Control Alt Delete (A BH6 crossover)

Chapter Thirty One: In no condition

Aunt Cass looked up from the griddle sitting on one of the stove burners as Tadashi entered the kitchen. Several pancakes sat on a plate nearby, with two more sizzling on the hot metal. "Morning," she greeted her nephew. "Are you excited about tonight? I can't wait to see Hiro's invention!" She did a little happy dance as she grasped the spatula in one hand.

Tadashi rubbed at the back of his neck. "About that," he hesitated, "I don't think Hiro will be going after all. I think he has a migraine and I know he hasn't been sleeping all that well lately."

The spatula in Cass's hand lowered a bit as his words sank in. Sure, Hiro had been crazy busy trying to get his project done, and probably hadn't slept a lot as a result, but she hadn't heard that tone coming from Tadashi in a long time. And Hiro had never suffered from a migraine during any period of her guardianship over him. At least not as far as she could remember. "Is everything okay?"

She felt a bit guilty, focusing her attention on the café. It had seemed like the best course of action while her nephews were wrapped up in their projects. And Tadashi had been more than willing to step in when necessary... But she still felt bad that there was something she'd obviously missed.

Tadashi took a seat at the table, rubbing worriedly at his face as he rested an elbow on the hard surface. "I don't know," he admitted. "I probably should have told you this sooner, but I think Hiro's been stressing too much about something. I'm not sure if it's the showcase or something else, but it started about the same time he got his appendix removed. And it's progressively gotten worse."

Cass turned off the stove, moving the griddle to a cool burner before walking over to join her older nephew. "What do you mean? I know he's been worried about something, but you make it sound like there's a lot more to it."

The sigh Tadashi let out said more than words. "He's been having a lot of bad dreams lately," he confessed. "I don't think he even remembers having them. Night terrors, they call them. He'll just wake up screaming, but he's not really awake. And every time he has one, he calls frantically for me, like he's afraid I've disappeared or something. Sometimes he even talks about what he dreams."

Concern showed clearly on Cass's face as she listened. "You think he's afraid you'll disappear?"

Tadashi shook his head. "Not exactly."Tadashi took a moment to brace himself for what he was about to say, because part of him still didn't want to believe it. "I think he's afraid I'm going to die."

Cass sat back heavily in her chair. She seemed to think about those words, searching for some hidden meaning. The idea frightened her though, and it showed on her face. "Why would he fear that? It's not like you do anything dangerous. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Tadashi's other elbow made its way to the table as he ran his fingers through his hair, head bowed towards the wooden surface. "I don't know. I guess I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. I had Baymax scan him a week ago and he told me Hiro was stressed. I have no idea why, but I figured it was because of the showcase. Now I'm not so sure. But he won't talk to me about it."

"He has been off since his surgery," Cass agreed. "Maybe that's part of it? I've heard things like that can be traumatic to younger people. Remember back in the emergency room? Didn't Hiro think you were dead? Could that be why?"

The light seemed to go off in Tadashi's brain as he recalled that moment. "You're right. That has to be it. Something has to have happened. Maybe something changed chemically in his brain that made him somehow think I died. And when he dreams, his subconscious can't help but let it leak out into his thoughts so the idea is reinforced. He probably doesn't even realize it's happening, which is why he keeps stressing about it."

"The question is what happened," Cass sighed as she looked at the clock. She needed to head down to the café and make sure the doors were opened sometime in the next ten minutes. "I think you're right though. I guess you've asked him to stay in bed?"

Tadashi shook his head. "There was no asking involved. He's in no condition to go anywhere, let alone do anything but curl up into a little ball. In fact, I'm supposed to be getting him something for the headache."

Cass went to the medicine cupboard and got him some painkillers to give his brother. "Here. Let me know if either of you need anything. And while I'm thinking about it, maybe you should put something on that eye? I'm going to guess Hiro gave that to you during one of his nightmares?"

"Yeah," Tadashi said rather sheepishly as he touched the puffy bruise. "Clocked me a good one, but it's okay. It doesn't hurt." He took the pills and got a cup of water before heading back up to his brother.

......................................

Hiro slept most of the day, leaving Tadashi to explain matters to the showcase committee and to their friends. But the older Hamada didn't mind. He just hoped his brother would be okay. After all, nothing like this had ever happened to him before.

When it became obvious his brother was out for the count, Tadashi headed back to his lab. He'd promised himself he'd help Hiro however he could. And the best way he had to help him was by using every means at his disposal to do just that. Besides, he'd already told himself he'd have the healthcare robot give his brother a look over.

The early afternoon found Tadashi with Baymax's case strapped securely to the back of his moped. It had taken some doing, as the vehicle wasn't exactly built to transport that kind of cargo, but he'd managed. And with Aunt Cass occasionally checking in on Hiro, he felt okay leaving him for the duration to make sure he could bring Baymax home with him. It probably would have been easier to ask Aunt Cass for the truck but he hadn't really been thinking straight when he'd headed out.

"Still asleep?" Tadashi asked his aunt as he carried the red case up to the second floor of the café.

Aunt Cass was just coming back down from checking on Hiro when Tadashi met her on the second-floor landing. "Yes. He hasn't so much as woken up once," she replied, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. "I think he might be dreaming, though. He keeps tossing and turning." She pursed her lips, clearly at a loss as to what to do.

Tadashi set the case down long enough to give his aunt an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "It's okay. I got this. We'll figure out what's going on and we'll fix it. Okay?"

Tears glistened in Cass's eyes at his words. It was true she wasn't the best guardian, but she tried. And after ten years, she couldn't help but feel a strong sense of attachment to her nephews, even if she didn't always understand them. She nodded as she brushed aside the moisture and tried to pull herself together. "Just take care of him for me," she requested before heading back down to work, putting on a brave face.

Seeing that look on her face, Tadashi couldn't help but feel old and tired. Sometimes he felt he supported more than just Hiro and himself. Sometimes he felt like he was the anchor that held the family together, and he wouldn't fail. He Would Not Fail.

Picking Baymax's case back up, he headed up to his and Hiro's shared room, hoping his brother wasn't suffering from another night terror.