The next morning Arc wakes early as he normally does. Looking down he smiles at the sight of Derpy and Dinky snuggled up to him. Stroking Dinky’s long blonde hair she eventually stirs. Opening her eyes she looks up at him and smiles sleepily.
The next morning Arc wakes early as he normally does. Looking down he smiles at the sight of Derpy and Dinky snuggled up to him. Stroking Dinky’s long blonde hair she eventually stirs. Opening her eyes she looks up at him and smiles sleepily.
“Good morning, dad.”
“Morning sweetheart.”
He turns to Derpy as Dinky sits up and leans against the headboard. Gently nudging the young woman she slowly wakes up and looks around.
“Where… am I?”
“My house on Earth, remember?”
Derpy shakes her head and forces a weak smile.
“Sorry. I’m still half asleep.”
Dinky giggles. “Sounds like more than half, mom.”
Arc chuckles. “Yes, well… why don’t we get cleaned up? I have a few things planned for today.”
Derpy appears confused. “You do?”
“Yup.”
Dinky grins. “What are we gonna…?”
Arc boops Dinky’s little nose. “Sorry, sweetheart. It’s a secret.”
Dinky grabs her mother’s hand and gives it a tug.
“Come on, mom! Let’s get going!”
Derpy laughs as she gets up. “Okay, sweetie. Just don’t pull my fetlock… my arm off.”
Arc calls out after them. “You two can take the upstairs bathroom. I’ll use the one in the basement.”
Dinky calls back. “Okay!”
He heads downstairs, grinning all the way.
“This is gunna be GREAT!”
Reaching the basement he finds his squad up and waiting for him. Max is the first to speak.
“We’re ready, sir.”
Xenos salutes. “Yeah!”
“Good. You all understand what I want, right?”
Hugh nods. “Yes sir. We’ve already gathered all the supplies you asked for.”
Viktor chuckles. “All that’s left is implementation, sir.”
“Good. Everyone ready?”
Rose giggles. “We are!”
Arc calls forth his gauntlet and opens a portal.
“Good luck.”
The squad grabs their gear and rushes through with Sereb. Rose, Auriel, and Ember follow them. Auriel smiles at him.
“Have a nice day, Arc.”
Ember gives him a thumbs up. “We’ll catch up with you later.”
“Thanks for helping with this.”
Rose nods. “We won’t let you down.”
They enter and vanish as Arc closes the portal and smiles.
“Guess I’d better get moving as well.”
Heading for the basement bathroom Arc quickly changes and combs his hair.
“Today’s going to be all about Derpy and Dinky. Something I need to focus on more from now on.”
He sighs.
“No more putting my family on the back burner. It’s time to make things about them and be a real father for Dinky.”
Heading upstairs he sits down on the couch to wait. A short time later Derpy and Dinky descend the stairs. Derpy is wearing an airy yellow sun dress while Dinky is sporting a purple skirt and yellow shirt.
“How do we look, dad?!”
“Very nice.”
Derpy smiles sheepishly. “Is this outfit appropriate, Arc? I’m told today’s supposed to be quite warm.”
Arc nods. “Looks okay to me. But we should probably get moving.”
“Where to first, dad?!”
“How about breakfast at Shelly’s?”
Dinky nods enthusiastically. “Yeah! That sounds awesome!”
“Agreed. It’ll be nice to see your friends again, Arc.”
Arc chuckles as he picks up his keys. “They’ve been asking about you, Derpy. Or should I say Dawn?”
Derpy smiles. “Either works for me.”
They head to Arc’s Jeep and hop in. Making the short trip to the diner they head inside. Lily greets them warmly.
“Good morning you three. We’re glad to see you.”
Arc grins. “Hi, Lily.”
She kneels down to pat the little girl’s head. “I see Daisy brought her mother back for another visit.”
Dinky nods happily. “Yup!”
Derpy smiles shyly. “Hello again.”
Arc looks around. “Where’s Shelly this morning?”
Lily sighs. “She’s… having a rough day.”
Dinky gasps. “Oh no! Is she okay?!”
Lily grimaces as she leads them to their table. “Somewhat. Before I came down to the restaurant I helped her lie down on the couch.”
Arc nods as they sit down. “At least she can watch TV.”
Derpy looks to Arc. “Isn’t she lonely up there?”
Dinky grins. “Maybe we could keep her company.”
Lily nods happily. “I think she’d like that. Want me to go ask her?”
Arc stands up. “That’s okay. I’ll do it.”
“You want your regular, Arc?”
“Yes please.”
Dinky giggles. “Me too!”
Arc turns to Derpy. “Is that okay with you, Dawn?”
“I… suppose so.”
“YAY!”
Lily writes down the order. “Okay. Two cheeseburger meals and two Cokes. And for you, Dawn?”
“The same, please.”
Dinky raises an eyebrow. “Really, mom?”
Derpy nods. “Yes. I think I’m ready.”
“I’ll get this order made up just as quick as I can.”
“Thanks, Lily.”
She heads for the kitchen as Arc turns to Derpy and Dinky.
“Wait here. I’ll go see how Shelly’s doing.”
“Okay, dad.”
Arc heads for the stairs. He knocks lightly as he sticks his head in the door.
“Shelly? It’s Arc. Can I come in?”
She calls out in a strained voice. “I’m… in here.”
Arc walks to the Living Room. He finds Shelly lying on the couch holding her stomach.
“Shelly?! What’s wrong?!”
“H-help me! B-bathroom!”
Quickly picking Shelly up, Arc hurries toward the bathroom with her. He carefully sets her down on the toilet.
“Can you manage from here?”
Shelly shakes her head as she continues to hold her stomach. Kneeling down Arc quickly pulls down his friend’s pants and undergarments. A moment later the air is filled with the sound of… uh… imminent and violent evacuation. Shelly groans in relief as Arc quietly leaves the room to give her some privacy. A few minutes pass before Arc knocks lightly on the door.
“Shelly? Are you finished?”
Shelly calls out, breathing heavily. “I… I think so.”
“Did we make it in time?”
“Yes. Thank… you.”
“Are you able to finish?”
“I can, yes. Just… just a moment.”
The sound of toilet paper unrolling can be heard as Shelly wipes. It takes a bit of time but eventually she calls out.
“Arc? Are you… still out there?”
“Yes. Are you ready?”
“I was able… to do… most of it.”
Arc re-enters the room as Shelly leans back against the tank breathing heavily. He kneels down and carefully pulls her pants back up as she does her best to compose herself.
“Sorry… about the smell.”
“No need to apologize. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to do this.”
Shelly nods as Arc helps her up. Slowly but surely he leads her back to the couch.
“It’s a good thing I showed up when I did.”
Shelly shudders. “Yes. We… we both know would have happened.”
“Did taking care of that help?”
Shelly nods as Arc helps her sit down on the sofa. “Yes. The pressure is back to normal after that.”
“Dawn and Daisy are downstairs. Would you like some company with breakfast?”
Shelly nods. “I’d like that.”
“Okay. I’ll head downstairs and let them know. Then I’ll come back up here with something for you to drink.”
“Thank you. I have some medicine to put in it.”
“Alright. See you in a few minutes.”
As promised Arc returns shortly with a tall glass of apple juice.
“Lily told me to water it down. I hope that’s okay.”
Shelly smiles. “Yes. I forgot that’s what the doctor said to do the other day. That medicine is next to you beside the lamp.”
Arc sits down next to her and carefully picks up a small bottle. Reading the label he adds several drops to the juice before handing it to Shelly.
“Thank you.”
She takes a long drink before stopping to catch her breath.
“That… that does feel good.”
“Forgive me, but… when you were sitting on the toilet, things sounded a bit… off in there.”
Shelly sighs. “Yes. This isn’t my normal… issues. It’s something new.”
“Oh?”
“For some reason there’s clumping in my intestines.”
“That’s never happened before, right?”
“Correct. It causes initial constipation followed by… explosive diarrhea as I’m sure you heard. Think of it like a dam bursting under pressure. But enough about that. Will your family be joining us?”
Arc nods. “Yes. Dawn and Daisy will bring the food upstairs so we can eat at the kitchen table.”
Shelly smiles. “It will be nice to see them again.”
A short time later there is a knock at the door. Arc answers it to see Dinky’s grinning face.
“We’re here!”
“Come in. That does smell good.”
He takes the heavy tray from Derpy and sets it on the kitchen table as Dinky does the same for the drinks.
“Have a seat you two and I’ll bring Shelly in.”
Returning to the living room Arc helps his friend up and walks her to a seat at the kitchen table. Shelly greets Derpy and Dinky as Arc lowers her into a chair.
“It’s so good to see you two again.”
Derpy smiles. “Thank you for having us.”
Dinky grins. “How’re you feeling, Miss Shelly?”
“I’m having some stomach problems right now, dear. But Arc already helped me take my medicine.”
Derpy nods. “Lily asked us to give this to you.”
She removes a small glass from the drink’s tray and passes it to Shelly. Arc looks to his friend.
“What’s that? Some kind of herbal smoothie?”
Shelly nods. “With a blend of vegetables and nuts. It’s been helping me rehydrate after… you know.”
“Makes sense.”
Derpy passes out the food as Dinky distributes the drinks. Arc leans in close to Shelly and whispers in her ear.
“Just let me know if you need me to take you back to the bathroom in a hurry.”
Shelly nods as they sit down. Dinky mows into her cheeseburger happily.
“Delicious!”
Arc chuckles. “Yes it is.”
Derpy picks her cheeseburger up and looks it over nervously. “So do I just… take a bite from any side?”
Arc nods. “Yes, Dawn. Like this…”
He demonstrates. Derpy eyes it suspiciously as Shelly looks to her.
“I can call Lily and ask her to make you something different if you’d like.”
Derpy shakes her head. “No, no. I… do want to know why Arc and my daughter like these so much.”
She takes a quick nibble and chews it carefully.
“The texture is certainly… unique.”
“What about the taste, mom?”
“It’s also very different from what I’m used to. Not really sure I can think of anything to compare it to, sweetie.”
Arc smiles. “Do you like it?”
“I’m… not sure.”
She takes another bite, this time larger.
“This tastes… okay to me, I guess. Truth be told I rather like the pizza we’ve made in the past better.”
Dinky frowns. “Come on, mom! This is incredible!”
Arc looks to Dinky. “Now, now, Dinky. Everyone has foods they like and those they don’t.”
Shelly nods. “That’s right. Lily and I do our very best to make good tasting food. But not everything is palatable for everyone.”
Derpy sighs. “I’m sorry. I know you and Lily work very hard.”
Shelly smiles at her. “Don’t worry about it. That’s just your honest opinion. No shame in it.”
Arc nods. “And you like quite a few other things on their menu.”
“That’s true, mom.”
Shelly suddenly grabs Arc’s arm as she doubles over in pain.
“Arc…!”
“I got you!”
Arc quickly picks Shelly up and hurries toward the bathroom. Dinky turns to her mother, clearly confused.
“What just happened, mom?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. But it looked like Shelly suddenly had to use the bathroom.”
A few moments later several very loud and embarrassing sounds emanate from the direction of the bathroom. Dinky grimaces.
“That didn’t sound good.”
“Your father will take care of Shelly, sweetie.”
Dinky sighs. “I know. But I just feel so bad for her. I mean… she’s sick all the time. But still so nice.”
“It’s not something she can really control.”
“I asked dad if there was anything that could be done for her back home.”
“What did he say?”
Dinky shakes her head sadly. “That he already asked, and had been told ‘no’.”
Meanwhile, Shelly sits on the toilet as sweat pours down her face. She leans back against the tank and breathes heavily. Arc frowns.
“You sound terrible! Why did Lily leave you up here like this?!”
Shelly sighs weakly. “I… wasn’t anywhere near… this bad… when she… went… downstairs.”
“I don’t like the idea of you being alone after what’s already happened. Do you want us to stay with you?”
Shelly shakes her head as she struggles to speak. “N-no. You and your cousins have… quite a day planned out. Please… enjoy… your time… together.”
“Well, you can’t make it to the toilet fast enough on your own, and Lily is busy running things downstairs.”
“I… can stay here… then.”
“On the toilet? All day?!”
Shelly nods as Arc frowns.
“No, Shelly. You deserve more dignity than that.”
“Would you… do me a… favor then…?”
Arc nods. “Anything!”
A few minutes later Arc leaves the bathroom and returns to the kitchen where Derpy and Dinky are just finishing up their meal.
“Is Miss Shelly going to be okay, dad?”
Arc sighs. “It’s a bad day for her. But she does have her medicine.”
Derpy looks to Arc. “I could stay here and take care of her while you and Dinky spend some father/daughter time together.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Dinky frowns. “Well, we can’t leave her alone like this!”
“I know, sweetheart. One second.”
Arc touches his earring.
“Arc to Max.”
“Max here, sir.”
“I need you to do me a very big and personal favor.”
“What is it, sir?”
“Head back to the sigil. I’ll open a portal and bring you here.”
“Yes sir. I’m right next to it now.”
“Good. See you in a minute. Arc out.”
Walking quickly to the living room with Derpy and Dinky, Arc calls forth his gauntlet and opens a portal. A moment later Max emerges from it. Arc holds a finger to his lips and motions toward the rear patio door. Stepping out onto the deck he closes the sliding door and turns to Max soberly.
“You needed me, sir?”
Arc nods. “Yes. Shelly’s having a lot of trouble with her stomach today.”
“Indigestion, sir?”
“More like the liquid and brown kind.”
“Oh.”
“She can’t make it to the bathroom in time. At least not by herself. I need you to stay with her and help as best you can.”
“Yes sir. But is she okay with me doing certain… things for her? I mean… I know you have in the past, but…”
Arc nods. “She is, yes. In fact she asked for you by name.”
Max appears stunned. “She… she did?”
“Yes. Shelly said she… wanted to spend some more time with you.”
“I… I don’t know what to say, sir! This is like a dream come true for me!”
Arc sighs. “Max, we have to tell her about our plans.”
“Regarding attacking that base?”
“No. That… she probably won’t see us again after today.”
Max gasps. “We can’t! She loves you like a brother, sir!”
“I know that. But… I’d rather her think I was overseas than me just disappearing. Remember, there’s no guarantee that any of us will survive this operation.”
Max nods soberly. “I’m still with you, sir.”
“Good. So you’ll go along with my story when we tell her?”
“Yes sir.”
“Just follow my lead and let me do most of the talking. I’ll go check on Shelly while you walk around to the front of the restaurant.”
“Sir?”
“I need you to re-enter the building through the front door ten minutes from now. Find Lily and tell her I called you to look after Shelly today.”
“Yes sir. But might I ask why?”
“If you just appeared in the apartment literally ten seconds after I supposedly called it would raise suspicion with both of them. I’ll help you get down to the ground from here when you’re ready.”
“I understand, sir. Ready when you are.”
“All right. Jump.”
“Sir?”
“Trust me.”
Hopping over the deck’s guardrail he drops slowly to the ground as Arc casts a Telekinesis Spell on him. Max looks up as he touches down.
“Thanks, sir.”
“No problem. Now just wait there for about ten minutes before you head to the front entrance. Got it?”
Max nods as Arc grins.
“Good. See you in a bit.”
Arc turns to head inside. He sees Derpy and Dinky waiting on the couch patiently.
“Max will take care of Shelly.”
Derpy appears nervous. “Is that okay with her?”
“She asked for him, yes.”
Dinky looks toward the hall. “I think Miss Shelly might be ready for some help, dad. It’s been a solid minute since we heard anything other than the toilet flushing.”
“Okay. Just sit tight.”
Arc heads for the bathroom, knocking lightly on the door he enters.
“Shelly? Has it passed?”
“I… believe so, yes.”
Arc steps into the room and closes the door behind him. Turning to Shelly he sees that the sweat has soaked through her clothing.
“Oh my! That must’ve been SOME episode!”
Shelly turns to him and nods weakly.
“Do you want me to help you into the shower?”
“Y-yes please.”
Carefully removing the rest of his friend’s clothes Arc picks her up and carefully sets her down on her shower chair. Turning on the water he adjusts it to the perfect temperature for her. As the water sprays forth from overhead Shelly sighs contentedly.
“Thank… you.”
“Do you need me to help?”
Shelly looks up at him and smiles sheepishly. “I think I do.”
Arc grabs a washcloth and the soap. Working up a lather he carefully cleans Shelly’s body from top to bottom.
“Do you want me to wash your hair?”
Shelly nods. Taking down the shower nozzle Arc sprays her head before rubbing in shampoo. He digs in with his fingers before rinsing it out. Shelly sighs contentedly.
“I feel much better now.”
“Good. I’m going to go get you some clean clothes, okay?”
“Arc, I… don’t really feel safe alone right now.”
“Okay.”
Arc clears his throat and calls out.
“Dawn!”
A few moments later Derpy opens the door a crack.
“Yes?”
“Do you think you and Daisy could fetch Shelly some fresh clothes?”
“Sure. What should I get?”
“A -shirt and…”
Shelly calls out. “Um… could I have something a bit… nicer?”
“Oh, uh… sure. What did you have in mind?”
“A sun dress please.”
Derpy nods. “I’ll be right back.”
She returns a few moments later and hands the clothes in through the partially open door. Arc accepts them. As Dinky stands behind her mother.
“Do you need help in there, dad?”
“No, sweetheart. I’ll be out shortly.”
He closes the door and hangs the clothes up on a hook before returning to Shelly’s side.
“How about we get you…”
“Arc?”
“Yes?”
“I need to ask you something really important, and want you to be completely honest with me no matter what.”
“Um… okay.”
Shelly she looks down at her hands as the water continues to cascade across her body. “How do you and Lily put up with me?”
“Because you’re our friend.”
“But I can’t do anything to return your kindness. All I do is make more work for everyone around me.”
She puts her hands to her face shakily as the tears begin to fall.
“I’m just… such a burden to everyone!”
Arc puts a hand on her bare shoulder.
“Lily and I knew this would happen eventually. And we chose to stick with you because we love you, Shelly. Nothing will ever change that.”
“But look at me! I can’t even wipe my backside most days! You two should just take me to an assisted living home so you can live out your lives!”
Arc shakes his head. “No, Shelly. Lily and I just want you to be able to live with dignity at home as long as you can.”
Shelly sighs. “It’s going to end at a hospital anyways!”
“Don’t say that.”
“But it’s true! I’m dying, and we all know it!”
“You could look at it from the other side of things.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re living, and cared for by those whom love you the most.”
Arc turns off the water and grabs a towel. Carefully wrapping Shelly up, he sets her on the closed toilet lid.
“Let’s see if we can…”
Shelly grabs his hand. Arc turns around to look her in the eye. She smiles as tears flow down her cheeks.
“Thank you, Arc.”
He nods as she leans forward and wraps her arms around his neck.
“I want to be with you and Lily forever. But I know my time is limited.”
Arc smiles as he returns the hug. “We want that too. You won’t be alone though, Shelly. Not as long as you live.”