The one positive in this situation was that help came quickly. A nurse was nearby to hear Mabel's cry for help, so within what seemed like seconds Mikey was being loaded onto a stretcher and whisked away into the depths of the hospital.
Mabel tried her best to keep up with the stretcher, but when she tried to follow it into the operating room she was stopped.
"You know you can't go back there, honey," The nurse told her with a sympathetic smile.
"Can you at least tell me what's wrong with him?!" she pleaded.
"We won't know until we've had time to examine him properly. Please, just wait for a bit, and we'll let you know when we've finished."
Mabel's eyes filled with tears, but she reluctantly made her way to the waiting room, where she finally called her family, and then Mikey's family, to let them know what happened.
Thankfully both parties showed up in record time. Valencia was whispering in Spanish to herself, while clutching a rosary in one white-knuckled hand; the other was clinging to her other son as if she were afraid he would be snatched away too. After giving their name to the receptionist, she finally let go of Mitch, and then just stepped into the nearby prayer closet.
As soon as he entered the room, Stan pulled his daughter into a hug; she buried her fingers in his shirt and tried to take comfort in his weird old man smell. Once her trembling had calmed down a little, he sat down with her leaning against him, and Dipper on her other side, holding her hand and whispering meaningless comfort about how Mikey was going to be okay.
Ford wanted to join in on comforting her…but he was uncertain that he could do so in good conscience. As much as he'd learned over these last few years about being there for his family when things were hard, and as much as he wanted to believe in "the power of Mabel," he also couldn't ignore medical science. Even if they managed to find a donor for him, there was a strong chance that Mikey would not survive this relapse.
Thinking about what that would do to Mabel made him feel sick; all he could think to do was pace back and forth, in an attempt to calm himself down.
At that moment, a nurse came in and called for Mr. Stuart to come back with her. He disappeared for a few minutes, and then returned only to be instantly bombarded by Mabel and Mitch.
"Is he okay? Can I see him please?" Mabel pleaded.
"He's been stabilized, but he really needs his rest right now honey," he said sympathetically, patting her shoulder.
"Do they know why he passed out like that?" Mitch asked. Despite his clearly trying not to let it, his voice trembled.
"Dr. Martin said that a new mass is causing the irritation…it has to come out." The father looked like he was about to sob but pushed it down. "I need to-to sign some papers for insurance reasons." He glanced at the prayer closet, but his wife was clearly still pleading with the Almighty.
"I'll help," Stan offered. "Those animals always like to overcharge, but I got 'em figured out." He went over to the receptionist with Mr. Stuart, winking at them over his shoulder in a clear attempt to be reassuring.
The rest of the little group sat in silence, waiting.
And then the door connecting to the rest of the hospital burst open, and Clara surged into the room.
Everyone jumped in alarm when they saw her-not just because of her unusual entrance, but because of the way she looked.
Her normally pale face was flushed with red, and her eyes were bright and excited as they looked directly at them. Somehow, the fact that she was exhibiting actual emotion as opposed to her usual phlegmatic serenity did not make her any less creepy.
Clara spoke. "You must come with me now. All of you."
"Why? What's happened?" Dipper demanded.
"We have found a donor."