Control Alt Delete (A BH6 crossover)

Chapter Twenty Three: Over Before you know it.

When Hiro woke again, the room was lighter and he could distinguish the pattern on the curtains, both the ones covering the windows and the one by the door. They were brightly colored in squiggles that looked like little worms. He thought it was a horrible design. Whoever had created it should be made to stare at it for hours on end until they lost their minds, just like Hiro was.

He turned his head towards an armchair he'd somehow missed the first time around. Maybe he'd missed it because it was dark, or he'd just been too out of it to notice. Part of him expected to see Aunt Cass sitting there. Instead, it was Tadashi. And he was sound asleep. Maybe that was just part of a dream and Hiro was the one who was still asleep. He wasn't sure.

Hiro turned to look back up at the television. Some superhero cartoon was playing. Pangs of memory gripped him as images of Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Fred, and GoGo filled his mind. And Baymax. He couldn't forget Baymax in his red armor. They were the Big Hero Six, or so they'd been dubbed. But now? Now they were nothing, just a figment of his imagination.

During sleep, bits and pieces of Hiro's memory filtered back into place. He'd died. Again. The last time had been so unexpected that he hadn't even realized it had happened until now. Anaphylaxis was not a fun way to go, he decided. He could vaguely remember hearing Baymax announcing he was having an anaphylactic reaction before everything had shut down.

But here he was again, given another chance. Just how many did he have? And did the last one count since he hadn't had the opportunity to actually do anything? Again, he wasn't sure.

The door opened and a nurse bustled into the room, parting the curtain covering the entryway. "Ah, you're awake," she said as she moved to take Hiro's temperature. She frowned at the thermometer. "Still a bit too high," she mumbled to herself before checking his blood pressure. "How do you feel this morning?"

"Sore," Hiro responded automatically. His belly felt like he'd done a hundred crunches, though there was an odd sort of pressure coming from that region as well. "Thirsty." His tongue still felt thick and sticky.

The nurse pulled back the blankets and lifted Hiro's gown to check his incisions. There was a tube coming from underneath the dressing that showed faint traces of blood, the collection bag attached to it partially filled with an oddly murky red liquid. "There's still a fair bit of bleeding," she observed as she noted it down. "I'll have the doctor come check on that."

The tube pulled uncomfortably as the nurse readjusted Hiro's clothes and pulled up the covers. "On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain this morning?" She indicated a chart on the wall that reminded him a lot of the one Baymax used. Tears leaked from his eyes. "Physical or emotional?" he asked in a suddenly more hoarse voice.

The nurse looked up sharply at his tone. "Why don't we start with physical," she said after a slight pause.

Hiro swallowed to try and clear his throat. "Four," he managed, then winced. "No. Make that six." Moving hurt. "Can I have some water?"

The nurse picked up a cup Hiro hadn't realized she'd brought in. "I have some ice chips. Just suck on them though. Don't chew. We don't need you to break your teeth or choke on them."

With a press of a button, the bed moved to a more upright position as Hiro gingerly accepted the cup with a spoon. The moving part wasn't fun but the ice was cold and wet, which was all that mattered. The first chip tasted like heaven, slowly melting on his tongue. He closed his eyes to savor the sensation.

"Look who's awake," Tadashi said, causing Hiro to open his eyes once more. "Hey there, little bro. How you feeling?"

Tadashi was standing right next to his bed, ruffling his hair again. Hiro blinked in confusion. "Weren't you asleep? I saw you in that chair-" he nodded towards the recliner.