AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hi guys! I'd like to say a few words before I begin on this chapter (well probably more than a "few" words, but many of you know me by now!)
I joined FanFiction just over a year ago with the intention of writing stories for two movies, both of which have impacted my life in special ways. These two movies are "Inside Out" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas." My very first story was "Secrets of an Emotional Mind" which was an idea I was very keen to share with others as well as something I became obsessed with ever since I watched "Inside Out" for the first time.
Now here we are 15 stories later! I still have a few more ideas for possible "Inside Out" stories and hopefully I might get to write them sometime in the future. But in the meantime, let's try to finish this story…
I think I mentioned in one of my previous Author Notes that I don't work well under pressure. As many of you are aware, a great number of my stories were requests (which I did accept mind you!) I am a very insecure person though and whenever I was writing these requests, I was constantly questioning whether I would be able to do justice by the person/or persons who trusted me to write a good story for them.
Deep down I was also very disappointed that I never got around to writing my own ideas, (of which I had many, but unfortunately most of them are gone by now…) I suppose that was my own fault because I could never bring myself to say "No" to anybody and I was trying so hard to please everyone else, that I never had time to make myself happy :(
Judging by the views on some of my latter "Inside Out" stories, I am also getting the impression that the overall interest on this fandom is declining lately. I have noticed that many other stories (my own included) haven't been updated for a long time and only a few new writers seem to have published stories lately…
All these factors combined make me wonder whether I am wasting my time by writing stories for this fandom! So I have decided I need some time away from "Inside Out" for a while. I believe that many of you who have been reading my stories for a while are aware of the personal dramas I have been facing lately. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get on top of them and every time I think things are beginning to improve, something else happens that ends up turning my world upside down :( Recently my mom got seriously injured at work. Now I have to take care of her until she gets better and none of us know how long that will be :(
Since I am in a bit of a dark place at the moment, it seems almost fitting for me to start writing stories for my other passion – The Nightmare Before Christmas! It really suits my current mood (I feel like I am literally living in Halloween Town these days!) But seriously all joking aside, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my all-time favorite movies and this is a project I've wanted to do for quite some time now…
But I promise that I will finish this story in the meantime too! It has 2 more chapters to go and a few days ago, I received one of the nicest reviews I ever got since I began my FanFiction journey. I know I have a few regular followers and supporters who have been encouraging me through reviews and PMs, but I also value the support of my silent/guest readers just as equally!
That last review was from one of those guests and I'd like to take a moment to express my deepest thanks to that person now – Happy Guest, bless your kind heart and beautiful words! Your beautiful message really touched my heart and felt like a spark in all the darkness I am going through right now! You say that I have an army of friends behind me and I really want to believe that. But right now my insecure mind is asking me whether it's actually more like a few loyal soldiers…
This story is for all of you who never stopped believing in me and gave me the strength to keep writing! But most of all, this is for you Happy Guest because your message reminded me of why I joined FanFiction in the first place – to make people smile :)
Svinorita.
Chapter 11 – Something's Been Making Me Blue (Part 3.)
Riley and Kristy were both feeling fidgety and anxious throughout history class that morning. They kept glancing at each other and neither could really concentrate on what the teacher was saying at the front of the class.
"Where are Dolly and Mary this morning?" Riley thought with a growing sense of dread as she stared distractedly at the classroom door. She kept hoping to see her two friends walking into the room any minute now. But the morning classes were nearly over and still there was no sign of neither Dolly or Mary…
When the bell finally rang and signaled the beginning of lunch break, Riley and Kristy were the first ones out of class. Riley pulled her cellphone out of her pocket as she and Kristy headed out into the school courtyard.
"Please let there be a message from Dolly…" Riley prayed silently as she checked the phone's screen.
Surely enough, there was a text from Dolly and Riley felt her heart racing with apprehension as she held the phone with a trembling hand. She quickly grabbed Kristy by the arm and they both stopped just outside the school's main entrance.
"Kris! Dolly sent me a text message! Let's read it together…" Riley said anxiously. Kristy looked down at her friend's cellphone and they both began reading Dolly's text:
"Andersen, could you please come and meet me at the hospital after school? I've already explained what happened to your mom and she said that she'll pick you up and drive you here. Mary is currently in a critical but stable condition and the doctor says that she will be okay. I would appreciate it if you could bring Kristy with you and please don't mention this to anyone else! Just try and act normal in the meantime. Stay strong and see you soon!"– Dolly.
Riley and Kristy exchanged worried looks as they finished reading the message.
Kristy shook her head slowly. "Oh God! I don't know what to think right now! I was always afraid that Mary would reach her breaking point one day…"
The red-haired girl sighed sadly. She looked down and whispered to Riley in a trembling voice, "All of us have our personal troubles that we need to deal with. But let me tell you that some of the things that poor girl has been forced to endure would crush even the strongest person!"
Riley brushed a tear from her eye as she reached out and squeezed Kristy's hand in sympathy. "I know. I can't even begin to imagine how I would cope if my life was like Mary's…"
Riley's voice became laden with guilt. "I just wish we could have helped her out a bit more."
"We will always be there for her." Kristy vowed quietly. The corner of her mouth formed into a sad smile as she added, "Mary has such a beautiful soul and she didn't want to burden us with her problems. She would rather suffer in silence than ask anyone for help!"
Suddenly, the school bell rang. Both girls headed back to class reluctantly and spent the remainder of the school day in a melancholic haze.
XXX
The end of the day couldn't arrive fast enough for Riley and Kristy. They left the schoolyard together and as soon as Riley saw her mother waiting for them next to the gate, she ran straight into her arms and began sobbing quietly.
"Mom! Have you heard anything new from Dolly? Is Mary doing alright?!" She asked worriedly.
Jill looked at her daughter sadly. "I haven't received any further updates since I spoke with Dolly this morning Sweetheart."
Jill took a deep breath and tried to fill them in about everything Dolly had told her over the phone earlier. "Dolly's cousin noticed something odd was going on next door and she alerted Dolly because she knew that Mary caught the same bus to school as she did. Dolly reported that she saw Mary waiting for the bus this morning, but apparently she never got on it. According to her, Mary appeared to be terribly distressed about something and instead of getting on the bus, she turned around and went back home. Dolly said that she called her cousin immediately and told her to check whether Mary had made it home safely."
Jill sighed and shook her head sadly before continuing in a low voice. "Dolly told me that she got off the bus at the next stop and went back to Mary's house. She knew something was terribly wrong as soon as she got there because the front door was unlocked and no one was supposed to be home. That's when Dolly made a heartbreaking discovery inside. She said that she walked into the bathroom and saw that Mary was attempting to take her own life! The poor girl couldn't stand the constant heartbreak and daily abuse anymore…"
Riley and Kristy were both staring at Jill in mortified silence. Jill sighed again and told them solemnly, "That's all I know Sweetie. If you're ready now, we can go meet them at the hospital. Your father is waiting for us in the car."
Riley nodded and walked towards the car without saying a word.
Kristy hung back unsurely. She glanced up at Jill and asked her with hesitation, "Mrs. Andersen? Is it alright if I come with you to the hospital? I'll call my mom and tell her to pick me up from there later."
"Of course you can dear." Jill replied with a warm smile. "Mary needs all her friends by her side right now…"
XXX
Fear was shaking uncontrollably as he watched the scene unfolding on the monitor. Sadness was crying softly beside him, her heart breaking for both Riley and Mary as she learned of everything that had transpired. The little blue Emotion glanced at her panic-stricken colleague and she knew then and there that she needed to pull herself together and try to be strong for both of them.
"Fear, please try to calm down." Sadness whispered gently. She pointed to the monitor and reminded him helpfully, "You saw what Dolly wrote in her message. Mary is in a critical but stable condition – she's not dead!"
The blue Emotion sighed glumly. "I can't deal with you getting sick again on top of everything that's been going on today! We have to try to stay strong for Riley and I can't do that on my own…"
Fear gave Sadness a look of deep sorrow. As was always the case whenever he got extremely nervous, he began stuttering as he tried to reply. "I know S-S-Sadness! I'm trying! B-but what if Mary doesn't pull through?!"
"I don't know." Sadness admitted tearfully. "All we can do is pray for her and hope that she'll be okay."
The blue Emotion tensed up a little and offered hesitantly, "Do you think we should call Joy and the others for help?"
A panicked look flashed across Fear's face. He uttered a nervous whimper before responding in a hushed voice, "Maybe not yet Sadness. Disgust is still too distraught about Alina's passing and Joy looked exhausted so we should really let her rest."
The purple Emotion glanced around the room and swallowed nervously as he whispered, "And if I'm perfectly honest with you, Anger is the last Emotion I want to see right now!"
Sadness nodded in understanding and turned her attention back to the monitor. "Okay Fear. I guess it makes sense that Riley should be feeling scared and sad right now given what's been happening."
The blue Emotion smiled sadly at the monitor as she watched Riley entering the hospital with her parents and Kristy. "All we can do is be there for her and try to guide her like we always do…"
XXX
Dolly was waiting for Riley and Kristy at the front of the hospital. A tall, attractive middle-aged woman was standing beside her, which Dolly introduced as her cousin; Siobhan.
"Thank goodness you're all here!" Dolly exclaimed frantically as they came up to her.
"How is Mary doing?" Jill asked worriedly.
Siobhan took a deep breath and replied grimly, "The doctor says that she's stable but currently out of it. I'll fill you in on everything I know…"
The others all watched Dolly's cousin attentively as she began recounting the events that had taken place earlier today in a serious voice. "Not long after Mrs. Bradman had left for work early this morning, I heard angry shouting coming from next door. I was hanging my washing out at the time and since the Bradman's kitchen window was open, I could hear what was going on inside Mary's house quite clearly…"
Siobhan looked down at the floor and shook her head sadly. "I heard Mr. Bradman yelling at Mary and he was saying some very obscene things. He shouted 'You useless, ugly little bitch! You can't even make breakfast properly!' Then I heard what sounded like a plate being thrown against a wall and shattering, followed by Mary crying and pleading for her father to stop."
Siobhan's eyes remained downcast as she admitted regretfully, "I was contemplating whether I should go over and investigate, but things seemed to quieten down shortly after that argument."
Her voice suddenly became bitter and resentful. "I saw Mr. Bradman leave the house later and I figured that he must be going to buy some more alcohol or whatever else he gets up to during the day."
Siobhan's expression turned sad once more as she looked at the others apologetically. "I thought I should give Mary some time to collect herself before checking in on her. But then I saw her walking past my house with her schoolbag over her shoulder and I realized that she was on her way to catch the bus to school. I thought something looked a little off about her and that's when I rang Dolly and told her everything I had heard this morning."
Dolly nodded and offered to take over from her cousin. "When I noticed that Mary hadn't gotten on the bus, I just knew that something terrible was going to happen, so I decided to follow her home. But by the time I got there, it was already too late! I found her sitting on the bathroom floor and she was very disorientated. She must have taken some of her mom's sleeping pills earlier and I saw that she had slashed one of her wrists with a razorblade."
Dolly glanced over at her cousin and took her hand before continuing gravely, "I was there just in time to prevent Mary from cutting her other wrist. I called Siobhan and told her to come over at once. We managed to stop the bleeding and call for an ambulance."
Siobhan nodded bleakly. "Dr. Mikkelsen said that Mary got here just in time. They pumped her stomach upon arrival and luckily the laceration on her wrist wasn't too deep. But the doctor did say that the psychological damage Mary had suffered was far greater than the physical ones…"
Dolly cleared her throat and pointed to the hospital building. "We'd better go in now and see how Mary has been progressing in the meantime. We can talk more after we've seen her!"
As the group made their way to Mary's room, Jill whispered to Siobhan, "How has Mrs. Bradman been taking all this?"
"Well the poor lady is beside herself with grief as you'd expect." Siobhan answered quietly. "She's been blaming herself for what happened to Mary. But it's neither of their faults!"
Siobhan's voice turned bitter like it had when she spoke about Mary's dad earlier. "None of this would have happened if it weren't for that awful drunkard! Thank god Mrs. Bradman promised to leave that nasty piece of work once Mary is feeling better! Her brother and sister-in-law are flying in from Canada in a few days' time, so she's going to have plenty of family support…"
XXX
A few minutes later, Riley and her friends ran into nurse Lumi outside of Mary's room.
Lumi smiled when she saw Riley and Dolly. She greeted the small group in her usual upbeat manner and informed them all calmly, "Dr. Mikkelsen checked on Mary a few minutes ago. He reported that all her vital signs look good and she should be ready to go home later tonight. She's asleep at the moment but you're more than welcome to go in. Just try not to overwhelm her!"
They all nodded in understanding and walked into the room silently. Mary's mom looked up at them as they slowly gathered around her daughter's hospital bed. She was a slightly-built brunette in her early forties and Riley noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes, which were bloodshot from crying too much.
Once everyone had introduced themselves to Mrs. Bradman, she got up and gave Riley, Dolly and Kristy a grateful hug, thanking each of them in turn for being such good friends to her daughter.
They all sat down and talked quietly for a while. Everyone was relieved when Mrs. Bradman confirmed what Siobhan had said to Jill in the hallway…she was going to file for divorce from her abusive husband. Mrs. Bradman insisted that as soon as Mary gets better, they will be moving to Canada for a fresh start and to be closer to her extended family.
Mrs. Bradman swallowed back tears as she whispered, "I am so ashamed! All this time I stayed with my husband in order to keep my family intact. But at what cost?!"
She reached down with one hand and gently stroked her daughter's hair as she slept. "I nearly lost the most precious thing in my life – my beautiful daughter! I hope she can find it in her heart to forgive me…"
Mrs. Bradman buried her face in her hands and began crying desolately. Everyone in the room was watching her sorrowfully, so none of them noticed it when Mary opened her eyes in the meantime.
Mary reached up weakly and squeezed her mom's hand. "Please don't cry mom. There's nothing to forgive. I hope you can forgive me instead…"
Everyone looked at Mary with a mixture of astonishment and relief.
Mrs. Bradman wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her tightly. "My sweet beautiful Mary! I'm so sorry!" She whispered through her tears. "I failed you Sweetheart! I should have known better…"
"Don't blame yourself honey!" Siobhan told them with a reassuring smile. "You are both victims here!"
She stepped forward and hugged Mary gently. "My dear girl! Don't ever scare me like that again!"
Riley, Dolly and Kristy formed a protective circle around Mary's bed.
Dolly smiled down at her friend kindly. She waved a finger at her like an adult telling off a naughty child and echoed her cousin matter-of-factly, "Yeah! Don't ever scare us like that again girlfriend!"
Mary looked down in embarrassment. "Guys! You all came to see me!"
"Of course we did!" Riley said with a relieved smile. "Dolly may be the only one here who has siblings…" She gestured to Mary, Kristy and Dolly before declaring proudly, "But the three of you are like my sisters!"
Kristy gave Mary's hand a gentle squeeze and added, "That's right! You have to get better little sister because we need you with us as soon as possible. Without you, we feel like The Three Stooges!"
She glanced at Riley and Dolly playfully. "Isn't that right you two…?"
Mary laughed with genuine happiness for the first time in years as she watched Dolly give Kristy a slap of approval on the shoulder, resulting in a flustered grunt from the red-head.
"I couldn't have said it better myself Brown!" Dolly exclaimed cheerfully.
XXX
Fear gave a deep sigh of relief as he watched the scene from Headquarters. "Phew! I can breathe again now!"
"Me too! It looks like Mary is going to be okay." Sadness sniffled from beside him. She suppressed a sob and asked, "Should we call the others into the room now?"
Before Fear could answer, Sadness heard a distinctive "Ahem…" coming from behind them. She turned around and was surprised to see Joy, Anger and Disgust were already here.
"Well that was intense." Disgust commented, her face scrunched up in her typical sneer of contempt. "Mary's dad is such a revolting pig!"
"You're right Disgust. He sure is!" Anger growled though clenched teeth. "If only I could get my hands on him! I'd put that pork on my fork and roast him with my flames!"
Disgust gave her red co-worker a look of absolute repulsion. "Ew! That's totally gross!"
"Knock it off you guys! Look! Riley has all her friends around her…" Joy pointed out happily. She threw her arms around her fellow Emotions and drew them into a group hug. "And I'm so delighted to have you guys with me! I have a great feeling that we're going to get our happy ending soon enough…"