Chapter 2 - "Wake up" - Michaela's Story
April 5th, 2000 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
I stopped outside the hospital gift shop and looked at the displays. "Do you think we should get Grub a present?" I asked.
Tweedle-Tay shrugged. "There's not much point. He is unconscious. But if you want to, why not?" He smiled. "It's a nice touch."
Tweedle-Tay and I had been visiting Grubbery at the hospital every day since we'd come to Tulsa, to no avail. Grubbery was still in the coma. But not to worry. It was early days yet. I took $2 from my purse and bought some jellybeans. Tweedle-Tay and I were renting a house on Myrtle Street, which was a few blocks away from our parents' house on Stoneybrook Crescent. We weren't planning to stay there for long, just long enough to see Grubbery and get him out of the house, or at least talk to him. The unspoken fear of both myself and Tweedle-Tay was, however, that Grubbery would never come out of the coma and we'd be stuck in Tulsa forever, forever waiting.
Yesterday when we'd come to the hospital, our visit happened to coincide with the visit of our younger sisters and brother. It was amazing how much older they looked. Elizabeth was dressing like a teenager, Kessie was nine years old and MacArthy was seven. We saw our little sister Mozzie for the first time and felt.... nothing. She was a very pretty little girl, she sort of looked like Elizabeth, but it was so strange to think that she was our sister and she had no idea we existed. Tay and I had tried to approach Elizabeth and Kestrel, but our mother had seen us and moved them along.
Tay and I walked to the lift and pressed the button so that it would go to the third floor. "Tay," I said carefully.
"Yeah...."
"Would you mind not talking to Alisha for such long periods of time on the phone?" I asked sweetly.
Tweedle-Tay looked upset. "I haven't seen her in almost a week!" he protested. "We have heaps of money! We certainly have enough to spare so that I can talk to Alisha."
We got out of the lift. "Long distance phone calls cost a lot Tay."
"Michaela," he said impatiently. "I really love Alisha!" His voice softened. "But you don't seem to understand that....."
So he kept telling me. "Tweedle-Tay! You've only known her for a month. That's not love. It's short term infatuation. Believe me, I know about these things," I said.
"Oh really? And who have you loved?" my brother challenged me.
I ignored his question. "Tweedle-Tay, you're the sort of person who always thinks he's falling in love when he's not. You've done it before and you'll do it again. You should consider yourself lucky that you have me here to drag you back to reality."
Tweedle-Tay looked pissed off. "I have not done this before! When have I done this before?"
"Oh you have done it before," I assured him, walking slightly faster.
"Then when? When have I done this before?" Tweedle-Tay pressed.
I turned around to face him. "Hmmm, let's see. Oooo! I know! 'At the time it didn't feel as though I was doing something wrong. I love you so much that it felt right.' It's just like it was then my dear brother - stupid sexual tension!" I said, my voice rising.
Tweedle-Tay looked as though he'd been slapped in the face. "I'm not going to talk to you when you're like this," he said, shaking his head. "You have PMS, don't you?"
"No!" I yelled. I lowered my voice. "I don't know, and anyway, it's none of your business."
We started to walk again. "Anyway Michaela, at least I love someone other than myself."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Please Michaela, you should see yourself in front of the mirror!" He made his voice squeaky and high pitched. "Oh I'm Michaela and I'm just soooo pretty and clever. Everybody loves me because I'm purrrfect!"
"Tweedle-Tay Manson! I am not like that and you know it!" I said, shaking. "You're just being mean, really mean, and you know it!"
"Well you're being mean too," he replied.
I couldn't answer back to that. I had a reason to be mean, a reason I couldn't tell Tweedle-Tay. I frowned. "I'm sorry," I said quickly.
He sighed. "I'm sorry too. You're not like that.... most of the time."
I managed to smile and we walked into Grubbery's room. He was lying there, motionless, still in the coma. I wiped away a tear as the two of us went to sit by his bed. I took his hand, "Hey Grub! It's us again. I hope you can hear us. Anyway -"
Grubbery's eyes fluttered open. "Huh?" he said.
Tweedle-Tay's face spread into a smile. "Michaela! You woke him up. Your voice brought him out of the coma!" Tweedle-Tay hugged me in excitement. I felt so proud.
Grubbery laughed. "Hey Tweedle-Tay, hey Michaela! You didn't bring me out of the coma, I came out last night. I was just trying to sleep," he paused. "But it was a little hard with all that yelling the two of you were doing."
Tay and I looked at each other guiltily. "Grubbery, it's so great to see you again after all these years," I said.
"You too," he replied. "You don't look so alike anymore..... How did you find out about me being here?"
"Entertainment Tonight," Tweedle-Tay and I replied in unison.
Grubbery smiled. "It's so great to know that you're okay."
"That we're okay?" Tweedle-Tay asked in disbelief. "We weren't the ones hit by a truck!"
Grubbery frowned. "No, you weren't. So, how long are you guys planning on staying in Tulsa?"
I looked a Tweedle-Tay. "Uh, we came because we're worried about you," I said carefully.
Grubbery groaned. "Oh no, Mom and Dad didn't put you up to this, did they?"
I laughed. "God no," I said. "They hate us!"
"We came because we want to save you from our evil parents, stop them from ruining your life like they did ours," Tweedle-Tay explained.
"In the attic?" Grubbery asked.
We nodded. "You know?" Tay asked, surprised.
Grubbery nodded. "I've been punishing them for it ever since I found out. Anyway, the 'evil parents' will be back in about ten minutes so we'll have to do something before then."
I thought for a few seconds. "We're renting a house so if you feel up to it we could leave right now. Tay and I can drive you there." I paused. "We rented a car too," I explained.
My brothers seemed to like the idea. "I'll just get into some clothes," Grubbery said, "So if you don't mind guarding the door Michaela....."
I knew where he was headed. "Sure," I said, getting up to guard the door. Within a few minutes Grubbery was dressed and had all his belongings in a bag. "All set?" I asked.
Grub and Tay nodded so we began to make our way out of the hospital.
April 5th, 2000 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
I stopped outside the hospital gift shop and looked at the displays. "Do you think we should get Grub a present?" I asked.
Tweedle-Tay shrugged. "There's not much point. He is unconscious. But if you want to, why not?" He smiled. "It's a nice touch."
Tweedle-Tay and I had been visiting Grubbery at the hospital every day since we'd come to Tulsa, to no avail. Grubbery was still in the coma. But not to worry. It was early days yet. I took $2 from my purse and bought some jellybeans. Tweedle-Tay and I were renting a house on Myrtle Street, which was a few blocks away from our parents' house on Stoneybrook Crescent. We weren't planning to stay there for long, just long enough to see Grubbery and get him out of the house, or at least talk to him. The unspoken fear of both myself and Tweedle-Tay was, however, that Grubbery would never come out of the coma and we'd be stuck in Tulsa forever, forever waiting.
Yesterday when we'd come to the hospital, our visit happened to coincide with the visit of our younger sisters and brother. It was amazing how much older they looked. Elizabeth was dressing like a teenager, Kessie was nine years old and MacArthy was seven. We saw our little sister Mozzie for the first time and felt.... nothing. She was a very pretty little girl, she sort of looked like Elizabeth, but it was so strange to think that she was our sister and she had no idea we existed. Tay and I had tried to approach Elizabeth and Kestrel, but our mother had seen us and moved them along.
Tay and I walked to the lift and pressed the button so that it would go to the third floor. "Tay," I said carefully.
"Yeah...."
"Would you mind not talking to Alisha for such long periods of time on the phone?" I asked sweetly.
Tweedle-Tay looked upset. "I haven't seen her in almost a week!" he protested. "We have heaps of money! We certainly have enough to spare so that I can talk to Alisha."
We got out of the lift. "Long distance phone calls cost a lot Tay."
"Michaela," he said impatiently. "I really love Alisha!" His voice softened. "But you don't seem to understand that....."
So he kept telling me. "Tweedle-Tay! You've only known her for a month. That's not love. It's short term infatuation. Believe me, I know about these things," I said.
"Oh really? And who have you loved?" my brother challenged me.
I ignored his question. "Tweedle-Tay, you're the sort of person who always thinks he's falling in love when he's not. You've done it before and you'll do it again. You should consider yourself lucky that you have me here to drag you back to reality."
Tweedle-Tay looked pissed off. "I have not done this before! When have I done this before?"
"Oh you have done it before," I assured him, walking slightly faster.
"Then when? When have I done this before?" Tweedle-Tay pressed.
I turned around to face him. "Hmmm, let's see. Oooo! I know! 'At the time it didn't feel as though I was doing something wrong. I love you so much that it felt right.' It's just like it was then my dear brother - stupid sexual tension!" I said, my voice rising.
Tweedle-Tay looked as though he'd been slapped in the face. "I'm not going to talk to you when you're like this," he said, shaking his head. "You have PMS, don't you?"
"No!" I yelled. I lowered my voice. "I don't know, and anyway, it's none of your business."
We started to walk again. "Anyway Michaela, at least I love someone other than myself."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Please Michaela, you should see yourself in front of the mirror!" He made his voice squeaky and high pitched. "Oh I'm Michaela and I'm just soooo pretty and clever. Everybody loves me because I'm purrrfect!"
"Tweedle-Tay Manson! I am not like that and you know it!" I said, shaking. "You're just being mean, really mean, and you know it!"
"Well you're being mean too," he replied.
I couldn't answer back to that. I had a reason to be mean, a reason I couldn't tell Tweedle-Tay. I frowned. "I'm sorry," I said quickly.
He sighed. "I'm sorry too. You're not like that.... most of the time."
I managed to smile and we walked into Grubbery's room. He was lying there, motionless, still in the coma. I wiped away a tear as the two of us went to sit by his bed. I took his hand, "Hey Grub! It's us again. I hope you can hear us. Anyway -"
Grubbery's eyes fluttered open. "Huh?" he said.
Tweedle-Tay's face spread into a smile. "Michaela! You woke him up. Your voice brought him out of the coma!" Tweedle-Tay hugged me in excitement. I felt so proud.
Grubbery laughed. "Hey Tweedle-Tay, hey Michaela! You didn't bring me out of the coma, I came out last night. I was just trying to sleep," he paused. "But it was a little hard with all that yelling the two of you were doing."
Tay and I looked at each other guiltily. "Grubbery, it's so great to see you again after all these years," I said.
"You too," he replied. "You don't look so alike anymore..... How did you find out about me being here?"
"Entertainment Tonight," Tweedle-Tay and I replied in unison.
Grubbery smiled. "It's so great to know that you're okay."
"That we're okay?" Tweedle-Tay asked in disbelief. "We weren't the ones hit by a truck!"
Grubbery frowned. "No, you weren't. So, how long are you guys planning on staying in Tulsa?"
I looked a Tweedle-Tay. "Uh, we came because we're worried about you," I said carefully.
Grubbery groaned. "Oh no, Mom and Dad didn't put you up to this, did they?"
I laughed. "God no," I said. "They hate us!"
"We came because we want to save you from our evil parents, stop them from ruining your life like they did ours," Tweedle-Tay explained.
"In the attic?" Grubbery asked.
We nodded. "You know?" Tay asked, surprised.
Grubbery nodded. "I've been punishing them for it ever since I found out. Anyway, the 'evil parents' will be back in about ten minutes so we'll have to do something before then."
I thought for a few seconds. "We're renting a house so if you feel up to it we could leave right now. Tay and I can drive you there." I paused. "We rented a car too," I explained.
My brothers seemed to like the idea. "I'll just get into some clothes," Grubbery said, "So if you don't mind guarding the door Michaela....."
I knew where he was headed. "Sure," I said, getting up to guard the door. Within a few minutes Grubbery was dressed and had all his belongings in a bag. "All set?" I asked.
Grub and Tay nodded so we began to make our way out of the hospital.
