Hello everyone! I'm CourtoftheDragon and I'm new to this community so I apologize in advance if I do things a little weirdly. I have been on for a long time, although I didn't post much. I've created a lot of story ideas and am just barely getting around to posting them.

I've been a Grumps fan for at least a couple years now and I'm excited to share my little writings. I apologize in advance because I work full time and go to school, so most of my works might be slow and very short...nevertheless, I hope they keep you interested in more. I'm way out of writing practice so these have been good for me.

Anyways, onto this story. This is my trigger warning statement. I rated this work as graphically violent and character death (kind of) because this story goes to dark places that include themes of terminal illness, depression, suicide, and death. This is my main warning, so if those make you too uncomfortable, then this won't be a good story for you.

Enough rambling! Enjoy.

"It's been 4 months, Arin. Only four." Suzy's eyes were beginning to well with tears. She stood with her hands on her hips opposite of Arin in the dark, who was standing by the front door. Their home was normally warm and inviting, but an uncomfortable dread spread throughout the room like smoke. Suzy walked up to Arin and placed a hand on his wrist. "Please, Arin. It's not time yet."

Arin sighed and looked down, rubbing the back of his head. He didn't want to cry in front of Suzy, but she was making it difficult. "Suzy...it's gonna be ok..." His voice was soothing as he looked up at her and took her hand. "You know that they said that learning would have to start early. It's our only chance to get Dan back."

Suzy rubbed the moisture from her nose and sniffed, tears beginning to run down her face. "We have 2 months, Arin. Please wait. It's not right. He's not gonna be the same." She pulled Arin into a hug and began to sob lightly.

Arin rubbed her hair gently, his wet eyes staring at the ceiling for a moment. "I can't ..." His voice broke for a moment and he cleared his throat and continued, "We can't just wait while he lies in bed. It's risky but it's what he wants. If he has a chance to wake up and be normal ... I know there's no proof he will be okay ... but we have to try."

Suzy's crying died down and they stood at the front door, Arin rocking her gently. She sniffed and looked up at him. "I know ... I know. I'm just scared. Everything feels wrong."

Arin tilted her chin to look at him. "I'm scared too. But Dan's gonna be scared too." Arin grabbed his keys from the rack on the wall next to the door and opened it. Suzy stepped back, dabbing her eyes. Arin gave her a weak smile. "It's ok. I'll bring him home. We'll spend the evening together. It's gonna be okay."

Suzy nodded to reassure herself. "Yeah. It'll be ok. It's what he wants. Bring Dan home. Be safe. I love you."

Arin nodded and walked out the door. "I will. Love you too, babe."

I'll bring him home.

When you're on the road all the time, there's a strange disconnect between where your mind is, and where you are physically located. Dan and Arin spoke about it many times, how they'd wake up in one city and think they were in the previous one. Days and weeks would be lost in between travel; work turned everything into a blur. "Bored excitement," is how they referred to the energy before and after a show.

Dan felt out of place when he woke up in his own bed in LA that morning. And before the Grumps Live show that evening, he had felt that electric boredom. But it had been tinged with something else- something anxious, scratching at the edges of his nerves. He loved the show and the fans and had a fantastic time on stage that night, but he couldn't shake that weird feeling as him and Arin left the Regent Theater and parted ways in search of their rides.

Arin offered to drive but Dan needed to finish up a couple of the next NSP cover album recordings with Brian. Arin waited out front with him, away from the now dying crowds exiting the building. Arin doesn't remember what he said, but it had made Dan giggle uncontrollably. Arin remembers him looking up at the sky, grinning and laughing, a light breeze blowing through his crazy, curly hair.

It was the tiniest, most normal thing. Arin held onto this image tightly now. It was the happiest he would see Dan in a long, long time. He watched Dan get into the passenger side of Brian's car. Arin followed behind in his own vehicle in the same direction.

Arin couldn't sit still in the hospital waiting room. Although hospitals never lost business, he was the only person in the east basement wing. The sterile, alcohol smell and florescent lighting was becoming overwhelming. There was a TV on the wall in the corner, spouting an earlier recording of a daytime talk show at an obnoxious volume. He wanted to turn it down, but he needed the distraction. He also needed to stay awake.

He fiddled with his keys in his hands and checked his phone every so often for a text from Suzy but he didn't get service down here.

He was surprised that one of the doctors was even here this late at night. "These guys really do marry their work," he thought. It was shortly afterwards that a woman appeared from the double doors of a center hall. She was younger and had blonde hair up in a bun, thick glasses, a white lab coat with metal nametag, and a clipboard. She wore a concentrated expression as she jotted some notes down on the board. "Good evening, Mr. Hanson. It's pretty late to be down here, but I don't blame your urgency. Luckily for you, I practically live here." The doctor put on a grin and held out his hand to shake Arin's. "How are you feeling?"

Arin knew she wasn't talking about his health. He politely shook Dr. Jackson's (as her tag implied) hand, giving a grim smile back. "Oh, you know. We went over it a few more times. Suzy was worried about the risks and everything. But you said it wasn't a problem, right?"

Dr. Jackson nodded. "Oh yes, there's really nothing to worry about. We tested Dan's neural and physical responses at least a dozen times. He was prepared to go home with you even a week ago. All of his tests are good. You've definitely paid for the best- he will heal faster than the average person, I suspect."

"Yeah…"

Dr. Jackson held open one of the double doors for Arin and they both walked down a long, white hallway lined with solid gray doors that were numbered. Arin wondered who was behind them as Dr. Jackson continued to jot signatures down a list. She paused for a moment, pen in her mouth. "Hmm...however...memory is a tricky thing, as you can imagine. We have done all that we can for Dan, but you will have to fill in some of the blanks for him. This is common for comatose patients. He may not know where he is, who he is, or who you are. Do not worry or panic. Important details should return to him within a few days." Dr Jackson handed the clipboard to Arin.

Arin nodded as he listened, beginning to sign the release waivers, bills, and various papers that accompanied the test list. Now that they were getting something done, he felt a lot calmer. He read through the fine print, but his mind was still on Dan. "So...I don't mean anything by it, but...it's going to be hard to watch. Him waking up I mean. Because..."

"Because it's just too easy now?" The doctor chuckled. "Of course. It's very surreal. I'm sure it's one of the hardest decisions you've ever made. You've been through a lot in four months as well, Mr. Hanson." They stopped in front of one of the gray doors on the left. Arin handed the finished forms back to the doctor.

She stared at Arin very intently. "Normally, I'm not supposed to give patients my own opinion on this sort of thing. It's not professional, so let's just keep this between you and me. This decision is completely understandable, Mr. Hanson. Your friend's well being affects your own as well. And I can promise you that even after Dan steps out of here, we will continue to monitor both of your health and let you know if there are any new insights that will help you on your way." The doctor placed a hand on the doorknob. "The mind is delicate. There's only so much we can do. But things can always get better, you understand? You'll take good care of Dan. Would you like to accompany me into the room?"

Arin looked down guiltily. "I want to. But...I'm still kinda scared. Is all of this even really necessary? I mean..." Arin didn't clarify his thoughts, the taste of bile beginning to spill into his mouth.

"If we proceed now, then we need to do it this way. This life is scary, Arin. Come with me. I'm sure Dan will appreciate it." There was a small twinkle in Dr. Jackson's eye as she opened the door to Dan's room.

When Dr. Jackson opened the door to Dan's room, Arin was hit with a stronger smell of rubbing alcohol and a barrage of persistent beeping sounds. He stepped into the dimly lit room slowly, the Doctor behind him. He looked at the foot of the bed first and then moved up. What he saw made himself gasp slightly.

Dan had an array of white wires and electrodes stuck to his head and connected to a machine that was drawing lines up and down consistently. Several IVs and tubes of various kinds were hooked to his arms. He donned an oxygen mask; sounds of heavily pumping air came from the respiration machine and his own breathing.

The most disconcerting thing was that Dan's eyes were open, although dark and unfocused. Arin put his hands over his mouth and looked back at the doctor. "I...I didn't...wow. He looks so much better than I thought he would. How did you...?" Arin stepped to the left side of his friend, staring at him. He fought back the tears again. "Can he hear us?"

The doctor began to carefully remove some of the tubes from Dan's arms and the electrodes from his skull. "He can hear sound but he might not be processing it fully. He is only in a partially 'awakened' state. His brain waves have sped up, which is very good. We should be able to wake him in a bit."

While the doctor was working to put the EEG machine away, Arin studied Dan. He was wearing a hospital gown but there was evidence of heavy scarring on his right arm. Arin assumed that the scars went down that half of Dan's body. Despite this, Dan's eyes were not overtly sunken, his skin only a little pale. Arin couldn't stop staring.

After the doctor removed all the wires, she pulled out a black case from a cabinet and set it on a counter. Opening it up, it revealed various sizes of shots filled with yellow and clear liquids. She chose a smaller, yellow one and began to inject it into Dan's arm. "This is an aid," she explained, "We will wait a few minutes then apply the next set. The second shot will act faster. If you have any questions about the drugs and how they work, they are listed in the paperwork I gave you."

Arin shook his head, mesmerized by what she was doing. "That's ok. I don't really need to know right now. It's just...like we said before. It's been four months, and now..." He cleared his throat, "It's just too easy."

The doctor nodded understandingly, now watching Dan's heart rate on another machine. "Technology has come a long way for 2016. The problem though is that our brains haven't evolved enough to keep up. We are still plagued with the same problems we've had for thousands of years, like tumors or strokes or comas. Whether or not they show improvement is not only due to the damage they've taken, but also how each person's brain is already wired. And we still don't know everything about the brain. Some people have perfectly healthy brainwaves and they just don't wake up. Others go through the worst trauma and somehow make it through. But it's not something we can always completely measure."

Dr. Jackson watched as Dan's heart rate rose slightly. Arin thought he saw Dan's eyes flicker. The doctor continued. "I personally believe that there's something in each person that our machines simply can't measure. Some people call it a spirit, others call it consciousness or willpower. But I believe that it's there. I think it has its own role in determining whether someone will heal. There's always hope." Dr. Jackson looked at Arin intently. "There's always, always hope, Arin." Arin understood and nodded mildly, still staring at Dan's eyes.

Now she pulled the shot from Dan's skin and grabbed the larger one. "This part is trickier. He might be alarmed or confused when he wakes up. Hold his arm so he doesn't hurt himself." Arin nodded and placed his hands on Dan's right arm. "Ready? Okay." The doctor pierced the nape of Dan's neck and depressed the liquid.