Chapter 10:
"May I help you?" the receptionist asked in a manner that most people would describe as calm; to Mystery, Inc. she appeared inhumanly bored.
"We'd like to see Velma," Fred told her.
"If you mean Miss Dinkley," the receptionist replied, in that same monotonous voice, "she's been in isolation since--"
"We know that!" Fred tried tremendously to keep his temper under control. "And we know it's a risk. But we'd also like to see her before--" He stopped as if he had been interrupted, even though he had not been at all. The receptionist simply stared at him with her cold blue eyes.
"--before--" Still icy.
Daphne stepped in. "Ma'am, we would like to see her while we still can. We just got a phone call saying she's... not doing so well." Daphne choked back tears.
"Miss, we're sorry. I am aware that you would like to visit--"
"So why shouldn't they?" Dr. Georgis came around the corner just then. Saved by him twice, Shaggy thought.
"Go ahead. Technically, it's not allowed..." His voice broke off. "But sometimes, the best healing techniques do not involve making everything perfectly sanitary. Not that we should take unnecessary risks... I fully expect you to wear coats and masks. But we've found in the past that sometimes the company of friends and family is the best medicine. Her parents are already in there."
The gang gratefully followed Dr. Georgis to the supply closet where they could obtain the necessary sterile equipment. Scooby hung back; it was a miracle he hadn't been thrown out already.
"Re roo?" he questioned.
Dr. Georgis stared for a second at the canine, then nodded.
"Yes," he said, "you too."
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Mr. and Mrs. Dinkley sat quietly by the bed, their sterile white outfits turning them into the cold, lifeless ghosts that seemed to surround the entire hospital. The couple did not cry; they simply stared, stunned, unbelieving.
As Mystery, Inc. entered the room, they heard Velma's mother sigh, dazed.
"Our only daughter," she whispered quietly. Velma's father said nothing but nodded, then put his face in his hands. Mystery, Inc. could not tell if he were masking fresh tears or if he were simply lost in thought.
"Hi..." Fred began awkwardly.
Mrs. Dinkley turned around, then drew all of Velma's friends into a hug. Now she did begin to cry.
"Thanks for coming. You kids always meant so much to her."
Everyone nodded in unison. They weren't sure what else to say. Everything felt surreal. Dr. Georgis pulled the gang aside.
Before he even spoke, Daphne asked, "Can... can she hear us?"
Dr. Georgis shifted uncomfortably, then admitted, "I have no way of knowing, I'm afraid. She's comatose."
"What happened?" Fred's voice became slightly angry. "She was doing just fine this morning... she emailed me--"
"She did appear to be okay this morning, and she was in fact recovering." Dr. Georgis paused. "Then she had a respiritory infection. She stopped breathing. She's breathing now, but the incident appears to have taken its toll. All of a sudden, she's... regressed. We take all possible measures to ensure that our isolation rooms are pathogen-free... but it's not foolproof."
Daphne looked away. "Can we talk to her?"
Dr. Georgis nodded. "In cases like hers, when the patient wakes up, she usually does remember snippets of conversation. Talking to her can't harm her... sometimes we think it might actually help. There have been few studies to back it up, but I personally believe that contact with loved ones can help increase a patient's chances of recovery." He blinked.
"And that's why you let us in here?" Fred asked.
"And that's why I let you in here," Dr. Georgis finished.
"So she will get... like... better?" Shaggy asked, inwardly pleading with the doctor to tell him what might or might not have been true.
Dr. Georgis sighed. "Only time will tell."
He turned to go.
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"Velma?" Daphne whispered.
The room was clear of anyone except the two girls. Everyone else was out in the hall. It was decided that too much of a crowd could overwhelm Velma, so they were now seeing her one-on-one.
"Velma, I really hope you get better. Really. Because cliche as it sounds, you still have so much life left. I want you to go to get your PhD, like you wanted, and I want you to do archaeology work in that place near Dubai you told me about... remember telling me about that? How much you really wanted that job?"
This felt odd. If Velma could hear Daphne, it must be really awful not being able to respond.
"Velma, remember when we were little girls, and how much we dreamed about the future? And now we're almost there. You always imagined what kind of job you could have, what kind of life you could have. Well, now it's almost yours. Just get through this, Velma... and you'll be there! We'll all be there..." Daphne tried to speak through tears.
"And Velma? One more thing... remember how you used to tease Fred and me about... well... each other?" Daphne held up her hand even though there was no way Velma could see it.
"Velma... if you live I'd like you to come to our wedding... did you know he proposed today? You were right all along..."
"Please get better, Velma... please get better. I'm really excited about the future... but I don't want to face it without you. I don't know if I can."
She turned to give someone else a turn to talk.
"Please get better... please, Velma."
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Fred walked in uneasily.
"Well... I guess Daphne beat me to the punch about the engagement, didn't she?"
He sat down and gave up the cheerful charade.
"I really hope you can come, Velma... because you're part of Mystery, Inc. You're part of our family, Velma."
He leaned back and thought.
"And Velma... you're an irreplaceable part of our family. You are. I know sometimes I get so excited about my ideas and I kind of push you out of the spotlight... well, I'm sorry about all that. Because you're the real genius here. Mystery, Inc. needs a genius. I guess there are others... but none that could replace you."
Fred swallowed. "Velma, I know this sounds selfish... but we really need you to get better. We really need the smartest girl on our team. We really need you back."
"I hope you can hear me, Velma... and even if you can't..." Fred stood up and paced. "And even if you can't, I hope you have some way of knowing that we all care about you. And it isn't even just that you can solve the mysteries. It's because you're there." A tear rolled down his cheek. "It's because you're Velma."
"It's because you're Velma," he repeated as he sat down again. "That's why we need you back. Please, Velma."
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It was Scooby's turn. This was the dog's first visit with his friend since she had been sick again. And now he had to face it, alone, as she lay there.
"Relma..."
Never before had the dog known this kind of sadness. Nor had he felt this kind of fear. The cowardly Great Dane was afraid of many things. But those were mere anxieties that he subconsciously knew were only in his head.
Now there was the reality that his friend might really be... gone.
"Relma... ret well roon. Ri riss roo." Velma, get well soon. I miss you.
"Re all do..."
Dogs seldom cried. But this one did. He was trying to act very human-like to prove he belonged here. But the urge to howl, and whine, the way any other dog would, was very immense. It wasn't fair.
"Rum back, Relma. Rease." Come back, Velma. Please.
"Rease, Relma..."
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Shaggy knew it was inevitable. He didn't want to avoid it, either.
He just felt so speechless.
He sort of knew what he wanted to say. Actually, he had lots of ideas of what he wanted to say.
He just didn't have long to say them.
It wasn't fair.
He should have said them a long time ago.
He couldn't say them now.
So... he talked.
"Velms..." he began. He struggled to say anything more.
"I... I guess it didn't work so well, like did it?" He clapped his hand over his mouth, ashamed at his own stupidity. Velma didn't need to hear about that now, did she?
"Well... like don't give up on it. Not yet..."
Everything he could think of sounded cliche.
"Velma, don't go. I don't want you to. I--"
He thought of something.
"Velma... you're the one who made me feel brave. You talked me into everything I always thought I'd be too scared to try. Well... I'm not nearly as good at motivating people. I'm not brave like you are. But Velma? Would... like would it bother you if I tried to talk you into coming back? Because... because... I'm going to. Okay... I guess I can't. I don't even know if you know what I'm saying. But I'll tell you this... even though everyone else probably already said they needed you, I'll..." Shaggy swallowed.
"I need you... more, Velma. In a different way."
Shaggy felt so helpless, so hopeless. He felt a sensation he didn't understand, one he never had before, a sensation that things really would never be the same again if Velma didn't survive.
"Maybe it's just that I'm your donor. But I need you back, Velma... I really do."
Velma said nothing. Of course she wouldn't.
Shaggy prayed that she heard him.