Crystal Splezter, The 3rd Chapter

Stage 5: Acceptance

Plot: Meggy finds something worth living for...

(May 15th - 2024)

It would've been Crystal's birthday today, 7 years old.

Meggy's heart ached with the idea that she'd never see that little girl blow out her candles ever again. No more frantic present openings or cake smudged everywhere but in her mouth.

But what hurt even more was that she was alone. Utterly, truly alone. She'd pushed everyone away and now...she had nothing.

This time though, Meggy felt more determined than ever in the last several weeks, wanting to find Tari and hopefully patch things up.

And now, she stood outside the hospital to do just that.

She'd used the "find my phone" app to locate Tari and while she'd recently turned it off, her last known location was right here. Meggy's mind blurred over with a dozen worries. Was she hurt? Was she sick?

After telling a receptionist her situation, he informed Meggy of a "blue haired woman" somewhere on the 3rd floor: The NICU and intensive care area. Why would she be there? Unless a panda at the zoo she worked at needed surgery, it didn't make sense.

She walked up the stairs with more purpose than ever before in her depressed state, thinking of a thousand different things she could say to her, so many ways she could try and win her heart back...

But that's when she looked through the window of room 43 and what was left of her courage shattered to pieces.

How could she have forgotten?

Tari stood next to a hospital bed, a mix of a smile and dried tears on her face as she looked down into it. Inside the bed...were Alice and Emily.

Alice looked so tired and small, burying herself in the cover as Tari stroked her blue hair, gently shushing her into a gentle slumber. As for Emily, she was already fast asleep and seemed to be looking stronger than her sister, holding her close with care only a twin could provide.

It hurt Meggy to see them like this, but something else hurt more.

The fact that this was the first time in weeks she'd even thought about them...

How could she have been so selfish? Tari had probably been through worse than her, watching their remaining family try and recover in the hospital, constantly worried about if they'll ever survive another day.

And Meggy...she hadn't been here since Mario told them what happened to them. Everything after the funeral was a blur.

But now, she wasn't looking away.

With a burst of whatever courage she had, she slowly opened the door. The squeaking of the hinges caught Tari's eyes, who finally looked up to see her.

They stood there in silence, unsure what to say, if able to speak at all, until Meggy spoke first...

Meggy: Hi...

Okay, maybe she should've said more.

Tari: Hey...

Oh, Never-mind.

Tari lingered on Meggy for a moment before returning her gaze to the twins. Meggy tried to give her space and look around the room.

She saw an entire pile of gifts for the twins, flowers long wilted and boxes stacked past Meggy's height. Mario, Smg4, the whole gang, even her own mother.

While Meggy had pushed them away, Tari accepted their help with open arms and with a wounded heart. Meggy thought she couldn't feel even more useless, until...she noticed the chair.