By the time Arthur and Derek got to Seattle, most of the “exciting” stuff already came and went. Julie had gone into surgery around eleven. Doctors Tachibana and Curry finished the procedure about three hours later. They took their time, and made sure they did everything they could to ensure Julie came out of this operation still in one piece.
The Stovalls and Frances Twist sat in a private waiting room. Melissa spent most of the long wait pacing and nervously muttering to herself. Martin remained motionless in his chair, head pressed into his hands. Frances acted as the supportive third party, merely nodding or trying to reassure the Stovalls when they spoke or voiced a concern. Their biggest being Julie’s mental state when she woke up.
“That’s the million dollar question isn’t it? What has become, or will become, of Julie’s mind now that the physical aspects of her condition have been addressed?” Frances thought.
When Dr. Tachibana finally appeared in the doorway, some blood smeared on his scrubs and his mask around his neck, the Stovalls jumped up and nearly ran to him. It felt like they’d been trapped in that room for an eternity. And suddenly they would either be put out of their misery, or shown the light.
“She came through just fine. They’re preparing to move her back into her room. But everything went according to plan. You’ll have to wait a bit longer until you can see her.”
And so the Stovalls were effectively “shown the light”. Tachibana’s words left the parents in varying states of joy. Suddenly Melissa was crying in Martin’s arms, and Martin himself felt like going up to the doctor and kissing him. Neither could find the words to form a complete thought.
Frances and Tachibana let the two parents have a moment in private. They slipped away, and once in the hall found Mera Curry walking up to them. Her scrubs also smeared with a bit of blood.
“So, things went well?” Frances asked in a hushed voice so the Stovalls wouldn’t overhear.
“There were a few moments I thought something might have gone wrong, but turns out Julie is one tough nut.” Mera said.
“Indeed. And now that her aneurysm has been treated, it appears as though her natural healing abilities have taken over again. It was a bit of a battle to keep her body from repairing itself while we finished out work. That aside though, I wish all the procedures I’ve done and will do were more like that.” Tachibana sighed, pulling the surgical mask away from his neck.
The Stovalls came out, and all but began kissing Tachibana’s and Mera’s feet. The two were humbled by the parents’ gratitude, repeatedly insisting they only did what they were trained to do. It was at that moment one of the nurses came up to the group and said Julie was resting comfortably in her room.
“You can see her now, just try to keep things brief. She needs as much rest as she can get.” Tachibana reminded the parents.
As Martin and Melissa entered their daughter’s room, Arthur and Derek emerged from the elevator. Frances immediately recognized Arthur, and went to intercept them. When Arthur only saw the two doctors with blood on their scrubs, and no sign of the Stovalls he immediately jumped to the worst conclusion.
“Where’s Julie? Is she alright?!?” Arthur asked, his voice strained and shaky. He’d spent the entire car ride worrying, and over-thinking. Assuming that once he got to the hospital he’d find them sliding her body into the morgue, or see the Stovalls grieving over a white sheet.
“They just got her settled in her room, Julie’s fine.” Frances assured Arthur. Derek sighed after hearing Frances’ words, while Arthur collapsed into the nearest chair. He almost laughed he was so relieved.
“Thank god for that.” Derek thought. He sat on the arm of his brother’s chair, and tried to comfort him as best he could. Frances smiled, and added that Julie would be in the hospital for the rest of week if they planned on coming back.
“When would he be able to see Julie?” Derek asked.
“You’d have to ask one of the nurses or doctors.” Frances replied. At the moment it was just immediate family allowed into Julie’s room. Which was completely understandable, given the serious nature of Julie’s operation.
Seconds later, Melissa and Martin came out, both red in the face from crying. They thanked Tachibana and Curry once more, then asked what they should be doing now.
“Go home, get some rest. I’ll call you if there’s any change. There’s nothing else we can do at this point, it’s all up to her.” Tachibana said. He and Mera walked back through the double doors to change out of their dirty clothing. Mera stepped to the side to ask Frances to stay a bit longer so they could talk.
“Some interesting developments I think you’d like to hear about.” Mera whispered. And obviously the kind of developments they didn’t want the Stovalls to hear.
Arthur was still sitting in his chair quivering with a multitude of emotions, when Martin and Melissa noticed him. They were surprised to see the young merman there. They didn’t think much of his visit over the weekend. Just that he was being nice and checking on a fellow weremer. But seeing him here, so distraught over Julie’s condition, they wondered if perhaps Julie would have someone to fill the gape in her heart.
“Arthur Curtis is certainly an appropriate suitor. But I had no idea he was interested in her. I wonder what brought this sudden attraction on.” Martin wondered as he and his wife walked past Arthur and Derek. The latter of the two was trying to get his brother to get up.
“Come on, you heard the doctors. There’s nothing else we can do right now. Let’s head home.” Derek put a hand on Arthur’s shoulder and tried to get him to move. But Arthur wasn’t ready to walk. He felt so stunned. He’d come in expecting the girl he loved to be dead. And now that she wasn’t, it just dawned on him how much he cared about her.
“I… I love her.” Arthur repeated the statement over and over in his head. The more he said it, the more he wished he could see Julie. And the more he hoped Julie would feel the same way, and not still be taken with Eric (who’d made it obvious he wasn’t interested in her).
“Arthur…” Derek knelt down to look his kid brother in the eyes. Derek himself hadn’t ever felt anything towards anyone else, at least nothing along the lines of the infamous mer “love at first sight” phenomenon. But he did understand what it felt like to love someone, and worry about their safety.
“I’m okay. Just a little overwhelmed.” Arthur at long last spoke. Derek nodded, and helped Arthur up. The two rode the elevator back down in silence. And by the time they reached their desired floor, Arthur felt much better.
“Julie is safe, she’s alive, and she’s going to get better. Couldn’t ask for more.” he thought. Well there was one thing, but right now Arthur was just happy he would be able to spend the ensuing weeks, maybe months, vying for Julie’s attention.