Reality comes to smack you down hard.

Chapter 8: Devastation

"So, you've got the whole act down right?" Rita asked Runt as they walked along the gravel road along the lot.

"Yup! Definitely. J-Just…uh… stay behind the curtain and pull the rope. Easy." Runt recited, looking awfully proud.

"Now there's a sentiment. Hope it's a reliable one." Rita sighed but couldn't help but smile. He was always a doer. He never quit no matter how against him his own brain was. Though, in reality, he really wasn't as dumb as people tended to make him out to be.

The conversation concerning their act for when they finally got off the lot was cut short by what they saw stumbling toward them ahead. They were used to being the only ones out at night but the occasional guest was to be expected. It just struck her as a more worrisome guest this time around.

"Yakko?" Rita mouthed as she saw the Warner in question wobble and bob toward the two of them. They stood in place, wondering what exactly his movements and intentions were. It became clear that he wasn't really acting on any sort of motive when he nearly collapsed into them. Rita quickly used her paws to push him back up and keep him steady.

Runt looked him over and was the one to voice her own concerns. "You don't look too well Yakko. Feeling sick?"

One look at him and Rita could tell that this was it exactly. But what was he doing out here, alone at night?

"H-Heya guys… you get the number of that steamroller that crushed my head a while back? I gots to send that guy an angry letter…" Yakko joked with a slurred and tired voice.

"Yakko. Now's not the time for that." Rita spoke, not even sure exactly how weird it was that the depressed and disturbed Warner sibling would even try cracking a joke at this point in time. "Why are you out here alone? Is Dot back at the tower?"

Yakko twitched and shivered a bit when he heard Dot's name. "Oh yeah… the girl I live with. That other younger one. Who cares? I dunno. She doesn't know. She hates me now. Why shouldn't she. ..?" Yakko's voice was even more slow and dragging than it was just a second ago. His eyes were a tad red and there was a noticeable droop to his eyelids that told her he was struggling to stay awake.

"Sh-She hates you now? Why would she-?" Rita began before Yakko swatted her arms back.

"I can hold myself up misses kitty! I don't need no one's help!" Yakko shouted in spontaneous anger before grabbing his head and falling to his knees.

"Look, I don't know what's up with you anymore but if there was ever a more obvious case where you were in need of help, this would be it." Rita said, rubbing her arm for a quick second before standing by his side.

Yakko himself was talking like a drunk again. Only this time it seemed to be because he was trying to keep himself awake and aware. He was half-way between holding onto himself and losing himself. Rita had guessed that his sanity wasn't really all that in check a while ago and the more time passed the more her suspicions seemed accurate.

"Dot may not wish for it… nor do I think she knew exactly what was happening or what to do… but I do. We're getting you some professional help Yakko." Rita spoke as though she wasn't giving him the option. What he said next made her reel a bit in shock.

"Leave me alone. I'll kill you." He muttered. It wasn't just those words though. The anger in his eyes was very real and confusing still, were the tears that formed at the base of them when he said it. What was going on with him?

"Hey now! Don't speak to Rita that way!" Runt started to sense something was entirely off and felt himself grow rather protective. Rita made sure to keep him at bay with her paw though, slightly confusing the dog.

"Yakko. Say and do what you will but I can't, in all good consciousness, just leave you alone. You're obviously not well in way more ways than one."

"I'm fine… j-just…" Yakko felt himself wobble a bit. The blood was rushing to his head suddenly. There was too big a slew of emotions swirling throughout him. He was angry, sad, tired, and scared all at once and he didn't know which feeling was the more real and urgent one.

"Yakko?" Rita leaned closer, noticing his gritted teeth and lurching body.

"… Things… were so much easier to figure out… back when we had our show going…" Yakko sputtered out. "I can't tell what's what anymore…"

It was the first real coherent thing he had said and immediately after it, he clutched his stomach and heaved forward, effectively vomiting up a torrent of blood.

"WHOA! Yakko!" Rita immediately held his now shaking body steady as it was about to completely collapse. "Runt! Don't gawk! Call for help!" Rita shouted at her instantly frozen companion.

"Y-Y-Yu-Yeah s-su… Right! I'm goin'!" Runt fumbled over his words and raced off toward the building he knew still had people in it.

The main building that housed the CEO would surely have people who could help.


"So yes, the door will need to be replaced. Maybe something maroon colored and made of Autumn wood. Or perhaps steel! Y-Yes, v-very fashionable those steel enhanced doors are nowadays-" Plotz rambled on about the destroyed door and how it needed fixing all the while making it unknowingly obvious to everyone that he was much more rattled than he wanted to let on.

"Mr. Plotz. We'll worry about the door later, ya? Let's just try to calm down now." Dr. Scratchnsniff said with a concerned hand gesture.

"Calm down?!" Plotz shifted and stared right up at the doctor, causing him to step back a bit.

"Y-Yes. Think happy thoughts. Like sugar plums or Michelle Pfeiffer or uh-"

"Gold! And Silver… a-a-and money! Lots of leafy greens that I can enjoy counting! Y-yes, that sounds lovely." Plotz pondered, feigning happiness as he paced away from the doctor looking up at the ceiling. Ralph was eating donuts in a chair in the corner without all too much of a care in the world outside of relative concern for his boss.

Hello Nurse and the head detective who had interviewed Mindy and Buttons were standing by Plotz' desk where shards of the door hand ended up being flung from the break in earlier. The detective went by the name Shorenay and was rather peeved at how the investigation was going. It seemed as though they were surrounded by evidence, but none of it really leading to anyone they could legally pin as the culprit.

"Oh my. Found something." He said. Perhaps he had thought too soon. Everyone turned to face him when he spoke, except for Plotz.

"What? Another broken piece of wood?" Hello Nurse leaned down a bit to get a better look.

"No. This one's got a stain of red on it. I'm assuming that the axe that was used somehow wasn't entirely dry." Shorenay muttered to himself before holding it up to the light. "Strange though. How such a small amount ended up on the axe… or rather… the door?"

"What? Are you suggesting the door was bleeding or something?" Scratchnsniff scratched his head.

"… No. The culprit probably was though. Whether from an accident with his own weapon or he just spontaneously hacked it up, it's most likely a lead. I'll just need to get this over to my forensics team and we should be hot on the right trail." He grinned.

"Why aren't your forensics team people here anyway?" Hello Nurse asked.

"Because I'm more than enough. Case in point-!" He grinned and held up the wooden piece once again before slipping it into a plastic bag and taking off.

"I'm not sure but I'm thinking his style is rather unorthodox…" Scratchnsniff certainly wasn't wrong. Either way, the job he needed to get done, was indeed done. Perhaps that garnered some sort of credit.

When the guy had been gone for a relatively good amount of time Hello Nurse put her hand on her forehead with a sigh. She was ready to go to bed. Maybe she'd get some rest for a good 12 hours or so…

At that moment, her phone rang. She pouted a bit but answered it quickly. "Hello… Yes, I'm here I… What?"

The other three in the room turned to face her with sudden jolts of concern etched on their faces. Now what?

"Yes. Yes, I understand I'll be right over." She hung the phone up and raced toward the door.

"Something the matter Ms. Nurse?" Plotz interjected. As if he was going to allow himself to be out of the loop on this.

"Yakko's been admitted to the hospital." She said simply before continuing on.

"… Y-Yakkos Warners?" Ralph repeated, blinking twice.

"…Another Warner sibling… in the hospital?" Plotz mouthed, stunned.

"Oh Yakko…" Scratchnsniff recounted his final therapy session with him before trudging his way toward the exit as well.

"W-Where are you going?!" Plotz asked, feeling stupid immediately when he saw a glimpse of the doctor's terrified face. "… Ohhh… darn it all. Come on Ralph. We're going too."

"Yes sir!" Ralph stood up and let the donuts slide off his gut and onto the floor. The CEO head was too frazzled and on-edge to even care about the money that would come out of cleaning that spot on the carpet.


Skippy felt a tad odd. Dot was asleep on his shoulder on the couch they had in their little temporary home. He wouldn't have pegged her for a light snorer or someone who drooled but there it was. Still, he could understand why she was this way. She must've truly been exhausted. She looked terrible enough when she came in. It would've been torture asking her to stay awake for questioning by his aunt.

Speaking of Slappy, she was suddenly so spry and full of energy. She had to stop herself from bombarding the poor girl with questions. It had taken forever for her to stop crying and currently it was a little past midnight. Despite that, though, she was flipping through her papers and pictures like she was hopped up on caffeine.

"It sucks big time but he was the only one who could've done that to her. I don't believe that the boy would just snap and try to strangle his little sister. Granted this has probably been in development for some time and I just haven't latched as hard onto it as I should have. That night at the bar with those annoying pigeons should have clued me in onto something at least. I should've tailed him and studied his behavior. I should do that now actually. We need to visit the tower." Slappy spoke fast and furious. Her conclusion was met just as quickly and it surprised Skippy just how sudden it seemed too.

"Wait… what?" Skippy turned toward the rather eccentric woman with a slight look of confusion.

"It's okay. I can go alone. I just need to lube up my non-existent running boots and-" Slappy began before the phone rang. She grumbled and snatched it from the tacky looking lawn table. "Hello. This is Slappy and I can only assume your name is mud."

Skippy watched his aunt do her usual shtick before he recognized a change in her facial features. If he was more attentive he would've noticed that Dot was stirred from her sleep due to Slappy's sudden outbursts and Skippy resulting shifts in position on the couch.

"So you're serious?! That Yakko is really at the hospital?!" Slappy blurted out with enough affection in her voice to get Dot's eyes opening wider. She had heard it but wasn't sure if she had heard it right.

She became certain instantly when she saw Slappy throw the phone to the ground though. Dot jolted straight up and rubbed her eyes. Skippy felt a terrible feeling well up in the pit of his stomach as he watched the two of them.

Slappy stared angrily at the floor before shifting her gaze at the two kids. "Get up. Both of you. Now. We're off." She said stomping toward the door, seemingly not phased by the fact that Dot had been flung from her sleep into this heart wrenching situation.

The two kids hopped off the couch and followed her out of the garage. Skippy looked worried to the point of shivering the instant the cold night air hit his fur. Dot's face was a tad unreadable. She was horrified with herself and her seemingly careless reaction.

She knew a sudden burst of disbelief and worry would've been her usual reaction but she felt so odd and conflicted. She figured it must've been due to how Yakko had harmed her earlier but she was smarter than that. She knew that on the whole there was something beyond what she was able to fathom that was going on with Yakko.

There was no way he was just a cold, dark murderer now. If even that were true, she wouldn't believe it. The actual fact of the matter had this situation as something much worse than that and as such she had no idea how she was supposed to react to it.

She decided to try and figure it out. Her heart was beating fast so that meant she was either scared or anxious or both. Was she scared for herself or for Yakko? Why be scared for Yakko anymore? Of course it was because she loved him! Why even ask herself that?! Who cares if he tried to… well, of course that can't be let go either. He shouldn't have tried to… but what if it wasn't his own… no. That made no sense…

Dot face palmed and started to chuckle in obvious frustration. It ended with a tiny whimper of contempt for the nonsense she was being saddled with.

Maybe finally her ability to remain composed and collected despite how deep down the rabbit hole the situation keeps going was finally wearing off. That couldn't be good for anybody.


"I'm so tired of water. Can't I at least get a lemonade…?" Wakko grumbled as he stood by the refrigerator. He knew his access to sugar was pretty much more calculated than ever before with him at this hospital but goodness! A kid can only be sated with so much water. It was boring and tasted like… water.

Wakko felt a slight wooziness wash over him and he stumbled back a bit. Quickly, he reached over and grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself. He managed to have a seat and sighed hard as he stared out ahead at the plain white wall opposite of the plain white wall he was currently closest too.

He was going stir crazy. He could feel it. He didn't want to be here anymore and there was so much outside these walls that he wanted to check up on. After that police investigation he had grown so much more worried about Yakko and Dot. He knew Yakko was going through… something but he couldn't tell exactly.

He hadn't been home to see how Yakko had developed. However, that one time he had seen Yakko he had noticed how dead the light in his eyes were. He knew that Yakko hadn't been taking care of himself at all during the time when he was missing or in his coma. Wakko was smart enough to know that he certainly wouldn't start after he had said something so devastating to him.

He probably took the hammer to Yakko's already crumbling world and smashed it to pieces without even knowing it.

Wakko tapped the edge of the table. He was anxious and scared. He didn't know of what though. He was certain that whatever was going on warranted his attention. He was the middle child after all. Dot was the youngest so she couldn't be expected to shoulder the burden should the oldest be indisposed.

"… It's not like I'm in the best shape to take over though." Wakko grumbled, looking over himself. It was true. He wasn't even supposed to be out of bed. He hasn't had his ability to walk back for too terribly long after all. He had barely managed to make it to this room without falling over himself.

He just wanted something to drink besides water. Even milk would've done.

Wakko felt that this atmosphere was getting rather heavy. He was here by himself. He was all by his lonesome in this plain white room in a nasty, plain poke-a-dotted hospital gown contemplating the unknown and still recovering from the trauma of what he did know.

It was too quiet. That annoying ticking from the clock on the wall that you wouldn't notice should someone else be in the room with you was getting to him. He decided to focus on that and think about clocks. Anything to keep from thinking about that torture from before…

A loud bang was heard outside of the room. He leaned over to the open door, not expecting such a loud sound this late at night. He scurried over toward the door and peaked outside of it only to catch a glimpse of something terrible.

It happened fast but it wasn't quick enough for him to not take the image in.

Yakko, his older brother, was here. He saw Yakko being pushed past his line of sight. He was on one of those rolling beds he himself was carried into this place on! He was lurching and his body was contracting and he looked so pale and dead! He was dying! That had to be it!

"NO! Yakko!" Wakko called out suddenly, losing his edge instantly and slipping over his own feet when he ran out the door. He ended up slamming onto the ground and curling up in pain. That wasn't something that his body needed. Especially not in the condition he was in.

"Y-Yakko… ! Guh…" Wakko felt himself trying to hold back a gag. Seeing Yakko on that bed got his memories from before going. He in-avertedly began mixing that image with the torture exercises that were practiced on him back when he had been kidnapped. It made him sick, instantly.

"Wakko!" Hello Nurse ran up behind Wakko and lifted him up into her arms. Any other time he would've been overwhelmed with delight but Yakko was at the forefront of his mind and there he stayed. "What were you doing here? Why aren't you in bed?"

"Wh-Who cares about that?!" Wakko panted. He seemed to be having trouble drawing breath. He was losing his cool and hyperventilating. "Y-Yakko… Yakko's dying! We gotta save him!"

Hello Nurse looked Wakko over for a split second in slight shock. A flash of his grinning and bouncy self from the days of their show crossed her mind and made her heart ache. "Wakko. Wakko, calm down. We will. I promise you we will."

She had rushed here as fast as she could when she had gotten the phone call. Apparently, when Yakko was brought in he reacted rather violently and started smashing things in his way and barreling through whoever tried to stop him. Rita and Runt had managed to get him here with very little trouble but the instant he saw the hospital staff crowding him he just went on a rampage. It wasn't until he saw another familiar face in the form of Ms. Nurse that he lowered his mallet and instead threw up even more blood.

That was all that his body could take though. He collapsed immediately and they took that time to get him onto the bed and wheeled him toward the closest available room.

When one of the confused nurses from a nearby room came out to see what the commotion was about, Hello Nurse almost shoved Wakko into her arms. She didn't mean to be rough at all. Yakko's attention was what this situation warranted right now though.

When she made it into the room she felt as though she was experiencing a torrential wave of emotion that had never been present when dealing with other patients. That flash from the past happened once again, this time with Yakko. His happiness, his craziness, his spontaneous singing, his sporadic dancing, and his sloppy, wet kisses to the cheek all seemed like remnants from some fairy tale she had once been a part of.

This wasn't a part of the same life though. It couldn't have been, as the scene of Yakko convulsing and growing ever paler on the operating table before her was just too harsh a contrast to what she was used to seeing before.


'… …'

Are you dead? Say something.

'… ? Wha…?'

I knew it. Of course you're alive.

'… I don't feel any more pain? What's going on? Am I trapped inside my head or something?'

'Or something' seems like a good answer.

'You know what's going on… tell me what's happening…'

Stop demanding yourself to tell yourself stuff you don't know.

'… … '

Say something! You're a talker, remember?

'… What is this really? Am I really so out of my mind that I'm having conversations with myself?'

Totally Insane-Y. We should try killing Plotz again.

'Why couldn't I do it before?'

You chickened out.

'… Is that what happened…? I wish the subconscious part of my mind could speak up…'

Well it can't. So I'm telling you what I know happened. It was quite the delight, right?

'Y-Yeah… it was fun…Hahaha. That look on his face… b-but I can't.'

You keep saying that. I don't think you know what those words mean, considering the fact that you're increasingly proving that you can.

'Y-Yeah… I can… and it's fun… tons… Tons of FUN!'

Yakko was sprawled out alone in a shadowy space. A wide grin was plastered on his face now, as the look of fear and concern melted away. Once again, just by speaking with the opposing side to his thoughts, he was convinced of his new place and path. He was diving so far down this new road and he knew that his body was shivering from excitement at being able to see it through.

He was certain that this is exactly what every fiber of his being now desired. It had to be! His actions and thoughts told him so!

'… But then… all of that seems to go away whenever I start thinking about my sibs… and how awful I think murder is and the reason we had that moral code about ourselves…' Yakko's grin faded into a much more somber and softer expression. It mirrored an expression his normal self probably would've worn before.

There's no need to worry about that. You tried to kill Dot today, remember? And Plotz was given quite the scare. It'll be a great way to use his fear to your advantage and entertain yourself with his and everyone else's plight. Looking at their faces as they twist with fright and sadness will be a direct guarantee to melt that final layer of resistance within you.

'Layer of… resistance…?'

You failed to finish off Plotz today because you allowed the old you to resurface and stopped yourself. That side of you that still clings to those peace keeping ideals you held dearly before is disappearing. It hasn't gone away completely as your failed attempts at murder show but when it does your failure will turn to success and your life will be all the more meaningful for it.

'… My… layer of resistance… against who I'm turning into… is melting away…?'

Yes. That's it exactly.

'… Along with my love and care for my sibs… and everyone I got to know and love…'

It's for the best. You know it is. Allow me to melt away the remainder of that old side of you and you'll be able to understand completely. You'll no longer be confused. I represent the side of you that knows what the truth is and what you really wish to be.

Yakko started to allow his tears to fall. They dripped down and fluttered away into the void of wherever it was he now lay.

'… This is who… I truly wish to be…?'

It is. Do not worry. You will live. This is your way of life. Should any part of you continue to resist or go against it, you'll only be hurting yourself.

'… Hurting myself…'

Yes. All you'll be doing… is continuously making your body sick…


Yakko woke up and stared at the ceiling. His body hurt all over and his insides felt like they were on fire. Vomiting up blood definitely wasn't something the body was accustomed to.

Despite that though, he could tell that his body was healing. Fast.

He had always written this stuff off before. His constant coughing spells having him doubled over, hacking, and spitting up unidentifiable gack followed by him feeling completely fine afterward was something he wrote off. No one knew what disease he had or why his body seemed to increasingly fail him, so he figured it was just the result of something abnormal he had.

He was too worried about his siblings and their well-being to care at the time. However, now that it had reached this level of devastation he had no choice but to pay attention.

It was astonishing how it was still working. His body would fail him but then he'd just get over it and heal faster than normal. He'd still feel awful but… he really wasn't.

Yakko sat up in the hospital bed and grunted at the sharp pain that hit his stomach. There were tubes connected to him and a bag of blood hanging nearby the bed. They must've concluded that he needed a blood transfusion or something. The way his body was functioning he wondered if that truly was necessary though.

"… Continuously resisting… all I'd be doing is making my body sick…?" Yakko flexed his fingers and stared at his palm as he spoke those words. How did having a conversation with himself inform him of something that no doctor or anyone else had no way of knowing? Was it something he made up to comfort himself?

"No… no, it's the truth… I can just tell… but that's ridiculous…" Yakko grumbled out. The beeping from that weird green line machine next to the wall was annoying him now. He was fine! The pain in his stomach was subsiding even…

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that what he had learned in that little day dream of his was more accurate than anything these professionals could dig up. It was true. The small pang of guilt followed by the slight urge to vomit confirmed it for him.

"My condition… shouldn't exist. I've never heard of something like this before…" Yakko rubbed his stomach and took a slight breath. "… That small part of me that tries to resist the insanity that I'm diving into is growing smaller and smaller… but the more it tries to resist the more dangerous and powerful my sickness becomes regardless."

He got it now. He was insane. He was almost 100 percent off the deep end now and his physical body was reacting to that in a strange way. The part of him that resisted and felt the need to think twice about his horrible actions was being rejected by both his mind and his body. It was growing smaller and smaller as time passed and eventually it would be gone, leaving him in full health but without his sanity.

Trying to hold onto that glimmer of his past self was what made him sick. It had started out as regular coughing and fainting spells and had now reached a point to where he was vomiting up blood.

His body didn't want him to remain the way he was in the days of old. It seems it would rather die than have Yakko try to retain his kind and brotherly side.

"… But… bodies don't have consciousness. There's no way it can decide that it likes the Insane Yakko better than the Big-Brother Yakko and allow itself to get sick and die the longer I hang onto that Big-Brother side…" Yakko looked out at the space in front of him as he reasoned all this. "… So is it that my body is deciding it doesn't like this and is making me sick… or is it something else…"

Something else?

'Like you.'

Me? You mean you? I am you.

'… I know… I know you're me… but…'

Deep down, you've always wanted this. The part of you that did is just starting to flourish now. You're correct. Your body isn't actively trying to make you sick. It just comes with the territory.

"What are you talking about?! Make sense already!" Yakko shouted this out-loud.

I'm the part of you that's always been there and I exist in some form or another inside the minds of every living being on this planet. I truly AM you Yakko. The part of you that was overshadowed by that need and want of yours to be the best big brother you could possibly be to your siblings. I was overshadowed by your want to be a spokesman for comedy and a role model for the up and comers ahead of you who enjoyed your show and wanted to follow in your wake. I'm the part of you that always desired to see the world at your feet and do whatever it is that you wished.

"… I… never wanted to choke my little sister… o-or…"

The truth is that you did. You've entertained the thought of murder before. Everyone has in some way or another. However, you're special because you're smart and you realize deep down that the sibs are expendable. Everything and everyone is.

"I'm not listening to this anymore! If you're me than shut up already! I don't want to hear it so I should just stop, right?"

I'm still talking aren't I? You DO want to hear this because you know what I say is the truth. Someone as smart as you would've never had realized your full potential and taken the next step like you finally have with me suppressed all your life. However, I've manifested now! I'm almost entirely what makes up your system of thought now! It took over 60 years for the full brunt of hate to flow within us but we were the perfect candidate. Our younger sister and brother would never have been smart enough nor had the potential to see this to its full capacity. That's why it only affected you.

"That's why WHAT only affected me?!"

The curse.

Yakko's eyes widened and he felt his pupils dilate a bit. A feeling or fear and despair like never before soaked into him and made him feel cold. He felt really cold.

His body temperature was abnormally cold.

"A… A curse…what curse…? I-I don't get it? What's that mean?!"

Should that useless brotherly side of yours try to remain within you; the curse will be here to continuously make sure that your body suffers for it. Do not worry. I'm tearing down that tiny last part of you that still tries to regain who you once were back. If you simply give in and decide to help me rid that part of you from your system than the curse will have no reason to harm your body anymore and you can stop vomiting up blood. Won't that feel great?

The expression of terror on Yakko's face was prominent now. He couldn't believe this. No, he could. He DID believe it. He just didn't want to. The fact that this was all real and happening to him was too horrifying.

"G-Go… Go away! P-Plea-"

I know you can't wait until our next meeting with Plotz. That's gonna be a blast! Seeing his head roll down the hallway will surely bring tears of joy to your-

"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yakko shouted at the top of his lungs. The nurses had already been on their way when they could've sworn they heard talking before. Since it was night-time, sounds echoed more fluently than usual. However, it was impossible to miss Yakko's screaming this time.

They all rushed in and surrounded his now thrashing body. They looked scared for him as they knew that this kind of reaction wasn't good for a body in the condition it was in when he was brought to this room.

They had to restrain him quickly though, as it looked like he was trying to claw at his head. It was a desperate attempt to scrape something out of there but there's no way they would've been able to know what.


Wakko wasn't sure what he was doing. He had been carted off to his room and told to remain in bed. He didn't know what was happening with Yakko. How long had he been out of the picture? That convulsing figure that was wheeled past him looked like a completely different person from the one he knew and loved from before.

He needed to be there for him. Despite that, here he was, sitting in bed because a nurse told him to do it. That wasn't the Warner way! He didn't do something just because someone told him to do it! Yakko was in danger and he needed to be there!

Wakko made an attempt to get up when the thought that had held him back crept back into his head.

'What if me going there just screws things up more?'

Wakko sighed and let the blanket drop. He knew hospitals had their procedures and that there was a reason as to why patients couldn't be visited in the middle of an operation and what not. He couldn't help wanting to go see. He felt like being the younger brother gave him some sort of unspoken privilege to go and see whether or not his older brother was truly dying.

It had been quiet for so long since Yakko was brought into that room. Then all of a sudden he had heard screaming. It was his brother's voice. He knew that. He had decided to make a dash for the door again but ended up falling on his butt due to his own body complications. He was dizzy and couldn't see straight. He wouldn't have been able to do anything regardless but in his condition he couldn't even make it there intact.

"I guess that successful trip to the Rec-room was just a fluke. I'm not recovered." Wakko muttered out as he recalled the last of what happened. He heard the rush past his room and knew that it was the sound of numerous people going into Yakko's room and taking care of the situation for him. The fact that it was silent now told him that it was under control.

Either that or he was dead.

Wakko shivered all over. He had been having thoughts like that on a constant basis after his kidnapping predicament. Every conclusion he tended to make was one that dealt with the negative and he hated it with a hot passion.

"I could try again… but…" Wakko began to speak before his door opened up. He looked over toward the front of the bed and his eyes widened a bit at the person he had caught a glimpse of.

"D-Dot?" Wakko asked, leaning forward a bit as his sister approached his bedside. She said nothing and her head was downcast. Something was wrong. "Wh-When did you get here?" Wakko asked.

"… Slappy got a call from the hospital and we rushed over… turns out we can't see Yakko right now…" Dot spoke solemnly.

"I guess that makes sense. He just had a little… episode earlier and it took a while to get him quiet again." Wakko grumbled out.

The two stood there in surprisingly awkward silence before Wakko chimed in with a question.

"So why didn't you get the call and come over from that?" Wakko thought that was a rather sensible question. Surely, their first plan of action would've been to notify his family.

Dot didn't answer for a good 20 seconds. "It… well I… wasn't there…"

"What do you mean, you weren't there?" Wakko asked, feeling a strange sense of distain building up within him.

"I ran away from the Water Tower. I left Yakko alone and went to where Slappy and Skippy are staying while the investigation is going on." Dot explained, fiddling with her fingers.

Hold the phone. She did what now?

"Did you know Yakko was sick?" Wakko stared down at her, his voice noticeably disturbed.

"… Y-Yes… I-I did… "Dot choked back a few tears while absent-mindedly rubbing her throat.

"Did you know it was THAT bad?! He came in here on a stretcher, pale and bleeding out through the mouth and he was convulsing and he looked like he was dying and-" Wakko was feeling the confusion and anger well up within him suddenly and all at once. "A-Are you crazy!? What made you do that? Why would you-? H-How could you-?" Wakko was almost directly shouting at her when he noticed her full on crying and rubbing the bottom of her fist against her eye.

That's when he caught a glimpse of the slightly purple mark around her neck.

"… Wh-Where did you get that?" Wakko pointed at it. Dot jolted and spotted where his finger was directed at. She panicked.

"I… I didn't-"

"You didn't have that when you last visited me! What happened?" Wakko forced himself up and stumbled out of bed. His body was feeling at its worst as of now but he was forcefully ignoring it.

"Wakko please… I-I don't-" Dot began before Wakko grabbed her shoulders. He hated being out of the loop and he knew from Dot's reactions that she had been saddled with so much by herself. He could tell that she was in pain in so many ways and as an older brother he was here in the comfort of a hospital room while she suffered through it all. That wasn't going to fly with Wakko.

"Tell me. What happened?" Wakko said in a rare, soft and comforting voice. That made Dot lose it emotionally.

"Y-Yakko… I ran away because Yakko… tried to choke me to death!" Dot blurted out, in a rather soft voice but one that made it clear that she couldn't even believe what she had just said. She forced herself into Wakko's shirt and cried wholeheartedly. For once, she had one of her older siblings there to be of some comfort.

Wakko was holding her close. He was rubbing her back and making sure she got to let it all out. However, he did all this with a vacant stare straight ahead. His grip on her got noticeably tighter and he felt lightheaded. It was as though his body was on auto-pilot and time had slowed down. He twitched and started to collapse.

"W-Wakko?" Dot spoke up when Wakko suddenly fell to his knees. "Y-You gotta get back into bed… y-you're still recov-"

"I'm not… going to let go of you… " Wakko wheezed out.

"B-But…" Dot tried to interject but Wakko just held her tighter.

"I almost fainted from hearing that… but I have to keep my composure…" Wakko's tired voice had an added cracking effect to it. She watched tears spill from his eyes now. "If I don't… I don't know what I would do… "

"Wakko?" Dot went down to his level now.

"… So many stupid thoughts are in my stupid head now… so, instead of trying to sort them all out… I gotta do what an older brother is supposed to do and rely on that. I gotta be there for you and comfort you… and make sure we can stick together… like I should be doing in Yakko's place while he's gone…" Wakko's words came out in a stilted breath. He was sweating too. Dot could tell that the news she had hit him with was overwhelming his system and making him weak. He was trying to hold on as hard as he could for her sake though.

It was a battle he lost though. Wakko eventually passed out while hugging Dot close to his chest. She had felt him slump against her forehead and new that the full brunt of devastation had gotten to him at last.

Dot squeezed her eyes shut and helped Wakko's unconscious form back into his bed before muttering a response to his expression of brotherly plight.

"… Thank you. You're a great big brother."