The Smiling Cat: CatNap

Chapter 3: Recovery

Theo woke up in a hospital bed, surrounded by machines and wires. He felt a sharp pain in his hand and chest. He had bandages and tubes all over his body. He had no idea where he was or what had happened.

He tried to remember, but his memory was fuzzy. He remembered his friend, The Prototype. He remembered their plan, to escape from the orphanage and see the world. He remembered the door, the devices, the lock. He remembered the men, the guns, the voice. He remembered the shock, the scream, the fall.

He did not remember anything else.

He wondered what had happened to his friend. He wondered if he had escaped. He wondered if he was safe. He wondered if he was happy.

He missed his friend. He wanted to see him again. He wanted to talk to him again. He wanted to hug him again.

He looked around and and listened quietly for a voice - anything. He hoped his friend would send him some kind of signal that he was alive. He hoped his friend would tell him he was still his best friend. He hoped his friend would tell him everything was okay.

But the room was silent and dark. The only noise was his own breath.

He felt sad.

He heard a knock on the door. He saw a man enter the room. He was Thomas Clarke, a pediatrician for Playtime Co. He had a clipboard and a pen in his hands. He smiled and greeted him.

"Hello, Theodore. I'm glad you're awake. How are you feeling?" Thomas asked.

Theo did not answer. He did not trust the man. He did not trust anyone. He thought they were the enemies. He thought they were the threat. He thought they wanted to hurt him.

He was scared.

Thomas checked his vital signs and wrote something on his clipboard. He noticed his silence and tried to make conversation.

"Theodore, do you know where you are? Do you know what happened to you?" Thomas asked.

Theo did not answer. He did not want to talk to him. He did not want to talk to anyone. He wanted to talk to his friend. He wanted to talk to the prototype.

He was lonely.

Thomas sighed and put down his clipboard. He looked at him with pity and concern.

"Theodore, you're in the hospital. You had a serious accident. You were electrocuted by some devices that you found outside Playcare. You suffered from a severe electrical injury. You were lucky to survive. Do you remember anything?" Thomas asked.

Theo did not answer. He did not want to hear Thomas. He did not want to hear anyone. He wanted to hear his friend. He wanted to hear the prototype.

He was unhappy.

The man shook his head and picked up his clipboard. He decided to leave him alone. He hoped he would open up later. He hoped he would recover soon. He hoped he would be happy.

He walked to the door and opened it. At that moment, he got a call on his phone. The one calling was Joel Sinclair, the Head Counselor at Playcare.

"Thomas?" Joel said as Thomas answered the phone.

"Hi Joel." Thomas said, he was awaiting this call.

"We need to talk... I'm still trying to piece everything together."

"That would make two of us."

"Do you have an update on Theodore? Last I heard they were loading him into an ambulance. That was about half an hour ago, I think."

Thomas looks in the room. "He's alive and at the hospital, but I've not got a word outta him."

"I guess that's something." Joel was shocked that Theo survived such an injury, "Do, um, do we have any idea what happened to him? I saw the footage but-"

"The paramedics said he was electrocuted." Thomas interrupted, "Current from the Green GrabPack hand stopped his heart."

"My God. That poor kid. I saw the burns as they were wheeling him out but nobody knew what was going on. Something about him sneaking out of Home Sweet Home?"

"They found a second GrabPack by the maintenance door, and that door needs two people to open it. This is the only thing I can think of that makes any sense-"

"He's 7. A child wouldn't what to do with it in the first place. Still, there must be a reasonable explanation."

Thomas knew from the start how this all happened.

"...We're not really addressing the elephant in the room here, are we?"

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?"

"This imaginary friend of Theodore's... what if that thing is what he's been talking about?"

"I don't even know anymore. The boy's always been a bit odd. Hard to get a read on, But it can't have been-"

"And trying to open a maintenance door out of Playcare. He had somehow gotten his hands on one of the new GrabPacks and a Green Hand attachment. Either something malfunctioned or he just made a mistake."

"How could it actively travel from the lab up to Playcare? I should probably go. Its crafts day today and I'm gonna need a good few minutes to put my happy face back on for the kids."

Joel paused for a few seconds before saying:

"...And also, if you do get any more info on Theodore's condition, will you let me know?"

Thomas nodded, "Of course."

"Thanks Thomas, I'll check in with you around lunch."