Penny was up half of the night. Her legs hurt, as if she was standing for a long long time, even though she barely was that day. She kept tossing and turning in the bed, waking up Gumball after the 15th time resituating.
"Penny, is something wrong?" he asked, turning to her.
"I... I-I just... I d-don't know. I-I'm just... I just feel bad right now.. not guilt.. my legs a-are just... they're aching... f-for no reason... little chilly... stomach h-hurts a little..."
Gumball turned to her entirely and rubbed her face a little bit.
She closed her eyes slightly, "That feels good, t-thanks, Gummy."
Gumball smiled slightly, "You're welcome, Penny." And frowned again.
"I-I feel sick," Penny sat up slightly.
"Do you need the trash can?" Gumball replied.
"I-I don't know," Penny replied, grasping her stomach.
Gumball looked at her concerned, "Penny?"
"G-Gummy," she said quickly, "C-Can you help me... t-to the bathroom?"
Gumball nodded and stood up. He grabbed her hand as she went to stand up and grabbed her arms gently, and slowly helped her out of the bedroom, and down the hall to the bedroom. He opened the door and helped her inside, closing it behind him. He walked her to the toilet. She sat down and rested her head against her arm.
"Do you want some Tylenol?" Gumball asked.
Penny nodded. Gumball exited the bathroom and headed downstairs, grabbed water and a Tylenol pill, and walked back up the stairs and entered the bathroom again. He handed her the pill and the water. She put the pill in and swallowed it, and followed it with water. She coughed a little and handed the glass back to Gumball.
"You okay?" he asked.
She shrugged, "I-I don't know..."
"Do you want to-"
Penny jerked her head over the bowl and threw up a little. She coughed a bit and threw up again. Some of it was red.
Gumball noticed it and panicked, "I-Is that blood?"
"N-No, I-I don't t-think so," Penny replied, wiping her mouth, "It might be t-the koolaid I h-had last night."
"I'm gonna call Ember," Gumball said, heading into his bedroom and grabbing the phone.
I'm a bun, I'm a bun, I'm a tasty, tasty bun. To be baked and kneaded, oh, how fun, you can have me with breakfast, have me with brunch, you can have me with your dinner, you can have me with your lunch. I'm a bun, I'm a bun, I'm a tasty, tasty bun!
"I think she's asleep," Gumball noted, entering the bathroom again.
Penny sighed, flushed, and stood up, "I-It's fine. L-Let's just go b-back to bed."
"Okay," Gumball replied, noticing the stuttering. He held Penny's hand again as he helped her back to the bedroom.
The next day...
"Do you have a three?" Gumball asked Darwin.
"Nope," Darwin replied, "Go fish."
"Aw man," Gumball replied, reaching for the card deck.
"Uh, D-Darwin, do y-you have an, uh, eight?" Penny asked.
"Nope. Go fish," Darwin replied.
"Aw," Penny replied, reaching for the card deck.
Gumball, who had just released his hand from the deck, felt Penny's hand slide across his as they met ways for a slight millisecond. Her hand was cold, and the room was warm.
"Penny, your hand is cold."
"Yeah, a little cold today," Penny replied, her voice weak.
"You just had a shedding season," Gumball said, "I know good and well this isn't what's going on."
Penny stood up, "I'm fine. Maybe I just need water." As Penny started taking a few steps, her vision became blurry, her breathing decreased, but not completely. Before Gumball knew it, she was on the floor. He ran over to her and felt her forehead. It was burning up.
Loss of consciousness.
She was unconscious.
High temperature.
He felt her forehead. It was hot. Burning, even.
Breathlessness.
He put his ear on her chest.
Cold skin.
He felt her hand.
Fast heartbeat.
Her heart was racing.
Penny woke up. She turned her head to Gumball. "W-Why a-m I -I on th-th-th-he flo-fl-floor?"
Confusion. Slurred speech.
Sepsis.
"Penny... y-you have... you... no... " Gumball took a deep breath. His voice was super shakey, "No..."
"Should I get Mrs. Mom?" Darwin asked.
"Call the ambulance, Darwin!" Gumball shouted, holding on tight to Penny's hand.
"Okay, okay!" Darwin shouted back. He opened his phone and dialled the number.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"My brother's girlfriend has symptoms of sepsis. We need-"
"SEND AN AMBULANCE!" Gumball cried.
"Yeah, what he yelled," Darwin continued.
"Alright. Can you stay on the line for me?"
"Yeah."
"Penny, can you hear me?" Gumball asked.
"Y-Ye-eah," she slurred, "B-But what ha-app-ppened?"
Gumball sighed and slapped a tear off of his face, "I-I think you have sepsis..."
"B-But I c-can't," Penny replied, "Y-You wo-would h-ha-have to r-reli-live th-the b-bad mem-memory w-with m-me."
"Well, I'll be here for you," Gumball tightened his grip on Penny's hand.
Penny smiled slightly, "T-Than-thanks G-Gum-my."
"When's the ambulance get here?" Gumball asked.
"Any minute now," Darwin replied.
Suddenly, paramedics shot through the door with medical kids. Penny's eyes shut as she slipped into unconsciousness again. Gumball moved out of the way and went to Darwin as the paramedics listened for a heartbeat.
"Time of death," a paramedic said, not detecting any heartbeat or pulse, "16:22."
Gumball's heart ripped out of his chest as he sobbed hard, holding onto Darwin as the paramedics took Penny away.
Gumball then remembered something. His head shot up, off of Darwin.
"Uh oh," Darwin responded, "What's the idea?"
"Ember! T-The potion!" Gumball grabbed Darwin's fin tightly and ran out of the house as fast as he could.
"What are we doing?"
"The potion Ember used on me, she can make another and use it on Penny," Gumball explained.
Darwin sighed. They reached Ember's house and knocked on the door.
"I'd never love someone, who flirts and then forgets me," Ember sang, "Whose eyes do not deceive me. Na-nana-nanana." She continued with a hum.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Coming!" Ember shouted, from the kitchen. She dried off her hands as another knock came through, but louder.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Fucking hell, I'm coming!" Ember repeated herself, letting go of the rag and heading to the front door. She opened it to see Gumball rushing inside.
"O...kay," Ember responded, moving out of the way so Darwin could enter. He entered and closed the door behind him.
"Mornin'," Ember greeted.
"Afternoon," Darwin replied.
"Eveni-"
"I can't find it," Gumball said, turning to Ember, "Where is it? Where's the potion?"
"What potion?" Ember asked.
"Penny's dead, and I need that potion that you made for me to bring me back. Where is it?"
"Wait, what?" Ember replied.
"Just tell me!" Gumball shouted, "Where is it?"
"Gumball, that was years ago. We'd need a new potion. Plus, the ingredients I need are far, far away."
"Then, I guess we're going far, far away," Gumball sassed.
"Gumball, it's dangerous," Ember replied, "What if it doesn't go right?"
"It went right last time," Gumball reminded her.
"I know it did," Ember replied, "But sometimes it won't work the second time."
"Can you just try?" Gumball begged, "Please, Ember."
Ember sighed, "Fine." And teleported Darwin, Gumball, and her, all to her lab.
"Where is it?" Gumball asked, looking around desperately.
"Gumball, calm down," Ember demanded, "I have a few instructions for it. Maybe tweak it, but have the same... effects? I'll figure something else. For now, go home to Isabella. She might have questions."
Gumball nodded, "Y-Yeah," he wiped his tears, "I-I'll tell her... b-but how?"
"Just... you're smart, you got this," Ember assured.
"Still feels weird for him to be called smart," Darwin joked, Ember teleporting them both to the house. Ember stood there for a few seconds, before coming up with an idea. She grabbed a potion bottle, a book, and teleported to Mrs. Jötunheim's cave.
"Mrs. Jötunheim," Ember called out, hoping she was home. She heard faint footsteps and was relieved.
"Jötunheim, I need some potion ingredients, it's for Penny, she's dead and Gumball wants me to make the same potion I used on him during his funeral. I need a tear, I need a toenail of a leopard, and somehow some snow from the Arctic. Not to mention Penny skin. Good thing I saved some," she said, opening one of the bottles she had grabbed on her way there, "I just need snow from the Arctic, and a leopard's toenail. Got one?"
"Hold your horses there, sweetie," Jötunheim said, walking into the main compartment, "How big of a piece do you need?"
"Doesn't really matter," Ember replied, "I just need a leopard toenail."
"I got plenty," Jötunheim stated, grabbing a bottle out of a cabinet drawer.
"Hey, can I.. pick up Isabella early?"
"Yeah, of course. What's the reason?"
"Her, uh... her mother just died.." Gumball managed to say.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear that," the daycare worker replied.
"It's fine," Gumball replied.
"Izzy, your Dad's here," the worker called, Izzy rushing to the exit.
"Daddy! Daddy! Me and Bracia made a sandcastle today!"
"That's awesome," Gumball smiled slightly.
Izzy noticed his sadness, "Daddy, what's wrong?"
"Come with me, Izzy," Gumball said, picking Izzy up and taking her outside.
"Daddy?" Izzy called quietly, really concerned.
"Uhm, t-this evening... uh.." Gumball stuttered, "Your mom... uh... she passed away.."
"Passed away? What does that mean?"
"She's no longer with us," Gumball replied.
"So, she's like... far, far away?"
Gumball sighed, "Something like that... but you'll never be able to see her again."
"What? Why? Why can't she visit us?" Izzy asked.
"Well... do you remember.. when Greyson and Naima... was.. uhm... dead?"
"Yeah," Izzy replied, "Everyone was so sad."
"Your mom is like them," he said, "uh, her heart stopped beating and... her l.. lungs... they, uh..."
"Daddy, why are you crying?"
Gumball wiped a tear, "N-Nothing, Izzy. I'm.. I-I'm fine..." and sniffled.
Izzy hugged Gumball tight, "It's okay, Daddy. If you don't wanna explain, you don't have to." She let go and kissed his cheek cutely, "I understand."
"Oh, I love you, Isabella," Gumball smiled.
"I love you, too, Daddy."
"...and then you mix and... boom!" Jötunheim dipped the bottle in the cauldron and handed it to Ember, "There ya go."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jötunheim. You have no idea how helpful this is," Ember smiled.
"Of course," Jötunheim replied.
Ember grabbed the potion and teleported back to her house. "Now to get Penny."
She teleported Penny's body bag in front of her. She took a deep breath and unzipped it.
"It's alright, Pen. It's for Gumball," she spoke to herself. She opened the lid for the potion, and poured it on Penny. She crossed her fingers for a slight moment and unravelled them. She put the potion bottle in the kitchen and washed her hands. She dried it off when Penny peeked through the kitchen door frame.
"So... what now?" Penny asked.
"I guess just surprise Gumball," Ember replied, turning to her.
"Did you know that a shrimp's heart is in its head?" Penny asked, completely off-topic.
"O...kay," Ember replied, "No, I didn't. Why was that off-topic?"
Penny shrugged, "Just thought of it."
Ember then realised something.
The potion had a side effect.
Even Gumball's one.
"Okay, so this is crazy, but the potion... has an effect. The one I used on Gumball did, too. Did you ever wonder how Gumball got so smart?"
"That makes sense," Penny replied, "Also, a pig cannot look up at the sky."
"I'm guessing since you're already smart, the potion made you a genius. You could become a scientist."
"Nah," Penny replied.
Ember giggled, "Jokin'. Anyways, I'mma call Gumball over." Ember nodded at Penny while grabbing the phone and dialling Gumball's number.
Gumball's phone rang as he got out of the shower. He quickly dried off, put his clothes on, and jogged into his bedroom. He grabbed his phone and answered it.
"Hello?" he spoke into the phone.
"Gumball.. I, uh, I need you... at my house... like, right now."
"Did the potion work?"
"It, uh... just... just come over."
Gumball hung up the phone and rushed out of the house.
He opened the door and looked at Ember, "Ember, did the potion work?"
"We need to talk," she said, mysteriously. Gumball closed the door as Penny followed him over to Ember.
"What is it?" Gumball asked.
"Okay, so remember potion one? I used on you?"
"Yeah," Gumball replied, "Four years ago."
"It had a side effect."
"I never felt one," Gumball noted.
"That's because the side effect was... neurologically. No, that's not the word... the effect was against the brain... the... intelligence quarter. Y'know?"
"So that's what made me smart?" Gumball asked.
Ember nodded, "Indeed. Watch."
"Lego mini-figures have the largest population on Earth," Penny smiled, sending Gumball's face to face her.
"Penny!" Gumball stood up and hugged her tight. Ember smiled.
"Ah, a family," Ember giggled, rubbing her stomach.
That night, Ember was washing dishes before going to bed. She didn't realise how late it was when she finished the last dish.
She dried it off, washed her hands, and put the rag up. She yawned and exited the kitchen while singing.
"Heart beats fast. Colours and promises. How to be brave, how can I love when I'm afraid to fall but watching you stand alone, all of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow... one step closer... nanana banana naaaananaan banana banana naaaanana..." Ember walked over to her bedroom door and entered.
Alana was already asleep. Ember walked over to her and cuddled up with her before closing her eyes.
Then...
boom.
Her water broke.
At 23 weeks pregnant.