The two old men had absolutely no words for the longest time. Here their beloved daughter was handed the keys to any dream she desired. Anything she wanted, something to ease her through the fight of her life, something to bring her joy in a world that seemed determined to crush her, and she instead thought of them. Two people who had spent the majority of their lives thinking of no one but themselves, two people who had proven time and time again to be irresponsible, brash, and greedy. It was more than they could bear, as they broke down into tears, still unable to even make words as they held their child tight. This child and her brother were the greatest treasures they could have ever found, Ones they valued more then any treasure they may have found at sea, and now they could very well be on the cusp of losing her. This precious gift who was now wheelchair bound needed tubes just to breath. She was and would always be, irreplaceable.
They couldn't let that thought dominate them today though, after all that Mabel had done for them the absolute least they could give her is a day of fun away from her worries and troubles. An escape from reality.
What a day it was, they spent the whole day on the lake. The four of them took the boat for it's maiden voyage, and for a moment, it was as if the tiny lake was the seven seas, and they were sailing away from all their problems and towards a bright horizon. They caught enough fish to have a fish fry that fed the entire crowd, Mabel and Dipper were able to play beach volleyball with Candy, Grenda and the other teenagers. The sounds of their laughter were like music to Stan and Ford's ears. The kids had made jokes and laughed in the hospital too, but as they played in the sand as the golden sun painted a glorious picture in the sky, it was like they were just regular kids again, if only for a moment. As if they had not endured the worst of the world, their innocence still shinned brightly despite the scars that no one but the two of them knew were there. The mental scars.
But then, the moment ended. When the day was done the kids couldn't return to their cozy shack in the woods, couldn't head up to their attic bedroom to waste the evening reading books, telling each other spooky stories and whispering secret hopes and dreams for whatever the next day had in store until Stan would come up and yell at them to go to bed. Instead, they had to say goodbye to their friends (for what had the potential to be the last time) and watch as the idealic town disappear perhaps for the last time into the distance and return to the hospital that no amount of flowers or stuffed animals could ever turn into a home.
When they arrived Stan and Ford looked in the back to find Dipper and Mabel curled up together sound asleep. Dipper had both arms wrapped tight around his sister who was leaning against his chest, right beside his heart. She had gotten into the habit of falling asleep next to someone's beating heart. It was silly, but being able to physically hear someone else's heartbeat provided her comfort that her heart would continue to beat as she slept. And who better then her own brother. The one person in her life that had always been there for her, no matter what the world threw at them, Dipper and Mabel were a unit that could not be torn apart. At least, for now perhaps.
The scene touched both Stan and Ford's hearts. It was funny, when Dipper had first arrived in Gravity Falls with his sister Stan had been eager to turn the boy into a man, but as with seemingly everything in his family, it ended up working backwards. Dipper inspired Stan to be a better and more loyal man everyday.
"The poor kid has got to get a good night's sleep, he's been sleeping on that little couch nearly every night, and it ain't good for him. He needs to sleep in a bed, and you do too sixer, especially if you have a back like mine, you guys need to use the hotel room tonight, I'll take care of Mabel,"
Ford shook his head, "No Stanley, I don't want to leave the two of you….again," Ford said quietly.
Stan managed a very sad smile, he knew that despite assuring him that he was forgiven a hundred times that Ford bore the heavy burden of guilt for this whole mess.
"Hey…" Stan put his hand on Ford's shoulder, "we'll be fine for tonight, she's asleep anyways, go get a good night's sleep and we will all see each other in the morning, trust me,"
Ford still didn't look convinced, "do you promise to let me know if there's an update? Any update at all, no matter how small it maybe to how damning it could be?"
Stan crossed his heart with his hands, and Ford finally relented. He took Dipper into his strong arms and carried him in the opposite direction that Stan carried Mabel.
When Stan reached her hospital room he tenderly laid her down and wrapped her up in a homemade quilt that Soos's Abuelita had knitted for her. He then wrapped his strong arms around her and settled her head against his chest as he silently stroked her hair like he did nearly every night.
A few hours later Mabel woke up to the familiar and safe feeling of Stan's arms around her. She tried to snuggled up to him and fall back to sleep, but her anxieties were keeping her awake. She had tried this whole time to be brave, she knew her family needed her to be brave. She knew that the whole town of Gravity Falls needed her to be brave. She knew that her parents would want her to be brave, but the reality was that she was still a little girl, a very scared little girl in a hospital with a very scary disease that could very much kill her. Mabel Pines had faced so many monsters in her life; from the mystical creatures of Gravity Falls, to the more psychological fears like lil' Gideon wanting her to be his girlfriend and Bill Cipher playing into her hopes and dreams as a means to bring about the destruction of all she held near and dear, and then there were just the plain evil people like Brad who only wanted to bring pain to others and almost robbed her of her innocence that night. She had faced all of these fears with a braces filled smile, and hope, but she also hadn't faced them alone. She had the best family in the universe that she knew that she could turn to, but sometimes she was still afraid to make the leap to ask them. She looked around the room at all the tubes and wires and looked over at the heart monitor and her mind just wouldn't give her any rest. She swallowed her pride and very softly shook Stan.
"Grunkle Stan?" she whispered.
Stan only responded with snores, which made her feel even worse, she knew that he had been up countless hours worrying about her, and she hated bothering him, but she was just a scared little girl who had no one else at the moment to turn to.
"Daddy?" she whispered a little louder.
Stan had begun to slightly stir and Mabel hoped she was near waking him, but before she could whisper again a voice called from down the hall.
"MR. PINES!" It was the voice of one of the night doctor's.
Stan jolted awake, "huh? What? Who?" he said trying to regain his surroundings.
"Mr. Pines! Come Quick!" the doctor called as he appeared in the doorway, he had a smile on his face, which was not something Stan was used to seeing on him.
He looked down at his daughter, who looked very tired and scared.
Stan kissed her forehead and hugged her, "don't worry baby, I'll just be a second," he assured.
"This better be good doc," Stan said as he wiped his eyes.
"Mr. Pines, we may have found some lungs,"
