Hat: Let's just get straight to it since I'm gonna be rambling at the end anyway.
Disclaimer: Aside from the plot and OCs, I don't own Gravity Falls.
She doesn't know how long she sits on the cold ground with Dan's body in front of her with a branch sticking out, but it's long enough that the sun's sunk low in the sky and the air's grown cold. She's shivering, but the cold is only a small factor of being the cause.
Distantly she recognizes that there is a voice calling her name, but she can't bring herself to respond.
The first one to find her is Gideon.
He was one of the first to volunteer to look for her and he relied on his gut to try and get a vague sense of where she could be. His blue eyes comb the forest, desperate to find Pacifica because he knows that she's hurt. He shared a look with the Pines family when he got that gut-wrenching feeling.
He calls her name and he can feel his voice trying to go hoarse, but he can't give up.
Gideon nearly misses her because she's so still, but he manages to catch a glimpse of her bicolored hair. He runs forward calling her name with relief flooding his system until he notices the dead body in front of her and the fact that she's trembling.
"P'cifica," Gideon says quietly while touching her shoulder, but he gets no response.
He realizes something's very wrong- something that he can't fix. He takes off his slightly oversized jacket and puts it over her shoulders and takes a hand in his and finds dried blood on it. There's no doubt in his mind that she was the one that ended up killing the guy- Dan.
"Ah'm gonna get help, okay? You're gonna be fine," Gideon assures and pulls out his cellphone with his free hand and immediately calls his dad. "D-daddy, ah found 'er. Come over by the lake."
Ah'll be right there," Bud replies.
"Thank you, daddy."
It takes a good ten minutes for Bud Gleeful to show up and when he does Stanford is walking with him.
As soon as Stanford catches sight of his knees he breaks into a run and kneels in front of her, checking her over silently. "Shock... hypothermia... damn, Pep..."
He takes off his trench coat and wraps her up in it and picks her up. "Thank you, Gideon."
"No problem, sir... is she gonna be alright?"
"Too soon to tell," Stanford admits.
Gideon's stomach rolls uneasily. "A-and what do we do about the body?"
"Call Stan, he'll handle it," Stanford calls back, already halfway back to the truck he'd borrowed from his brother's employee.
"Can ah come with you?" Gideon asks, his worry bubbling inside of his chest.
Stanford rolls his eyes and says gruffly, "Fine, get in."
Gideon climbs into the back seat of the car and readjusts the large coat so that Pacifica's legs are completely covered after Stanford puts her down and buckles her up. Stanford starts driving almost before he even closes the door and doesn't bother putting on a seatbelt.
Gideon's heart leaps into his chest as they take off and puts on his seatbelt quickly- better safe than sorry. After fumbling for a few seconds he manages and then reaches out and holds Pacifica's shoulder to make sure she doesn't flop everywhere.
"Don't worry P'cifica, Mr. Pines knows exactly what t' do," Gideon assures, though it's more for himself than for her.
He flexes the fingers of his free hand nervously when he gets no sort of response.
Has she even blinked this entire time? He wonders vaguely.
Before he knows it they're at the hospital and Gideon quickly unbuckles Pacifica, his palms sweating and lips apologetic. She still doesn't respond even as she's picked up by Stanford.
"Call Dipper and Mabel and tell them you found her," Stanford orders. "And lock the car."
"Y-yes, sir!" Gideon stutters and locks the doors first and then quickly follows after Stanford. "W-wait, I don't have their numbers!"
After Stanford rattles them off, Gideon calls and bites on his thumbnail while he waits, blue eyes watching as Pacifica is rolled away on a gurney with Stanford running in after them.
"Hello? Who's this?" Dipper's voice answers.
"It's Gideon!"
"Ug-"
"Don't hang up! Ah'm with yer uncle and we found P'cifica. We're at the hospital," Gideon quickly rattles off in hopes Dipper won't miss the message he was assigned to give.
"What happened?" Dipper asks with a serious voice.
"Ah dunno. Ah found her in the woods with this dead man and she wouldn't talk or even move. Ah-ah think she's in shock," Gideon answers as he runs a hand through his white locks.
"We'll be right there," Dipper replies and then hangs up.
Gideon hangs up the phone and stands there in the lobby by himself with a feeling of helplessness. He doesn't know what to do anymore... there's nothing he can do other than wait and hope and pray for the best that Pacifica gets through this with no problems.
I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid, Mabel thinks as she rides in the car with her great uncle who stopped to get her on the way to the hospital. I can't believe how stupid I am! You just had to go on that date with your boyfriend... I'm such a jerk.
She glances up at the front seat and finds Stanley gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white. She knows he's worried about Pacifica and trying to go as fast as he could without risking her or Dipper's lives in the attempt to get there. She can hear him muttering a prayer under his breath- she doesn't ever recall him praying before save for once and that was to Paul Bunion. This time she doesn't hear that name. He slips in and out of English going to languages she only vaguely recognizes.
"...por favor que sea ella está bien... por favor, que sea ella está bien..."
Please... let her be okay, Mabel begs.
As they pull up to the hospital Mabel finds herself wanting to jump out of the car before it even stops, but her brother's hand stops her. Only when they're parked does he let go so they can get out of the car and charge toward the hospital doors.
Stanley runs beside them and finds the waiting room with almost too much ease. Gideon is sitting in a chair in the corner with his blue eyes distant and looking oddly disheveled. He doesn't even take notice of them until they're mere feet from each other.
"How was she?" Mabel asks.
Gideon shakes his head. "I don't know... she wasn't... I don't-"
"Calm down, kid," Stanley says while putting a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"
Gideon takes several breaths before he answers with a quivering voice, "Ah found her in the woods with a dead body- she had blood all over 'er and she didn't say anything at all... Ah don't think she even blinked on the way here..."
Mabel whimpers quietly hearing that her cousin for all intents and purposes had to go through... whatever exactly transpired. Dipper's hand automatically finds hers and she squeezes it out of habit to comfort her and she desperately grasps onto it.
Stanley grimaces hearing that- her first kill. A traumatic experience and for someone as young as Gideon; to see the aftermath of something so brutal. No wonder...
Stanley puts a hand on the kid's shoulder. "It's okay, kid."
"N-no it's not," Gideon whimpers. "She's hurt... sh-she's not doing well... if I-"
"You could've only done so much. You're just a kid- you couldn't have done anything to prevent this," Stanley says firmly.
Me on the other hand... He knows he could've done something to prevent this. He could've kept a better eye on her, done his best to take care of the situation before it got out of hand... something. But he failed her as her guardian and he hated himself for it.
Gideon found little comfort in his business rival's words and fiddles with his fingers.
Mabel and Dipper awkwardly look to their grunkle to help with the younger boy. The awkwardness of the situation had to be broken somehow and with Gideon's previous infatuation with Mabel it might come off as her giving him another chance if she were the on to comfort him and... well Dipper wasn't a god option in any case.
Not that that matters anyway. Stanley hates seeing Gideon like this. Sure he was ruthless and had done his best to destroy his family (aside from Mabel) for almost an entire summer but he was still a child. So he had it in his heart to comfort the kid.
"Don't beat yourself up over it, kid," Stanley says as he pats the kid's shoulder. "She'll be fine."
"You didn't see how she looked when I found her," Gideon insists, shivering at the memory of her glazed eyes and the blood on her clothes and skin.
She had the same shell-shocked look in her eyes that some of the prisoners that came in got when something bad happened and even though he was well protected being a child that didn't mean he didn't see or hear some horrors in there. Even if he hadn't experienced it, he'd seen it enough.
With a sigh Stanley sits next to Gideon and comfortingly rubs his back. "Give it time..."
"What do we do now?"
"... we wait."
Gideon frowns- that doesn't seem right... during times like this he remembers something different... but only vaguely. He hadn't seen his family effected in such a way since he was very young.
"We pray."
Gideon looks up at his father who'd managed to catch up. Buddy walks over and settles down in the chair to Gideon's other side.
Stanley shifts uncomfortably at the mention of prayer- he had mixed feelings on the idea of praying to some being that he couldn't be sure was there. He preferred tangible things for reassurance on most things... however for things like this he'd often find himself resorting to prayers.
"Pray?" Gideon questions, raising an eyebrow at his daddy.
"Well, it's about the only thing we can do... words have power y'know. Even if you don't believe," Buddy insists, glancing over at Stanley as he says that last part.
Stanley's gaze sweeps to the side and he looks at his niblings. They seem willing to do about anything to help their cousin... and he didn't blame them. He could think of many times his prayers, whispered in fervent desperation were answered.
"Let's pray," he finally says.
HAT: Guess who's not dead!~
Stan: Who're you?
HAT: You know me!
Stan:*squints and scratches his head*
Hat:...
Stan: *grins* I'm just kiddin'! Welcome back, kid.
HAT: Thanks! I'll be rambling so you can go ahead and take a break.
Stan: Alright... *grumbles* not like I ain't taken a really long one.
HAT: I HEARD THAT!
Stan: You were meant to!
HAT: *rolls eyes* Anyway... It's been over a year since I've updated this story- I didn't even realize that much time had passed. I'm sorry. I have been very busy, adult life definitely doesn't give as much free time and there is no summer vacation and to try and have a little bit of a social life outside of work... yeah there's just been no time and very little inspiration for this story until about... now and there's no guarantee that this'll get updated anytime soon after this chapter. I just want to let you know I still have the intention to complete this. On that note. Stan!
Stan: Review!
HAT: *waves* See ya when I see ya!