"Where is she?" Daisy asks as soon as she appears with Alakazam. Gary looks up from the floor, his head pounding.
Azurill hops up from his lap and sprints to the blonde, very happy to see her. "Examination room, I think. No one has come to update me-"
"I can update you," a nurse says, approaching the duo. "She has a severe case of alcohol poisoning. Right now the doctor has her under close monitoring and we are keeping her hydrated intravenously while giving her oxygen therapy to help her breathing." Daisy can't stop the sob that bubbles out of her throat. "We asked for a psych consult, so while we wait I have some questions," she says, pursing her lips and lifting her clipboard looking between the two. "Does depression run in the family?"
"I'm her sister," she says, wanting the nurse to direct the questions to her. Daisy shifts uncomfortably. "Yes."
"Alcoholism?"
"Yes." Gary tries not to react to this, not wanting to seem like he is eavesdropping despite the fact that he is standing right in the middle of all of this.
"Suicide?"
"No." Daisy shifts again, rolling out her shoulders and giving Gary a glance.
The nurse nods, jotting a few things onto her clipboard. "So just to get this right, knowing that depression and alcoholism runs in your family, you let her drink an entire handle of tequila by herself near a pool?"
The usually outspoken and confident Daisy shrinks back at this. The topic of the state of their family is obviously an uncomfortable one and Gary wonders how the nurse can't see her tension. "I'm quite sure your job is to diagnose, treat, and heal. Not pass judgement. Are we done here?" Gary raises an eyebrow.
The nurse raises her eyebrows in humiliation. "No judgement, just trying to get all the facts." She clears her throat and turns around, walking back down the hallway. Gary rolls his eyes and falls back into one of the lobby chairs.
"Thank you," Daisy murmurs, sliding into the chair next to him. They are silent for what felt like hours until Daisy speaks up. "It was our father."
Gary furrows his eyebrows. "Huh?"
"Our father was really depressed and a drunk," she clarifies. He simply nods, not wanting to pry. But of course he can't help himself.
"Misty never told me that."
She laughs softly. "It's not something our family is super proud of. The Sensational Sisters, living with an abusive drunk of a father who can't hold a job." Gary's entire body tenses and Daisy can't help but give a small laugh. "Don't worry, he never laid a hand on Misty. Violet and I took the brunt of it all." He hates the way his body immediately relaxes.
"That doesn't really make it better," he says. The two are quiet for a few moments. "All this time, Misty has been confiding in me and sharing her life with me. She isn't even here right now and I'm still learning more about her." He runs a hand through his hair. "And I can't even say her damn name."
Daisy raises an eyebrow. "You mean Leaf?" Gary furrows his eyebrows, surprised she knows who he was talking about. "I mean everyone knew you two dated for a while," she shrugs. "She moved to Johto, didn't she? It was pretty sudden if I remember right."
Gary stares at the floor, his lips pressed into a hard line. "Her family took her there because they needed a paralysis management rehab center and the best one is in Johto."
"W-What?" Daisy questions, eyes wide. "Why would they need a paralysis center?"
He bites his lip so hard blood stings his tongue. "I'm the reason she can't walk anymore."
"Waterflower?" A confident voice calls out, capturing the duo's attention. A doctor makes her way towards them, a small smile on her face. "Are you Daisy?" she asks, hands clasped in front of her.
Daisy stands and nods, Gary standing after her. "How is she?"
"She's awake and talking. Definitely not a hundred percent though. I want to keep her over night and a few hours tomorrow to make sure there are no complications. We had psych come in to evaluate her and they have diagnosed her with alcoholism." Daisy breathes out deeply. "You can come see her if you'd like. One at a time though. We can discuss programs that'll help on the way to her room."
The two of them nod and Gary resumes his spot on the chair while Daisy follows behind the doctor. She turns slightly and gives Gary an uneasy glance before continuing on. Azurill nuzzles into Gary's side, trying to ease the stress he feels. Gary takes a deep breath as exhaustion grips him, pulling into unconsciousness.
Gary jolts awake to a tap on the shoulder. The nurse from before stands across from him, coffee cup in hand. "Here, you'll need to be awake when you speak to her," she murmurs, giving him the coffee and sauntering away as Daisy approaches from down the hallway. Gary takes a few sips, giving a small smile at the warmth it provides.
"She wants to talk to you," she says when she finally reaches him. Before he says anything, she takes the cup from his hands and downs it. When she finishes, her eyes well with tears that she desperately is trying to hold back. Wanting to give her privacy, Gary stands and makes his way to Misty's room.
His heart pounds against his chest with nerves. If he had just visited her the day he arrived in Cerulean instead of waiting a day, they could have maybe avoided all of this. Gary peers into the small window in the door. Misty lays huddled under covers that are strikingly white against her tan skin. An IV is hooked up to her limp arm and a nasal cannula is wrapped underneath her nose.
Gary falters, his thoughts going back to Leaf laid in a hospital bed, her father crying over her unconscious body and her mother screaming at Gary, threatening to have him arrested. Sweat collects at his hairline, and he almost can't bring himself to open the door. But then he remembers the fire in Misty's eyes while battling and sticking up for herself and remembers why he went back that day to reconcile with her.
He pushes the door open, grabbing her attention. In a very un-Misty way, her bottom lip begins to wobble as soon as she sees him. Seeing her on the verge of tears is all that it takes for him to lose all will. He surges forward, his own tears threatening to spill. His hand cups her cheek gently. "I'm sorry," she says.
Gary shakes his head and leans forward, molding his lips to hers. He doesn't want to think about that if he had been even a few moments too late, they might not have gotten this moment. Their last words to one another would have been from a fight.
A harsh sob falls past his lips as he pulls his lips away and pulls her closer to him. All he wants is to be all consumed by her. He was kidding himself to think he could've felt differently, that he could've walked away from her.
Misty's free hand laces itself into his hair, holding him as close as their bodies will allow. "I'm sorry," she says again. He silences her again with another kiss.
The two of them are unsure how much time passes as they pull away. Gary grabs a chair and drags it to the bedside. He takes Misty's free hand and holds it to his lips. She smiles dazedly at him as he places a kiss to each of her fingers. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I want to tell you about Leaf."
It's short, I know I'm sorryyyyy. I'm trying to stay motivated during this crazy time.