Here's chapter four. And we've finally brought the Chipettes into the story. :) Hopefully they are in-character enough.
First of all, thanks to those who have reviewed so far. And to those who have answered my poll. For those who haven't, whatcha waitin' for? LOL. I need feedback. In all seriousness though, I won't be upset if you don't.
I had to use Notepad cause this laptop doesn't have much else as far as text programs on it yet, so hopefully the layout will turn out as I intended. Looks like I'm going to have to insert quotation marks all over again as it is. (It really is a nice laptop, just needs a little work. I kinda like it better than my own computer. LOL. I really wouldn't mind if I got to use it for keeps.) And hopefully I'm making sense, cuz it's three thirty in the morning. 0.0 My dad said I could go on the computer until I got sleepy. Yeah, family o' nightowls here.

I shall quit jabbering now and go onto the usual procedures:
DISCLAIMER: If I owned Alvin and the Chipmunks, I'd have released "Vinny's Visit", "Sploosh", and other much-sought-after episodes on DVD a long time ago.

ONTO ZE STORY:

Dave watched as Theodore dropped his plate and cup in the sink. He had been debating with himself about having Theodore come to the hospital with him during Alvin s surgery. The boy was so sensitive, he didn t know if he could handle it or not. During breakfast that morning, Dave had finally decided on letting Theodore decide for himself.
"Theodore?"
The boy, about to walk away from the counter, looked up. "Yes, Dave?"
Dave got down on the boy' s level. "Do you want to go to the hospital during Alvin's surgery today?"
"W-well yeah." Theodore looked a bit confused. Why would he not go when Alvin might need him?
"Are you sure?"
Theodore nodded. "I'm sure."
Dave stood up. "All right. We'll be leaving in a few minutes."
"O-okay."

Simon, who had been sitting in one of the dining room chairs reading a paper he had printed from the internet about endovascular clipping, got up and walked over to his younger brother. "It'll be okay, Theodore." Theodore looked up, trying to feign confidence he didn't feel. "I-I know." He looked down again, staring at the floor quietly.
"Come on, let's go outside." Simon said, leading Theodore to the front door. "Fresh air will be good for us." Once outside, Theodore sat on the steps, and sighed. Simon sat down next to him. They had only been there a minute or so when they heard happy chattering coming from the sidewalk, causing both brothers to look up. They saw the Chipettes walking by, looking very excited about something. "I can't wait for the ball tonight!" Brittany was saying just as Jeanette and Eleanor noticed the boys, waving. Turning to see why they weren't listening to her anymore, Brittany stopped as well.
Simon got up and walked towards them, Theodore following close behind. "Hi." Jeanette greeted warmly.
Brittany cut her off. "We were just going to the mall. And if you ll excuse us--"
"What are you guys up to?" Eleanor asked. "Alvin still grounded?"
"I wouldn't know, considering he's in the hospital. I imagine that kind of cancels any punishment out, if you know what I mean." Simon replied.
The girls looked shocked. Jeanette was the first to speak. "Alvin's in the hospital?"
"And you didn't tell us?!" Brittany nearly shouted. She wasn't in so much of a hurry now.
"Gee, I m sorry". Theodore said apologetically before Simon could speak up. "I guess we forgot to."
"How could you forget?!" Brittany exclaimed, glaring.
Jeanette spoke up quietly. "I'm sure if it had been you, Brittany, I would've had done the same thing". She turned towards Simon. "I'm so sorry that Alvin got hurt, Simon."
"Thanks." He said, looking down. "It has been a little rough these past few days."
"How did it happen?" Brittany asked, a little more calmly.
"According to Dave, Alvin was climbing into our treehouse. He slipped and landed on his head."
"He's in a coma." Theodore added sadly.
"And he's having surgery today to treat an aneurysm in his brain." Simon sighed.
"We'll be praying for him." Jeanette said.
"And we'll see about visiting him sometime, too." Eleanor said compassionately. "But for now I m afraid we've got to get to the store. See you later. And we hope Alvin gets well soon." They waved once more before turning away to run their errand.

After the girls left the Chipmunk's house, Brittany, who was in front, stopped and turned around. Her sisters stopped as well. "You know, I've been thinking." She paused for a few seconds, as if about to admit something she would rather not. "Let's go back home and tell Miss Miller about Alvin."
"But Brittany," Eleanor said. "What about your dress for tonight's ball?"
Brittany shook her head. "I don't care about the ball anymore." She looked down, talking quietly. "Alvin means more to me than a dumb ball."
Jeanette looked at Eleanor, who looked back at Brittany. Jeanette spoke first. "Okay, Brittany, then let's go." They headed back home, running all the way. After they rushed into the house, interrupting Miss Miller's card game, Brittany was the first to speak.
"Miss Miller, we need to tell you something. Please?" Miss miller looked at them as if surprised. They normally didn't come back from shopping this quickly. Brittany liked to look at all the new clothes too much to be back this early.
"Girls, why aren't you at the mall?"
"It s about Alvin. He's in the hospital."
Miss Miller s eyes went wide in shock as Brittany explained Alvin 's situation based on what Simon and Theodore had told them.

In Alvin's hospital room Alvin was about to be taken into surgery. Dave, Vinny, Simon, and Theodore, were visiting him shortly, each praying silently that God would spare Alvin. Theodore seemed to be handling himself well for now, but it was obvious how worried he was. They all were. A door opened and Dr. James Both stepped in. "Alvin's about to be taken into surgery now, so I m afraid you ll have to leave."
"Will it be alright with you if I give Alvin his CD player?" Theodore asked, pulling a portable player out of his pocket.
"I don't think Alvin will need it right now, Theodore." Simon said gently. "Besides, they can't take things like that into the operating room."
"Your brother is right." The doctor said, bending down a little. "Besides, Alvin will be unconscious during the surgery. Why don't you use it for now?"
"Oh." Theodore put it back in his pocket for the moment. "Well, uh, can I give it to him later?"
"If he's awake and feeling up to it." The doctor straightened himself up.
Vinny placed a gentle kiss on Alvin's forehead and muttered a few soft words of encouragement to her unconscious child. Theodore was next to her, holding back sniffles. She placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, pulling him close.
Dave, who was also standing next to the bed, stroked Alvin's hair a few times. Be strong, Alvin. "I know you can make it, brother." Simon said, standing next to his mother. He wiped his hand across his right eye to keep a tear from falling.
"Come on, fellas, we'd better go now." Dave said, picking Theodore up and heading towards the door. Simon and Vinny followed, glancing back at Alvin once more.

In the waiting room, they all sat, just waiting. They didn't say anything and they were all a bit misty-eyed. Theodore, who was sitting next to his mother, was on the verge of tears. All this was hitting him the hardest emotionally and Dave and Vinny knew it. Theodore sighed quietly before taking his CD player out. He put on the headphones and pressed play. The song was Splinter in My Heart , by As Told By Ginger. One of his (and Alvin's) favorites and it helped him to feel better at times like this.
It's kind of sad really Guess I'm the sort who'll linger When the credits roll I still can't leave a picture The picture I hold In my heart

Vinny placed a hand on his shoulder. She, too, was remembering. She thought back to the day her boys had been born. She started to wonder if she would ever see her son's sky blue eyes again.
It makes me mad really Wish I could blame a twister Or a hurricane,
Or my pesky sister Wish I could blame away this feeling In my heart

Dave was thinking about all the times he had yelled Alvin s name out of exasperation. Though in most cases it had been well-deserved, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
There's reasons left to fight There's you to kiss good night Hold on Hold on tight

Simon and Theodore were both remembering all the good and bad times they had with Alvin. Such as the time when they had thought that Dave was being blackmailed. Alvin had shown that under that despite that mischievous and arrogent streak of his, he really did care about others. He had shown that quality many times.
It makes me mad really Wish I could blame a twister Or a hurricane,
Or my pesky brother Wish I could blame away this feeling In my heart

After what seemed like hours of just sitting around waiting, Dr. Both walked in, smiling. Good, though Dave, letting out a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding. Some good news.
"Well," the doctor began. "The surgery went as well as could have been hoped for." He paused for a second. "But his body is still weak, so he'll need his rest."
"Glad to hear that it went well, Doctor." Dave said, sounding very relieved indeed.
"May we see him?" Vinny asked suddenly, voicing the very question Dave was preparing himself to ask.
Dr. Both nodded quickly. "He's in the ICU for now, so his brothers won t be allowed, but yes, you and Mr. Seville may visit him for a few minutes."
"Thank you, Dr." Vinny said gratefully.
"Why can't we visit Alvin?" Theodore asked curiously.
"Because no one under the age of 18 is allowed in the Intensive Care Unit." Simon answered before Dave could. He was used to explaining things to his brothers, especially Theodore.
"So we'll have to stay here?" Theodore put a hand to his chin.
"I'm afraid so, Theodore." Dave answered, turning toward the door. "We won't be gone long, promise."
The boy looked down at the floor as his parents left the room. "Okay."
They sat in silence for several minutes until three girls entered the room. "Hello." Simon greeted.
"We came to see how Alvin's doing." Jeanette explained. She noticed that Simon seemed in better spirits than that morning, so she expected good news.
"Well, the doctor said his surgery went well." Simon said happily.
"Our mom and Dave are seeing him right now." Theodore added. Anyone could tell that he was in better spirits as well, though he was still a bit upset about not being able to visit his brother.
"In the ICU?" Jeanette asked. Simon nodded.
"Has he woken up from his coma yet?" she asked.
Simon shook his head slowly. "No, not yet. Or at least Dr. Both didn't say anything about it if he did." He sat down once again.
"I hope he wakes up soon." Eleanor said. "We've been praying for him ever since we found out. Oh! And we bought him a get-well card. Brittany has it." She nodded toward her sister as she said this.
"I picked it out myself." Brittany declared, taking the card out of her pocket. She handed it to Jeanette, who handed it to Simon Simon glanced at the card, then smiled. Alvin would love it. Although he had to wonder, when would Alvin be awake to see it? "I'm sure Alvin would thank you if he could."

It's a bit chilly in here. He had a headache. And to top it all off, the room seemed to be spinning, though he hadn't yet opened his eyes. Last thing he remembered, he had been falling toward the ground. Where was he? Had he died and gone to Heaven? No, Heaven wasn t dark. Had he gone to the other place? No, that couldn't be. He had received Jesus as His Savior long ago--though even he had to admit he certainly didn t act like it most of the time. No matter how bad he acted, there's no way he'd wind up there. Then he was aware of voices. Yes, two male human voices and one high-pitched, female voice. Alvin tried to open his eyes. It was hard, but after a few seconds he finally succeeded. He could see Dave and Vinny talking to some doctor. Alvin attempted to talk and manage to squeak drowsily. "Mom? Dave?"

Both Dave and Vinny turned upon hearing Alvin's voice. Dave looked toward the boy s hospital bed and saw that his eyes were open. He was still lying down. There were not a lot of wires connected to him, just an IV and one or two other things, and his cranium was wrapped a large bandage.
Vinny spoke first. "My baby!" She rushed to Alvin's bedside. Dave followed at a slightly slower pace.
"Alvin, you re awake."
Alvin smiled, then looked down for a minute as if trying to muster up the courage to say something. He started, but stopped. For a few awkward seconds, he looked around the room. He tried again. "Dave, I m sorry that I spray painted your car."
Dave placed his hand on Alvin's shoulder. "Don't worry about that. You've learned your lesson and I forgive you."
Alvin smiled a little and looked toward his mother. "Mom, where are Simon and Theodore?"
"They're in the waiting room." Alvin started to say something again, but Vinny continued. "They aren't old enough to be here in the ICU yet."
"Oh." The young chipmunk looked disappointed, then looked up again. "When will I be able to go home?"
Dr. James Both, who had just been watching until now, came over. "I can answer that. You just had surgery, so you ll be here a few more days."
Alvin looked disappointed once again. He didn't like having to stay at the hospital one bit. "Um, how many?"
"Four to six. Depends on how you re doing." The doctor replied in a positive tone. He continued. "But for now I have a few questions I need to ask you, alright?"
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Review before my ovely insured wearhose has a mysterious fire! Oooo! (ROFL, sorry, couldn't resist the AATC Meet the Wolfman reference.)