{{AUTHOR'S NOTE: Even if the Earth-3 continuity calls for it, I just cannot bring myself to kill off the Julie Stovall character. So readers of this thread will have to settle for the following...}}
Ben Twist and Nate Anderson explained the situation to Eric as he got dressed in the back seat of Ben's car on the way to Moon Lake General Hospital. Julie Stovall, his potential girlfriend before Eric changed his mind and decided to become a werewolf in order to better help others in the future after the tragic death of his father William Anderson, was in the Intensive Care Unit, with no one having a clear explanation of why her health was so poor.
"No matter what anyone says, even if I can't actually be held responsible, I'm still the catalyst for this situation," realized Eric, trying on some of his late father's things because they were the only clothing that would accommodate his new, post-transformation body. "Julie obviously had hopes and dreams of the two of us in the future, and as far as she's concerned, I ruined them and basically told her I didn't care by becoming a werewolf instead of a were-merman like she wanted me to."
"That may be how she sees it," agreed his older brother Nate, "but you had to do what's best for you."
"Mother Frances the therapist even agreed and signed off on your plans for the future," Ben reminded his passenger. "It's not anyone's fault Julie took it the wrong way and reacted the way she did."
"Hey, you've even got me thinking about joining the police force myself after I graduate high school," admitted Nate. "Wouldn't that be a kick? TWO Andersons on the force?"
"I thought you wanted to be the mascot for the Minnesota Timber Wolves," said Eric. "That's all you've ever talked about since we were kids."
"Times change, and the future remains to be seen," was all Nate said, thinking about their deceased father.
Arriving at their destination, the two older teenagers escorted Eric to the ICU ward, where everyone else was waiting. The three of them could see the Stovalls, the Twists, and Martha Anderson looking tired and worried. There was another man with them, who identified himself as Doctor Tora Tachibana.
After a brief update (no change in Julie's condition) and explaining what Eric needed to do, the new werewolf of Moon Lake said, "I value Julie's friendship. Next to the Twists, she's the only friend I really had here." Before now, he almost added, as a brief flash of Cassie O'Sullivan with and without fur crossed Eric's mind. "I can reassure Julie all you want me to, but our... relationship wasn't at a point yet where I could honestly say I was in love with her, or even on my way to truly feeling that."
"I see," said Doctor Tachibana. "Well, every were species approaches the subjects of love and mating differently. In the case of were-mers, they have this strong belief system concerning love at first sight and soul mates, even long before the couple actually declare their feeling for each other. The main thing to do while you're in there is to stay positive and upbeat. We all want Julie to get better."
"Me too," agreed Eric, staring at the door to Julie's room. "But I'm not sure I can go through with this. Can Doctor Twist accompany me?"
From her location sitting near the Stovalls, Frances looked up at hearing her name. "If you want me to and Doctor Tachibana says it's okay," agreed Frances, rising and coming near them.
Tachibana nodded his assent before saying, "We'll stand quietly in the corner and monitor the situation, but I'm afraid the rest is up to you young man."
The doctors stood near the door as Eric took a step closer to the hospital bed. Julie just laid there, connected to all the monitors.
Eric shook his head in disbelief. This was a far cry from the alive and exciting Julie Stovall he remembered. Then he summoned his courage, walked to the right side of her bed, and took Julie's right hand in both of his.
For a while Eric just stood there holding her hand, as if trying to fill Julie with new life. In truth, it was because he didn't know what to say.
Then Julie started to stir a little. "E-Eric...." she moaned in a weak voice, her eyes still closed.
"I'm right here Julie," he replied, holding her hand a little tighter to assure Julie of his presence.
"I-I had the most h-horrible... nightmare..." her voice drifted again.
"Sshh. It's okay. It's all over now," said Eric, briefly moving his left hand up to brush the matted blonde hair away from Julie's face.
Julie formed a slight smile on her face as she moaned, "My Eric..."
It was all the young Anderson boy could do to keep from crying.
Then finally, Julie Stovall opened her eyes. "Hello Doctor Twist. I'm afraid I don't know your colleague," she said in a slightly stronger voice.
"I'm Doctor Tachibana," replied the man in the white coat, moving slowly to the opposite side of Julie's bed. "Do you know where you are?"
"I presume Moon Lake General Hospital," was Julie's reply, to which Tachibana simply nodded.
"Are my folks all right?" Julie asked.
"Yes honey. They're waiting outside to see you," Doctor Twist reassured her.
"You gave us quite a scare there for awhile Julie, but everything's going to be better now," said Eric.
Julie turned to face him, but her eyes grew wide in horror at seeing Eric.
"Who are you?" Julie demanded to know, moving away from him in the bed the best she could.
"I'm Eric. Eric Anderson," he said, trying to reassure her.
"No. No. No!" said Julie, getting more panicky with each word. "MY Eric has beautiful deep sea blue eyes and is quite handsome with when he fully displays his blue-green were-merman tail. Despite the fact we're only high school Freshmen, he gave me a wonderful single pearl necklace as a token of his love when he proposed to me*," she added, reaching up toward her neck, only to scream upon discovering there was no necklace there.
"Quick Doctor Twist, get the nurse in here!" shouted Tachibana, while trying to hold a kicking and screaming Julie Stovall down in her bed.
A SHORT TIME LATER...
Doctors Twist and Tachibana came back out of Julie Stovall's room to address the others.
"It appears that Julie has made a complete psychotic break," began Frances. "She knows and recognizes everybody and everything around her past and present, except for Eric. Julie is under the impression that Eric is a deep sea blue eyed were-merman engaged to her, with the wedding to be sometime between high school graduation and the start of college. The Eric that was in there with us is a complete stranger to her."
"Oh my!" said Martha Anderson, as Martin Stovall tried to console his wife.
"Will she be all right?" said Samantha Twist, asking the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Physically, that remains to be seen," admitted Doctor Tachibana. "The shock of not seeing her Eric didn't do her any good, but Julie's vital signs are about the same as they were before he arrived."
"Mentally, the discrepancies between were-mer Eric being unaccounted for and not recognizing the real Eric seem to be Julie's only problem," began Frances. "In time, those can be addressed and hopefully cured, but we need to get her physical health recovered before I can start treatment."
"Whatever you doctors need. I'll move Heaven and Earth and all the oceans to have my daughter well again," vowed Martin Stovall.
"Say, where is Eric?" asked Nate.
"He's not somewhere out here?" asked Frances in return.
"No. We thought he was with you," replied Samantha.
"No. He left the room when we started trying to calm the patient down," revealed Doctor Tachibana.
"Then where is my son?" Martha Anderson demanded to know.
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The romantic thoughts of the Earth-3 Julie Stovall actually did happen recently between her and the Eric Anderson of Earth-1!—tmw.