The Magic School Bus Oneshots

death yay

Ever wonder what would happen if the class hadn't gone with Arnold to visit his grandma? Ever wonder what happened to her? Well, if you did, or if you didn't, here it is.

Arnold and his parents were gathered around the hospital bed. Arnold's grandmother layed under the blankets, a heart monitor hooked up to her. She had an IV in her arm, but her breathing was shallow.

Her grey, distant eyes drifted across the three faces. Her daughter was in tears, and her son in law and grandson were close to the same. She smiled weakly.

"What have I told you about crying..?" She rasped. "The tears are bad for your eyes..."

Arnold's mother forced a laugh and his father smiled fondly. Arnold couldn't find any humor in her situation, unable to believe she could joke around at a time like this.

"Oh, mom," the young woman sniffed. "Save your voice. You're gonna need it for singing with the angels..."

"You assume I'll be with the angels..." The old lady mused.

She began to cough, finding it even harder to breathe. Arnold's parents rushed off to find a doctor when the heart monitor skipped beats. Arnold just watched in horror as the adults screamed and yelled at one another.

His mother tried to move him out of the room, but he didn't budge. He couldn't move, he was stiff, yet, he trembled in fear. It was like he was in a horror movie, and he hated horror movies. He could already see the lights flickering, feel the air getting colder, hear the screams of terror.

The machines rang so loud in his ears, he could have sworn his brain was rattling. His head hurt from all the overwhelming stimuli around him.

Despite all that was happening to him on the inside, his eyes remained locked on his dying grandmother. She had her eyes closed, now, and he couldn't see the usual warmth that they held. The doctor ran around the room, collecting different meds or something, he didn't know.

His grandmother cracked her eyes open slightly to look at him. They made eye contact, and Arnold could see just how tired she was. Her eyes, once a sparkly blue, were now a dull and washed out grey.

"Arnold..." she whispered.

"Y-yes, grandma..?" Arnold studdered out.

"Don't be sad..." she smiled a little. "It's still Hanaka, with or without me there to celebrate with you..." Arnold finally felt tears streaming down his cheeks.

"O-okay, grandma," He sniffed. "I love you..!" He choked out.

"I love you, too," she breathed. "I will always love you...no matter what...I will always be there, even if you can't see me...I promise...just look for the blue Jay..."

Arnold watched the light fade from her eyes, and the life drain from her body. He grabbed her hand gently, feeling the warmth nearly gone already. He didn't let go until she felt cold as ice, and even then, found it hard to turn and follow his parents out the door.

On the drive to the train station, Arnold was completely silent. His parents made general small talk to take their minds off of their loss, but Arnold didn't want to forget that quickly. He couldn't. She was his grandmother. One of his favorite people in the entire world.

He had so many memories with her, not just from the recent visit, but from when he was just a toddler. She had lived with his family until he was 5. All the Hanakas, and Thanksgivings. All the birthdays, and celebrations. She had been part of it. He couldn't imagine his life without her. Only, now, he didn't have to imagine it, because it was happening. She was dead, and he didn't know how he was going to handle it. It was the third night of Hanaka, the day she would have normally showed up at their house to celebrate.