The Moon, chapter 5: Visit

The snow crunching beneath her feet, the cold outside her body, it all faded away. She just had to see her. Doesn't matter if it's forty below, her boiling blood would keep her warm. The medical center wasn't far away at all, thankfully, so it didn't take long to reach. The front doors opened with a loud but short creak as Susie speed walked in to the receptionist's desk in the clean, white lobby. The huge mouthed monster turned towards her nonchalantly.
“Hey, I'm looking for someone named Alphys who's supposed to be in a room here.”
“Are you a family member or friend?”
“I'm her student.”
The receptionist shuffles through some paper, before sighing.
“Sorry miss, can't let you in.”
“What?!”
“Only family and friends are allowed to go in.”
“Aren't students considered friends?”
“No.”
“...Screw that, I'm going in.”
Susie stomps towards the doors to where the patient's rooms are.
“I won't stop you.”
Before she could get to the door, it opens by itself, and an incredibly tall, blue fish monster in a police uniform stands menacingly behind them.
“But she will.”
Undyne looks down upon Susie with a smirk.
“Hey punk. Thought you could just go wherever you please, huh? Well I've been watching from behind this door, and I know just what you're trying to do. This isn't your world. Now-”
Susie pretty much ignores her completely, stepping around both Undyne's body and attempts at intimidation.

“Wha- Get back here! I won't hesitate to put your ass in jail you little-”
“Undyne, I don't have time for this. I'm in no mood to do this whole routine again. We don't have the best relationship or whatever, but this is more important than anything. I won't let you stand in my way. Throw me in jail if you want, after this, but I'm going to see her.”
Susie walks in the doors, and begins to look for the right room that holds her teacher. She's looking through one of the windows to a patient's room when she feels her hands forced behind her back, and directly after, being forced to the floor by an incredible weight.

“You little shit. You think you can do whatever you want and get away with it. Not today.”
The cold steel of a handcuff tightens around one of Susie's wrists as she tries but fails to struggle against the officer's mass. For such a skinny form, she knew how to keep someone pinned. This was a mistake.
“You're going to jail for trespassing and disrespecting the law. We'll see what the boys down at the station think about your little stu-”
“Let her go!”
That voice... It came from one of the rooms, and sounded awfully familiar.
“P-Please, let her see me. She's a friend, she's done nothing wrong.”
Undyne doesn't move.
“What? I can't just-”
“Officer, please. She meant no harm, I p-promise.”
A minute or so passes, the other cuff not yet wrapped around Susie's wrist. Then, the wrist that is cuffed is released. The weight lifts, and Susie gets to her feet quickly. Undyne looks incredibly unimpressed.
“It's your lucky day. But you won't get off that easy. This isn't over.”
Undyne goes back to the lobby, slamming the door behind her.

Susie releases a sigh, both of relief and exhaustion. Her and Undyne had never gotten along, and it was easy to see why. To her, she was nothing but a troublemaker. And, for what it's worth, she was pretty much right. But maybe one day, she can change that. The door to Alphys' room creaks open slowly, the fear of what may be beyond was not made hidden my any means.
“You seem scared. D-Don't worry, I would be too.”

Susie, peeks into the door, seeing that her entire bed was obscured by white hospital curtains. Her heartbeat, shown through the heart monitor's beeping, was very irregular. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even more worried by the obscuring of her body. The room was just as white and clean as the rest of the hospital, but oddly enough this room in particular had a faint smell of mold and rot. It wasn't enough to affect Susie too much, so she grabbed a metal chair from the corner of the room and sat down next to the curtains.

“This is a dumb question. But, how are you feeling?”
“I'm not feeling much actually... They've got me pumped with a lot of pain killing stuff so it doesn't hurt too bad anymore, and they make me sleep as a side effect which is nice.”
“I bet.”
“Although, when they wear off... I can feel everything except the right side of my face. I-I hope that's just the drugs...”
“You don't remember what happened? Where you got hurt?”
“All I remember is looking for chalk in the closet and then... darkness. D-Darkness and pain-”
“You don't have to go into detail if you don't want to.”
“Sorry. I kind of have a habit of talking people's ears off...”
“It's okay.”
Susie shifts uncomfortably in her seat, the knot in her stomach soon returning.
“I know it was you.”
Alphys says in a monotone, tired voice.
“Wha-”
“You don't have to apologize or anything. It was just chalk.”
“That's... yeah but, I was stealing from you. And I intimidated everyone in the class and made everyone uncomfortable... I just feel like you wish I had never existed sometimes because it feels like I put everyone in a bad mood a-”
“Susie. Stop.”
“Why?! You know it's true!”
Susie feels tears well up in her eyes for the first time in a long time.
“I'm not a good person, Alphys, and you know that. Sure, I'm not the same as I was yesterday but that doesn't make up for what I did to everyone... what I did to you...”

Alphys doesn't respond for a long time. Susie almost felt like leaving, but she knew that was a stupid thought.
“I'm sorry Alphys. I didn't wanna come here and act all... like this.”
“No, no, I-It's fine, really. You needed to get that off your chest, I can tell.”
“I need to get a lot of things off of my chest, but that's not for now. I just want to say, that I sincerely apologize for what I did. What I have done. And I'm going to try my best to become better. For you, for Kris, for everyone.”
“...Th-Thank you Susie. I forgive you.”
The knot untied itself.
“Don't tell anyone this, but if you weren't all, y'know... I'd totally give you a hug right now. And I don't say that to anyone.”
Alphys giggles.
“I believe you.”

A long silence follows her words. Alphys sighs after about a minute of not so awkward silence.
“It feels like my brain is falling out.”|
“Wait... literally?”
“No, just... my head hurts so much. My body aches all the time and it...b-burns. Like tiny fires all over me.”
“...”
“Susie... Wh-what if I die?”
“Don't talk like that.”
“Susie, you know as well as I do that if these injuries are too severe there's a huge possibility that I might not make it.”
“No, no it's too early to say that-”
“It's never too early, Susie. Maybe it's too late-”
“Stop! Please! I don't want to think about you dying...”
“You think I do?!”

Another long silence.

“Y-You're the first one that visited me today, Susie.”
“...What?”
“All the other students are probably being kept by their parents, and I don't even know where the other teachers are...”
“There is no way. There's no way people could be so heartless.”
“Y-You give some people too much credit.”
About half a minute passes before Susie hears Alphys rustling around in her hospital bed. She's about to ask what she's doing before a yellow hand shakily reaches out towards her between two curtains.
“S-Susie...”
“Yeah?”
“Take my hand, p-please.”
Without hesitation, she places her hand on hers, it being almost twice the size. She's able to lightly hold her entire hand in her own.
“I-I need you to tell me that I'll be okay.”
“Alphys-”
“Susie, you're the only one that hasn't acted like a robot towards me today. All these nurses, p-police officers and whatever, they're t-trained to say that to everyone but I-I really need to hear this from you right now, so p-please Susie, tell me that I'll be okay. Th-That everything will be alright. Please?”
Now both hands are shaking.
“Alphys... Of course everything is going to be okay. They'll fix you up, you'll be better than ever and everything will go back to the way it was. You will be okay.”
She sits in silence for one last time.
“Thank you, S-Susie... I always knew there was a bright spot in you. It was so far away but... the light is here now.”
Alphys' hand grasps tight against Susie's, as if her life depended on it.

“So...any idea how they're going to help you?”
“They haven't said anything to me yet... and I've been asleep a lot today, so, who knows... speaking of, I feel a lot more sleepy now...”
“Well, I gotta go visit Kris at some point today anyway... Are you sure you want me to go, though? I can stay a bit longer if you'd like.”
“That'd be very nice but... You really should go, and I really should sleep.”
“Alright. Thank you for forgiving me.”
“Thank you for being here. Take care of yourself...”

Susie left that room, unsure of how to feel but glad the interaction with her was had. She walked past Undyne on her way out.
They didn't speak.