It's Not Over Yet

9

Allen stood over Mabel, who was sitting on Jill's bed and staring straight ahead. He looked at her closely, while Jill and Bill stood nearby with worried expressions on her face.

"Is she going to be okay?" Jill asked quietly.

Allen straightened out, taking a breath. "She'll be fine." The siblings let go of the breath they had been holding. "Her eyes are very cloudy, though." He waved a hand in front of her face, to which Mabel didn't react to. "And she's not reacting. It'll be a couple days until she does. Even longer for her to return back to normal." Allen turned to Jill. "Only with prolonged exposure, though."

Bill turned to his sister, crossing his arms. "Which means no more staying apart."

"Bill-" Jill tried to say.

Bill held up a hand. "No. No fighting this. I don't care how afraid you are. You both are suffering, and I can't stand it. Either make the relationship work, or kill her yourself instead of making her wait another five years." He began to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"To tell Mason. He deserves to know that his sister is okay." He left the room, closing the door behind him.

"You were right earlier, Jill." Allen spoke up, getting her attention. "One more day, and you would've been in Mabel's position. You're lucky you saw her when you did." He turned back to Mabel. "Keep an eye on her tonight. She probably won't move much, or even get sleep or eat anything, but tomorrow she should be able to do basic things- walk, eat, things like that. She'll be pretty mute for the next few days, possibly only making noise when she's in distress. She'll also be confused when she does finally talk- she more than likely won't remember any of this. Just... keep her safe, okay?"

Jill nodded. "I will. Thank you, Allen."

He nodded. "And if anything happens, let me know immediately." He hugged Jill, then quietly stepped out, leaving the two alone.