"Visiting time closes in an hour, sir." A doctor said to Kermit. The frog was at the hospital, looking at Walter in his bed. He made sure to come at a time when no one else would be visiting him.
"Okay, thank you." Kermit said. As soon as the doctor left, Kermit pulled out the Memory-Mind Searcher and placed on the bedside table.
"I can't believe I'm doing this..." Kermit mumbled, picking up the instructions Bunsen had hand-written. The amphibian did in fact feel ridiculous. Getting Walter out of his coma with this weird machine was an unnerving thing. But, he would try.
Kermit read the instructions.
1) Hook the two wire pads on the temples of the subject.
The frog nodded, and carefully hooked the wired pads on Walter's temples, careful not to further injure his bandaged forehead.
2) Press the red button
Kermit further looked at the paper, but saw no more than two steps written by the scientist.
"That's it?" Kermit said, pressing the red button. As soon as he hit it, a purple beaming light came shooting out, startling Kermit. The purple light then formed into a hologram of Bunsen.
"Hello, Mr. Kermit."
"Bunsen?"
"I am not the real Dr. Bunsen. I'm merely a hologram that he had programmed. I'm your guide to entering the mind of the subject. Preferably today, waking Walter up from his coma."
Kermit shrugged. "If it works. It won't hurt Walter, right?"
The hologram Bunsen smiled. "Of course not, sir. But waking him up from his coma might be difficult."
The frog nodded. "I understand. Let's just do this quickly..."
"Gladly." The hologram spoke, reaching his hand out. "Take my hand, and brace yourself."
"Oh boy..." Kermit said nervously, reaching for the hologram's hand. As soon as he touched the purple light, the frog felt his body lift off the ground faster than ever. Everything around him was washed away with a white, blinding light. His body presumably felt like it was stretching into nothing, carrying him somewhere. From what Bunsen told him, he was suppose to be entering Walter's memory. But how did that work?
The fast motions all stopped when Kermit felt his feet gently land on a concrete ground. He felt a head rush, but managed to keep his balance. He squinted his frog eyes open, to see where he was. It was a suburban street with white picket fence houses. Like a cute little town right out of a story book, or something.
"Where are we...?" Kermit asked, a bit dizzy from the short trip.
"Smalltown, Idaho." The hologram said. "In 1995, when Walter was eight years old."
Kermit looked towards the hologram. "This is where he grew up? I'm gonna see him as a kid?"
The hologram nodded. "Yes. But here, put these on." The hologram reached his hand out, and a coat and fake beard appeared. He handed it to Kermit.
"Why do I need a disguise?" Kermit said, taking the jacket and beard.
"This year is 1995. The Muppets hadn't completely split up, so you were still a well-known celebrity. Even in a tiny town, like this."
Kermit nodded, and carefully put the coat on. He put the beard on too, and shifted in it a bit. It was itchy and uncomfortable.
"Ok, now where do I-"
Before Kermit could ask another question, the hologram disappeared into thin air. Kermit whipped his head around.
"Excuse me, Bunsen?" He called. "I mean...hologram of Bunsen?"
There was no response, but a few people that passed by stared at the frog with the beard and coat that was talking to the air.
"Crazy old man..." Someone said, passing by Kermit.
"Pardon me?" Kermit said, but the person had already gone. The frog sighed. "Guess I just have to go find Walter, somewhere..."
Kermit continued to make his way down the suburban street, into the town area. There were shops and markets everywhere, and people all around. It was a cute little town, but Kermit still didn't know how he was going to find Walter. Especially if he was a eight-year-old. Who knows where he is.
The frog walked down the side walk, looking at a few shops. He then stopped when he came by a book store, and saw a book cover in the window with Kermit's face on it. That's right, the Muppets did a lot of book publishing in 1995.
"Did they have to use such a bad photo of me?" Kermit said, leaning forward to get a better look at the book in the window. His thoughts were disrupted when someone short bashed against him.
"Pardon me, I-" Kermit looked to see who the short person that bumped into him was, and stopped his words when he saw. A little boy in a red shirt and overalls, with a red baseball cap and freckles stared up at the frog with big eyes.
Walter. Kermit thought to himself, careful not to say his name out loud. He recognized Walter as a little boy from the home video.
"S-sorry, mister!" Little Walter's kid voice spoke, as he adjusted his baseball cap. Kermit searched for words.
"It...it's okay." Kermit said, astonished seeing Walter as a little boy right in front of him. "Why are you running?"
"I have to go!" Little Walter said, "to see someone. See ya, mister!" The little boy ran past Kermit, and the frog watched him take off.
"Hi, Mr. Mack!" Little Walter said, running by the butcher shop.
"Hey there, kid!" A young man with a brown moustache responded. "Tell your father I say hi!"
"His father?" Kermit said.
"That's right." Someone behind him said. Kermit jumped, and turned to see who it was. The hologram of Bunsen stood behind him.
"You scared the daylight out of me." Kermit said, breathing heavily. "Walter is going to see his dad?"
"Yes." The hologram nodded. "This was the day his dad came back from another military retreat. Walter was just at the park with his friends, he forgot to come home on time for his arrival."
Kermit looked towards where Walter had ran, and saw that the boy was already gone.
"Where do I find him, now?" Kermit asked.
"Hold on." The hologram said. He snapped his fingers, and Kermit felt his body lift and disappear into the air, again. As soon as he landed, he was on a different suburban street than before. He saw Walter make his way onto the pathway of a house.
"Dad!" Walter said, running up the path.
"Hey, sport!" A man in a military suit said, picking his son up who bouldered right into his arms. "How's my soldier boy?"
"Great!" Little Walter said, happily. "I-I mean, sir, yes sir!"
Walter's father merely laughed, and rubbed his son's head. It shifted the boy's red baseball cap, which he once again adjusted. Kermit watched the two, closely. Walter's eyes filled with fascination every time he looked at his father.
"By the way," Walter's dad said. "Lily came by looking with you, why don't you go say hi?"
"Okay." Walter said, not breaking his smile.
"Lily." Kermit remembered. "She grew up here, too."
"Mhm." The hologram responded.
Walter walked off his lawn, onto the sidewalk. Just in time for a little girl to pull up with her scooter. She had small brown pigtails, a blue skirt, and a pink polka dotted shirt.
"Hi, Walter." The little girl's voice, spoke.
"Hi, Lily." Little Walter said. "My dad came home, today."
Little Lily gave the cutest little girl smile, and jumped off her scooter. "Really? Yay!"
"Yea, he's inside."
"W-what does your dad do in the army? Is he like a fighter...?" Little Lily's innocent, little girl-self asked.
"He's a lieutenant." The little boy responded.
"Is that like a fighter man?"
"I dunno. But it sounds cool." Little Walter said. Kermit smiled at the two little kids. It was unbelievable how they grew up to date each other sixteen years later.
"So, how do I wake him up?" Kermit asked the hologram. The hologram looked at young Walter.
"It is not the time yet, we need to wait a few hours for the right moment. But to make things move faster, we'll go forward in time." The hologram said, snapping his fingers.
Little Walter and Lily then disappeared, and the whole neighbourhood became dark, as the sun rushed down. Kermit clutched his head, overwhelmed by the change in time.
"I brought you a few hours ahead." The hologram said. Kermit felt a breeze pass by him, and he looked down. His coat and fake beard were gone.
"Where did my disguise go?" Kermit asked.
"You won't need it, now." The hologram responded. "Come on."
The two of them walked to the white picket fence on the side of the house, squinting their eyes through the darkness of the night. The hologram carefully opened the gate, to the side garden. They approached an open window, and there was a small tent set up right outside of it.
The hologram approached the tent, and opened the flaps a bit. Kermit saw young Walter sleeping in a sleeping bag, inside.
"Why is he sleeping in a tent?" Kermit whispered.
"He was talking to his father, earlier." The hologram explained. "His dad talked about how he spent nights under the stars in the army. Walter wanted to come with him, but told him he needed to stay safe at home. Walter being the kid he was, decided to do it himself.
Kermit looked at young Walter, he shivered in his sleeping bag. But, he still had his red baseball cap on.
"His parents didn't discover until two hours after his bedtime that he was sleeping outside." The hologram continued. "They put him to bed, but he was sick for a week from the cold."
The frog shook his head. "Maybe I can help them out..." Kermit said. He kneeled down in the tent, and carefully took the young sleeping Walter in his arms. The little boy didn't shift at all, he was a heavy sleeper. He was small, and warm.
The frog made his way to the window, and climbed in, careful not to drop the child. When he was inside, he put him in his bed and put the blanket over him.
"You know that won't alter the past." The hologram pointed out. "We're in Walter's mind, so it might only trigger his memory a bit."
"I know." Kermit said, watching over the little boy. All of a sudden, the ground started to shake. Kermit was sure that the boy would wake up, but he didn't. The frog had a sinking feeling the world was shaking for a reason.
"What's happening?" Kermit asked the hologram.
"It's Walter." The hologram said. "You need to give him the mind-flick, now. He's starting to drift from us."
"D-drift?" Kermit asked, nervously.
The hologram swallowed. "His heartbeat is slowing down. You need to wake him up from his coma."
Kermit looked at the sleeping boy in the bed, his mind flashing to the current Walter that was currently unconscious in the hospital bed.
"Walter, wake up!" Kermit said, shaking the little boy's shoulder. The world continued to shake, and the bedroom walls began to crack. A blinding white light peered through. Kermit continued to shake the boy.
"Walter, come on! You need to wake up, we need you back!"
A booming sound began to pound in Kermit's ear drums, and he knew exactly what it was. It was Walter's heart beat, that was in fact slowing down.
"Walter!" Kermit said, starting to be blinded by the white light.
"WALTER!" He yelled for the final time, before feeling himself being lifted away. It went dark.
Everything was quiet, and Walter couldn't see anything. He felt nothing, and didn't know where he was. He lifted his head, and saw a bright, distant light.
Where am I?
No Response.
Am...am I dead?
Walter... A deep voice responded.
H-hello?
Walter, you need to go back.
D-dad?
Walter, they need you. It's time to go back.
Wait, dad!
Go, son. Your family needs you, now. It's all on you. Fight through, they're waiting.
Dad, no! I want to stay with you!
Go, Kermit is waiting...
Kermit?
Walter thought back. The most he remembered was fighting, and then there was a speeding car...
We were fighting...
The bright light became brighter and brighter, and overtook Walter's eye sight. He clenched his eyes shut, until he started to feel pain. In his shoulder, and his head. It was cold, but he felt himself breath slightly. A breeze passed by him, and he shivered. But, his body still shot with pain.
The boy squinted his eyes open, and the light hurt his vision. He kept them open though, until they adjusted. When he saw clearly, he was staring at a white ceiling. All he heard was the beeping of a monitor.
"Walter...?" Someone spoke. Walter turned his head very slowly to where the voice came from, trying not to hurt his tight shoulder. It was painful. When he looked, there was a green blob. His vision was still blurry. He blinked a few times, until the silhouette formed into Kermit's figure.
"Walter?" Kermit asked, again. The boy didn't respond, he just looked at him with tired eyes. "Can you hear me?"
Walter wanted to respond, but felt a plastic mask on his face, preventing him from doing so. He didn't want to worry the frog, so he merely nodded his head in response.
Kermit sighed. "Thank good-"
Before the frog could finish his sentence, a few doctors came running in.
"Sir, please step away from the patient."
"W-what?" Kermit said, not immediately doing what he was told.
"Sir, he just woke up. We need make sure he is stable. Please, we need you to leave."
"B-but, I can't leave him. He'll be confused-"
"Don't worry sir, we'll make sure he's taking care of. You can see him first thing, tomorrow." A doctor began to push Kermit away from the hospital bed, the frog resisting just a bit. He wasn't read to leave Walter, when he just woke up.
"Ker...mit..." Walter all of a sudden spoke, getting everyone's attention.
"Y-yeah?" The frog asked, resisting the doctor that was pushing him.
Walter breathed, trying to continue speaking. "I'm...sorry..." Kermit felt himself struck with pain, hearing the boy say that. The frog completely remembered that the last thing Walter probably remembered was their fight, right before he was hit by that car. And now he just got out of a coma, and was apologizing. The amphibian wanted to stay, but the doctor pushed him out of the room.
"No, please." Kermit said. "You don't understand, before he was hit-"
"Sir, I assure you." The doctor said. "We will make sure he is okay. There are some things we need to take care of now that he is awake. Please, you can come back tomorrow morning."
Kermit nodded, feeling himself fall heavy. "Okay..." The doctor disappeared back into Walter's room, leaving Kermit alone in the hall.
The frog pulled out his phone, to make some calls. He held the phone to his ear, slightly shaking. His mind raced, with everything that had just happened.
"Kermie?" The other end answered. The frog put his attention to the phone.
"Piggy, Walter is awake..."