Mystique || Sweet Pea [3]

14

14 || Saying Goodbye

"Your brother found your grandfather." Dad told me when I woke up from a short nap. I nodded at him, holding back another groan of pain. "And Sweet Pea went to get you Pop's."

"Okay," I whispered, pressing the call button. A nurse rushed into the room, looking between my father and I before walking over to my bedside.

"Everything alright, sweetie?" She asked, looking down at me with a furrowed brow.

"My head hurts." I told her, whimpering slightly. "More than it did when we came in."

The nurse checked me over as best she could between my whimpers of pain, and leaned away from me with a sigh.

"Any issues with speech?" She questioned.

"No." I told her.

"Personality changes?" She pressed.

"She was a little aggressive before she took a nap." Dad sounded.

"What about your vision, honey?" The nurse asked, turning to check my eyes. I blinked at her, noticing that my vision was a bit blurry.

"It's a little blurry right now." I told her.

"Sit tight, I'll be right back." The nurse said, leaving the room hastily.

"Oh, good." Sweet Pea sounded, walking to my bedside with Pop's in his hands. "You're awake. Now you can eat."

I shook my head at him and reached over to grab the bucket left at my bedside in case I got sick. The smell of the burger and fries in his hands had my stomach flip, and I emptied the contents of my stomach into the bucket. Sweet Pea slammed the Pop's down onto the bedside table and gently pulled my hair away from my face, rubbing my back with his free hand.

"Are you okay?" Dad whispered, trying to get out of bed.

"I-" I sniffed, pulling my face out of the bucket. "I think so."

"Oh, honey." The nurse sounded again, leading a doctor into the room. "This is Doctor Lewis, he's going to go over some stuff with you."

"Is it bad?" I asked, letting the nurse take the bucket from my lap.

"It's not good." The doctor sighed.

"It's a hematoma, isn't it?" I questioned, rubbing at my temples. "A subdural hematoma. I'll need surgery, won't I?"

"You're very educated, Miss Jones." The doctor nodded. "We suspect a subdural hematoma, yes. I'll have to get an MRI to confirm, and to assess the best course of action."

"Kit?" Dad asked, looking over at me with a confused expression.

"Basically, my brain is bleeding, but it's getting trapped between itself and my skull." I told him, earning a nod from the doctor. "Depending on how bad it is, they'll either drill holes in my skull to alleviate the pressure, or they'll perform a craniotomy. I'm holding out for the burr holes."

"Where the hell did you learn all of this?" Sweet Pea asked, stepping away from the bed so the nurse could help me into a wheelchair.

"Harvard accepted me on the assumption I'd study medicine." I told him. "You know I wanted to be a nurse or a doctor."

"Let's make sure your brain is in tip-top shape for Harvard then, Miss Jones." Doctor Lewis smiled, following the nurse as she wheeled me out of the room."

--------

"Luckily it wasn't anything serious." Doctor Lewis smiled. "Your concussion was just more severe than we thought. A few more days of rest will have you all better."

"So, no surgery?" Dad sounded, now dressed and sat beside my hospital bed.

"No surgery." Doctor Lewis shook his head. "Just keep her hydrated and monitor when she sleeps."

"I'll take care of her, doc." Sweet Pea chimed from the foot of my bed.

"Good, good." Doctor Lewis nodded. "You can leave whenever you feel up to it, Miss Jones."

"Thank you, doctor Lewis." I smiled softly, sitting up further.

"Good luck at Harvard, Miss Jones." Doctor Lewis waved before he left the room.

"I figured I'd wait until the doctor was gone," Sweet Pea started, pulling my phone out of his pocket. "But, Cheryl called. She wants us to meet her down by the river in a few hours."

"Do I have time to go home and try to eat something?" I asked, checking the clock. The tests that were run on me took longer than I thought, seeing as it was now mid morning. Luckily, I'd gotten some sleep while waiting for results.

"Yes." Sweet Pea nodded. "And if she tries to argue about it, we aren't going to go. You need some TLC, baby."

"Okay, sounds good." I nodded slowly. "Can I get some clean clothes?"

"Way ahead of you." Sweet Pea smiled, handing me a bag from home. "Some sweats and a hoodie. FP and I will wait here while you change."

"If you need anything, yell." Dad added, watching as I carefully carried the bag into the bathroom. I changed as quickly as I could without hurting my head, and slipped out of the bathroom.

"Ready?" Dad asked, twirling the truck keys in his hand. I nodded in response, shoving my hands into the hoodie pocket. I followed after my dad, carefully tucked under Sweet Pea's arm. I smiled softly, excited to finally get out of this hospital.

--------

"Thank you all for coming." Cheryl greeted as soon as Sweet Pea and I arrived at the bank of Sweetwater River. My eyes widened momentarily at Jason's body inside of a boat, and looked up to Sweet Pea for confirmation. He nodded down at me and turned us so we were facing Cheryl. She was a sight to behold, standing on the riverbank of Sweetwater River in the same dress she'd worn here twice before. It was starting to lose it's poetic nature, but I knew this was how she would get her closure. "You all were here last time I was at this river. When I tried to take my own life, nearly costing Kitty hers at the same time. It's only fitting that you're here now. My beloved Toni, as I give Jason, at long last, the funeral he deserves."

Cheryl turned towards a bonfire she'd built, grabbing a stick from the pile. The end of it was lit and she sobbed as she placed the burning end of the stick to Jason's body. She dropped the stick and stumbled toward Toni for comfort. Sweet Pea gently peeled away from me to help Archie and Jughead push the boat into the currents of Sweetwater River.

Sweet Pea wrapped his arms around me once more, providing me warmth as we watched Jason drift away, hopefully leading the shadow of despair away from Riverdale.