Recovery

After all of the events that unfolded in Amphibia, Anne, Sasha, and Marcy have finally returned home. It's been a long recovery both physically and emotionally for all of them, but with love and support from each other, they've all made immense progress.

Anne's back home with her parents while Sasha and Marcy went home to their families. Marcy was relieved to find out her parents were no longer planning to move. Since she went missing, they've been heartbroken. And, as soon as they got her back, they weren't going to move her away from her two best friends. She needs the support and her parents understand that now.

Marcy walks down a hiking trail. She's been enjoying her alone time and being out in nature is calming for her. As she walks, she listens to music, zoning out in her own world. After all of the trauma she endured in Amphibia, she's been taking the time she needs to heal. It's been a difficult journey, but she's making progress.

Suddenly, Marcy starts to feel lightheaded, so she takes a seat on a bench nearby. Her heart muscle is weak from when she got stabbed and she's still building up strength in her legs. Hiking has been a great distraction, but she realizes she may have been using this as escapism from the reality of her situation.

Marcy's heart starts racing, so she takes deep breaths in and out to calm herself. She lays her head back and looks up at the clear blue sky, trying to relax. She takes out her phone to call Anne, but she's having trouble seeing the screen as her vision blurs and her hand trembles. She closes her eyes and starts to lose hope. Then, she hears a voice.

"Marcy, are you okay?" Sasha asked.

Marcy's surprised to see Sasha here. She was going for a run, relieved she ran into Marcy in time, afraid of what could have happened if she didn't.

"Sasha, what great timing. I was just going on a hike and got tired. I'm just resting now." Marcy replied.

Sasha isn't convinced Marcy's okay. She sits next to Marcy on the bench and offers her some of her water to drink. Marcy takes it and starts to feel a little better after rehydrating.

Marcy continues to breathe. She fakes a smile, trying her best to make it look like she's fine, but she's holding back this scary feeling she has that she could faint at any moment. Sasha can tell something's wrong and decides to keep being direct until Marcy's honest with her.

"You don't look so good Marcy. Are you sure you're okay?" Sasha asked.

Something inside of Marcy takes over. A darker side of her that wants to take control. When she was trapped inside of The Core, she could see and hear everything that was happening, but she was not in control of her body or mind. This loss of agency and trauma still haunts her. It's as if Darcy's still there, manipulating and scheming to gain control. This terrifies Marcy, but she's kept it hidden from Anne and Sasha because she doesn't want to worry them.

"I'm fine, Sasha. I just need to be alone right now." Marcy replied.

"Marcy, I'm not going to leave you alone when you're obviously in pain. Come on, I'll help you walk back home. We can talk then." Sasha said.

Marcy tries to be honest with Sasha, but the thoughts and intense emotions aren't allowing her to think clearly. On top of that, she's still feeling lightheaded and starting to feel less in control of her body and mind. This trauma is all too familiar and she starts breaking down in tears.

Sasha puts her arm around Marcy to comfort her. She may not fully understand what's going on, but she knows Marcy needs help and will do her best to be here for her.

"Marcy, it's okay. I'm here." Sasha said.

Sasha hugs Marcy, holding on to her tight. She wants so badly to make Marcy's pain go away. These meltdowns have been frequent for Marcy, but she hasn't been able to open up to anyone about why they've been happening.

Sasha wants to be patient and wait until Marcy's ready, but she can tell that hiding her emotions is taking a toll on her physical and mental health. So, she looks Marcy in the eyes and tries a gentler approach.

"Marcy, I know it must be hard for you to talk about your trauma. I can't begin to understand what you're going through, but I'm here to listen when you're ready to talk." Sasha said.

Marcy wipes the tears away from her face. She knows she needs to be honest, but she can't help but feel ashamed. She's terrified if she tells Anne and Sasha about what she's been going through, they will leave her again. But, Marcy looks at Sasha's worried expression, and she's able to push that thought aside for the moment.

"I'm sorry Sasha. I'll let you know what's been going on. I've been going on these long hikes to distract myself. I think being out in nature is healthy for me, but I've taken it too far. I've been feeling weak and lightheaded recently, but I can't stop going on hikes. I need a distraction from these dark thoughts and emotions I've been having about my trauma. I feel like I'm trapped, losing control of my body and mind all over again and it's terrifying. I don't know what to do." Marcy said sadly.

Hearing this, Sasha's grown concerned. The fact that Marcy's been keeping her emotions bottled up and hurting herself by continuing to go for long hikes to distract herself is dangerous. Sasha remains calm and takes Marcy's hand.

"I'm here for you Marcy. I'm going to call Anne and her parents to come pick us up and we can all talk together. How does that sound?" Sasha asked.

"That sounds good. Thank you for being here Sasha." Marcy replied.

"Of course Marcy. I'm just relieved you're finally talking about your struggles. It's a step in the right direction." Sasha said.

With that, Sasha and Marcy wait for Anne and her parents to come pick them up. Sasha makes sure to keep a close eye on Marcy. They watch some videos on Sasha's phone of Marcy's favorite video games to pass the time. A fun and lighthearted activity that helps Marcy stay grounded and feel safe.

Suddenly, Sasha sees Anne walking towards them. She helps Marcy up, putting her arm around her so she can help her walk. Marcy tries to walk, but her legs get shaky and she sits right back down on the bench, exhausted. Seeing this, Anne runs over to them as fast as she can.

"Marcy, are you okay?" Anne asked, concerned.

Marcy tries to respond, but words fail her. Her vision starts to blur and the world around her fades to black as she loses consciousness. She starts to fall forward, but Sasha catches her just in time and carries her as Anne walks close by her side.

"Sasha, what happened?" Anne asked.

"Marcy was on a hike alone and she said she was feeling lightheaded, so she sat on the bench to rest. I found her and we had a long talk about what's been going on with her. Anne, Marcy's not okay." Sasha replied.

Once Anne and Sasha are in the Boonchuy's car, Sasha puts Marcy in the middle of them. As they drive, Sasha continues to explain what Marcy told her and Anne looks devastated. She thought Marcy was struggling, but she didn't know it was to the point where Marcy would put herself in physical danger to escape her mental pain.

They arrive at the hospital and Anne carries Marcy inside while Sasha walks by her side. As the doctors take Marcy away, Anne and Sasha sit in the waiting room anxious. Marcy's been to the hospital often since they returned from Amphibia, and they just wish she would open up to them before things get this bad.

After waiting for an hour, the doctor comes out to inform Anne and Sasha what's going on. The Boonchuy's stand by Anne's side for support. The doctor called Marcy's parents to update them and they are on their way over to the hospital.

The doctor lets them know that Marcy has been overworking her body and her heart muscle was too weak to handle it. She went into cardiac arrest and they had to revive her. She's in a coma now and the doctors aren't sure if she's going to wake up.

Anne and Sasha stand there frozen in fear, horrified by the news and unable to fully process it. Sasha tries to be strong and takes Anne's hand, but Anne doesn't even notice. She's heartbroken and tears well up in her eyes as her parents hug her and do their best to support her.

"Can we see Marcy?" Sasha asked.

"Of course. She may not be awake, but she might be able to hear you. Any support you can give will increase her chances of living through this." The doctor replied.

With that, Anne and Sasha head to Marcy's room together while the Boonchuy's sit in the waiting room to wait for Marcy's parents to arrive. They step into the room and see Marcy lying in the hospital bed with an IV and heart rate monitor attached to her. Anne takes Marcy's hand and Sasha puts her hand on Anne's shoulder for support.

"Marcy, it's Anne. If you can hear me, I need you to know that I'm here for you. And we're not going to give up on you." Anne said.

"Marcy, you are so strong. You've been through so much, and I know you have the strength to make it through this." Sasha said.

Marcy's unresponsive, but still breathing. She can hear Anne and Sasha and wishes she could respond, but has once again lost control of her body. A trauma that has come back to haunt her. She just hopes Anne and Sasha's support will be enough to get her through this. Then, she hears another voice.

"Why hello there. It's nice to be back." Darcy said.