All Courage the Cowardly Dog characters belong to John Dilworth.
I started watching Courage the Cowardly Dog again and with it came looking at fanart which then led to falling in love with Courage/Katz and reading fanfics. So I just had to write one or two myself. I hope it's entertaining.
Rated T for just in case
Muriel is dead.
The notion was still hard for Courage to grasp. One-minute Muriel was fine, puttering around the kitchen, a smile on her face as she hummed her little hum while working on their lunch. Yes, she was fine except for the headache that suddenly came out of nowhere.
"Oh. This headache will be the death of me." Muriel uttered as she presses a hand to her head.
Courage whined in sympathy for his owner.
"I think I'll sit in my chair for a wee rest." Muriel decided. "Courage, can you please keep an eye on lunch and get me when it's exactly 11:30?"
"Mm-hm." Courage answered with a nod and a smile.
"Such a good boy." Muriel cooed as she gives Courage a few pats on his head.
Muriel's pats always made him happy. Courage watched Muriel make her way out of the kitchen and decided to help her feel better by making Muriel's favorite tea. Once the tea was made and poured into a cup, Courage carefully carried the cup to Muriel. He didn't hear the familiar creaking of Muriel's rocking chair. She wasn't moving at all. She's resting was Courage's thought, so he set the cup on the table next to Muriel's chair and quietly tiptoed back to the kitchen to keep an eye on lunch and to give Muriel the rest she needed.
When 11:30 rolled around, Courage headed back to the living area to let Muriel know it's time. He patted her leg to wake her up, but Muriel didn't stir. A frown creased Courage's face, and he patted her leg again, firmly. Muriel again didn't stir, nor did she move.
Panic settled over Courage as he frantically started shaking at Muriel while yelling, "Muriel? Muriel! Please wake up!"
When that didn't work, Courage was ready to get Eustace when, at the same time, the farmer kicked the front door open and walked in.
"Muriel! Is lunch ready yet?" Eustace demanded to know.
Courage hopped in place as he points at Muriel and babbles at Eustace. The anger on Eustace's face faded to concern.
"Muriel?" Eustace called out softly at first and then loudly, "Muriel!"
The farmer wasted no time calling for an ambulance, and Courage quickly made sure to turn off the stove so as not to burn the meal Muriel was making and not to burn the house down. The ambulance arrived quickly, and the EMTs rushed in with a gurney and looked at Muriel. Eustace and Courage watched from the side as the EMTs checked Muriel over and conversed with each other. They worked together to ease Muriel out of her chair and onto the gurney and scrambled for the ambulance.
Eustace and Courage followed, and both got into the back with the other EMT. Courage sat in the ambulance as it sped to the hospital; he was somewhat surprised Eustace didn't stop the little pink dog from accompanying him. It indeed showed how worried he is for his wife. Once they reached the hospital, the EMTs hopped out their vehicle and taking hold of the gurney, raced into the hospital. Eustace and Courage were asked to wait in the waiting room, and the two sat in the uncomfortable chairs for any news on the woman they loved. It felt like hours went by, it wasn't very long when a doctor- not Dr. Vindaloo- approached them.
"Mr. Bagge?" the doctor inquired.
Eustace and Courage got to their feet and turned their attentions to the doctor.
"How is she?" Eustace asked, fear in his voice.
"I'm sorry to inform you, Mr. Bagge. Your wife has passed."
Courage was sure his heart stopped as he went numb from the news. He vaguely heard the doctor explained how she had been dead since she sat in the chair. The doctor mentioned doing an autopsy and finding a cerebral aneurysm that had ruptured. How he explained that if they had caught it sooner, they could've done something about the aneurysm despite the risks that came with the surgery.
After a moment of silence, Eustace finally spoke. "Did she suffer?"
"There's some mercy in that there was no real pain for her, it was like passing away peacefully in her sleep."
Courage's heart sank. Had Courage been more concerned about Muriel's headache, he could've saved her? Silent once again filled the two as the doctor gave the farmer his condolences and walked away.
Eustace had gotten a taxi back to the farm, and the ride back home was bathed in silence. Courage gazed up at Eustace as he did not once grumble about the fare costing him money, he just paid the driver and walked into the house. Courage followed Eustace and watched as the farmer sat in his armchair. Courage walked more into the living room and found himself staring at the empty rocking chair. His heart grew heavy, and tears prickled his eyes as the realization that Muriel was gone hit him. He would never hear that chair creak as its owner rocked back and forth in it, will never get to sit in that lap content and happy while being petted by the woman he adored and saved numerous of times from so many dangers, never hear her humming as she cooked or cleaned, never hear her gentle words or hear her scowl Eustace for being cruel to Courage, and never will he ever hear Muriel proudly say her secret ingredient in all her recipes is vinegar.
Courage let out a loud sniff and blinked his eyes as tears began their trek down his face. He rubbed the tears from his eyes and face and discovered Eustace had left. Courage wondered how long he had been deep in thought as he went in search of the farmer. The small pink dog found his remaining owner in the kitchen, placing the phone back in its place. Must've been deciding what to do with Muriel Courage decided as Eustace sat at the kitchen table. Time ticked by, and Courage's eyes roamed around the kitchen when they fell upon the pot on the stove, the lunch Muriel was working on for all three.
His gut wrenched at the sight of it, but he knew that they hadn't eaten lunch yet, and Muriel wouldn't want them to grow hungry, let alone waste the meal, so Courage took it upon himself to finish what Muriel started. Courage headed over to reheat the stew sitting on the stove, turned the burner on the right setting so as not to burn the stew. He carefully stirred the content as the kitchen filled with an intoxicating scent and the sound of the stew bubbling. Once the stew was perfectly heated, Courage turned the stove off and spooned a helping into two bowls. Not once had Eustace said a thing. He didn't even acknowledge Courage as the pink dog set a bowl down in front of him. Nor did he snarl at the dog to get off the table when Courage sat across the farmer.
Courage observed Eustace as he waited for his stew to cool, still not a word poured from his mouth and not a muscle twitched. A whine forced its way out of Courage as he slowly began eating his cooled stew. Finally, Eustace picked up the spoon and started eating the stew. Courage was relieved until he saw the farmer finishing half the bowl before getting up from the table and leaving the kitchen. Courage sighed, finished his meal, and set to work on storing the leftovers and washing the dishes. Courage walked into the living room to find the farmer not there, so he went up the stairs, and after checking the bathroom first, pushed the bedroom door open slightly and spotted Eustace's familiar shape on his side of the bed.
Not quite ready for sleep, Courage hiked up the stairs to the attic to where the computer is.
"You again?" the computer inquired as the pink dog sat on the upturned bucket sitting on the chair.
He stared at the computer screen picking through his thoughts and feelings on what happened the day.
"I'm waiting." the computer uttered, a hint of annoyance in its tone.
Courage finally deciding on what to talk about began by asking what an aneurysm is.
"Which one?" the computer questioned. "There are many types." and commence and educating Courage on the many places in the body where an aneurysm could take place.
When the computer got to a cerebral aneurysm, Courage recalled the doctor telling them about it and quickly typed on the keyboards.
"Why so interested all of a sudden?" the computer asked.
With a heavy heart, Courage informed the computer the news about Muriel's death.
"Oh, I see." the computer was sympathetic and worked on giving Courage all the information he could find on the cerebral aneurysm.
"Something else on your mind?" the computer examined after observing the pink dog's expression.
Courage typed up what had been eating at him, which to say, he feels responsible for Muriel's death. Maybe if he had paid more attention to Muriel's headache, been more worried about it, perhaps he could've saved her from death's grip.
"Twit." the computer said somewhat fondly. "Aneurysms can be tricky. And most people who have their aneurysms rupture are never aware of it, chalking it up to be some mundane illness until it's too late, no matter how rare that happens. Most catch the aneurysms early before it ruptures when they are being scanned. In other words, it's not your fault."
Courage whined sadly. So, there was nothing the small pink dog could've done. But Courage did feel a little better after being told he wasn't at fault.
Courage and the computer chatted a little longer before he decided it was time for bed. After turning out the light- the computer demanded that Courage didn't turn him off- he went back down to the second floor and into the bedroom. Courage jumped on the bed and made sure that Eustace was asleep before settling down at the foot of the bed. His eyes fixated on the empty spot next to Eustace. A sigh escaped out of Courage, and he closed his eyes as he felt tears well up once more. It's been an emotional day, and he's going to need sleep to prepare for what the next day will bring.