Grumpy was groggy as he woke up to sunshine streaming into his eyes. He felt heavy, just like he did after every storm. But something was different. The bed was softer and fuller than his own bed, and it definitely wasn't one of Funshine's hammocks. So where was he? He heard a thud from above him, and his mind jumped, but his body was so heavy that he didn't move. Was he in a house? What else could the thud mean?
For a few minutes, he simply lay very still with his eyes closed, breathing in and out, aware of warm sunshine splashed across his face. Then he heard a door open. Two sets of footsteps came padding into the room. A gentle paw rested on his cheek.
"He looks better in the sunlight," Tenderheart said. "And his fur is back to normal."
"He must be feeling better," Funshine said. "It tends to stay black when he's feeling stressed or remembering stuff from his past."
"Would the strain he put on himself helping those three Thunder Bears have affected him? His fur was black until late last night."
"I wouldn't doubt it, T.H.," Funshine replied. "But it's hard to know what effects are from what he did. Yeah, he's helped us and kids with negative feelings, but he's never faced anything like those three before. They had some dark things going on. And he felt it all. The flashes I got were intense, and that was nothing to what he had to be aware of."
Tenderheart sighed. "I'd better go and check on the food. He's been up every two hours for the past two days looking for food."
"Does he remember what's happened? What's going on?"
"He doesn't say much in English," Tenderheart admitted. "And I don't speak Thunderspeak."
"Well, maybe I can help."
The two bears padded across the room and left. Grumpy tried to piece together what had happened. He had vague recollections of heat and electricity burning through his veins. The flashing eyes and teeth of Thunder Bears filled his mind, and memory struck him with the force of a lightning bolt. He had shown himself to the Care Bears, faced down three Thunder Bears, and taken away the dark mist, creating a storm unrivaled in power and might in all the time he'd lived in Care-A-Lot.
He opened his eyes, squinting in the light that flooded in through the guest room window. There was only one thought in his mind: he had to get out of there. He heaved himself up and snagged his Carry-All, which was hooked on a chair in the corner of the room. He'd need it to go… where could he go? That didn't matter. He had to leave Tenderheart's house first.
On quiet feet, he stole down the stairs. Tenderheart and Funshine were facing the stove, talking in low voices. He tiptoed through the front room, silently opened the door, and crept outside. As the door closed, he blinked in the sunshine. The ground was damp, but the sky was rich and blue. Clouds floated above him, big and fluffy like cotton candy. Melancholy filled him as he stepped down the stairs.
"Grumpy!"
Grumpy was startled by the squeal, and he looked down to see Wonderheart sitting with Floppy Bunny on a blue blanket. They were clearly having a picnic, with a half-eaten sandwich sitting in front of the small pink bear. Grumpy tensed, frightened and wary, but Wonderheart's raced over to grab his paw.
"Come and join us! I didn't even know you were awake! Uncle Tenderheart said you were still sleeping."
Before Grumpy knew what was going on, he was sitting beside Floppy Bunny as Wonderheart pulled several sandwiches from the picnic basket. His stomach clenched, and he became aware of the gnawing ache in his gut. He hadn't noticed in his rush to leave that he was so hungry. When had he eaten last?
"Floppy Bunny was so worried about you," Wonderheart continued happily, thrusting a plate into his paws. Immediately, he stuffed one of the neat triangles in his mouth and chewed, listening to her speak. "You weren't feeling very good, and you seemed so sick for a day or two. All you could do was eat and sleep, and even Uncle Tenderheart didn't know if you'd be okay."
"Really?" Grumpy asked uneasily with a mouthful of ham, mayo, and cheese.
"Funshine said you'd be okay, though," Wonderheart said. "He told us about why you were black and could speak in raindrops. I didn't know you were a Thunder Bear. But when he told us about what Thunder Bears really do, how they're not all evil and scary, but they help people who feel bad inside, everything made sense. Of course you're a Thunder Bear! Because you help us all when we're sad or mad or afraid, and that's just fine. I'm glad you're blue again, though. You look really cool when you're black, but Funshine says you're only black when you feel bad, so if you're blue, you must feel okay." She paused. "Do you feel okay?"
Grumpy swallowed his third sandwich. "I don't know," he answered honestly, his head spinning with all of the information that Wonderheart had just given him. "So you think I look cool in black?"
"Yeah! But I don't want you to feel bad."
"I don't have to," Grumpy said. He held out his paw and concentrated. The paw turned black, and he wiggled his fingers.
Wonderheart stared in surprise, her face alight with glee. "That's so neat," she breathed.
Grumpy smiled and let his fur turn back to blue. As he picked up his last sandwich, there was a cry from the house and frantic bangs. He stuffed the food into his mouth, watching the door. It flew open and Tenderheart and Funshine leaped into the light. Tenderheart ran for the Rainbow Ride, but Funshine took a look around first, his eyes wild. When he saw Grumpy sitting calmly with Wonderheart, he sagged with relief.
"There you are!"
Tenderheart slid to a stop and turned around, looking as wild as Funshine had. He took in the scene and sighed with relief as he relaxed. Tenderheart and Funshine approached, and Grumpy saw them both look at the Carry-All. He had a suspicion that they knew he'd been planning on running, but they kept calm in front of Wonderheart.
"We were just looking for you," Tenderheart said.
"Here I am," Grumpy said after swallowing. He picked up the teacup that Wonderheart had prepared for him and took a long sip to avoid saying anything else.
"I thought you might be hungry," the brown bear continued. "Unless you've had enough?"
"Not nearly," Grumpy grumbled.
"Then I've made fresh enchiladas."
Grumpy glanced up. He took in Funshine's gentle smile and Tenderheart's apprehensive look. Then he stood up.
"Gotta go and eat some Mexican food, little Wonder. You and Floppy Bunny stay close."
"Okay!"
She held up her teacup and tapped it with the stationary empty one in front of her rabbit. Grumpy smiled then turned and followed Tenderheart and Funshine into the house. As the door shut behind him, Funshine turned and glared.
"You were gonna leave, weren't you?"
Grumpy shrugged. "Figured it'd be best."
"Well, thank goodness for Wonderheart," Tenderheart sighed. "Then I'd have to hunt you down to speak with you." He straightened up. "First things first. A large helping of food is called for."
Grumpy walked into the kitchen to see a heaping plateful of enchiladas. The scent made his stomach complain. Those sandwiches were not enough. He seated himself at the table and looked for silverware. Tenderheart laughed.
"Just a moment. You refused so often over the last few days that I didn't get any out."
"Refused?"
Funshine fixed himself a plate and sat next to Grumpy. "What do you remember?"
Grumpy thought for a minute as Tenderheart handed him a large fork. "Facing Spritz, Crumble, and Twister," he finally said, cutting a big piece of enchilada and piling on some of the melted cheese. "And then releasing the storm. And… I passed out?"
He looked to Funshine for confirmation as he scooped the food into his mouth. The seasoned beef spread over his tongue, coated in the spicy sauce. The enchilada shell fell apart in his mouth, and the gooey cheese was sharp and complimented everything well. He grunted and took another bite.
"Pretty much," Funshine said. "Then Grams and Giving came by and helped us. I was bleeding pretty bad."
Grumpy paused, the fork midway to his mouth. "Bleeding? Did they bite you?"
"Claws," Funshine said. He reached up to touch the back of his neck and winced. "Still a bit tender."
"Slashes?" Grumpy asked warily.
"Punctures."
Grumpy relaxed. "You're okay?"
"Yeah. You're the one who was messed up. You've been sleeping for days. And the storm petered out only last evening. It was wicked."
"Their feelings were wicked. Wicked strong, that is," Grumpy said. "They were so angry,"
"And we have nobody to blame but ourselves," Tenderheart sighed.
"It wasn't you guys. It was your ancestors," Grumpy replied without thinking. "No Care Bear alive today had anything to do with what happened. That was over fifteen hundred years ago. You can't blame yourselves for what happened back then. It's now that matters."
Tenderheart studied Grumpy thoughtfully. "You're helping us again. But I intend to help you, too."
Grumpy took a sip of the lemonade that Tenderheart handed to him. "What do you mean?"
"Funshine has indicated that you suffer from intense flashbacks and traumatic emotional pain."
Glancing at Funshine, Grumpy's fur noticeably darkened several shades. "Really?" he rumbled, a dark note of thunder in his voice.
"Calm down, Grumps," Funshine said, stabbing nervously at the enchilada on his own plate. "I didn't give him specifics. But he kinda guessed that you've been upset lately and were causing the storms. He wanted to know why."
Grumpy narrowed his eyes then shrugged and shoved another bite of food into his mouth. Funshine sighed.
"I'm sorry. But he needs to know. And now he does. You don't have to suffer alone anymore. We're here for you. Me and Tenderheart and Share and Cheer and Harmony, we're here for you, Grumps." He paused then softened his tone. "You're not a bother. We want to help. Believe me, Grumps."
Grumpy leaned an elbow on the table and glared at his empty plate. "Maybe not to you, Funshine."
"Or me," Tenderheart said firmly. "Really, Grumpy, do you really think that we don't care about you? We're Care Bears."
"Yeah. Happy, cheery, sunshiny Care Bears."
The bitter tone made Tenderheart flinch. "We're trying to help you. Why can't you accept it?"
Grumpy tapped the table, the sharp noise indicating his claws were out. "Because it's not your place."
Tenderheart pressed his lips together. "You mean because we're not Thunder Bears, is that it?"
There was a pause then Grumpy nodded once, his expression tight. "I can't stand to be cheered up. That's not what I need. I need people to sit in my pain with me and try to understand, like Funshine's been doing. And that's just not what Care Bears tend to do. They try and make it better so they don't have to deal with it. But I do need to deal with it. I've known for years that I need to. But nobody here gets it. I've had nobody to help me work through what happened to me. They just want the problem to go away so everybody's happy again. But that's not how it works."
Tenderheart placed a warm paw on Grumpy's darkening shoulder. "I know that. You know how? Because you taught me that. I've seen you work with children and Care Bears to help them face their pain and sadness and anger. All I ask is that you give us a chance to help you. I'm not promising we'll be perfect, but at least give us a chance."
Grumpy met Tenderheart's gaze, searching the older bear's face. He seemed so sincere. But then again, it was Tenderheart. He was the kindest, most tenderhearted person that he'd ever known. He really wanted to help. Even if he was a Thunder Bear.
As that realization washed over Grumpy, tears filled his eyes. Why had he ever thought that Tenderheart would send him away? His fear now seemed ridiculous, and relief caused the tears to slip down his cheeks. Tenderheart immediately wrapped him in a warm hug, and Grumpy let out a soft sob.
"I'm sorry," he moaned. "I'm sorry I didn't…" He swallowed and tried again. "I was so scared that you would send me away. It's…it's stupid, b-but…"
"I understand," Tenderheart murmured, gently rubbing Grumpy's back. "I haven't exactly been the kindest toward Thunder Bears. I had a bad experience when they came the first time. But you aren't the cause of that. You're still our Grumpy Bear, no matter which kind of bear you are."
Grumpy pulled back and smiled, his eyes glowing blue, his fur dark navy, but he looked happier than he had in a long time. He rubbed the tears from his cheeks then grabbed his plate.
"Still hungry," he said wryly.
Tenderheart took the plate, laughing. "What's new? At least there's a good reason."
"Which Funshine explained," Grumpy said.
The yellow bear looked worried, but Grumpy winked. He took his refilled plate and attacked it with his fork. "It's okay. You're pretty shinin'."
Funshine smiled and nudged Grumpy playfully. "We'll get through this, Grumps."
"We'll let you rest for a couple more days, let you get your strength back. Then we'll go and spend some time with Share and the others," Tenderheart said, making a plate for himself. He sat down on the other side of Grumpy. "They're worried about you, believe it or not."
Grumpy hesitated. "I'm starting to," he admitted.
Funshine and Tenderheart held up their glasses of lemonade and Grumpy clinked them with his own. Then he focused on eating again. He was happy and relieved and even a little excited to begin to work through his issues, but first he had to face his other friends. That certainly made him a bit nervous. But now he knew for sure that Tenderheart and Funshine were on his side. With their help, he could handle anything.
