin will remain sensitive for some time."
Hiro nodded. "Bettew. Can I has juice?" He looked pleadingly up at his healthcare companion. "Pweeze?"
"I do not believe that is advisable," Data supplied for the robot. "You have only recently been fed through the tube running through your nasal passages. I do not believe your stomach can handle the added volume at this time." He looked sympathetic enough that Hiro felt slightly appeased, though not completely.
Deanna gave Hiro a once over with her emphatic senses. "Why don't we take things slow," she suggested. "You've only just woken up and it wouldn't do to overdo things. Perhaps you might consider taking a nap."
But the toddler gave her a look. "No nap! Not tiwed!"
The woman smiled down at the young boy. "Alright, if you don't want to take a nap, what would you like to do?" While Hiro would be, understandably, limited in his current state, she thought it important to allow him some sense of independence.
Hiro felt the tube attached to his face, though he didn't pull on it. He wasn't that puerile. He was happy to note it wasn't currently attached to anything, leaving only the IV line to keep him from doing anything overly physically active. But that wasn't insurmountable either, especially if the saline bag was attached to a moveable stand. "Want walk!"
"I do not believe that is possible at the moment," Baymax confessed. "Your body is still recovering from your previous state."
Deanna shook her head at that. "Will it really hurt to let him try?" she asked the robot. "It might help improve his overall mood, which is essential in recovery. At the very least, it will show him the limitations of his current state."
Hiro looked from face to face. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the light, he could see them clearly. "Pweeze, Max? Wet me twy?"
Baymax looked into Hiro's pleading eyes for several long seconds. "I see your point," he finally admitted, looking back up at the counselor. "All right. You may try."
This announcement seemed to fill the boy with excitement as he pushed himself to a sitting position. The effort had more behind it than he cared to admit but he was tired of being essentially trapped in one form or another. Time would tell if that was a wise decision or not, but for the moment, he didn't care.
"Allow me," Data offered as he reached out his hands to lift the tot from the table. He then bent at the knee to set Hiro on his feet on the hard ground. He kept his hands firmly in place around Hiro's waist until he felt certain he would not immediately lose his balance.
Not having used his limbs for a few days, and with everything else that had happened, Hiro wasn't quite prepared for what happened next. He tried to take a tiny step forward, only to have his knees buckle under him. He almost cried out but didn't as the android reached to help him back up. He put out a hand to stop him. "No. Me do it."
Hiking his little rear into the air, Hiro used the table as a sort of ballast to regain his feet. His knees still shook as he tried again. For whatever reason, his balance suddenly felt far from sure. This would totally suck if he had to learn how to walk all over again. He took another step forward, one tiny hand against the table for support. He managed two more steps before his limbs gave out once more.
Hiro let out a little sound of frustration as he went to his knees, tiny fists pressing against the floor. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. It might only be a temporary setback but it left him feeling even less in control, which wasn't a nice feeling.
"It's going to be fine," Deanna soothed as she bent to his level. "We can try again later. It will likely take a while for you to regain your strength. Don't push harder than you need to, all right?"
Tears welled up in Hiro's eyes. He couldn't help it. He was still completely unable to control things around him and it sucked. They had to fix this and fast. The question remained: how? But he'd be lying if he said the effort hadn't drained him. He offered little protest when Baymax lifted him up into his arms. "There, there," the robot said softly. "It will be all right."
Without thinking, Hiro plopped the last three fingers of his gauze-covered hand in his mouth, only to switch at the taste and texture. He wasn't happy about that one bit. Despite the supposed amount of sleep he'd previously gotten, he couldn't help but feel the pull of gravity against his eyelids. The fact that Baymax was gently bouncing him up and down didn't help. Before he knew it, Hiro'd slipped back into a more natural sleep.
Sensing his patient had dozed off once more, Baymax gently set him back on the bed. "Perhaps it would be wise to let him rest," he observed.
"That's probably best," Deanna agreed. "I'm going to go tell the others of our progress." That said, she turned and left the room, leaving Data and Baymax with the sleeping boy.
...........................
Q strode down the stairs after leaving the medical room. Hiro was on the mend, it would seem, which meant he needed to figure out how to help him get his powers back. It was obvious the boy was the key to everything. The question was how did one turn that key?
The two Doctors continued to follow the man as he exited the manor, heading for the backyard. Sure he wasn't going to run for it once more, they settled near one of the benches to see just what the alien had in mind. They relaxed a bit when the man started pacing back and forth.
Q took a few turns around the courtyard before turning on the two Time Lords, not the least surprised that they'd followed him. "I take it you haven't figured out a way to return him to normal, have you," he stated. His expression clearly showed he doubted they had. "I don't want to be stuck this way forever, and my powers won't stick around forever either. That same force that took them from me will scatter them again after a while."
The blue-clad Doctor had to nod. "You make a good point," he agreed. "Whatever cosmic force saw fit to take them from you likely won't let them stay around for long, which is why we've been racking our brains for ideas on what to do. It's clear that Hiro can handle it in his normal form, but how do we get him to return to it? Your powers aren't going to help, it would seem. If they were, it would have happened by now."
The multi-dimensional traveler frowned because what the Time Lord had said was true. If his powers were going to help out any more, they would have done so by now. "So we're stuck," he stated. "Just great. I really didn't want to live out the rest of my life as a lowly human. And I'm sure Hiro doesn't exactly want to repeat any of his previous years either." He plopped down onto one of the benches.
"We've been trying to come up with different ways we could help that process along," the bow-tied Doctor admitted. "They're all a bit risky and would still take some time. But, somehow, I don't think we have the kind of time we'd need."
The other Doctor began to pace, his fingers to his chin as he thought out loud. "There has to be something we can do to speed that process up. But what?! I can't see it!"
Q watched the man walk back and forth with greater agitation. "Maybe we're all trying too hard," he admitted. "Of course, if I had even the smallest access to my powers, this wouldn't be an issue. Admittedly, part of me still wonders if that boy really is capable of holding them all in. He does seem brighter than the others, and there's definitely something different about him, but is he really capable?"
The blue-clad Doctor paused in his pacing. "Hiro's got a lot more inner strength than perhaps even he understands. And who knows? Maybe the answer is locked up somewhere in his head? Anything's possible."
"Guess we'll just have to sit tight and wait," his counterpart commented. "We can't go pushing him too hard just yet. But we may have to soon. In the meantime, it's back to the drawing board for us." He glanced meaningfully at the other Doctor. "And back inside for you," he turned his gaze on Q. "Keep an eye on Hiro while we're gone, just to be safe. If you're close by, I'm sure nothing bad will happen."
Q didn't have time to ask what he meant by that as both Doctors quickly left the area, heading towards the front. He stood with a huff, straightened his attire, and headed back inside. They were right about one thing. Nothing too bad would likely happen if he stayed near the whelp.