Lori walked into the room.
Tommy was lying in the bed beside Merton, softly snoring. His face was smooth now but Lori
knew from the drying tear tracks on his face that he had been crying.
She walked over to Merton's bed and sat down in the chair beside it. Gently, she picked up his
hand and rubbed it as she spoke.
"Hey Merton. The doctors are talking to your family right now. Guess what? Your parents want
to leave you on the respirator and see if you wake up. They had a hard time talking the
doctors into it cause they think that there's no chance that you'll wake up.
But we know that it's not true. You'll be up soon. And then we'll go out and kick some demon
butt. How about this, if you wake up, I'll get you a new magic book. One with all those spells
that let you set things on fire and... well... do cool stuff like that."
Lori touched Merton's face, feeling the bruises still on it. "Ok, so you're playing hard ball.
If you wake up, I'll kiss you again. In the school. Right in front of your sister. Or maybe in
front of the cheerleaders. You can choose the place if you want."
She sighed sadly and removed her hand from Merton's face. Looking around first, she leaned
over Merton and pressed a kiss to his forehead. His skin was smooth under her touch but it
felt wrong. Lori drew back, forcing herself not to wipe the rubbery feel of his skin off of
hers.
Behind her, Tommy's snores stopped. She turned towards him and found him sitting up, rubbing
the sleep out of his eyes. He was slightly wolfed out, likely from stress rather than actually
anger.
"Tommy," She said quietly, "Your game face is on."
He reached up and touched his fur-lined face. A few deep breaths later, it mostly faded away.
"Any change?" He asked though a yawn.
"Nothing." She paused, "They aren't going to pull the plug."
Tommy nodded, relief clear on his face. If the Dingle family had decided to pull it... Lori
doesn't want to think too deeply on that subject.
A knock on the door startles Lori out of her thoughts. She turns around to see Becky entering
the room. Becky doesn't look like she's slept in days. Lori knows the feeling.
"Hi," Lori's a bit uncomfortable. Merton never seemed to get along with his sister that well
and Lori has never really spoken to her. "How are you doing?"
Becky shrugs. "I've been better."
They're quiet now, all three of them. The room is filled with the hiss of a respirator, the
beep of a heart monitor. Not one of them wants to be here in this room. But someone they all
love, even if their love comes in different ways, brings them here.
Becky rubs the side of her arm and looks at Merton's pale face. She's almost as pale as he is.
Maybe even paler.
The silence hangs heavy, like a weight pressing upon their chests. Lori opens her mouth to
speak, to break it when...
BEEP
Lori's heart stopped, as did Merton's. It started again with a surprised and painful thud as
two nurses ran into the room.
Merton's did not.
"Call the doctor!" One of the nurses said to the other. As the other nurse ran out of the
room, Lori began to speak.
"He'll be alright won't he?" Her voice was shill and she almost didn't recognize it as her
own, "The doctors will come and fix everything. It'll be ok and he'll start breathing again."
Becky started to scream and Lori walked to her, grasped Becky's forearms. "Don't worry! He'll
be ok! They'll fix him!"
But Becky won't stop screaming and now the nurse runs in with two more men behind her. The two
men grab the sides of Merton's bed and they pull him out of the room. The respirator goes
flying, and it hits the ground. The one nurse follows the men out. The other nurse turns to
leave, but Tommy's got his hand on her shoulder.
"Help him." He croaks out before he lets go of the nurse. She runs out of the room like the
devil's on her heels. Becky's still screaming, not even stopping to breath and Lori finds
herself mumbling over and over the same words. Even as Tommy wraps his arms around her and
Becky, she still whispers.
"He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok.
He'll be ok. He'll be ok..."
Tommy was lying in the bed beside Merton, softly snoring. His face was smooth now but Lori
knew from the drying tear tracks on his face that he had been crying.
She walked over to Merton's bed and sat down in the chair beside it. Gently, she picked up his
hand and rubbed it as she spoke.
"Hey Merton. The doctors are talking to your family right now. Guess what? Your parents want
to leave you on the respirator and see if you wake up. They had a hard time talking the
doctors into it cause they think that there's no chance that you'll wake up.
But we know that it's not true. You'll be up soon. And then we'll go out and kick some demon
butt. How about this, if you wake up, I'll get you a new magic book. One with all those spells
that let you set things on fire and... well... do cool stuff like that."
Lori touched Merton's face, feeling the bruises still on it. "Ok, so you're playing hard ball.
If you wake up, I'll kiss you again. In the school. Right in front of your sister. Or maybe in
front of the cheerleaders. You can choose the place if you want."
She sighed sadly and removed her hand from Merton's face. Looking around first, she leaned
over Merton and pressed a kiss to his forehead. His skin was smooth under her touch but it
felt wrong. Lori drew back, forcing herself not to wipe the rubbery feel of his skin off of
hers.
Behind her, Tommy's snores stopped. She turned towards him and found him sitting up, rubbing
the sleep out of his eyes. He was slightly wolfed out, likely from stress rather than actually
anger.
"Tommy," She said quietly, "Your game face is on."
He reached up and touched his fur-lined face. A few deep breaths later, it mostly faded away.
"Any change?" He asked though a yawn.
"Nothing." She paused, "They aren't going to pull the plug."
Tommy nodded, relief clear on his face. If the Dingle family had decided to pull it... Lori
doesn't want to think too deeply on that subject.
A knock on the door startles Lori out of her thoughts. She turns around to see Becky entering
the room. Becky doesn't look like she's slept in days. Lori knows the feeling.
"Hi," Lori's a bit uncomfortable. Merton never seemed to get along with his sister that well
and Lori has never really spoken to her. "How are you doing?"
Becky shrugs. "I've been better."
They're quiet now, all three of them. The room is filled with the hiss of a respirator, the
beep of a heart monitor. Not one of them wants to be here in this room. But someone they all
love, even if their love comes in different ways, brings them here.
Becky rubs the side of her arm and looks at Merton's pale face. She's almost as pale as he is.
Maybe even paler.
The silence hangs heavy, like a weight pressing upon their chests. Lori opens her mouth to
speak, to break it when...
BEEP
Lori's heart stopped, as did Merton's. It started again with a surprised and painful thud as
two nurses ran into the room.
Merton's did not.
"Call the doctor!" One of the nurses said to the other. As the other nurse ran out of the
room, Lori began to speak.
"He'll be alright won't he?" Her voice was shill and she almost didn't recognize it as her
own, "The doctors will come and fix everything. It'll be ok and he'll start breathing again."
Becky started to scream and Lori walked to her, grasped Becky's forearms. "Don't worry! He'll
be ok! They'll fix him!"
But Becky won't stop screaming and now the nurse runs in with two more men behind her. The two
men grab the sides of Merton's bed and they pull him out of the room. The respirator goes
flying, and it hits the ground. The one nurse follows the men out. The other nurse turns to
leave, but Tommy's got his hand on her shoulder.
"Help him." He croaks out before he lets go of the nurse. She runs out of the room like the
devil's on her heels. Becky's still screaming, not even stopping to breath and Lori finds
herself mumbling over and over the same words. Even as Tommy wraps his arms around her and
Becky, she still whispers.
"He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok. He'll be ok.
He'll be ok. He'll be ok..."
