Author Notes - Not so much in this chapter, but I'm getting to the point where I want to start wrapping up some plot points. This story kinda got away from me, and while I probably could have it go on for another twenty chapters, I want to reign myself in and make it no longer than it really needs to be. So, we'll start tying up some loose threads, or I'll never be able to give this story a good ending.

Like I said, I want this story to end on a relatively good note. When I say 'good note', however, I don't necessarily mean that things will return to normal.

CHAPTER TEN - FORGIVENESS IS A SLOW PATH

Oona had stood by Gil's side for hours, only leaving to deliver him food or for the occasional bathroom break. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to use the bathroom with a tube or a bedpan, and she hoped that neither she or any of her other friends ever learned the hard way. Aside from that, she hadn't left his side for anything.

Deema had already left. She didn't tell Gil or Oona why she was leaving, and in fact didn't say a word as she left the room apart from a simple 'goodbye'. Her hair was still a mess, even as she swam out the door, but she didn't seem nearly as upset as she was just an hour before leaving. Gil wasn't certain if he'd ever see her again, but he prayed to whatever being there was above him that he would. Most concerning of all, however, was that she mentioned nothing about being friends with the other Guppies after her mood had improved.

It finally left him alone with Oona, without anyone else but Bubble Puppy and the occasional doctor coming by for a quick visit. Bubble Puppy was sleeping in the sun like a cat anyway, so it still felt like it was only the two Guppies.

'Whatever Deema is doing,' Oona said, watching the birds fly by out the window. 'I just hope she'll be friends with me again. I know she's only doing this so she doesn't hurt any of us, but… it hurts even more that she isn't my friend anymore.' She sighed. 'Why did I wait until after she left to say that?'

'Hey, she'll probably be back.' Gil said. 'I would hope so. The band just won't be the same without someone as goofy as her.'

'Things won't be the same without you either.'

Gil cringed, and for once it wasn't because of any physical pain. It almost sounded like guilt-tripping, but he knew better than to think that Oona would do something like that on purpose.

He took in a deep breath. 'Oona, I don't want to delay this any longer. I have something I need to tell you.'

Oona turned around, and looked right at him. 'Is it good news?'

He smiled. 'It's good news, alright. Maybe not the best news, but I'm sure you'll like it.'

'Oh. Okay then.'

Oona swam away from the window, and sat on the end of the bed. She wasn't sure just how good this news could possibly be, but she smiled regardless. That warm smile was enough to push Gil along into saying what he wanted.

'Oona, this may be unexpected,' He said. 'But… I've forgiven you.'

Oona stared at him in silence for a moment, as if her brain needed a few extra seconds to process what he just said. He knew the exact moment she realised what he just said, when her eyes and jaw went as wide open as they could go before they started to hurt. She stammered out disconnected syllables before anything comprehensible came together.

'What?!' Was the only word she managed to form.

'You heard me, Oona.' Gil said. 'I've been thinking about it for a couple hours now, and I've decided that I've forgiven you.'

'B-B-But… why?'

Gil sat forward from his pillow, cringing a bit as he moved his body a little more than he should have. The pain was worth it, as far as he was aware, because he needed Oona to know that he was being serious.

'Well,' Gil replied. 'Our fans consider you the sweet one of the band.' He got a small chuckle out of his own joke, a laugh Oona shared with him. 'But seriously, you're the first one to step forward and do something like this just to help me. I didn't even ask for it, but you did it anyway.'

'B-But…' Oona stammered some more. 'But Molly did the same thing. And, well, we all know how well that turned out.'

'Hey! Don't say that. That was a completely different situation. Molly did what she did just because she wanted my forgiveness, probably because she didn't know what to do if I didn't forgive her. You did what you did just to help me out. See, that's what I'm looking for.'

Oona's shoulders slumped, and she stared out the window again. It wasn't that she was upset with the news. Quite the contrary, she was ecstatic. She simply had trouble processing it.

'You're the sweetest person I know, Oona.' Gil said, putting his head back on his pillow. 'And it wasn't like you messed with me all that much. Besides, with someone like you I know you're not gonna be repeating these mistakes.'

She remained silent for a bit, until she inhaled deeply and breathed out slowly.

'S-Sorry for being so quiet.' She said. 'I just… I don't know how to respond to this. I-I never expected this. So, I'm just gonna be quiet for a bit.'

Gil shrugged. 'Eh, that's okay. It is a lot to take in.'

She paused. 'Can I give you a hug?'

'Uh… sounds nice, but no thanks. Hugging someone covered in this many bruises sounds like a bad idea.'

'Oh, of course.'

As he watched Oona sit in silence, Gil began to regret giving her the news. He didn't regret the words themselves or his decisions, but he wondered if he could've picked a better time to deliver such major news. The expectation he had was for the news to make her happy, so happy that she danced around the room and cheered loudly enough to annoy the other patients, but instead he had reduced her to silence.

'I'm sorry.' He said, rubbing the back of his head. 'I-I should've waited. I thought you'd be happy, but, uh, I don't think that's what happened.'

'No no, I really am happy!' Oona replied. 'I'm so happy to know that you think I should be forgiven. It's just a lot to take in. I didn't think I'd ever be forgiven.'

'Really? Why not?'

'Not after what happened between you and Molly. I'm still not sure if I've earned your forgiveness, but you seem to think I did, and that's all that matters.'

Hours passed, and neither Guppy brought it up again. Oona simply needed time to let this sink in, not just the fact that she was forgiven but that she was the first. She had expected that, surely, it would be Goby or Deema before her, and she struggled to take it in. In fact, she only brought it up once it was dinner time, when she was due to return to her mothers and brother for supper. She didn't say anything until she was almost out the door.

'Hey Gil,' She said. 'Do you think I should tell the others about this? I don't know how they'll take it. If I tell them now, it might just make things worse. But if I wait, they might not like me keeping the truth from them.'

Gil shrugged. 'Eh. Whatever you think is best. You've always been better at this stuff than me.'

Mr Grouper stared into the book he was 'reading'. He wasn't paying attention to any of the words written on the pages, and was using it more as an excuse to do something than to enjoy his time. As he mindlessly flipped the pages, he dealt with the thoughts in his mind.

School was about to start, and he knew his students would be arriving in just a few minutes. With each second that passed by, he got more and more nervous. Not only would he have to deal with handing out more detention to Molly - an act that left a sour taste in his mouth - but he had to confront his own horrible teaching.

'What kind of a teacher am I?' He said to himself. 'I'm supposed to be helping my students through this, but all I'm doing is just… watching.'

He shut the book, and put it back in its place among the other books his students loved to read.

'I'm going to change that today.' He told himself. 'I'm going to sit those kids down, and really talk them through this. Including Molly. She can deal with the consequences of her actions later. For now, I have to let them all know what's going on.'

Right on cue, he could hear the front door to the school sliding open. He didn't need to turn around to see who it was, for it was the same student who arrived first every time.

'Hello.' Came the quiet greeting.

Nonny's voice was interesting to the teacher, for it sounded almost the same regardless of the kid's feelings. Despite that, Mr Grouper had known him more than long enough to tell the nuances in his voice that made his emotions clearer than most people realised. From just that one word, Mr Grouper could pick up a combination of sadness and worry.

Not one to leave his students hanging, Mr Grouper spun around. 'Well, good morning Nonny!'

For just a second, a smile appeared on Nonny's face. It disappeared immediately, which wasn't surprising considering what everyone was going through. Still, a smile was still a smile, and to get one out of the stoic child during a time like this was enough to lift the teacher's mood just a little bit.

'What's going to happen today?' Nonny asked.

The young boy's voice trembled just slightly, so subtly that any stranger wouldn't have been able to hear it. Regardless, he put his backpack away in his cubby and sat down in his spot like he did every morning - Nonny was wonderful when it came to routine.

'We're going to have a talk, Nonny.' The teacher replied. 'Not just between us, but everyone in the class. And yes, that includes Molly, and Oona too if she decides to drop by.'

'About what?' The kid asked, dreading the answer.

'About what's been going on. And I promise you, we will be just talking about our feelings. We won't be accusing anyone of anything, or pinning the blame, or anything like that. It's going to be a good-to-honest talk, okay?'

Nonny said nothing, and just waited for everyone else to show up. Goby was the second to arrive, and he sat in his place without a single word. Then came Oona, who was rubbing her elbows and averting her eyes, like she wasn't comfortable in their presence. Next was Molly, who swam towards the detention corner before Mr Grouper gently grabbed her arm.

'I'll worry about your detention later.' He said, nice and calmly. 'Come sit with us.'

Molly wasn't certain why he was insisting she sit with the others, but she was never one to go against her teacher. She wanted to sit in her usual position, right next to Goby, but when she got close to the boy he glared at her. It was a subtle glare to be sure, but one that stopped Molly in her tracks. Without a word from either of them, she sat next to Nonny instead. Truthfully, it would make telling him the big news a lot easier.

Zooli arrived soon later, and upon seeing Goby by himself she chose to sit next to him. Mr Grouper knew that, for obvious reasons, that Gil wouldn't be arriving today, so it left just one kid to go - Deema. He didn't want her excluded, so he waited. His students waited with him, fine with the awkward silence if putting up with it meant that they could include Deema.

They waited a while. Nonny glanced at the clock - ten minutes had passed since Zooli arrived, and Deema was yet to show up. Seeing as she was usually one of the first to arrive, he was all but certain that she wasn't coming to school that day.

After just a couple more minutes, Mr Grouper sighed. 'I hate to say this, but… I don't think Deema is coming today. I don't know what she's doing, and I am very worried about her, but I don't think this discussion can wait any longer. It's my responsibility to call up Deema's parents to find out what's going on, and in the meantime I want you to try to have a civil discussion. I'll make the phone call as brief as possible, so I'll be back soon.'

He took himself into another room to call Deema's parents privately, leaving the students by themselves for a few minutes. Without anyone really realising it, everyone looked towards Molly. Once she noticed all the stares, she flinched.

'Okay, I know what you're thinking.' She said. 'And I agree. It's almost certain that Deema isn't showing up because of me. Which is… bad. I really need to talk to her.'

'After what you said about her,' Goby said, crossing his arms. 'I wouldn't be surprised if she never wanted to see you again.'

'Don't say that, Goby!' Oona cried. 'We can't keep fighting with each other like this. Blaming each other for it isn't going to help anyone.'

'Yeah,' Molly remarked. 'I tried blaming Deema, and we all know how well that went for us.'

She turned to the ginger boy on her right. He shuddered slightly once he noticed her eye contact; knowing him, he was either frightened by her now or simply didn't like unexpected attention. Molly could've seen it happening both ways, if she was being honest with herself.

'Don't worry about it!' Oona said. 'Deema always bounces back from anything. She'll be back in the band, and everything will go back to normal!' She paused. 'I hope.'

'I don't want you to get your hopes too high.' Nonny said.

'Nonny's right.' Goby added, with a slight layer of bitterness in his voice. 'This isn't just some story we made up on the playground, you know. Those stories always ended with a happily ever after, no matter what. With a story like this… I don't see us living happily ever after at all.'

Zooli rested her head in her hands. Her story with the Guppies had been so short compared to the stories of the others, and she couldn't believe that it already seemed like it was coming to an end. Molly opened her mouth, wanting to tell Nonny the news as soon as possible, before Mr Grouper showed up again putting the phone on its charger.

'Don't worry about Deema, guys.' He said. 'Her parents told me that she's feeling fine, as fine as she could be at a time like this. She just… needs a break, that's all. And she's allowed to take as many days off as she needs, as much as the school system says she can't. And that applies to all of you too. Just remember - if any of you need some time off, let me know right now.'

His students did not reply, and most of them - except for Nonny - tried their best to give him genuine smiles to show that they wanted to be there.

'Alright. We're all okay to be here. While we're all here, there's something I need to get out of the way now. I've made it clear over the past few days that your behaviour towards Gil has disappointed me.'

The other Guppies, even the ones who Gil had either forgiven or had no problem with, cringed. None more so than Molly.

'But why do you think I say I'm disappointed?' Mr Grouper asked. 'Instead of anger, or anything like that? Nonny, if you can, could you please explain to the class what disappointment means, and why it's different from other emotions like sadness or anger?'

The bespectacled Guppy nodded. 'Disappointment is when your expectations aren't met or fulfilled. Like, when you're excited for a new movie, but when you finally get to watch it, you don't end up liking it.'

'Thank you, Nonny.' The teacher said. 'Guys, I use the word disappointed because I know you are better than that. You have to be the nicest, sweetest, most selfless group of kids I have ever met, including Deema and Gil. And, as a teacher, I have met many kids over the years. Nonny, for instance, once risked losing his chance of knighthood to save a man who hadn't treated him very well. Every one of you - including you, Zooli - are nice to almost everyone you meet. It's why I can't understand why you treated Gil so badly, when you're the sweetest children ever known to everyone else.'

Silence filled the room once again. The utter lack of sound was so alien to the Guppies just a day or two ago, but now it had become the norm and they were used to it. They missed the days when there was always some sound to be heard at school, but those days seemed years away now. Mr Grouper didn't say a word, giving the kids plenty of time to jump in themselves. Only one Guppy had the guts to speak.

'I'm such an awful person…' Molly muttered, burying her face in her hands.

Mr Grouper put a comforting fin on her shoulder. 'Please Molly, don't say something like that about yourself. You're one of the nicest people I've ever known. None of you are awful people. I've met some pretty mean people in my life, the kind of people who make Mr Grumpfish look like Little Mary Sunshine by comparison. I think I know why something like this may have happened.'

'Why?' Oona asked.

'You're children.' Mr Grouper answered. 'Very young children at that. You're all very bright students, and nothing will ever change that, but you are still young. When you're a child, you might not think about what you're doing so much. To an adult, this behaviour is easily seen as bullying. But to a child like yourselves, it's funny. And that's all it is - just something to laugh at. You don't think about the consequences, because as far as you're aware there aren't any consequences. Even Gil didn't think about the consequences too much before he ended up in hospital. You simply don't know any better. And that's alright.'

Goby huffed. 'We sure know better now…'

Mr Grouper went silent for a few moments, letting the information sink in. When it came to difficult issues such as this, the only course of action was to take it slowly.

After a while, he continued. 'During a time like this, we may be feeling a lot of emotions. Sadness, fear, anger, you name it. This is normal, especially for people as young as you. In fact, you may be feeling emotions very similar to grief. Do not hide your emotions, because holding them in might make the problem worse. You can feel whatever you want to feel, but you must not take them out on anyone else if you can help it.'

Molly didn't need to look up to know that he was aiming his glance her way. There was no way he was talking about anyone else but her, and the horrible way she dealt with her own emotions. She glanced up for a moment, only to be met with another glare from Goby.

'Um, Mr Grouper?' The short-haired Guppy asked.

'Yes, Goby?'

'Is it normal to…?' He gulped. 'H-Hate people because of this?'

Mr Grouper's eyes widened, and Molly flinched. She was no doubt the target of this statement too.

'That's… quite a question, Goby.' Mr Grouper responded. 'And I think I know why you asked it. It's a difficult question to say the least, but… I think it's okay to hate people. Your emotions are going crazy at a time like this, and sometimes it results in you feeling hate for people you used to like. Maybe you'll get over it, and maybe you won't. What matters is that you understand that it's okay to hate people when you're as emotionally distressed as you are now. You can't help how you feel, and that's okay.'

Goby took in a heavy sigh of relief, and he smiled for a moment. He looked back at Molly, and that smile faded. He didn't want to hate her. He truly didn't. After all she had done, however, it was simply a by-product. He wasn't even certain how much he was going to deliver on that 'make you understand how Gil felt' promise, but now was not the time to think about it.

'And we have to remember the most important thing.' Mr Grouper continued. 'After all of this, Gil may not forgive any of us.'

Oona flinched.

'If I want to be honest,' He said, frowning. 'I'm not sure if I want Gil to forgive me. If I had been a better teacher, none of this would have ever happened. I have only myself to blame for something so horrible. But it's too late to do anything about it now. All I can do is make sure we don't make this mistake again. As for you guys, I hope he does forgive you, but I'm not sure if he will. I know this isn't the first time I brought this up, but it bears repeating.'

'Mr Grouper?' Oona said.

Everyone turned to the pig-tailed-Guppy, and it made her freeze up on the spot. She almost wanted to back out, but if she had already jumped into the deep end, she might as well keep swimming.

'So, you guys know how I'm visiting Gil to help him out at hospital?' She asked. 'I'll be leaving for the hospital soon, but I have something I want to say. Yesterday, before I left to go home, Gil told me that he…' She took in a deep breath. 'He forgives me.'

The jaws of everyone else dropped at once. Even Nonny looked as surprised as a living being could possibly be. Oona just sat there, staying silent to let the news sink in.

'He… he forgave you?' Goby stammered before he smiled. 'That's awesome! Of course he'd forgive you first!'

Nonny nodded. 'Yes. You are the nicest, sweetest, kindest person we know.' He blushed a little as he spoke.

'I-I wasn't even trying.' Oona admitted. 'And, I-I guess that's what did it. He told me I could tell you guys if I wanted to, so I did.'

'You should feel so proud!' Zooli said. 'I never thought he'd forgive any of you after what you guys - apparently - did to him. At least, I thought it'd be Deema first.'

'So did I. I don't know why I was the first, but it's up to Gil. Even if he isn't able to forgive all of us, I'll still be friends with you all. Nothing will ever change that.'

Goby glanced back at Molly, like he was waiting for her to step in and make some sort of comment to ruin the moment. This did not go unnoticed by Molly herself, who was well aware of what he was expecting. She couldn't say that she blamed him.

She took a deep breath. 'Congratulations, Oona. I'm so happy that Gil has seen how sweet you are, and will still be friends with you. I won't hide that I do wish that it was me instead, but… after what I did, I really don't think I deserve it. You, though? You'll always deserve to be forgiven.'

Oona smiled, the first sweet and genuine smile any of them had in a while. She glanced at the clock, and gasped.

'Oh my!' She exclaimed. 'Gil will be expecting me soon. I gotta go. Bye guys!'

She barely even stood up before Molly spoke.

'Wait!' The pink-haired Guppy yelled.

Everyone turned to her, and she looked directly at Nonny. The bespectacled boy had no idea what to expect, and noticeably flinched when she turned to him.

'Nonny, I've been thinking about this ever since that argument I had with Gil.' She said. 'After what I did, I don't think I should be the leader of our band anymore.'

'Wait, what?' Nonny questioned.

'But you're kind, and very smart, and I've seen how well you conduct. If you can conduct a bunch of ducks, I'm sure you could handle your friends.'

Nonny's eyes widened. 'Are… are you implying what I think you are?'

'You're smart enough to know. Nonny, I've thought about this hard, and… I think you should be the leader instead of me.'

It took Nonny a few seconds to respond.

'WHAT?!'

Author Notes - I really like what I did with Mr Grouper in this chapter, and it was about time. After all, I did make him one of the characters listed on the character filter. Don't worry too much about Deema, cos we'll be seeing her again next chapter.