Gravity Rises (S3)

SP: Part Fourteen

The light of the rising sun coaxed Melody's eyes open. She blinked and sat up, grimacing at the soreness that came from sleeping on the floor. Mabel and Dipper were next to her, curled up in their blankets with Waddles between them, and Melody was mindful of them as she quietly got to her feet and moved to Ford's bed. She checked Fidds' vitals, found nothing irregular (which was strange, considering that he'd been in another dimension yesterday), and gently shook him. "Fiddleford?"

Nothing.

It scared her that she was the only person who could help him. She was a certified nurse, yes, but she hardly had the necessary hospital equipment to find out what was wrong with Fiddleford, or to most effectively help him. For now, he seemed to be in a coma — which was worrying in itself, for she had no feeding tube with which to give him nutrients. If he didn't wake up naturally soon, he could die of starvation on her watch.

She couldn't let that happen.

Melody took a deep breath. As worrying as Fiddleford's condition was, it wasn't the most pressing issue right now. With the sun cresting the horizon, it was well past seven A.M. — which meant that Stanley had less than three hours left with them before he had to leave. Melody should at least send him off with a nice family breakfast.

She changed into a set of fresh clothes (which she had brought from her house yesterday, after leaving Ford at the Order with Lee) and took her elderly monitor and slipped from Ford's room. The house was silent, and Melody stepped softly with bare feet across the carpeted floor. The carpet turned to hardwood as she reached the entryway, and she paused when she looked into the living room.

Stanford and Stanley were asleep on the couch. Ford's head was on Lee's shoulder, and Lee's head was resting on Ford's. They looked ready to slip off the couch altogether, but they stayed in their slumped sitting positions. Ford let out a loud snore (a sound with which Melody was familiar), and the brothers shifted. Lee sighed as he settled back down.

Melody couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face.

She padded into the kitchen, leaving the brothers to their sleep. The sun wasn't yet shining through the westward kitchen window, but Melody still felt cheerful as she flipped the light on and started making breakfast. She tried to be reasonably quiet, but it wasn't long before Lee appeared in the kitchen entrance. "Good morning," he said as he rubbed at his eyes.

Melody glanced to him. "Good morning," she replied. "How did you sleep?"

Lee chuckled. "We were up for most of the night," he said. "I doubt we got more than three hours of sleep. But, it's hard to feel tired when you're learning about an entire life that you've lost."

He said it casually, and Melody paused and turned from the stove. "If you don't mind my asking," she said, "how do you talk so easily about your amnesia? Is it just because it's been so long?"

There was a moment of quiet as Lee considered her question. "Partly," he said. "Partly through. . . supernatural intervention."

Melody met his eyes. He didn't look away, though he didn't seem to want any follow-up questions. So she nodded and turned back to the food.

A minute later, Ford joined them. "Melody," he said in lieu of a greeting, "I'm going to need your help." He grimaced and put a hand on his back.

She smiled at him. "Good morning to you, too."

He scowled in return, but she knew that it was in response to his back pain, not to her. Although. . . it was irresponsible of her to leave Ford without a bed — injured and aged as he was. It sounded as if he hadn't gotten much sleep to begin with, but sitting on the couch all night had surely left him stiff.