Nightmares and Daydreams

Chapter 15

I didn't have an idea for the name of the chapter so oh well¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Dipper's Pov

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" I slowly blinked my eyes open and turned off the alarm on my watch. I glanced down at the time to see that it was 6:30 pm, we had been out here for 5 hours. Stan was so going to kill me when I got back to the shack. I yawned and reluctantly moved my head off of Wirt's soft sweater. I looked up at Wirt and smiled at how cute he looked when he was sleeping. My gaze dropped down to the cut on his stomach and my smile fell. The thought that Wirt got hurt because of me made me want to throw up. I should have been more careful but I was so set on proving my theory right. No time to dwell on that, I should probably change his bandages.

I reached into my backpack and pulled out the white bandages and carefully took off the ones he was currently wearing. I removed the wrap and gasped at the mark it left. There were two deep gashes across Wirt's side and blood and that black liquid that was on the branches was staining his skin. I bit my lip trying to figure out how the injury could have gotten any worse. Gently, I started wiping up the blood and black liquid with a cloth rag and put some disinfectant on the wound. Apparently, I wasn't gentle enough because Wirt hissed and woke up.

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you up, I just wanted to change the bandages." He smiled and nodded for me to continue, so I did. Treating the cut was much harder than I thought. Every time I touched it, Wirt hiss or flinch away, which made it very difficult to bandage. In the end, I managed to finish and put everything back into my backpack.

I looked down at the bandages and sighed. That definitely wouldn't be enough to treat such a serious injury. Wirt seemed to notice my concern because he took my hand and pulled me onto my feet. Just like in my drea- no, I didn't want to think about that dream. Not right now. "I'm sure it will heal in time, now we should probably get back to the shack before your uncle worries about us." I grabbed my gear from off the ground and nodded my head in agreement. "I'm sure Ford can treat it once we get back." He smiled but I could see a small hint of worry in his eyes. Did he not want Ford to treat it? Maybe he just wanted to focus on getting back to the shack, but still why did he seem worried? Then again whenever I so much as touched the cut, he would hiss so he probably didn't want to go through that again.

We walked through the woods and made it to the shack in no time. When we entered I was surprised to see that Ford was in the gift shop. He looked over to me and sighed in relief. "Dipper, I thought you were hurt! What have I told you about going into the woods by yourself?" "I technically wasn't alone," I pointed out under my breath. Ford clearly heard me and narrowed his eyes into a glare. Right, this was probably not the time to say anything. "I'm sure you had a good reason to go into the woods so why don't you tell me downstairs." Damnit, Ford really was pissed! I silently followed him downstairs and we descended down the long flight of stairs till we made it to the elevator.

We both stepped through and Ford harshly pressed the button marked 2. We stood in uncomfortable silence till I finally spoke. "I um, I think I have a theory... a-about Bill." "Do you now? I hope it was worth risking your life." My lips curved down into a scowl and I glared at the floor. He was always treating me like I'm still 12, why couldn't he see I could take care of myself! But remember, Wirt had to risk his life to save you. I shook the thought from my head and decided it felt better to be angry at my great-uncle then guilty over getting Wirt hurt. Both were horrible feelings.

We exited the elevator and stepped into Great-uncle Ford's secret library. For the first time since upstairs in the gift shop, Ford looked at me. It was a disappointed look mixed with a bit of worry. I definitely didn't like that look. He sighed and went on one knee, placing a hand on my shoulder so that we were at about the same height. "Dipper, I've warned you many times about the woods, and especially with Bill back, I don't feel like you're safe out there." "Then teach me more so I can be safe! I'm ready to learn more if you would just take me out into the field and help me do real research!" Ford grimaced and stood back up, turning away from me. "You're much too young. I can't take you on expeditions just yet." "Then when will you! If you've forgotten, I took on Bill when I was 12, I go into the woods all the time. I'm turning 16 this summer! When will I finally be ready to go on real expeditions!" Ford groaned and snapped his annoyed gaze back at me. "Maybe when you learn to listen! I told you that I would handle the investigation on Bill but you went anyway and you brought Wirt with you! Don't think I didn't notice the bandages under his sweater, what happened Dipper!?"