Gumball felt slightly uncomfortable as he awoke from his slumber.
"Goodness, how long have I been out? Why am I bandaged up?!...oh right..."
The flashes of the incident played through Gumball's mind, the scratch of the large bear was excruciatingly painful, his nervous system overridden by the pain sent him into a state of shock, and passing out.
Slowly, he rose the upper portion of his body to an upright position. But something was different...the sharp pain he had felt last night seemed to be non-existent as of now.
"Well, that's a great sign! I wonder how it healed so fast..."
Suddenly, across the room, a familiar face immediately grabbed his attention. His mother, Nicole, was in a peaceful and tranquil rest in the recliner chair she was sleeping in.
Gumball positioned his body and feet towards the floor of the massive living room, the sunroof allowing a bright beam of sunlight into the room below. He picked up the blanket he had been sleeping with and grabbed a fresh T-Shirt his mother had placed next to him, presuming if he had recovered and wanted to cover the bandage wrapped around his chest. He softly walked over and placed the blanket over his mother, who was cuddled into the corner of the chair, softly breathing.
"Don't worry Mom, I'm alright...somehow..."
Gumball then redirected himself towards the kitchen. He retrieved two mugs from the upper cupboard next to the sink, and prepared a fresh brew in the coffee machine.
"How close was I to death? Was it really that traumatizing to everyone else?"
The incident replayed in segments in his mind constantly, the momentary pain, and then the warm and blissful embrace of peace. Afterwards, waking up just moments ago, these were the only recollection of current events he had; besides the attack where he was protecting-
"Tristan! I was protecting Tristan!"
Gumball then slumped against the counter.
"He-he-he would have died had I not jumped in front of him..."
Gumball then started to sob quietly, but was relieved to know that his son was okay.
After regaining his composure, he stirred and mixed the sugar into both mugs, the memories of him waking up during his high school mornings, to enjoy a conversation with his mother before they both made their daily commutes; were starting to return once more.
The warm hazelnut flavor danced across the feline's nose, causing the saliva in his mouth to form and percolate from the glands.
He carefully walked out into the living room, and placed his mother's mug onto the countertop next to where she was sleeping.
As he sat down on the sofa adjacent to the blue feline, he watched her, as he drifted off into his thoughts once again.
"Just like old times hey Mom? Except this time I wasn't faking a temperature to stay home from school..."
He smiled, as he continued to drink his coffee. Eventually, he finished the last drop in the mug. He walked over to Nicole and gently planted a kiss on her forehead, as he went back into the kitchen to rinse any remnants of coffee stains from the mug in the sink.
He made his way up the grand staircase, snoring could be heard the entire length of the hallway as he walked down towards the bedroom where Penny slept. He slowly creaked open the door to find Penny and the kids had been sleeping.
"They must have been worried sick about me!"
Gumball made his way toward the washroom and gently closed the door. He removed his T-shirt to inspect his bandage. Thoroughly, blood was stained from the waist length of his stomach to his upper torso. He carefully maneuvered his paw to the bandage and slowly peeled off the thick layers that were placed onto him by the family. Once fully off, he was able to fully assess the extent of the damage inflicted upon him.
A large brutal scar lay across his chest, blood still soaked into his fur. He touched the wound with a claw to test how sensitive to pain it was.
"Well the pain is gone, that rules out infection and signals the beginning of the healing process, however I still need to address the abundance of blood on me. I need to have a shower."
With that, Gumball removed his clothes and turned on the dial to the shower; as he stepped in.
Meanwhile, a small blue feline lay in bed with his Mother's arm around him as he softly purred in his sleep, but it was not a pleasant slumber.
Within his nightmare he was once again confronted by the mother bear, but this time, was cornered between her and a large sequoia tree. The bear prepared a massive strike, with Tristan closing his eyes just before impact. Once again he felt nothing, opening his eyes to see the bear had disappeared.
"What happened?"
Visibly confused and distraught, the small feline then noticed his Father on the ground, once again motionless. He knelt down to check on the larger blue feline, but was abruptly taken aback by his father, who was moving his head in a very erratic and artificial fashion, almost like a possessed puppet without anyone controlling his strings.
"Why did you not heed my warning Tristan?"
Tristan now with tears streaming down his face was now trying to embrace his father, but was only met with the vacant expanse of the air around him. He desperately wanted to say sorry to his Father, but at every opportunity he was cut off by the condemning statements his Father made, along with the tears and utter sorrow preventing the words from escaping his mouth.
"Dad I-"
"I told you it was late and dark, but still you and the others pressed onwards, why?"
The small kitten was now truly feeling the overwhelming darkness envelope around him, now shielding his eyes out of fear.
"I could be dead by now, are you willing to go and check downstairs, or is the burden of guilt too much?"
The small feline now wanted out of the nightmare immediately, he knew this was not his father, but rather his subconscious playing a sadistic trick on him.
"I died and it's all your fault!"
Suddenly the blue kitten was back in his father's and mother's bedroom, drenched in cold sweat.
"DAD!"
He shouted, as he was gasping for air.
Penny was suddenly startled, along with Penelope next to her.
"What's wrong sweetie?"
Penny was soon embraced by a hug, now realizing what had happened.
"Shhhhh, it was only a dream, don't worry Mom is here..."
"It was...*sniff* so bad Mom, I relived a very distorted version of Dad saving me from the bear...I hope he's alright..."
The yellow fairy held her son tightly in her arms.
"I hope so too sweetie...I hope so too..."
Penelope, who was also comforting her mother and brother, now noticed that the bathroom fan and light were on, along with the shower running.
"Uh, Mom? Someone is in the bathroom..."
Penny then looked over towards the washroom.
"It couldn't be..."
Suddenly the shower turned off and someone had stepped out.
After a few minutes of rummaging from within the bathroom, the eyes of the yellow fairy and her kids fixated on the door, a blue feline emerged from the washroom, dawned in a fresh new pair of Vacation clothes, which consisted of sneakers, jeans, and a replica of the beige sweater that was similar to the one he wore as a kid.
"OH MY GOODNESS, GUMBALL!"
Penny and the kids jumped out of bed immediately and ran to the blue cat, tackling him to the floor.
"Dad you're okay! You're actually okay!"
Gumball was surprised by the reception to his recovery, and was loving every moment of it.
"Woah, hey guys! Sorry for the scare! I'm alright though!"
His wife and kids were crying tears of joy at the sight of him being okay. The commotion was also heard by everyone in the house in the nearby vicinity of the room.
"Gummypuss!"
Nicole was now rushing into the room to hug her son, who was now standing on the floor.
"Hey Mom! I made you a cup of coffee while you were asleep..."
Nicole wiped away a tear from her eyes and just continued to hug and embrace her son. She was terrified she had lost him.
"Thank you...but I'm even more glad that you're okay...I was so worried!"
Darwin, Richard, and Anais soon joined in on the hug, older in flesh, but the spiritual bond never having been broken, despite it being such a long time since they were together. When all three young adults waved goodbye to the pink bunny and blue cat on the front porch of their old house, as the three were bound for college.
Carrie then stepped in.
"Sorry to interrupt guys, but I must ask a question to Gumball!"
Gumball then stepped out from the group.
"Did the healing potion help ease the pain?"
Gumball then understood what truly stopped him from dying, without Carrie's potion he probably would have died from blood loss, and still be on the couch with the family reacting in a much more unimaginable and horrific manner than what was transpiring in the room now.
"Carrie! I should have known your alchemy skills were at play somehow when my wound was not feeling like as if I had been stabbed by a million bayonets!"
Carrie then flicked her bang.
"Well it was a pretty close call, not only were you moments away from dying, but I had only one potion left in stock in my bad had I used it on anything else; we would not be having this conversation."
Everybody gasped as they heard the female ghost's remarks.
"Well that's a soothing thought...I guess...hey I must ask you guys, what day of the month is it?"
Suddenly the emotional tension of the room was snapped in half when everyone starting laughing at the blue cat's question.
Gumball provided a confused expression.
"Was it something I said?"
Anais then regained her composure and spoke.
"It's just that it's rather abrupt to ask about what day of the month it is when having a near death experience, wouldn't you agree?"
Gumball then chuckled slightly.
"Heh, I guess so...but really we have little control over when we're going to kick the bucket, we just have to make sure we cherish the moments of those around us, after all, monetary value and materialistic items are not what counts in my view, not the long shifts, nor the pay stub, but the contribution of those you leave behind in the end. For that, if saving my son and family from being harmed was my last act of drawing breath on this Earth, then I wouldn't have had it any other way."
The room went silent once again.
Nicole then stepped in front of her son and placed a paw on his cheek.
"We're all glad to have you back Gumball..."
As everyone soon gathered for a group hug around the two cats.
"Really though, what is the day of this month?"
Gumball asked, as everyone let out another spontaneous orchestra of laughter.
Under the breath of his laughter, Darwin checked his phone.
"It's July 3rd!"
Gumball's eyes opened wide, along with everyone else.
"THE FESTIVAL!"
Everyone shouted in excitement.
"Wow, time really flew by on this vacation, huh?"
Gumball exclaimed, as he put a paw on his forehead.
"It really did, but it's not over yet! In my opinion, it's only just beginning, the festival is really a beautiful and wonderful spectacle! Plenty of games and rides for the entire family. I believe there's even a Daisy the Donkey ride as well!"
Penelope's and Anastasia's eyes then lit up with excitement when Anais spoke of this.
"A Daisy the Donkey ride! We love that show!"
Gumball then chuckled.
"I guess we know where you three are headed to, right sis?"
Anais rolled her eyes and smiled at her brother.
"There's also plenty of food for us to enjoy when we're there, so we don't have to worry about dinner before we leave, and of course there's the main focus of the festival; the dance. We always have beautiful musical acts that come to our little town to kick off the 4th of July!"
Everyone was really anticipating going, and it was only a day away.
"Mmmmmmm food..."
Richard was soon salivating next to Nicole, who rolled her eyes.
"Richard, remember what the dietician and cardiologist told you? You cannot exceed 4,000 calories or you'll be heading back to what you were before we started this program!"
Richard frowned, before Nicole turned the pink bunny towards her.
"But that doesn't mean you cannot have any food."
Nicole then gave a kiss to Richard on the lips.
"Uh, Mom there are kids in the room..."
Nicole then realized the setting, and quickly pulled away blushing.
"Oh right...sorry about that everyone..."
Gumball, Anais, and Darwin smiled.
"It's okay, this vacation has really put into perspective how important family is!"
Anais stated, as Darwin and Gumball nodded in agreement.
"With that being said, I believe the last day in this lake house should be spent enjoying the rest it has to offer. Swimming, board games, catch, sunbathing, whatever we feel like, let's all do it!"
The rest of the Watterson family then cheered when Gumball said this and exited the room.
Penny then stopped Gumball before he exited the room.
She then dragged him into a long passionate kiss.
"I took a bit of inspiration from your Mom."
Gumball chuckled.
"I guess you did."
"We're glad to have you back honey."
"I'm glad to be back."
Gumball then exited the room, as Penny watched him go towards the attic.
Admiring him for a few more moments, she then turned back towards the washroom to get prepared for the rest of the day.
Gumball then pulled down the steps to the attic.
"What are you doing?"
Anais then walked up to him.
"Oh hey Anais, I'm just going to check if I missed anything important up here since it's our last full day with the lake house, would you like to join in?"
Anais nodded.
"Sure I'll join you!"
Both sister and brother now ascended the ladder to the attic.
"Certainly is clean for a house that's been here for so long!"
Gumball then smiled.
"Yeah Darwin and Tristan were up here with me earlier, it was pretty cluttered, until Darwin cleaned it all up!"
The blue cat and pink bunny then walked around the attic, assessing what was around that caught or peaked their interest. Suddenly, an object caught Gumball's attention in the far corner of the attic behind a piece of a furniture set.
"Huh, didn't notice that when we were up here..."
Gumball walked over and picked up the box, carefully placing it onto a wooden table with two chairs on the wooden floor of the attic.
As he lifted the lid, he found an envelope laying inside. On the letter was labelled "To my family", the postage stamp had the date 1975.
"Gee, this was written in the same year Mom was born!"
Anais then took an eager turn of expression.
"Should we open it?"
Gumball then raised an eyebrow.
"Strange for Anais Watterson to be full of anticipation to open a package, you certainly weren't when we accidentally received Mr. Robinson's on our doorstep as kids!"
"Yeah, well I'm curious with an envelope, completely unrelated to a package that is ominously placed on a doorstep and unmarked with god knows what in it!"
Gumball then looked back to the envelope.
"Alright, let's see what we have here..."
Gumball carefully pealed the seal of the envelope to find a letter.
Both brother and sister began to read the contents of the letter.
"Dear Denise, I'm sorry that I was unable to fulfill the wishes of you and the kids. I wanted to provide the best for you guys, and I guess I prioritized work over...how would you say it? "Smelling the Roses?". Anyway, after my thyroid cancer diagnosis, I realized that my time was short on this green and blue dot. So I leave this lake house and its contents to you and the kids. It should be a quiet place for you and them to live, and it's certainly spacious for them to invite their friends over. There's also a quaint little town called Reedsville nearby, with all the necessities you need. Not as much as Elmore mind you, but it has a school, hospital, and shopping centers with antique stores, all the while being nestled in the national park. I've also left you a present, in the corner of the attic you should find a key, remember how you wanted to ride the hot rod my Dad had in his garage? Well it's yours! I love you baby, I always will. Until we meet again, I love you and the children very much.
With greatest love and sincerity, Justin."
Both Gumball and Anais turned to stare at one another.
"Wow..."
Anais exclaimed with shock.
"Poor guy, he truly tried his best but could never-"
Gumball stopped. This was a reflection of what could have been the case with himself. He kept putting off a vacation with his family because of work, and was unable to find a gap or the off time to plan one. If his Mother and Penny hadn't arranged the surprise back at home, would all of this been possible? Would the memories resonate with their family in the future when they look back to the good times in old age?
Gumball placed the letter back in the box and kept it by his side.
"One thing I am not certain about is how they did not receive this letter...I found the key in the corner in which the letter stated, and the garage interior was never touched. How?"
Gumball pondered this thought, until Anais stepped in.
"Most likely misplaced? Interruptions with moving and the postal service are very likely possibilities, he could have also frequented working out of town a majority of his life, and never was able to deliver the letter to his family due to his strenuous work schedule."
Gumball and Anais sat in silence for a few moments.
"Well, perhaps when we get back home I'll ask a few of the old folks and see if they knew a couple by the names of Denise and Justin, perhaps I can find one of their kids and deliver it to them."
Gumball and Anais then made their way to the step ladder out of the attic.
(If It's a Great Day to be Alive by Travis Tritt is compatible with your device, please press play now)
Gumball and Anais descended down the attic ladder, with Gumball taking the paw of Anais to support her on the last few steps.
"Thanks."
"No problem, Sis."
As both parted ways, they conducted the rest of their day with leisure.
Games were played.
Movies were watched.
Swimming in the lake was a given.
Stories were exchanged.
Overall, the Watterson family enjoyed every second of the vacation they were on together, but there was one last hoorah before it was all said and done, and the Watterson's were going to be the life of the Reedsville Music Festival.
Evening soon approached, as everyone was changing into their nighttime attire for one last time at the lake house.
"Goodnight everyone!"
"Goodnight Dad!"
"Goodnight Uncle Gumball!"
The kids exclaimed, as Gumball slowly shut the door to the kids room.
He made his way down the hallway, where Gumball saw his mother and father about to enter their room.
"Goodnight Mom! Goodnight Dad! Excited for tomorrow?"
Richard piped in.
"Of course we are! We're going to enjoy the 4th of July with a wonderful music festival, games, entertainment, rides, and food! What more could you ask for?"
Nicole then leaned against the pink bunny.
"Family?"
The Pink Bunny then placed a finger on his chin.
"Oh...yeah that too!"
As he retreated back into the bedroom.
Gumball chuckled, as Nicole rolled her eyes and gave a begrudging smile.
"Never change, Richard..."
With that Nicole turned back to her son, Gumball, the young man who was once the troublemaking child she had to keep an eye on...but loved for his adorable childish antics and personality, as well as being her firstborn child.
"Well Gummypuss, are you in condition to dance and join in on the fun tomorrow with your injuries?"
"Yeah! I'm glad you mentioned that actually, it's practically healed by now all thanks to you guys, the remnants of a pretty cool scar are all that remains!"
As the blue cat partially lifted his pajama shirt to show that he indeed had endured a pretty visually appealing scar across his stomach and chest.
"Well it did indeed heal well! I'm very relieved to know you're okay!"
Gumball then smiled.
"And thank you for checking up on me throughout the night."
Nicole then wrapped her arms around her son and pulled him in for a hug.
"It's what mother's do, now we don't want to miss out on tomorrow's sights and sounds, so we better prepare for bed!"
"Alright, goodnight Mom."
"Goodnight, Gumball."
Gumball made his way towards his and Penny's bedroom, and carefully shut the door.
Penny had just been checking "Elmore-stream-it", to catch up on one of her T.V programs she had been watching back at home in Elmore.
"Oh hi honey, all ready for tomorrow?"
Gumball smiled.
"As ready as I'll ever be I guess, say I've been meaning to show you something that I had brought along for the vacation, and I figured this would be the perfect time to do it as it's our last night here."
Gumball then went over to one of the suitcases that he had brought along on the field trip, and pulled out an album.
"Oh! Is that your family album your mom gave you as a parting gift for college?"
Penny asked, as Gumball pulled in alongside her in bed.
"Indeed it is! I thought I would show you some of our best moments that we all had together in that house and together as a family!"
Soon, the next few minutes were filled with the memories of the old Watterson family of yesterday, Gumball's and Darwin's antics, the family pictures, the mini vacations, baby photos, first dates, High School prom and graduation. It was all there to be absorbed back into the synapses of the blue feline, who smiled as he explained each photo to the sweetheart and love of his life.
"Wow, despite everything you were a very loving family!"
"I guess we were..."
Penny leaned in to give a kiss on the cheek of the feline, who then blushed.
"Maybe we can create a photo album of our own when we get back, and carry on the tradition you guys started!"
Gumball smiled.
"That's sounds like a great idea, Penny!"
"Thanks honey...now we better get our rest if we're going to have the energy to experience everything tomorrow, it's going to be a LONG day!"
Penny shut off the lights as they both cuddled in with one another, the calm moonlight as it had done so many times before; shone through the window to calmly illuminate the room and couple.
"Well Mr. Watterson I guess you have 8 lives now...or did those near death experiences with Darwin count as a kid? Ah what the heck, I guess we'll say I have 8 lives left over!"
*END OF CHAPTER*