Ford went with Mabel to her first treatment while Stan and Dipper stayed in her room to hang up the last of her posters and decorations.
"Don't you worry, pumpkin, by the time you get back, this place will look like…home," Stan's voice slightly cracked at the last word.
Mabel gave them a smile and thumbs up as Ford wheeled her away.
"You know I can just walk, Grunkle Ford, you don't have to wheel me everywhere."
Ford gave her a sad smile. The reality was, he knew enough about chemo to know by the time Mabel finished her treatment, she wouldn't be strong enough to walk. He forced himself not to think about that part. He decided to think like Mabel…think fun.
"Obviously, but why would you want to walk when you could ride?" he teased as he playfully pushed the chair faster, making her giggle. It was the most beautiful sound Ford could hear right now.
When they first entered the room, Mabel had to admit that the comfortable chairs and ample supply of flat-screen TVs made it look more like a relaxing area than a place where such toxic medication was pumped into people's bodies.
There was a fair amount of people receiving treatment. As Ford suspected, most of them were much older than Mabel. It reminded Ford of how unjust it was that this child had to fight such an adult battle.
There was one other patient in the room that looked about Mabel's age. Being the naturally friendly person that she was, Mabel picked an empty chair next to him, flashed her bright smile, and said, "Hi there! My name's Mabel, but you can call me your chemo compadre!"
The boy turned and looked at the girl, shocked by how friendly and upbeat she was. Typically, the new patients were filled with dread and didn't have much interest in making conversation, let alone being friends. "My name's Michael, but you can call me Mikey. All my friends do," he said as he shook the girl's hand.
Mabel fidgeted slightly looking around at all the neat controls and gadgets on the chair while the nurse prepped the medicine. Her eye suddenly caught something. "What's this?" she asked motioning towards a bucket type thing beside the chair.
"You'll see soon enough," Mikey said dejectedly.
"All right, Mabel here we go. 1, 2, 3," The nurse inserted an IV into Mabel's arm. The pinch stung a little bit, but that was nothing compared to the burning sensation. She quickly realized what the bucket was for as she vomited into it.
Ford could hardly bear to watch, but he had to comfort his child, so he rubbed soothing patterns on Mabel's back to try to assuage the discomfort. "It's okay, honey."
Mabel managed to catch her breath and whisper, "I'm so sorry."
"Trust me, Mabel, you're gonna want to save your energy instead of apologizing every time this stuff makes your body do something gross," Mikey said with a sympathetic smile.
"Mikey's right, sweetheart. The medicine is very strong, so your body is going to have a strong reaction to it, but if anything, that means it's working. Think of it like you're vomiting out the cancer," Ford said as he forced a smile.
Mabel smiled back and decided to take her mind off it by finding a new subject to discuss with her new friend. She noticed his shirt and suddenly had a topic.
"You like Z-Files too? Gosh, you're going to love my twin brother! He likes all that ner-" Mabel stopped herself from saying nerdy. She wouldn't want to insult her new friend. "He likes all that…neat stuff."
Mikey's eyes lit up now he had something to talk to his new friend about. "You have a twin brother? I have a twin brother too!"
Mabel squealed in delight, causing Mikey to cover his ears but he still smiled. "Look at all the twin power going on in here! My Grunkle Ford has a twin brother too! It runs in our family."
Mikey looked confused. "Grunkle?"
"Great-uncle," Ford and Mabel responded at the same time.
"He's my daddy too!" Mabel declared proudly.
"Oh…so you guys are one of…those families," Mikey was from the city, so he had some pre-conceived stereotypes about these small-town folks.
Mabel laughed so loud she snorted. "No! No! He and my other Grunkle adopted me and my brother after our parents died."
Mikey gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry about your parents, but it seems like you've got a great family now."
Mabel squeezed Ford's arm. "The best! So, what about your family? Let's hear more about them!"
"Twins don't run in our family. In fact, my mom and dad didn't even know they were having twins until we came along."
Mabel smiled remembering how Stan had told her the story of how her own mom and dad had allowed the twin thing to be a surprise to them as well.
"You know, you're gonna have to bring your twin brother in at some point so I know you aren't lying," Mabel said playfully.
Mikey laughed. "I'll bring him if you bring your twin brother and your other great uncle! I've never seen a set of old twins before!"
"Hey!" Ford said, playfully indignant.
Mikey giggled sheepishly. "Hehe. Sorry."
"They're identical, so you won't be able to tell them apart unless you look at the fingers," said Mabel.
Mikey looked confused until Ford showed him his six-fingered hands. "Wow! Freaky! I love it!"
At that time, Mikey's treatment came to an end. "Whelp, I've clocked in for the day. Hang in there, champ. I'll see you tomorrow," Mikey said to his new friend.
"See you tomorrow, Chemo Compadre!" Mabel said as she offered her fist for a fist bump.
She smiled as she lay back in her chair and allowed the medication to continue pushing through her body, while Ford gently massaged her hand with his six-fingers. She looked up at him with her eyes beginning to droop. "Is it normal to feel sleepy…while you fight this thing?"
Ford smiled and kissed her forehead. "Only for those who fight really, really hard," he whispered as he tucked a blanket around his sleeping fighter.
