Chapter 32 Bink and Viv Part 5

I coughed, hacked in fact. The pain that had originated in my shoulder was starting to spread to other parts of my body. I tried not to cry at the feeling of it, but that was difficult, borderline impossible. I could say in full confidence that I had never experienced something like this before. I bet, if Vivian hadn't used any healing spells, I'd probably be dead at this very moment.

What a terrifying thought. Groaning, I lay flat on the bed. That was the most comfortable position for me, the only way I didn't feel like I was burning alive. I took deep breaths, hoping that the flow of air would do me some good. Unfortunately, I knew that any good it would do would mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. I was going to die. I knew it deep down in my heart; I was going to die.

I whimpered. There was so much that I wouldn't get to see, so many things on my to-do list that I wouldn't be able to do. That thought, that horrible realization made me want to die faster; at least if I was dead, I wouldn't be saddened by the missed opportunities. Right as I was about to close my eyes to make the dying process go by faster, Vivian came into the room.

"I'm back." She floated over to me with a bag in her hand. I watched as she pulled some Yoshi berries out of it. "I hope… well, you know."

I somehow managed to put on a smile. An incredibly weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Thank you, Vivian." I extended my hand, and she placed the fruit in it. I had to fight through the pain in order to bring the berry to my mouth and take a bite. But honestly, the juicy sweetness, combined with the fact that this berry had been fetched by my amazingly supportive friend, made it worth it in the end. Yoshi berries could always put me in a good mood, and that proved true even as my incredibly short life was coming to an end. And… I liked that. If anything, I could feel glad that I got to experience one final taste of joy, that I got to eat my favorite food one last time.

"Bink, I'm so sorry," Vivian said, sounding as though she was going to collapse.

I looked over at her. She has said those exact words to me multiple times while she used the healing spells on me, and each time she did, the inflection in her voice got more and more distraught. And now that she was saying it again, it sounded like her guilt was eating her alive. I could practically see her guilt looming over her like a dark, shadowy monster. I felt a pang.

"Vivian, you don't have to worry. This wasn't your fault."

"Except it was! I shouldn't have taken you to the shadow dimension! I knew the dangers! I knew the risks! I should've accompanied you while you went exploring! I… I should've…"

"Vivian, stop." I grunted as I tried to sit up. "Vivian, there was no way you could've known that this would happen. You don't have clairvoyance."

Vivian whimpered. "I know. I just… I feel…" She sucked in a breath and stepped closer to my bed. "I don't know what to do! You're going to DIE Bink, and… and…" she whimpered again, the sound wet and full of pain. "This isn't fair! This isn't right! You're young and healthy; you shouldn't die like this! You deserve to live! You… you… you…!"

"Vivian, stop." Despite my pain, I reached out and took her hand. She looked at me with her worried, guilt-ridden eyes. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. You're lying."

I cringed. As much as I wasn't going to admit it to her, Vivian was right. I was lying. I was scared out of my mind. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to die, and what person in the world wouldn't be scared knowing that? I was scared for myself, I was scared for my soul, and I was even scared for Vivian. I truly believed that this wasn't her fault, but I knew that she was probably going to carry the guilt of my death for the rest of her immortal existence.

Which was why I had to do something. I had to do something to help Vivian, something that could potentially give her hope. I racked my brain for what exactly that thing should be when an idea struck me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much this could help my friend. It wouldn't fix things, but it would make things at least a tiny bit more bearable.

"Vivian, can you get my wallet for me please?"

Vivian blinked. She looked confused but nodded regardless. "Whatever you want, Bink." She went over to the door, where my coat was hanging. She rummaged around in the pocket before fishing my wallet out. She brought it over to me, and after I thanked her, I fished my debit card out of one of the compartments. I handed it to her, which made her blink again as she took it from me. "Bink, what are you…?"

"Just take it." Vivian still looked confused above all else, so I decided to explain. "Here's what I want you to do. I want you to take my debit card down to the bank. You know my pin, so I want you to make a withdrawal. Then, I want you to use the money to buy yourself a boat ticket to the Flower Kingdom."

Vivian's eyes grew wide. She stared at me like I had just come out of an alien spaceship. "Bink? I…" she shook her head. "I can't! I can't do that!" She tried handing the debit card back, but I simply pushed her hand away from me and towards her. She started to shake. "That's wrong!"

"No, it's not," I said firmly. "Vivian, listen to me." I looked her straight in the eye. The guilt she felt was palpable, even making me feel bad. But I wasn't going to let that stop me. "You are my best friend. You've stuck by me through everything, both the good stuff and the horrible stuff. And I know how much you dreamed about getting to live in the Flower Kingdom, so I want to help make that dream come true. Go to the Flower Kingdom. Establish a new life for yourself. Do everything that you've ever dreamed of doing, and live your life to the fullest." I smiled at her. "That would make me the happiest man in the world."

Vivian's jaw dropped as she put her hand to her heart. "Bink…" She paused. She looked back down at the debit card, swallowing a lump as a tear fell from her eye. She then looked back at me. "I don't want to leave you," she whispered.

I let out a hollow chuckle. "And I don't want you to see me dying, nor do I want you to feel guilty about this. Again, it wasn't your fault. None of this is your fault, and I want you to know that. I want you to know that deep down, you know what I mean?"

Vivian took in a shaky breath. She looked at me, and I gave her a smile. I did it despite my pain, despite my terror. If there was one thing that could make this whole process easier, it was the knowledge that my good and beautiful friend would be able to live her own life. After everything, after every last horrible thing that happened, Vivian deserved that. All she needed to do was realize it.

"It'll be okay, Vivian." This time, when I said that, I wasn't lying at all. Sure, I was still scared, but the idea of Vivian getting to live in her own personal paradise brought me peace. "I promise you that it's all going to be okay. And I also want you to know this…" I scooted closer to the edge of my bed. "You've done me so much good. You are an amazing person and an amazing friend. The steps you were willing to take in order to make me happy are incredible. This is just me returning the favor." I smiled. "I want you to be happy, Vivian. I want that more than anything else in the world."

Vivian got one more look at my debit card before looking back at me. She floated closer to my side, looking like she was caught between emotions. She slowly raised herself toward me and kissed me on the forehead.

"Thank you, Bink," she said softly. She pulled away, the smallest traces of a smile showing through on her face. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome. Thank you for staying by my side for the past two years." I let out a breath. "Now go. Get out of here."

"But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me. Worry about getting to the Flower Kingdom." I smiled. "Think Flower Kingdom, Vivian. Think Flower Kingdom."

Vivian wiped a tear from her eye. "Alright." With one last nod in my direction in my direction, she made her way out the bedroom door. Once she was gone, I smiled. She was going to be fine. That thought, nay, that FACT brought me more comfort than anything else in the world. With the smile still on my face, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

…

Finally, Pom Pom and Wendy got brought out of the memory. It was a disorienting experience to be sure, both because of the sheer impact of coming back out into the real world but also because of… well, the memories themselves. Pom Pom's jaw dropped, and she looked down at the memory sphere for the better part of six minutes.

"Well. That was… something," Wendy said. She looked over at Pom Pom. "Are you okay?"

Pom Pom didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything, there was nothing to say. She slowly turned her head away from the memory sphere and toward Bink's bones. Looking at them after seeing everything… somehow, the answers she had regarding Bink's undeath hurt more than the questions.

"Pom Pom, are you okay?"

Pom Pom frowned and put her hand to her heart. She felt like the weight of the world was being laid right on top of her head. "I don't know."

Wendy scooted closer. "Do you need anything?" She paused. "Do you want to talk about this?"

Pom Pom was so shocked she could barely even consider that suggestion. She sighed and hung her head. "I don't know."

Wendy frowned. "I see." She sat in place for a minute, not doing or saying anything. "Well… at least now we know exactly what happened. We have the definite answers. And, on top of that, now we know for certain that Vivian is in the Flower Kingdom! That's a good thing!" She paused again. "Right?"

"I don't even know," Pom Pom said as she shook her head. "I don't know how to feel about any of this. Especially…" She paused. She ran through everything that she had seen at least a million times over the course of a single minute. "I don't even know."

Wendy reached out and put her hand on Pom Pom's shoulder. "I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to be, Wendy." She bit her lip. "This whole thing is a mess. It's just a confusing, disorienting mess." She looked down at the memory sphere again. "I don't know how to feel about it. I just…" She yawned. "I just want to go back to the hotel."

Wendy sighed. "I don't blame you." She rose to her feet. "Let's go. If we're quick enough, we can get some sleep before we need to head back out."

Pom Pom nodded.