(Merry Christmas, sorry for the wait)
Donald stared blankly up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of the situation he’d found himself in. He’s been waiting, fearfully, for the familiar hazy fog to invade his thoughts for almost an hour now.
He wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or concerned when the dreaded sensation didn’t come.
With a sigh, he reached up to rub his forehead. The pain was gone, though he was a bit groggy and perhaps a touch disorientated. But his head was remarkably clear.
“What do I do now?” He asked the dark ceiling.
It wasn’t like he could go anywhere. He seriously doubted Scrooge would let him leave. And even then, where would he go? Back to Uncle Flint?
No, he couldn’t go back. Not now. Not until he made sense of everything.
With a heavy breath Donald rolled onto his side and curled up around himself. ‘Had Uncle Flint lied to me?’ He asked Homs silently.
The older duck had been nothing but genuine to him. He’d patiently answered all of Donald’s questions, back when he’d first woken up in that dark, desolate cave. Uncle Flint had taken care of him, loved him like any uncle would. Donald has seen the genuine hurt in his eyes when Donald had called into question their relationship.
But Gladstone is as here.
Donald shook his head violently and pulled his blanket over his head. Gladstone wouldn’t lie to him. He might irritate him with that infuriating luck of his. But he wouldn’t lie to him. Not about something like this.
Donald’s stomach churned uncomfortably, and he buried his face in his pillows.
“This isn’t getting me anywhere,” Donald mumbled into his pillow. Tears of frustration prickled at the corners of his eyes. “Why can’t I just remember?!”
He pounded a fist into the bed, trying desperately to recall something, anything. But his memories remained ever elusive. Eventually exhaustion crept over him, pulling him back in to oblivion.
………………………………………………………………………………
On the other side of the manor, the kids had once again gathered in Webby’s room. Webby, Huey, and Louie stood in a line while Dewey stalked back and forth in front of them.
“Alright troops,” Dewey said in his best imitation of a military general. “Now that Uncle Donald is home, we need a plan of action to get his memories to come back.” He paused his pacing to dramatically rub his chin.
Webby practically vibrated with excitement as she stood at attention, while Huey let out an exasperated sigh. Louie stood by silently, watching with a thoughtful look on his face.
“Oh I know,” Webby said excitedly, cutting the red triplet off. “We can remind him of the adventures he went on with Uncle Scrooge.” She pulled out an overstuffed leather bound scrapbook. “I have notes on all of their old adventures.”
“Perfect!” Dewey said triumphantly. Huey let out a frustrated huff.
“Guys,” Huey said in annoyance. “Uncle Donald hasn’t really been on adventures in years.”
“It would be better to reintroduce him to familiar things and routines,” he continued flipping through his Junior Woodchucks Guidebook. “Like the houseboat.
Webby gave him a skeptical frown. “What about Uncle Gladstone?” She interjected, prompting Huey to look from his guidebook.
“What about Uncle Gladstone?” Huey asked, tilting his head in confusion. Webby let out an exasperated huff and rolled her eyes.
“Uncle Donald remembers Uncle Gladstone,” she pointed out empathically. “So, we’d have better luck with older stuff.”
“She’s got a point, Huey,” Dewey said with a shrug. Huey groaned in frustration and facepalmed.
“Ah, guys,” Louie said uncertainly, drawing everyone’s attention. “Maybe we should give Uncle Donald some space for now.”
A long moment of silent collective contemplation followed. Huey stepped over to his youngest brother and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry Lou,” Huey said reassuringly. “We push him to hard.”
Louie bit into his lower lip, but raised no further objections.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m alive, somehow. Thank you all for your patience. Seriously, this has not been a good last couple of months.
@starlightnyx @shumurphy @i-am-me-i-am-sam @agentvive @snowyfrostshadows @analyticamethyst @felicianacariocapistoles @bamboozledeagle @theredtriplet3 @digikate813 @brittklein18 @adamarinayu @talkingxtomyself @fandomchanger @nopercydontdie2 @drax-is-inthefandom @thegreenestofbeans @bloosume @mark-beaks @iminwaytoomanyfandoms @dancingthesambaa @alex-the-thief
