He was looking himself in the face. People were all around him, scrambling about, saying things he could not understand. Feeling frightened, he lifted himself up, looking around. Darting from the room, he nearly fell over himself when he saw people he knew he loved dearly. Someone in a white, long coat stood in front of them. His beloved ones and the white-coated man were conversing, that much he could tell. The ones he loved most were distraught, tears freefalling, bodies shaking…
"Shaggy!" Someone was rustling his arm.. "Shaggy!" Tears trickled down his face slowly. "Shaggy!" His eyes slowly opened; tears stinging. "…Shaggy?"
Velma stared down at Shaggy, who started to wake. She hadn't cried in years, but at the thought of Shaggy dying, all hell broke loose. Her face was red and wet.
"Like, what happened?" Shaggy's voice echoed throughout the room.
"You stopped breathing." Fred responded, voice crackling. "They... couldn't stop the bleeding."
"Bleeding?" Shaggy croaked in disbelief. He tried to sit himself up right, much to everyone's dismay. He didn't know what they were talking about until he felt pain raining down his spine.
And then he remembered.
Running, crying out, hitting the bottom of the stairs.
No, this wasn't right. It couldn't be.
He reached his hand up to feel- stitches.
His eyes widened, frantically searching for Scooby.
"The hospital, has, an uh, no animals policy." Velma clarified, pushing her glasses up her nose.
"Like, of course." Shaggy grumbled somberly, closing his eyes. He was beginning to understand the gravity of what had happened. "How long was I out?"
"All night- it's what, 8am now?" Fred asked. "A few hours."
Daphne stepped forward, leaning over the rail of the hospital bed. She laid her head on Shaggy's, arms gripping him tightly. He heard her start to sob.
"I'm just so glad you're okay." She breathed through cries.
Shaggy looked at his friends. Their clothes bore blood, their faces twisted in pain- the forlorn gloom of trauma evident.
It's real. He thought to himself. There's no real estate scheme, insurance fraud- no family feuds. It tried to kill me.
It was everything he had ever feared and more.
The room fell silent. Velma and Daphne at his side, Fred guarding the end of the bed.
Shaggy replayed it over and over. What was that thing? It wasn't human. The noises, the power-
"Mr. Rogers?"
A doctor stood before him.
They all stared at him, afraid of what news he would bring.
"I'm Dr. Reynolds. I treated you in the ER. How are you feeling?"
Everyone's heads swung back to Shaggy.
How was he supposed to respond?
"Uh… Sore?" He answered sheepishly.
"It's normal to experience some swelling and soreness as you recover."
"So he's gonna be okay, right?" Velma asked, white knuckled as she gripped the bed's railing.
"No major blood vessels or tissue were harmed, I don't expect any long term damage. You'll most likely have some scarring, but that's to be expected. We did have some difficulty controlling the bleeding because it's such a vascular area of the body. You did require donor blood-"
"What?" Shaggy sputtered.
"Yes, " Dr. Reynolds continued. "But you can thank Ms. Dinkley for that."
Velma gave a small smile, and that's when Shaggy noticed her arm was bandaged.
"You're going to develop some bruises, that's also normal, given your fall. Nothing's broken."
A million questions fired off, his friends trying to understand, trying to help- but he wasn't hearing any of it. Their voices just murmured echoes in the distance.
"Like, when can I go home?" It came out softly. He was surprised anyone heard him.
"Today." The doctor responded. "We just want to keep you for observation for a few hours. We need to watch your blood pressure and heart rate."
Shaggy nodded. Fred thanked the doctor for his time, and Dr. Reynolds left the room.
"Fred, Daphne, why don't you guys grab everyone a change of clothes and maybe, some breakfast?" Velma asked.
Fred nodded, taking Daphne by the hand. Once they had left the room, Velma sat herself on the edge of the hospital bed. Feeling the movement, Shaggy peeked over, eyes still fixated on her bandages.
Velma took him by the hand.
"You scared me." She croaked.
"I'm, like, still scared." He replied.
She looked at him. He was still pale, with bruises on his arms, IVs in his hand and arm. Her blood was in his veins now. She hadn't thought of it until now.
"You gave me your blood?" He questioned.
"Of course. I was terrified I'd lose you, it wasn't even a choice-"
"Thank you." He gripped her hand back, thumb stroking the back of her hand gently.
Velma closed her eyes, breathing heavily. "Can we just… I... um…"
Shaggy raised an eyebrow. She had started to cry again. Velma was always collected, in control.
"Velms?"
She was silent for a moment, and then let out a heartbreaking sob. She was shaking, her free hand covering her face.
"I'm sorry." It was painful to hear, and worse to watch.
"For what?"
She only cried harder. Shaggy kept his grasp on her hand, unsure of how to comfort her.
"Velma, I'm okay. I'm here. With you."
Even though he was her oldest friend, she was still embarrassed to cry in front of him.
He hoisted himself into an upright position, using his other arm to wrap around her. He wasn't sure what else to do, other than to just try.
"Freddy, I'm not sure we should go back."
Daphne and Fred were driving home, Daphne replaying the past day in her mind, Fred trying to focus on the road. Scooby was asleep in the back.
"I-I've been considering that too."
"You were right… We shouldn't have taken this case."
Fred kicked himself for that.
"Daphne, you can't blame yourself- we had no way of knowing."
Fred pulled the van into their driveway. By the time he got out, Daphne already had the front door open. The house was eerily quiet, Scooby slinking in the door behind them. He went straight for the stairs- presumably to Shaggy's room.
"I'm gonna go get Shaggy and Velma clothes, would you get ours?" Daphne asked, following Scooby up the stairs.
She went into Velma's room first. It was sparsely decorated, just a few pictures of their group of friends on the wall, one of her with her parents and sister. A small tower of books laid stacked on her desk. She noticed one picture on her dresser- it was the day she Velma graduated college.
There they all were, with Velma in her cap and gown, diploma in hand. Smiling ear to ear.
Daphne smiled, remembering the day fondly. She placed the picture down and opened the top drawer of Velma's dresser.
Once she had an outfit together, she ventured into Shaggy's room. The door was open, and she found Scooby on the foot of the bed. He whined as she entered the room.
"I know, Scooby. Shaggy's okay. We're going to get him."
His tail wagged gently. "Rokay."
She smiled at him, giving him scratches as she walked by.
Shaggy's room was lived in. Not dirty, but not spotless either. He had the chair where he dumped everything on, Scooby's hair was everywhere, but there were also so many good memories within these walls.
She opened his closet, quickly finding a shirt and pants. She heard the door open behind her.
"How are you doing?" Fred asked.
Daphne sighed. If she was going to be honest- not good. She glanced at him over her shoulder.
"Dumb question, I know. I've got our stuff. We can head back when you're ready."
She nodded in agreement. She looked down at the bed. Scooby was out cold. She tiptoed past him, trying to smile as they exited Shaggy's room.
The house was empty. Dead in its own way. She felt a weight on her shoulders as she glanced down the hall. She looked up at Fred.
She felt responsible. She'd been so in favor of taking the case. And how Shaggy was laid up in the hospital. Her eyes started tearing again.
"I should change before we head back." Daphne stated, looking down at the blood on her dress. Shaggy's blood.
"Want help?" Fred asked slyly, smirking earnestly.
She let out a short laugh. "Normally, yes. Freddy. I'd love help. But it doesn't seem right, given what's happened." Her face dropped as she finished her words.
Fred nodded in response.
"I'll be right back. Meet you in the van?"
Velma had fallen asleep on Shaggy's chest. She had finally stopped crying, and before Shaggy knew it, she was out. He didn't have the heart to wake her. It was a sense of peace. They'd been that way for some time. He leaned his head on hers.
Was anything going to happen between them? He blamed himself for even thinking of such a thing now. But he couldn't ignore it. They would have to talk about it sometime.
Maybe for now, he could just enjoy the moment. He couldn't know how long it would last. He listened to the pages over the intercom, watching the hallways with curiosity.
A couple pages for doctors to the ER, one to surgery… And the halls died down again.
He glanced down at the tubes in his arms. He followed them across the bed, up towards the IV pump. There were several bags, some names he knew, some were foreign.
Saline, morphine, augmentin… He followed the line back into his arm. One in his lower arm, one in his hand.
He took Velma's hand in his. He could've stayed that way for hours if she'd let him. She needed the sleep. As bad as the last day was for him, he couldn't imagine what it had been for her.
Hell.
He kept repeating it to himself over and over, almost to a rhythm. His breathing picked up in pace, he heard his pulse pound faster through the monitors-
And then, as if on cue, Velma exhaled loudly. He felt her hands grasp down, head shifting slightly.
He focused on her breathing, in and out… It was soon the only thing he heard.
He let the moment take him, and eventually, Shaggy went to sleep.
It was sometime after that the alarms sounded.
His eyes shot open. Velma startled awake as well.
He kept his grip on her as the noise rattled down the hallway.
"Code Blue in 521 All available personnel to room 521."
He could hear the scurry of rolling chairs from the nurses' station, their frantic chattering as they ran past his room.
Velma felt a sickening chill roll down her spine. They'd called that for Shaggy too. She shut her eyes and just hoped it would go away.
Shaggy knew she was awake by how her breathing had quickened. He was afraid she'd begin to hyperventilate.
It wasn't long until the alarms subsided, but Velma's breathing worried him.
He adjusted, placing his chin on her head.
"What time is it?" She croaked.
"Like, I'm not really sure." Shaggy responded gently. "It's been a while."
There was a long pause, and Velma started to speak.
"I- uh… What's going on?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You were sitting on the bed and fell asleep. I figured you'd been through enough… I didn't feel right moving you." Shaggy replied, smiling softly.
"Right." She began trying to get up. Even though she had to admit, he was warm. Comforting. Safe.
Shaggy lifted his arms to give her room and hissed in pain as the movement pulled on his new stitches.
Velma jumped slightly at the sound, lost her balance, and reaching her arms out in front of her, landed with both hands on Shaggy's arms, stopping just inches from his face. Her eyes opened wide as she realized what she'd done- she scrambled off, backing up until she reached the foot of the bed.
"Did I hurt you?!"
Shaggy shook his head. "No Velms. I moved wrong. I'm okay." He smiled, trying to reassure her.
She closed her eyes and exhaled. Her whole body hurt. She hurt.
"Are you okay?" He asked, knowing her answer wouldn't be cheerful.
"I don't know what I am, Shag." She paused, swallowed, and offered: "Are you?"
"I'm alive. And for now, that's like, fine by me."
Tension rose in the van as Daphne and Fred drove back to the hospital. They weren't sure what to say, only thinking of Shaggy.
Daphne knew just how badly rattled Fred was by his driving alone. He'd normally push the speed limit, sure. But he wasn't paying attention in the slightest now. The last thing they needed was a ticket.
Fred wasn't all that emotional, he could be a bit of mud puddle sometimes. But he wasn't stupid. He knew when his friends needed him. But watching him bend down and pick up a limp Shaggy? Daphne was sure he'd almost broken then.
"I'm going to call Ryan." She spoke. "We're not going back."
Fred nodded. "I suppose we should let Shaggy and Velma weigh in before we make that call."
Daphne's blood boiled. Normally, she'd agree.
Normally.
This was the farthest thing from normal.
"Fred Jones. They don't get a choice. We are through."
He didn't say anything else. She was right after all. They both knew Velma would protest, she was no quitter. But enough was enough.
Daphne's tone chilled him. She didn't talk like that often, but there was one thing that Daphne did not tolerate:
Messing with her family.
He listened intently as she pulled out her phone and dialed Ryan's number.
"Ryan? It's Daphne Blake. Yes- he's doing well. He's stable, we're on our way to bring him home from the hospital."
Daphne briefly filled Ryan in. That Shaggy was going to recover, he'd needed a blood transfusion, several stitches along the way.
"Ryan, look, the reason I'm calling is…" She felt the words get caught in her throat. "We're off this case."
Fred winced. He could only imagine how Ryan would react.
And suddenly, Daphne was sniffling. Fred jerked his head over to see she was tearing up. She removed the phone from her ear, put it on speakerphone and placed it on the dashboard.
"Look, I know this is by no means ideal, guys," Ryan stammered. "But we've been in meetings all morning trying to figure this out… There's a very good chance that whatever attached Shaggy is attached to him-"
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Fred barked.
"We've brought in a priest in because after Shaggy was attacked, we learned that Mrs. Berkshire's daughter has been experiencing severe activity in her own home. Whatever this thing is, it bonds itself to the victim."
"How do we break it?" Daphne demanded.
As Ryan told them, their faces grew grim. Tears were streaming down Daphne's face, Fred was seeing red.
As the call ended, Daphne turned to Fred and fearfully asked:
"How do we tell Shaggy?"
A nurse had come to Shaggy's room and checked on his vitals. His blood pressure was stable, his breathing and heart were in good order. She'd said he should get up and walk- doctor's orders.
It had been a two man job to get him upright. Velma holding his hands, the nurse supporting his back. He'd been wobbly on his feet, heavily relying on the stability of IV stand as he took his first steps.
Velma studied him carefully as he Shaggy slowly walked across the room, quickly finding balance.
The nurse told them to walk the floor at least twice before returning to the room.
The first few minutes were quiet, Shaggy focusing on putting one foot in front of the other; with Velma cautiously observing from behind. This went on for a few minutes before Shaggy stopped and looked at her.
She instantly believed something was wrong. She grabbed his hand, fearing he'd fall down, bracing to support his weight on her.
"What's wrong- I'll call for a nurse-" She stopped when she realized Shaggy was laughing.
"Like, I just stopped to let you catch up."
Velma closed her eyes and smiled. At least he hadn't lost his sense of humor.
She let go of his hand, but he held on.
"You don't have to let go."
Velma raised an eyebrow at him. She hadn't expected him to want to hold her hand, much less ask to.
And that's when she realized:
He was being strong. For her.
When he'd been the one hurt.
She wrapped her fingers around his.
They continued down the hall, Velma still monitoring his every move. Shaggy was tall and had a tendency to walk fast. Holding her hand forced him to slow down.
"Baby steps, Shag." She joked.
She'd made him stop at the nurses station, though he insisted he was fine.
"Let's not push it."
He'd had every intention of doing just that. Pushing back against her suggestion. The sooner he passed their tests, the sooner he could be home- in bed. He opened his mouth, hell bent on fighting-
And then he looked down at her. She was exhausted. Frizzy hair, smudged glasses, wrinkled clothes. She could've gone home with the others, but she'd stayed.
And so he caved.
He felt awkward staring at her, like it was rude. So he found himself watching the scenery around him. Nurses on rounds, taking notes in charts, a janitor taking out the garbage, families of other patients.
"You never did like hospitals." Velma commented.
Shaggy chuckled. "Like, no. I've never been in one for a good reason."
"That's not true- what about when Maggie was born?"
She had him there.
"Yeah, like Pops did bring me to see Mom after she was born. So once."
Velma smiled, looking up at him. He'd always been a good brother. It was something she admired about him.
"She'll be a freshman this year, right?"
"Yeah. Can't believe she's 14." He smiled, letting go of the IV stand to run his fingers through his hair.
It was just small talk. Velma was trying desperately to keep his mind off how they wound up here.
Was it him, or for her?
Both she thought solemnly.
He pulled on her hand gently, inviting her to walk with him again.
They made their way around the floor, stopping at each nurses' station. As they rounded the last corner, Shaggy was visibly tired, fighting to keep his eyes open. Velma dropped his hand and reached her arm around him, helping to keep him upright.
"I'm, like, fine, Velms."
She laughed. "Sure, Shag." She gripped firmly as they took their last steps back into the room.
And before them sat Fred and Daphne.
Fred looked shell shocked. Daphne had been crying.
"What happened?!" Velma shouted, making Shaggy flinch.
"You should both sit down." Fred instructed.
Shaggy nodded, and Velma guided him to the bed, taking both hands as he lowered himself onto the bed.
Velma sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at Fred and Daphne expectantly.
The blonde and redhead stared at each other, unsure of how to tell their friends this.
"Daph?" Shaggy asked. "What's going on?"
Daphne sighed, biting her tongue.
"We told Ryan we're off the case." She stated, closing her eyes.
Normally, Velma would have raised hell. It still pained her to give up. She gripped her skirt as she looked Daphne in the eyes and said:
"Good."
Daphne was tearing up again. It was all too much. Fred put his arm around her, anxious to deliver the news.
"We tried." Daphne squeaked.
"What do you mean, tried?" Shaggy wasn't sure if he should be scared or pissed. His voice showed it.
"This is real." Fred started. "There's no asshole in a mask. This… This is a real haunting."
Daphne rubbed her eyes. "Shaggy... You need to know something."
Now Shaggy was scared.
"Mrs. Berkshire's daughter? The one who miscarried? Whatever this thing is… It followed her home."
"What exactly are you saying?" Velma was afraid too.
"It could follow you home too, Shag." Fred finished.
Shaggy felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.
"So I've cursed us all, is what you're saying?" Shaggy said bitterly.
"No!" Daphne cried. "It means…"
"We have to go back. For your sake." Velma finished.