In Which Magenta Tastes Forbidden Fruit. Chapter Operation.

Brad had been drinking. It was evident. It was hurting Magenta, he could see it, he could see the tears in her eyes every night, he could smell the alcohol on his clothing that would make her cry, he could hear her coughing, feel the drops of blood that would come up. Columbia was bringing her back to Arlene and Aaron's house. Kimi was going to treat her at home. Hospice. God dammit...

"I'm sorry, my love." Brad stared at her sleeping body, smaller and thinner than before, almost the point of anorexic, "I'm sorry you have to see me like this."

Brad and Magenta sat in the car, waiting for Kimi and Columbia, waiting in the hospital parking lot.

"Are you sure about this?" Brad groaned into his hand,

"I like the idea. The girls will finally get to see that my coughing up blood isn't because I cut my lung."

...

When Brad, Magenta, Columbia and Kimi arrived at the house, Arlene ran outside and said,

"Kimi? Is that you?"

"Oh, hello, Mrs Tenenbaum."

"You know Kimi?" said Magenta,

"Of course I do, Kimi is our babysitter." said Arlene, "She's babysitting on Thursday." Magenta and Brad looked at Kimi,

"You have a side-job?"

"Please don't hurt me..."

That night, Kimi wouldn't let Brad within three feet of Magenta's bed,

"I don't think you really get it, I sleep there, too!"

"Her immune system is weak because of the treatment."

"I'm not sick!"

"But you could be!"

"I'm not, Kimi."

"I'm not taking any chances..."

"Ugh, you student nurse-babysitter hybrids, I'm not sleeping on the couch!"

"I should hope not, that's my bed!" Magenta moved a little bit in her bed,

"Don't wake her up, you crazy little-"

"I guess you'll have to take the floor!"

"I'm not sleeping on that damn itchy carpet..."

"Well, you have to."

"Well, I'm not." Brad shoved past Kimi and sat down on the bed,

"This is impossible! Do you have any idea of how serious this is?"

"Kimi, for the last time, I'm not sick." Kimi started towards the door but turned around to clarify,

"Use protection."

"I'll do that." Kimi closed the door and Brad collapsed face-down on the bed.

...

Columbia woke up the next morning to be shoved rudely out of bed by her rowdy-ass nieces. Those little creeps... They stunk of Febreze... She stood up off the floor and opened her bedroom door, she went into the kitchen, grabbed a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and swung open the door to the guest room, only to find Brad and Magenta completely naked, making out, when they saw her they jumped apart, Brad held a pillow in front of his junk and Magenta grabbed her tits and screamed,

"JESUS!" Columbia screamed, "DO Y'ALL DO THAHT EVERY MOHRNING?"

"Pretty much." said Brad. "It's like a sun salutation. But more... turned on... Now get out."

"Why are you in here anyway?" Magenta added, "It's 7:30."

"The gihrls wohke me uhp."

"Is Kimi still sleeping?" Magenta asked apprehensively,

"Why?"

"I heard her screaming last night, like, an ear-splitting screech, then I heard a thump and I thought someone was breaking in." Brad interjected. "That girl doesn't shut up." As if on cue, Kimi walked right in, her hair was in what looked like a bird's nest on top of her head, she saw Brad's ass and lost it,

"COVER UP COVER UP COVER UP COVER UP COVER UP COVER UP COVER UP COVER UP COVER UP PLEASE!" she cowered behind Columbia and whimpered until Brad put tied two pillow cases around his waist and Magenta went behind the closet door.

"You dumb student nurses." Brad growled. "You're gonna see it all someday."

"Heheh, NO!" Kimi said back, "I just came in here to get my toothbrush but I just walked in on... PORN!"

"Porn?" said Magenta from behind the door.

"Yes. Good God, I hate saying that word..." Kimi whined, "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get my toothbrush before you contaminate it with your horny-ness." Kimi slapped a hand over her eyes and crawled across the guest room, grabbed her pink toothbrush and inched back out, mumbling random crap under her breath,

"Wehll, thaht was... nihce." Columbia said, still shocked that Kimi's voice could get that shrill... "Anyway..."

"We were making love..." Brad said taking off the pillowcases, Columbia obstructed her view.

"Ahnd i came ihn to..."

"You just came in for no reason?"

"You know I do thaht!" Magenta and Brad started grinding again, "WIHLL Y'ALL PLEASE STAHP SCREWING?" Magenta started to get dressed,

"If you ask me, you and Jonathan could learn from us. What do the two of you even do anyway?"

"We do... stuhff."

"Like...?"

"He... gave me thihs!" Columbia said, pulling down the collar of her shirt to reveal a hickey, like a little girl showing off a bug bite,

"Wow. One hickey. You could be the next Finchel." (Finn/Rachel... GLEE? Anyway...)

"Ugh, you're ahlready using Glee agaihnst me..." Columbia exited the room, slamming the door and trying to get the memory of naked Brad the hell out of her head.

In the afternoon, Kimi came close to a nervous breakdown. Magenta said she didn't feel good and Kimi almost died herself. Luckily, Magenta and Brad had to go to dialysis. So Kimi had time to recover from her almost-heart attack.

When Brad and Magenta arrived at the hospital, Maria was waiting patiently.

"Hi, Brad, Magenta..."

...

When dialysis was over, Brad was getting into the car when Maria stopped him, dragging him a few feet away from the car, until Magenta was out of earshot,

"Hi." she said,

"Um, hi?"

"Listen, Brad, we both know Magenta isn't going to last much longer, I mean, she might as well be terminal, so I was wondering if you could, well, give me a try..."

"What?"

"You heard me. Mm, you're so hot..." Maria leaned onto Brad, her face was about an inch away from his,

"You little bitch." Brad stared at the car, he saw Magenta looking back at him, "I'm leaving." He shoved her off, when Brad got back to the car, Magenta asked,

"What was that about? What did she say?" Without warning, Brad grabbed Magenta by the shoulders and began to sob.

Frank was pissed. Lucille was visiting family in Albany. On top of everything he had to donate a fucking kidney today. At that moment he was sitting in the hospital waiting room, Magenta and Brad were next to him. Frank felt Magenta's light weight pressing gently against his left arm.

"I can't thank you enough for this." she whispered.

...

Fuck...Frank thought as he opened his eyes to see Magenta, Brad, Columbia and Kimi standing over him,

"He's awake!" Kimi screamed,

"Where the hell am I?" Frank whined.

"You're at Denton Public Hospital." said Kimi, "You're going to be here for about another week."

Fuck again. thought Frank.