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Pearl came out of the bathroom with a groan. She had already trekked all the way from the comfort of her bed to the bathroom, a task that felt like she needed to summon the will of all four of the gods to accomplish, and now she had to walk allllll the way back? Even if it was her own personal bathroom and she didn't need to venture down the hall, it still felt too long of a trip for her to walk. Well, it was less of a walk and more like a slow, awkward shuffle.
She felt AWFUL this morning. Her body somehow felt too hot and too cold at the same time, her throat was sore and hurt whenever she tried to talk or had to cough, and worst of all, her muscles felt so weak. Her arms and legs felt like they were made of lead… which wouldn't be that far from the truth, but that was beside the point. Moving them even just a little felt like a herculean task. Reaching for a glass of water left her exhausted, let alone walking. As such, she hadn't bothered forming her hair, which stayed a flabby, floppy mass of red that drooped over her back.
After what felt like an eternity, Pearl finally got to snuggle up in her blankets and let her tired, weak muscles relax. After some rolling around, she finally found the perfect, comfortable orientation, and was just about ready to doze off again until her door opened. The light from the hall stung her eyes, and she buried her blanket over herself.
"Are you feeling any better, Pearlie?" Pearl heard her mother ask.
Pearl let her blanket down. "Still sick," she said… or at least, that's what she TRIED to say. Her voice was so low and raspy that she wasn't sure if she could speak at all. Not to mention it hurt her throat anytime she did.
"Oh you poor baby," Ruby cooed sympathetically. She pulled out a large bag and set it on the floor next to the wall. "I have more cards for you. Maybe I can read them to you?"
Ugh, MORE get-well cards? She'd only been in the bathroom for five minutes and already there were more cards. Did everyone in the kingdom of Chrystallia send her one? She certainly appreciated the gesture, but it was one of those things where she wished her people treated her as a person and not a sacred gift of the gods. Them coming at such a fast rate didn't help; she'd only been sick since she woke up this morning, and it seemed like the whole kingdom already knew.
"No thanks," Pearl groaned. "I'll… read them myself… when I'm all better…"
She let out a big cough, which felt awful on her already sore throat. Pearl started tearing up, she always got really emotional when she was sick and weak like this.
Ruby walked over to her bedridden child and wiped off her tears with her thumb. Then, she put the back of her hand over her forehead. She was definitely running a fever.
"I'm sorry you don't feel good," Ruby said quietly. "Do you want me to bring the doctor over?"
"Please…" Pearl said weakly.
About 10 minutes later, Ruby came back with Dr. Ulexite, from the children's clinic near the castle. She was a tall and slender woman with charcoal-black skin, which contrasted with her white eyes and mouth, and very light-ivory hair. She always fashioned her hair into a big, long ponytail that draped behind her. Pearl remembered working with her a few times; she was incredibly sweet, and worked especially well with young children. Pearl almost felt a little better just by her presence.
"Good morning Pearl," Dr. Ulexite said softly. "How are you feeling today?"
"Sick…" Pearl said.
"You'll have to be a bit more specific than that if you want my help," Dr. Ulexite said with a giggle. Pearl giggled too, it didn't even hurt her throat that much. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"
"I know she's running a fever," Ruby said. "And I also think she has a sore throat since she has trouble talking."
"I also…" Pearl began. "Feel weak… Like, moving feels so… hard for me to do."
The doctor got to work in an instant. She dug into the case she brought with her and pulled out two things, a small, thin strip of rock and a… oh no, not the swab! ANYTHING but the swab! It was a small, thin rod with a small tuft of fabric attached to it. Pearl hated taking the swab even when her throat didn't hurt, she couldn't imagine how bad it would be with how much it hurt to swallow!
Pearl hissed and hid under the covers, hoping that the doctor would see she was uncomfortable with the swab and do something else. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
"Pearl honey," Dr. Ulexite said. "I know you hate the swab, but I have to do it to see what's wrong with your throat. I promise it won't hurt. Now, can you please sit up on the edge of the bed for me?"
Pearl was too exhausted to argue. She threw the covers off and sat at the edge. Dr. Ulexite got on her knees in front of her.
"Now, open your mouth and say 'ahhhhhhhhhh,'" the doctor said.
Reluctantly, Pearl followed her instructions. Dr. Ulexite pressed down on Pearl's tongue with the thin stone, and with her other hand, went in with the swab. Pearl clamped her eyes shut, anticipating the horrible pain that was about to come. Quickly, the swab touched the very back of her throat and swiped upward, causing Pearl to recoil back and cough. OK, it didn't hurt any more than usual, but she still hated it!
"Good job!" Dr. Ulexite congratulated. "You're a tough little princess, aren't ya?"
Once her coughing fit was done, Pearl smiled and nodded.
The doctor quickly put the swab in a vial and got up and stood in front of the mother and daughter. "I'm going to run this back to my office to test it," she said. "From Pearl's symptoms, my guess is that she has the flu. If she does, she needs to get plenty of sleep and water, and I'd recommend grinding a blue chunklet into some warm soup to help break the fever. I'll let you know if I find anything more serious."
"Thank you so much for your help, doctor," Ruby said.
"Thank you…" Pearl managed to get out.
"Any time!" Dr. Ulexite said as she picked up her case and walked out the door.
Pearl wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it had to be at least two hours. The soup definitely helped her fever, since she wasn't shivering anymore, but there was still the problem of her muscles and throat. She felt too weak to do anything, and it hurt too much to say anything, so she was just laying in bed, surrounded by plush toys and get-well cards.
She was officially bored. And lonely. The only person she saw since the doctor's visit was her mother, who'd check on her every now and then. Her father was off on another patrol, so he wasn't home. And Aunt Obsidia was home, but she hadn't bothered to come visit. Which was probably for the best, she could already envision her saying something like "Ahhhh, it feels so nice to not have to deal with that hyperactive niece of mine for the whole day!" She couldn't even talk to Mr. Rocky, because her voice was so raspy she couldn't speak for her plush toys.
Pearl wished her friends were here… she wanted them to be here so badly. If even just ONE of them could be with her, she would feel so much better. She could already picture the scene: Belle boasting about whatever new stunt she pulled off, Brooke showing off her newest concoction or invention, Brittany talking about her newest addition to her power-up collection, and Squishy… Pearl wasn't sure what Squishy would do, but her presence would be welcome.
Thinking about them made her feel even lonlier, somehow. Did her friends know she was sick? Would they think something was wrong and check on her, or would they not even suspect a thing? Would she just be lonely the entire time she was sick, with only her mother, her plushies, and everyone's get-well cards to comfort her? The thought was bringing her to tears. A few months ago she would have been perfectly fine staying in bed all alone, but now that she had friends who loved her? It felt like her life source had been ripped away from her.
"Please…" Pearl whispered as she closed her eyes and folded her hands. "Amanita… I want one of my friends… Just ONE-"
Her prayer was instantly interrupted by voices from outside her room. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs. She summoned all her strength to sit up and listen more intently. It was hard to make out the voices, but it sounded like…
"But I wanna pway with her NOWWWW!"
…Squishy?
"I'm sorry, but Pearl is very sick and can't play right now. She needs her space. And I wouldn't want you to get sick too."
"But I wanna pway with her! Pweeeeeeease? Pwease pwease pwease pwease pwease?"
Yeah, that was Squishy! How did she find her way to the castle all the way from Chrysocolla Coast? And it also sounded like she was talking with her mother… who was trying to make her go away! No, please no!
"You can play with Pearl tomorrow. And besides, she wouldn't be able to play with you anyway, she can't move."
"But Peawl's my best fwiend! I wanna see her! I wanna!"
"Sister, can you PLEASE get that THING out of the living room!? She's interrupting my beauty sleep!"
"Ugh… Alright. Fine. You win. But please don't touch your face. I don't want you catching what Pearl has."
"YAAAAAAAAAAY!"
Hearing that felt like someone pulling a glass shard out of her back and nursing the wound back to health. Pearl couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Even though she was still sick, just the thought of having Squishy around made her feel so much better.
"Thank you, Amanita…" Pearl said as she laid back down.
About a minute later, her mother opened the door. "Pearlie, you have a visitor."
Sure enough, in Ruby's arms was the pink snail in a wagon that Pearl was always so happy to see. Since Squishy couldn't get up the stairs, it seemed Ruby had to carry her up by herself. She set the snail down, who rolled herself right next to Pearl's bed.
"PEAWL!" Squishy cheered as she bobbed her body up and down.
"Please be quiet," Ruby said. "Remember, Pearl is sick. She needs her rest."
"It's OK… Mama…" Pearl said. "I'm just… really happy she's here…"
"You sownd funny," Squishy said. "Wat's da matter with youwe voice?"
"I told you, she's sick," Ruby said. "So please be mindful of her."
"You can count on me!" Squishy said as she pointed to herself with dramatic flair.
"OK, I'll leave you two be then," Ruby said as she shut the door… only to open it back up. "Oh, and please keep your hands off the furniture! I'm still washing the snail slime out of my pillows from your last playdate."
"Sowwy…" Squishy said sheepishly.
Ruby gave one last, warm smile before shutting the door, leaving the two kids to their own.
"I'm happy to see you…" Pearl croaked.
"And I'm happy to see you too!" Squishy said. "And also… MISHON ACKOMPWISHED!"
"What do you mean… mission accomplished…?" Pearl asked.
Suddenly, a low-humming static sound was heard in the room. It appeared to be coming from… Squishy's shell?
"*bzrrrrrt* Testing, testing, is this thing on?"
That voice… it sounded just like…
"Brooke…?" Pearl asked.
"YES! It works!" Brooke cheered. "Girls, get over here!"
"Pearl! There you are!" Belle's voice said from the shell.
"Hi Pearl," came Brittany's voice.
Pearl's smile grew even more. Now she could talk with all of her best friends! "Belle… Brittany… Hi everyone!"
"Oh, wow, you sound BAD," Belle said. "Are you sick?"
"Yes…" Pearl said. "My throat hurts… I can't talk very well…"
"Awww, we had a feeling… get well soon, OK?" Brooke said.
"Would you like a get-well card?" Brittany asked.
"NO!" Pearl shouted, which was immediately followed by a cough. "I mean… I'm just fine talking… with you…"
"I suppose I picked a pretty convenient time to test my new invention," Brooke said.
"Did you do this… Brooke…?" Pearl asked.
"'New invention,' huh?" Belle said. "I don't think shoving a walkie-talkie in Squishy's shell is all that impressive."
"SHE DOESN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!" Brooke quickly said. "I don't have access to my lab, so I had to improvise!"
"Why don't you have your lab…?" Pearl asked. "Are you… still in school?"
"We are," Brittany said. "We're, um, hiding out in the bathroom."
"It was Belle's idea," Brooke clarified.
"Hey, it's way better than your idea of cramming the three of us in the janitor's closet!" Belle said.
Pearl giggled. Just hearing the playful banter was doing so much for her. Even if she wasn't recovering medically, she felt much less sad and weak.
"So why… are you talking to me like this…?" Pearl asked.
"Well, it's kind of a long story-"
"I CAN TELL IT!" Squishy interrupted Belle. Before anyone had a chance to object, Squishy launched into her grand tale.
"So today I woke up and had bweakfast! It was wun of my favwites - BLOOBER EGGS! Dey were so nice and tasty and juicy! After dat I went outside and pwayed in da park, and DEN I fownd dis reawwy shiny wock! It was so sparkwy dat it weminded me of you! So den I-"
"Skip to the part where you came to us, please!" Belle said.
"I was gedding to dat!" Squishy said before continuing. "So I went to youwe kingdom thwough da cwystal pipe to show it to you! But… you weren't dere. I wolled awound da whole kingdom and couldn't find you. So I thought I could show my ODER fwiends instead! So I went through da pipe to da surface and went to Benny's house. I knocked on da door, and Big Benny answered, and said Benny was at skool. So, I went to deir skool! It was pwetty hard to find, but I never give up! When I wolled thwough da fwont doors, I saw a WOT of kids! Some of dem were fweaked out and I thought dey saw a pwedator behind me, so I hid in my shell! Den da pwah… um… the puh… pwee…"
"The principal," Brooke said.
"WIGHT!" Squishy said. "Da pwince's pal found me and bwought me to his woom. He asked me wat I was and wat I wanted, and I said I wanted to show my fwiends the sparkwy wock! He said evwyone was in class and told me to come back when skool was over… but I NEVER EVER give up! I wolled awound until I saw Bwidney standing in da hallway moving her arms and wegs awound. She was weally happy to see me!"
"More like surprised," Brittany said.
"OK, I think we can take it from here-" Brooke tried to say before getting interrupted.
"I WANNA FINISH!" Squishy said. "When deir cwass was over, Belle, Bwooke, and Bwidney asked what I was doing dere, and I said I wanted to show dem da sparkwy wock! Dey asked why I didn't go see you, and I said I couldn't find you. Dat got Bwidney worried, so Bwooke wanted to send me back to youwe kingdom with a walkie-talkie thingy in my shell, and so here I am, and here's da sparkwy wock!"
Squishy then pulled out a medium-sized rock from her wagon. Sure enough, it was really shiny and sparkly, and had a bit of a red sheen to it, much like Pearl's hair. Pearl smiled.
"Thank you…" Pearl said as she leaned over to take the rock and put it on her bedside table. "It really is a pretty rock…"
"I KNEW you'd wike it!" Squishy said excitedly.
Soon, a bell ringing was heard.
"Sorry Pearl, we gotta go to class," Brooke said.
"We'll come and visit when school is over, promise!" Brittany said.
"I'll get you a new plushie on the way there, too!" Belle said.
"Thanks girls…" Pearl said. She laid in bed fully content. In just a few hours, she'd have ALL of her friends over, just like she wanted.
"Did you wike my stowy?" Squishy asked.
"I liked it a lot…" Pearl said. "I feel better already."
"Bedder enough to pway!?" Squishy asked excitedly.
"No…" Pearl said weakly. "But… um… we can play with my plushies."
"PWUSHIES!" Squishy cheered. She rolled herself to the corner they were all stored in and fished out the Bowser one. "I call Bowsie!"
Pearl giggled, and reached over to get a Mario plush. She was feeling better already.