***Hello, everyone! This chapter should be somewhat longer than the others, so that's already a bonus. I know it's not following the theme of Valentine's Day, but I couldn't really think of anything good for that theme. So I went with one that's been on the backburner for quite some time now. If any of you have an idea or prompt for a late Valentine's Day chapter, then I will gladly accept it. Anyways, Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus, and Mettaton all belong to Toby Fox while Jackie and Arrow belong to me. Without further ado, let's get to it!
Chapter Nine: Tonsillectomy
Arrow had always had troubles with strep throat. But, as of recently, he'd been getting it more than usual. At last, after several times, it had been decided that Arrow needed to have a tonsillectomy performed on his.
"A what, now?" Undyne asked as she sat at the table. Everyone had been eating dinner together when the news had been spread. "He has to get his tonsils removed, Mom," Jackie said quietly. "Th-thank you," Alphys said. "So... surgery?" Undyne said, now clearly changed in attitude. And her new attitude was clearly a negative one. "Y-yes," Alphys said. Undyne nodded, then went back to her dinner, which she ate in troubled silence.
"A-anyways," Alphys said, trying to lighten the tension, "Jackie, you're staying w-with Papyrus and M-Mettaton. Your m-mom and I are st-staying at the h-hospital with Arrow u-until he recovers and can c-come back h-home."
Jackie looked confused. "Who are they?" she asked. "Papyrus is Mom's best friend and Mettaton is his boyfriend," Arrow explained. Jackie nodded to show her understanding of that. "Okay. And when is the surgery?" she pressed on. "T-two days," Alphys said.
At different times, she, Alphys, and Arrow all shot looks at Undyne, who eventually looked up and glared at her family with a laser-like stare that would've made even the toughest monster shiver in fear. "What are you guys looking at?" she asked. Her voice was quiet, yet dripping with venom all the same. She got no response from anyone around her. Alphys, Arrow, and Jackie suddenly found their dinner plates far more interesting.
No one said anything for the rest of that meal.
XxX
The two days passed quickly. Jackie was dropped off at her temporary residence. She walked inside and looked around. The house was pretty nice. Then again, she had been informed of Mettaton's occupation, so the status of his dwelling was no surprise.
"H...hello?" Jackie called out in an uncertain tone of voice. "Tiny human!" a voice called in response.
Papyrus ran down the stairs to reach his house guest. "Hello! I am the Great Papyrus! You must be Alphys and Undyne's daughter! Jackie, isn't it?" Papyrus asked, beyond enthusiastic.
Jackie was far more than startled. "Yes," was all she could manage to say. "Wonderful! Let me take your things, and I will show you to your room," Papyrus said. He took Jackie's suitcase and ran up the stairs with her in tow.
They wound up in front of the last room on the upstairs hallway. "Get comfy. I'll get Mettaton. He needs to meet you," Papyrus said. Then, he was off. Jackie put her suitcase off to one side and sat down on the bed. She looked around. The room was a nice one, yes. But when it was compared to the rest of the house, it was extremely basic.
Shortly after, Mettaton came into the room. "Hello, my little darling. So it seems you're staying with us for the next few days. Papy will take you to and from school because I'm a very busy robot. You and I and him are going to have so much fun together," he explained. "How so?" Jackie asked. "Just what would you like to do that you know as fact of life that Alphys and Undyne would never, ever let you do in a thousand years?" Mettaton inquired. He sat down on the bed. Jackie really had to think about that one.
"Well..."
XxX
Arrow had just been taken into surgery. Alphys was sitting in a waiting room chair, fiddling with the case his glasses were currently in. Undyne was pacing the tiled floor, clearly both anxious and angry judging by her body language and tightly-crossed arms.
"Y-you should really s-sit down," Alphys managed to say. Undyne turned on her heel to face her wife. "There's a reason I'm so freaked out, you know," she said. "And th-that reason would b-be?" Alphys pressed.
Undyne was still for a moment. Then, she sat down and sighed.
"When my stepdad initially hit my eye with that glass bottle, I wasn't completely blind. Some stranger saw me walking down the street with my face so messed up and took me to the hospital. But whoever was doing the operation messed up. I'm permanently blind in my left eye now. That's why I was unhappy about Arrow getting surgery. I got my failed one on my eye, and I'm just fine now. But if Arrow's operation is screwed up? Then he could die! And if those doctors do mess up, then I will break their bones into tiny pieces," she swore. She didn't quite care about the scared looked the other people in the waiting room gave her.
"L-listen. I can s-see where you're n-nervous. But I can a-assure you that a t-tonsillectomy is an extremely r-routine procedure. Just have f-faith in the fact that it's pretty much c-certain to be a successful o-operation," Alphys said.
Undyne shot her a look. "Should I believe you because you're a doctor?" she asked.
Alphys rubbed the back of her neck and looked away. "Th-that's your decision," she mumbled. Undyne barked out a laugh. "I'm just kidding with you," she said. She gave Alphys a chaste kiss on the cheek. The small dinosaur blushed. "There are p-people around..." she said almost inaudibly. Undyne put an arm around her shoulders. "I know," she said. Alphys' blushing only intensified, but she smiled still.
After a few moments, things calmed down between the two. "...now what?" Undyne asked at last. Alphys thought about it, then took her phone out. "A-anime?" she suggested. Undyne nodded. "Anime."
XxX
Time fell away from the girls. But eventually, they were permitted to see their one biological child. He was laying across his bed, clearly awake but still quite groggy from the anesthesia.
"Mom? Momma? What happened?" he asked, his voice still scratchy. He winced as well after finishing his question. "You had s-surgery on your th-throat. Getting strep will b-be a lot less f-frequent for you," Alphys summed up. She took the glasses case from her pocket and handed them over. "Y-you, uh, might need th-these."
Arrow took his glasses and put them on, glad that the would around him was now in focus. "How long will my throat hurt like this Momma?" he asked, decided to try to keep his voice low.
"The e-effects will be th-there for some time. B-but you get to eat a-all the ice cream you w-want," Alphys said. Arrow lit up at the last part, a stark contrast from his earlier attitude. "Great," he said.
He shot a glance at Undyne, who was standing a few feet away and had yet to say a word. "Mom? Are you okay?" he asked.
Undyne snapped out of her trance. She walked over to the bed and picked Arrow up in a tight hug. "I was worried about you," she said simply. "I'm fine now," Arrow said. He was squeezed even tighter upon saying that. Undyne smiled slightly.
"I know, kid."
XxX
A few days later, and Arrow was released from the hospital. He, Alphys, and Undyne were relieved to finally head home. But they still needed to get Jackie, though. So they stopped by Papyrus and Mettaton's house on their way home. Undyne was the one who went inside. What she came across was Papyrus cleaning up the kitchen with Jackie's well-needed assistance.
"Hey, guys. What happened in here?" Undyne asked. "Your small human and I made cupcakes as a get-well-soon gift! Hopefully, they will not be too rough on Arrow's throat," Papyrus explained. "Sounds cool. Jackie, go pack your stuff and come back down here," Undyne said. Jackie nodded and went upstairs to gather her things up to leave.
"Hey, Paps, thanks for looking after Jackie. I owe you one," Undyne said. Papyrus took a proud stance. "The Great Papyrus is always willing to help a friend in need!" he declared rather loudly. He was more casual and quiet as he added, "But I believe Mettaton has been spoiling her to a new level." Undyne sighed. "I expected nothing less," she said.
It was around that time that Jackie came downstairs with her luggage in tow. She picked up a small blue container that presumably had cupcakes in it. "I'm ready," she said. "Alright, kid. Let's go home at last," Undyne said. The girls said their goodbyes to Papyrus before going outside and getting into the waiting car.
"What's in there?" Arrow asked as the mismatched family went down the road, his voice still scratchy and kept soft. "Me and Papyrus made cupcakes to celebrate you guys coming home after a successful surgery," Jackie explained. The two kids went on chattering in the backseat.
Undyne had one hand on the steering wheel as she drove down the road. A smaller hand gripped her available one. "I t-told you," Alphys said in a quiet tone. Undyne sighed. "I'm just going to let you have this round," she gave in. Alphys was satisfied, but that wasn't her main focus right now.
She was just glad that her family was back in order once more.
***Like the last chapter, this one was based on a true story. My brother had his tonsils removed when he was younger, so me, my younger sister, and my babysitter made cupcakes to celebrate everything going well. I probably got all my facts wrong, but forgive me. I'm not a doctor. That aside, please drop a review, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!
