Dipper awoke in a very white room. The walls were white, the floor was white, and the sheets of the bed he was in were white. There was one single large light in the center of the ceiling, like the lights in schools and offices. There was an IV in his arm and a heart monitor to his right, repeatedly beeping with spikes of green. His room was full of brightly colored balloons, flowers, and cards. His stomach was wrapped in white bandages.
Dipper winced in pain as he tried to sit up. He laid back down and turned his head to look out the window. It seemed to be a beautiful day, the sky was a magnificent bright blue, and the clouds were thin and fluffy. He could see bits of the sky peaking through.
"You're awake," said a nurse as she opened the door. She had long brown hair and seemed to be in her twenties, he guessed. With that hair and that smile, she almost looked like Mabel.
"How long was I out?"
"About a week or so." she said. "You almost didn't make it."
"Am I going to be okay?"
She smiled at him. "Yeah kid, you're alright."
Dipper sighed. I win, Bill. he thought. Mable's safe, and I'm going to be just fine. "Hey, um, do you know when I'll have visitors?"
"Actually, your sister is here. She just went to the bathroom." she paused. "I'm guessing from that expression on your face you guys are close."
"Of course we're close. She's my twin sister."
As if on cue, Mabel came through the door. She was wearing a new white sweater covered in light blue pine trees like the one on Dipper's hat. Rainbow lettering read "Get well soon!" Her face lit up like a christmas tree when she saw him. "Dipper!"
She ran over to him and gave him a gentle bear hug. "Hey Mabel, what's up?"
"You're awake, that's what's up! Took you long enough!" she chuckled a little. "You were always the type to sleep in."
"I'll leave you two to catch up." The nurse smiled at the children and left them alone.
Mabel pulled up a chair, moving aside her latest sweater project that was on top of it, and sat down. The twins talked for what seemed like hours, but at the same time felt like they had only began talking. They talked as if nothing ever happened, like they were still at the Mystery Shack as opposed to a hospital.
"Hey, Dipper, can you tell me why you… did what you did?" Mabel started tearing up, looking down at the floor at her half completed sweater. "If you don't want to tell me that's fine, but-"
"I had to." Dipper interrupted. "It was the only way to stop Bill."
Her tears seemed to vanish as he said that. She snapped back up with relief. "Ford was right! It was Bill!" She put her head down on the bed. "Thank goodness."
"But don't tell anyone. They'll just think I've gone insane," he whispered. "Not a word. Don't even mention his name."
"But what happened?"
"He tricked me and stole my body. He wanted to destroy the journal." Dipper's eyes grew damp. "He was about to kill you, Mabel."
She thought about Bill in her own brother's body, stabbing her with that same knife Dipper used to stop him. She shuddered. "Did he destroy the journal?"
"Yeah, he did." A single tear flowed down his cheek. "But apparently he wanted to destroy us too."
Mabel leaned down to embrace him again. "He will never destroy us, Dipper. We won't let him."