Return to Falls

Chapter 14

From black to blurry, and blurry to clear. Everything came into focus as Dipper regained consciousness. He didn't dare move. The sharp pain of each individual splinter left in his back was bad enough. The last thing he needed was to pour salt on the wounds.

"Dipper!" Wendy shouted, placing a hand on his head.

Everyone stood around them. His mind was fuzzy, making it a remarkable challenge to remember the events leading up to his condition clearly. "Are you all right?" Grunkle Stan asked with a surprising amount of concern.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fi—agh!" Dipper tried sounding as convincing as possible, but the pain took over. It took all his strength just to sit up. And that alone was agonizing. The truth was, he was less than okay. "How long was I out?"

"About two-or-so hours. Your clones attacked again. They're gone now, though." Wendy said, combing her fingers through his hair.

"Grunkle Stan, I'm so sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it, kid. None of this was your fault. All though, that hole in the wall is gonna require some work, so as soon as you're back on your feet. . ." Stan said with clear sarcasm in her voice. His attempt at lightening the mood didn't go unappreciated. His greediness was surprisingly refreshing. In spite of everything, Dipper was very grateful for the family he had.

There was a thought that bothered him, however: the day that was given time and care was completely turned upside down. Stan went out of his way to prepare a cookout in their honor, and thanks to his previous mistakes, it was ruined. Were amends even possible? The only bright side was Pacifica's absence from the party. As much as he wanted her to stay, he was glad she didn't see anything that took place. Chances were, she would've blamed him just like everyone else probably did.

Mabel got up from her seat, her eyes fixated on the ground. Her condition was slightly more stable than a few hours prior. Dipper noticed her slowly walking towards him. He tried to stand on his own, but was only able to do so with the assistance of his grunkle.

"Oh, Mabel. . . I'm so sorry about every—" Mabel slapped him across the face, sending him back down onto the couch. "Ah! What's wrong with you?"

"This is your fault! Because of your stupid scientific curiosity, this worthless town was left in ruins! Had you just acted like a normal kid, those clones wouldn't have attacked us, none of this would've happened, and our lives wouldn't be in danger!" Mabel's eyes watered as she was held back by Soos.

"Mabel, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you! You and your fetish for people out of your league. The Northwest family doesn't want us near Pacifica because of what you did the last time we were here." Dipper's eyes saddened. Mabel raised her voice again, "Why? Why did you have to find those journals? It ruined our lives. Our lives were ruined because you couldn't man up when it was necessary!" Mabel lifted her hand in preparation to slap her brother again, but was held back by Soos. He tried to drag her outside.

"Mabel, that's enough! Dipper, I'll explain later. I'm sorry." Stan said while following behind Soos. He helped tug Mabel outside, as she proved stronger than she looked.

Dipper sat silently. His sister's words cut deep into his worst memories.

The journal.

Flashes of Bill appeared in his mind. He felt his chest tightening and sweat rolling down his forehead. Wendy eyeballed him and noticed his behavior was similar to the night before at the mall.

Dipper gripped his chest trying to ease the pain. His breathing became erratic — not lasting for more than a second for each breath.

"Dipper? Mr. Pines!" Wendy shouted. Her hands extended outward and caught Dipper before he fell forward onto the floor. Stan turned around and saw the scene unfolding before him. He left Soos to handle Mabel so he could return to his great nephew.

Wendy continued, "Dipper? You okay?" She held him tightly in her arms. Dipper's panic attack washed over him. He was unable to respond to anyone. "Hang in there, buddy."

Everyone gathered in the Shack watched helplessly as Dipper's body shook in Wendy's arms. Stan placed a pillow behind his back which was pressed up against the foot of the couch. His eyes flashed from normal to light blue, then from light blue to bright yellow before finally returning to normal.

"Good grief, what in the world is happening to him?" Sheriff Blubs asked out loud.

Stan stayed close, "Come on, kid. Hang in there."