Chapter 2 See Dada?
Squidward
Squidward sighed and opened the door to his "humble" vehicle, more ready to go than ever. He didn't really want to go to the concert to start with, but he would just about be the only one missing it if he didn't go.
Squillia and Squilvia settled a cried-out-but-still-fussy Squilla into her car seat. He never thought the little two year old would stop crying. Since Squilvia insisted on accepting Squillia's dinner invitation, he only had Squilla to talk to while the two women chattered. He made a mental note to get Squilliam for leaving him hanging like this. Maybe he could come up with the embarrassing high school stories this time. Squilliam Fancyson III wasn't always so perfect, anyway.
"Thank you for letting Squilla and me ride along, Squidward. I wasn't looking forward to going three hours early." Squillia gave her daughter a teddy bear to keep her occupied.
"No problem." Squidward snuck a kiss on Squilvia's cheek and jumped into the driver's seat with a smirk.
Just when he was about to start the boat, the butler ran out with a cordless phone. "Mistress, wait! Please wait!"
Squillia stepped out of the car. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
The butler's breathing was rapid. The panic in his eyes was evident as he tried to find the right words. "Mistress, the Master's…umm….you might want to take this."
"What?" Squillia's voice shook as she took the phone. "H-hello? Yes, this is she…"
Squilla pointed to her, speaking in the sweetest voice they'd heard out of her all day.
"Mama…"
Squilvia turned in her seat. "Oh, she'll be right back, sweetie."
Squilla tiled her head. "Righ ba?"
Squidward snickered.
"Righ ba," he repeated.
Squilla's eyes dropped before she met his gaze again. "Dada."
Squidward sighed, but kept his voice cordial when Squilvia gave him a look. "Yeeesss…. We're going. See Dada."
"See Dada?"
"See Dada."
Squilla considered this, then put her hands on the door frame, looking for Squillia.
"Mama."
Squidward slit his eyes. "You could do this all night, couldn't you?"
When she just waited for Squilvia to repeat what she said twenty seconds ago, Squidward turned the radio on to calm his nerves. Squilla perked up and began moving her little hand to the music….almost every drop of her hand matched the beat of the music. Like a director.
Squidward realized what was happening and slouched in his seat. Could he never get a break?
Squilvia clasped her hands together. "Aaaww! Look at that, Squidward! She directs music already!"
"Of course she does." Squidward switched off the radio. Squilliam probably had her trained.
Squilla didn't seem to mind the absence of the music. She turned to watch Squillia again. "Mama."
Squidward sighed. "Well… At least you're talking now."
Squilvia watched Squillia in concern. "Squidward, I think something's wrong."
Squidward's eyes darted to Squillia and the butler. Squillia hung up the phone, but her hand was clamped over her mouth like she was trying to stifle cries. Squidward and Squilvia both stepped out of the boat.
Squidward stayed in place while Squilvia approached her friend. "What's the matter, Squillia?"
Squillia had to steady herself by holding onto Squilvia. Her voice cracked as she forced out the words. "The hospital just called, Squilvia. Squilliam's been in a terrible accident. Someone ran into a streetlight and…it fell…and…hit Squilliam's car while the driver was driving at full speed. They spun out of control and…the car fell over a bridge," she wailed.
Squilvia hugged her and looked to Squidward for help. His eyes popped open in alarm. "Was- Was Squilliam….still inside?"
Squillia wiped her eyes. "They said they got him out before the car fell. But…he's in critical condition. They don't know if he'll make it."
Squidward opened the backseat door. "Come on, Squillia. We'll…drive you."
Squillia hesitated. "Thank you, but… I don't have anyone to watch Squilla. Betty's out."
Squilvia walked her to the car. "Oh, don't worry, honey. I'll be happy to watch her while you take care of things at the hospital, okay?"
Squillia took a ragged breath. "Thank you…"
The drive to the hospital was one of the many worst experiences Squidward had ever had. Even back in high school, no one liked to see Squillia cry. She sniffled and wiped away silent tears as she stared out the window. Squilla had heard her father's name mentioned and glanced over, worried by her mother's condition.
She tapped her mother on the arm. When Squillia turned to face her, her eyes welled up in tears. "Dada?"
Squillia nearly burst into tears. "Oh, Squilla. Not now… I'm so sorry we didn't listen before, but… please be strong for me."
If Squilla didn't understand her mother, she gathered enough information and began to wail.
"D-a-a-a-a….da!"
Squidward pulled the boat over when Squillia burst into tears. Squilvia gave him a warning look. "Squidward?"
Squidward unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to make eye contact with Squilla.
"Squilla. Look. At. Me."
Squilla made eye contact, but cried even harder when she noticed his expression. Squidward sighed, opened the door, and got out. He opened Squilla's door and grabbed her little hands. He never did have much patience with kids, but he had to do something.
"Squilla. Do you want to see Dada?"
Squilla stopped squalling and blinked the fresh tears away. "See Dada?"
He nodded. "Do you want to go?"
Squilla considered this a moment, then nodded. Squidward moved on.
"Good. Then you have to stop crying. Understand?"
Squilla's eyes fell to the floor in a way that told him she got it.
"Okay." He picked up the teddy bear and handed it to her. "Hold Teddy until we get there."
Squilla took the bear from him and hugged it tight to her chest. He got back in the driver's seat and quickly resumed the trip to the hospital without a word. Squilvia grabbed his free hand and gave it a squeeze to say he did the right thing. Squidward's eyes popped open in surprise. He thought he would catch it from her later.
Squillia sniffed. "Oh, thank you, Squidward. You have a way with her that no one else does."
Squidward brushed it off. If he really did have a connection with Squilla, it would be the first kid that liked him. He didn't like kids. "Anything to keep the peace."
Once they got to the hospital, they were directed to the waiting room in the ICU. As they waited, Squidward wondered just how bad Squilliam's condition was. Sure, he despised Squilliam. But that didn't mean he wanted him…gone. What would life be like without Squlliam popping in every now and then to challenge him. As far as Squidward was concerned, he was his only means of serious competition.
Squillia startled. "Oh, no. I forgot all about the recital at the palace. King Neptune must be furious… Th-the band needs to know to resume without him. Squidward? Can you call the palace? I-I don't know if I can do it right now."
Squidward flinched. He would have loved to fill in for Squilliam, but the band was already rehearsed and he was underprepared. Not to mention the concert was supposed to have started already and Neptune was probably getting edgy… Yep, his place was in waiting in the hospital for now.
He took the number Squillia offered to him. "Uh, sure."
When he told the guy who answered the phone what it was in regards to, he immediately erupted with questions. "Thank Neptune! Have you heard word of Squilliam Fancyson? He was expected to make an appearance hours ago…"
Squidward narrowed his eyes. "He was in an accident. He is in critical condition and will not be able to attend."
The guy on the other line clamed up. "Oh, how…unfortunate."
"The band is still prepared to play. Tell them to resume without Squilliam."
The guy seemed relieved. "I'll let the King know. Thank you for sending word and please send kind regards to the Fancyson family."
Squidward hung up the phone and returned to the waiting room. They all kept Squilla occupied until the doctor came into the waiting room. "Mrs. Fancyson?"
Squillia held up a hand for him to come over. "Here, sir. Please…how is he?"
The doctor walked over with a grave expression and cut right to the chase as gently as possible.
"It seems your husband has been through quite a shock. Remarkably, he has no broken bones. He took quite a blow to the head, but it didn't interfere with the functioning of the brain. However, he suffered severe damage internally. As of right now, I'm afraid Master Fancyson is in 100 percent kidney failure."
Squilia gasped. If it weren't for them being there to steady her, she might have fallen over. Squidward helped Squilvia lower her into a chair. She sniffed and spoke through her tears.
"But… You can give him another kidney…right? He won't die….right?"
The doctor flipped through his charts. "We are looking into every possibility, Mrs. Fancyson. But…Master Fancyson has a rare blood type that is difficult to match. We have a select number of organ donors who match this blood type, but the drawback is that it has to come from another cephalopod in order for it to function properly. The odds that we'll find a match are…very slim at the moment. I'm sorry."
Squillia sobbed. "How- How long do we have? Wh-what about mine?"
The doctor put the chart under his arm. "We might have anywhere from a few days to a week or so, depending on the rate that he…regresses. And we'll be happy to test anyone who is willing to donate. But if there is no blood match, I'm afraid we cannot do the procedure."
Squillia wiped away her tears. "Can I see him?"
"We'll let you know when he is allowed to have visitors. The nurse will come when he shows signs of conciousness. I'm sorry."
When the doctor walked away, they sat there in silence while Squillia tried not to break down in front of her daughter. When Squidward sensed that she wasn't going to succeed, he took Squilla to look out the window. As she pointed out things she recognized, he tried to process the news. Squilliam Fancyson couldn't just…die. He had a rival, fans, and a family.
"You can't just leave everyone hanging like this, Squilliam Fancyson," he muttered under his breath.
Squilliam
He woke up for the second time since they brought him in, mind slowly closing around what the doctor had said within the first five minutes he was awake. All he got was…there was a good chance he was dying. He winced when the movement necessary to turn his head hurt and slowly opened his eyes.
He thought he saw a familiar figure sitting near him. He blinked to clear his vision and squinted to focus on the figure. Squillia was sitting by his bedside, sniffing as she stared out the window.
He moved the annoying oxygen mask. "Squillia…." His voiced sounded like sandpaper.
The love of his life startled and instantly knelt beside him. "Squilliam! I'm so glad you're awake."
He reached out whatever hand wasn't confined to IVs and stroked her face when she sobbed. "Ssshhh…."
She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her cheek. He brought the oxygen mask to his mouth and took a few breaths before lowering it again. "Have they…found a match?"
Squillia's face crumpled. "Nooo…. A few friends and family have been tested, but…no one's a match, Squilliam, I… even I'm not a match. I'm so sorry, Squilliam."
Squilliam drew in a ragged breath and tried to accept the news while comforting his wife.
"Squillia, dear… It's alright, I…" His eyes popped open when he remembered their daughter crying for him to stay. "Squilla?"
Squillia half smiled. "Squidward and Squilvia are keeping her in the waiting room."
Squilliam sighed. "Is she crying?"
"Sometimes, but…Squidward usually talks her out of it. I think he's heard enough."
He tried to smile. "I want to see her and tell her I'm sorry. She-she tried to tell me and I didn't listen… I should've tried harder to understand what she was trying to say…."
Squillia squeezed his hand. "It's not your fault, dear. We didn't know… No one did. I'll see what I can do the next time you're awake, okay?"
Squilliam smiled and held her hand as the darkness threatened to close in around him. He tried to fight it, but it got the better of him. He sighed and surrendered to the darkness.
Squidward
He could practically feel the bags pulling under his eyes as he drove a sleeping Squilla and Squilvia back to the hospital…
His protests made no difference when Squillia asked if they could keep the baby so she could stay with Squilliam throughout the night. He was regretting agreeing to let Squilvia and Squilla sleep in his guest room instead of taking them back to Squilvia's. The idea was to sleep as late as possible before returning to the hospital, but after waking up to the sound of Squilla's cries for the fifth time, he was questioning his decision. He decided to get up and check to see how Squilvia was holding up. He found her sitting on the couch with Squilla clinging to her.
The two of them could only glance at one another when Squilla only cried one word.
"Da….da!"
Squilvia patted her back. "She didn't get to see him, Squidward."
Eventually, at 3:30 am in the morning, they both gave up on sleep. Squidward made the coffee, lots of coffee, and tried putting in an old movie that he thought Squilla might watch. The child actually watched the movie for a while before drifting back into sleep. The last thing Squidward remembered was dozing off at the opposite end of the sofa from Squilvia. That morning, they awoke to the lovely sound of Squilla's cries.
Squilvia and Squidward squinted at the clock. 7 am. Still a little too early. Squilvia sighed and patted her little back.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. We're going."
SpongeBob was standing in front of him when he finished rubbing his eyes. Squidward's eyes popped open in panic. The last thing he was in the mood for was a visit from SpongeBob.
When Squilvia just shrugged, he slapped his head and opened the door.
"GET OUT!"
He didn't notice SpongeBob had kindly brought Gary along until the snail meowed gratefully and proceeded to head out the door.
SpongeBob gasped. "Gary the Snail, you come back here right this minute."
Squidward shrieked and shook his head. "No! No no no no! Gary goes!"
SpongeBob didn't get the hint. "Squidward, I've heard crying all night. We wanted to see what's going o- Oh! What a cute baby! Squidward, I didn't know you had a daughter! How beauti-"
Squidward gasped at the very assumption. He slapped his hand to SpongeBob's mouth to keep him from talking.
"Nooo, SpongeBob! I do not have children. This is Squilliam's daughter and, as you can see, she is in enough distress. So, unless you are good at getting babies to stop crying, get-"
His eyes popped open when he noticed Squilla sound asleep in SpongeBob's arms. The silence in the house was beautiful.
"I'm sorry. What were you saying, Squidward?"
Squidward grinned and pulled up a chair. "I said make yourself at home."
Gary narrowed his eyes. "Meow…"
Squidward knew Gary enough to figure out what he was trying to say.
"Oh, go…lay by the fire or something, Gary."
He stomped over to the sofa and passed out beside a snoozing Squilvia.
"Squidward! Wake up. We're late."
"Wha….?"
Squidward rubbed his head and glanced at the clock. 10:30 am….what was the big deal? Only thirty minutes late for visiting hours.
He and Squilvia quickly got ready.
He scooped a still snoozing Squilla out of SponeBob's arms as Squilvia gathered her things. So he let SpongeBob keep Squilla a few hours. What Squilliam didn't know wouldn't hurt him….
He pulled into the closest parking space and held Squilla's bag while Squilvia gave her back to her mother. They could tell by the look in Squillia's eyes that Squilliam was getting worse.
"Hey, baby." She kissed Squilla's forehead when Squilvia handed her over.
Squilla immediately reached for her. "Dada!"
"We're going now, sweetheart. I'm sorry."
Squidward raised an eyebrow. "You can take her back?"
Squillia patted her daughter's back. "I had to make arrangements, but Squilliam is waking up. He wanted to see Squilla."
Squilvia grabbed Squidward's hand. "Did you find a match for him?"
Squillia shook her head. "No. Nothing. I'll be right back. Thanks for watching her."
Squidward put an arm around his girlfriend as they watched Squilla's wave over her mother's shoulder.
