Please, Please
Beep. Beep. Beep. It would seem after listening to the sound of the heart monitor for two weeks, hardly leaving the room, would've made someone want to leave. For Dipper Pines though, it was the only thing showing that his sister was still alive. He sat in the chair right next to her bed, every day riding his bike to hospital after school straight to the hospital, and didn't leave until visiting hours ended at nine. He read to Mabel, he did his homework next to her, told her about how everything seemed meaningless without her, and how everyday he prayed that she would just open her eyes. "Please, please, just wake up Mabel, please," He whispered, clutching his eyes to keep the tears from falling onto Mabel's sheet.
She didn't look like Mabel but she somehow was. She had dark, blue, and yellowing bruises up her face, arms, stomach, and legs. She had more broken bones than Dipper would've thought was possible. The doctor said there was only a 2% chance she would walk again after what had happened. She had seemingly hundreds of tubes hooked up into her; feeding her, giving her oxygen, giving her water, keeping her alive. There was no smile on her face like usual, no happiness radiating in the room, just the steady sound of the heart monitor. He could just imagine Mabel waking up to this room. "Bro bro, do you see this mess?! No glitter, no bedazzles, no smile dip, not even pictures of the most adorable pig in the world! Ugh, when I'm president my first law will be the Act of the Glitterfication and Bedazzledation of Hospital Rooms. My slogan will be; Vote for me and get free jars of smile dip!"
Dipper didn't want to think it, but he'd heard what the doctors had said to their parents; "I'm sorry but unless there's a miracle your daughter won't make it." He remember his mother who'd burst into tears at that, his father trying to stay strong who'd he'd seen sobbing in Mabel's room, and then him who no matter how hard Dipper cried, no matter how he'd screaming at the sky to take him not Mabel until his throat turned raw, the empty hollow feeling wouldn't leave him. Only Mabel could fill that hole, forever and always. She wasn't just his sister who he fought with - she was his best friend and the only person he could really trust.
Dipper didn't know how to explain to anyone how he felt. His mother had been sending him to a therapist every Saturday from one to four and then Wednesday and Friday from three to six. Every time she would say, "Dipper, how are you feeling, today?" and every time Dipper would stare at his lap and fiddle with his fingers until she asked him something else. It wasn't as if Dipper hated therapy, he liked Dr. Marella, at least. He just hated how the words would get caught in his throat, the tears would fall down his face, and how just broke. How it wasn't an awful dream and he would wake up to Waddles licking his face and Mabel jumping on his bed with scented stickers on her face.
"Hi Mabel," He said softly, listening to the steady heartbeat noise and the sound of all her machines whirring. Her eyelids were shut and her skin seemingly paler than a snowflake with the bright and paling bruises too adamant against her body. "I have something for you." Dipper pulled something lumpy and odd shaped out of his vest. He held it up and laid it on the foot of her bed. It was supposed to be a sweater really, but with Dipper's awful sewing it came out looking like a knitted covering for a six armed octopus. There were six arm sleeves with all of them varying size with one touching the floor and the other one short enough to be part of a tank top. The color was bright yellow, and Dipper had really, really tried (tried being the most important word) to sew a pink pig [Waddles] on it, and it ended up looking as if someone had squeezed a pink beach fall and sewed it onto the shirt. Dipper had a feeling Mabel would either tease him about the sweater, or force him to have a week long session on how to sew a sweater properly.
"I know it looks dumb for now, Mae," Dipper said, stroking her cheek with his thumb lightly. "But it's all I can do for now. I can't wake you up, but when you finally do wake up, you'll see it and know I care for you."
"Dip?" Mrs. Pines walked into the room, her voice thin and little. Maisie Pines looked like a shadow of her former self since Mabel's accident. Her face was sunken and bony with her bright, green eyes the biggest part of her face. Her arms were thin and her clothes seemed to hang over her. Maisie, like Dipper, had been thrown in a whirlwind of emotions by the accident. "It's time for therapy I'll walk with you."
Dipper sighed before leaning down and kissing Mabel's cheek. "Bye Mabel. I'll be back soon, sis."
The walk was quiet at first with Maisie fiddling her thumbs nervously. It had become a habit of hers to do since the accident especially since Mabel had gotten hit. "Dr. Marella won't be here today," She mumbled staring down at the floor tiles. "It's her maternity leave now. You'll be getting a new therapist. She transferred you to another physiatrist instead of a therapist."
"Just great," Dipper thought to himself. "Just when I get really close to someone they leave. Dr. Marella was understanding and didn't make me feel stupid. Who knows how this next doctor'll act."
"I'm sorry," Maisie whispered as they stepped into the elevator. "I know it's my fault. If I had been a better mother none of this would've hap-"
Dipper was tired of people blaming themselves. He loved his mother dearly, but at the moment he was irked at her. She kept saying it was her fault or staring brokenly at the wall or not eating or drinking as if that would bring Mabel back. He knew very well his mother was just mourning over her beloved and only daughter, but she could act a bit stronger. Yes it was selfish of him to want his mother to hold him and coddle him as if he was a child, but he had nobody at this point. His sister and best friend was laying in a coma, with the smallest percentage of her surviving. His mother was one of the few people who could understand how broken he felt, but she was too busy letting all the rubber bands inside of her snap to see how her "little lamb" was doing.
"We're here," Maisie breathed when they arrived at the Psychiatric Ward, past the secretary, and into room 305. "Goodbye Dipper." Deep down Dipper expected an "I love you," but his mother trudged off, the emptiness still in her eyes.
"Dr. Myranda Bolton," Dipper read on the plaque next to the door. "Trained children's psychiatrist."
He knocked. "Come in," A voice said from the inside.
Dr. Bolton wasn't at all like Dr. Marella. She was pale as a white lily and underneath her glasses were dark brown eyes which looked close to black. They were steely and hard, unlike his former doctors warm, soothing eyes. She woke a black dress, beige high heels, and her dark, ruby lips were pursed as she peered over Dipper.
"Sit," She commanded and Dipper quickly sat onto the uncomfortably, stiff chair. "Your name is Dipper Pines and you are here on account your sister Marisol-"
"Mabel," Dipper corrected automatically.
"Right, Melanie-" Dipper rolled his eyes and sighed, already knowing this would be a particularly long session.
"Got hit by a bus and is now under heavy care," She said her face still stone. "I don't understand 100% why you would be here. When my brother Ramsay died I was glad - more inheritance money for me."
Dipper grit his teeth. He obviously had to deal with another stone, cold bitch and this time it wasn't Pacifica. "My sister isn't dead." "Yet," A small voice in the back of his head said.
"She's practically dead already though," Dr. Bolton said, now filing her nails, not even bothering to look up at Dipper. "Listen, Dopper, you seem like an okay kid from what I've seen. According to your medical record you're intelligent and stable. The doctors old me all about Myrcella-"
"Mabel," Dipper said for the umpteenth time, clenching his fist until it was white.
Dr. Bolton continued as if she hadn't heard him. "And she can only survive with a miracle. I've been a physiatrist long enough to know miracles don't exist. Your sister will be heading to the morgue soon enough. I know you wouldn't expect me to say this, but I'm just telling you the hard, pure truth anyway. Besides, I saw a picture of her in a bright, ugly, stupid sweater and worst of all, a smelly pig in her arms which should be on her plate instead. She looks awfully annoying if I were you, I wouldn't've minded her leaving if I were you."
Dipper wasn't sure if he was going to cry, scream, or lunge at her. He hadn't realized how his hands were now gripping the bottom of the chair. How could this complete stranger talk of Mabel like that? His best friend, his sister, the person who meant the world and more to him. She talked about Mabel like she was some doll you could just throw out once it broke. He didn't care Mabel may be broken, she was his sister no matter what happened in that hospital room. Right before Dipper began to lose it and let everything that he'd been keeping inside come out, the door burst open.
"First of all," A red haired angel known as Wendy Blerble Corduroy stomped into the room, throwing her wet coat on the doctor's head. She gave out a yelp and ripped the coat off her face, but it was too late. Dr. Bolton face began to melt - I mean, made Dr. Bolton's make up began to drip. "His name is Dipper. Not Dopper, not Dapper, not Bapper, not Sipper either. Honestly though, who in the world would name their kid Sipper and not hate them? Anyway, I am already so done with all this. You trying to speak is so dumb I just can't even care about it. Then, you go on insulting my boy and that's when I had to do something about your fake highlighted, Chanel knockoff, plastic surgery filled, evil to the extent it makes Northwest's look like angels butt!"
Wendy gave an eye roll and began to speak again. "I don't know if your degree in physiatry, and I still can't understand why anyone would hire you to help take care of children. Yes offense, but you remind me of that witch in Hansel and Gretel. Now, I could go on and on of what an awful human being you are and I don't know how I'm restraining myself from putting you even farther into your place for hurting my boy, but I am too upset to listen to more bullshit today. C'mon Dip." With that Wendy grabbed Dipper's hand - something that made him feel giddy and excited - and walked out of the office after giving one more sour look at Dr. Bolton who was still sitting there looking incredulously
"Ugh, I hate people sometimes," Wendy said angrily. Dipper and her stepped into the elevator and went back up to the 12th floor. "Who does she think she is? Sorry I couldn't come any sooner man, but when they moved Mabel to this hospital from the Gravity Falls Hospital to this Piedmont one. The Falls temperature is in the negatives now and there's this huge snowstorm which came from Canada. They shut all planes, all bus', even most roads were shut. We were trapped in Piedmont until yesterday. The snow let up and they managed to plow a road. Soos, Ford, Stan, and I headed onto the bus and managed to make it about ten minutes ago. So, your mom - poor woman she looks destroyed after what happened though I get it - told us you were in therapy and the room. I was planning on surprising you, then I hear the nurse going on and talking about Mabel like that...Ugh."
The two walked down the hallway with Wendy still ranting when Dipper went to get a Pitt Cola from the vending machine. "How did she even get hired? Did she like eat the last doctor like some sort of mutant lizard-"
Wendy was interrupted by a horde of doctors and nurses sprinting down the hallway, with one accidentally knocking into her. Dipper heard brief snippets of what they were saying.
"Not stable...flatlining...severe injuries...internal bleeding...no response to treatment...Mabel Pines, room 306."
"Mabel?!" Dipper thought and ran after them, Wendy not far behind. He watched the doctors run into the room where Mabel was with their voices getting louder as they all quickly surrounded her, pumping her with God-knows-what.
"MY BABY!" Mrs. Pines started to scream. The nurses grabbed her and tried to hold her still but she started to claw and flail her limbs violently. She shut her eyes tightly and shook her head wildly. She fell to the ground and let out a cry so violent and so depressing the nurse looked like she would cry. "No, no, no, no...Not my Mabel...NO! She's not dead...she's not...no, no no, no. NO!" She lied on the floor, crying her eyes out, not caring of everyone staring at her, or how insane she looked.
Dipper bit his lip so hard he tasted the metallic blood. He looked through the window and watched in horror at what was happening.
"Should we call it?" A nurse asked in the inside. "Death time 5:07 pm PST?"
"Not yet," the doctor replied. He rubbed the defibrillator together and pressed it on Mabel's chest. Her body jumped up, but her eyes were still closed. "I'll give it five….four….three….two….one."
The only sound left in the room at that moment, was the sound of Mabel's continuing flatline.
