#itmeansiris

Start with a small cozy home with Red decor ✅

Complete the soulmate aspiration

Complete the Barista career

Max Skating, photography, knitting, and mixology

Sell 20 Winter themed photos

Kiss 3 sims mistletoe style

Adopt a pet

Go on 3 dates and do winter activities

Marriage options: Small winter wedding at home OR Big winter vacation wedding.

Have at least 3 kids after getting married

Kason arrived at the hospital early and alone. It wasn’t even his day, but he woke up with an overwhelming urge to be near Mercury. When he approached Spirit to ask if he could take her morning visit, she practically shoved him out the door, trying to calm down his near hysterical behavior. He quickly sent a message to work informing them he was taking a sick day and made the short trip to the hospital in half the usual time. However, the elevator’s snail pace made it difficult for him to reach her as quickly as he would have liked.

Kason: [Has it always been this slow?]

When the elevator dinged and the doors swung open, Kason sprang into action. Even in a power outage, he could navigate those hallways with his eyes closed, and he would have still found his way to her room. As he approached her suite, he barely glanced at her security team. Once inside, his tunnel vision cleared, the room filled with air, and the world gradually begun to spin again.

He moved with a gentle grace, as if he were afraid to disturb her sleep, and approached her bedside. With tender hands, he reached out and smoothed down a few stray hairs.

Kason: Good morning, beautiful.

He fluffled her pillows and tucked the blanket around her before pulling the small sofa closer to her bed. He was certain it had a permanent imprint of his bottom on it. He propped his elbows against her side and rested his head on his hands.

He observed her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. She appeared serene; her eye was fully healed where Paris had blackened it, and her cast was removed at the beginning of the new year. She resembled her old self, albeit slightly thinner, but she smelled wrong. Mercury typically had a delightful aroma of hazelnut, warm vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon. It was a captivating scent that lingered in a room long after she’d left.

He missed her so much, even though physically he’d seen her nearly every day. But he hadn’t seen her warm moss-green eyes or her award-winning smile. He craved her laughter, as much as her touch. Hell, he would have settled for furrowed eyebrows and a frown if only she would wake up. Did she know how much he needed her? Did she realize that every day she didn’t wake up, it killed a small part of him? He was losing faith, and only she could restore it despite what the doctors said.

Mercury had been in the hospital since the day before Harvestfest; it was now March. Winterfest and New years had come and gone without her. She'd missed the kids opening presents and shouting "Shashoobee" at midnight with them. She even missed Kason and Spirit's birthdays. Kason let his mind wander to happier times until he eventually drifted off.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

It was the first sound M registered as she slowly gained consciousness. The sound was familiar, but her tired mind couldn't place it. She opened her eyes slowly, her vision blurry. The light in the room was too bright, making her cringe and forcing her to shut her eyes again. She waited a few breaths before making a second attempt.

The light was still bright, but this time around she gave her eyes time to adjust. As her vision sharpened, she instantly recognized the mop of blonde curls before her. For a few minutes, she watched him sleep as she took in her surroundings.

M: [Why are we in the hospital?]

She thought to herself. Her tongue felt like sandpaper, so she looked around for something to drink. When she didn’t locate the standard plastic water jug and accompanying cup that you normally found in every hospital room, she gave up, unwilling to wake Kason, yet. Instead, she lay there trying to remember how she’d ended up there.

She started by examining her body. Poking and probing for pain or signs that she was hurt, but aside from a massive headache and some soreness in her right arm, her examination didn't reveal anything life-threatening.

Encouraged by the lack of pain, Mercury attempted to pull herself into a sitting position. The pain hit her instantly, and she inhaled sharply, dragging Kason from his sleep. He froze, allowing himself a moment to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, but when she groaned in pain again as she struggled to readjust, he no longer cared; he simply didn’t want to see her in pain anymore, dream or not.

Kason: Mercury!

He hastily pushed the chair back to help her.

Kason: Don’t try to get up!

He gently laid her back down before adjusting the bed so that she was slightly propped up. He held his breath as he caressed her face, his eyes never leaving hers. She stared back up at him with a confused and slightly sadden expression. She opened her mouth to speak but the dryness in her throat made her cough instead. Without a word, Kason got her a cup of water from the mini fridge in the corner and helped her drink, then he sat on the side of the bed. Finally, she spoke. Her voice was slightly hoarse, but it was like music to his ears.

M: What happened, Kason?

Hearing his name in her voice instantly calmed the storm in his soul that had wreaked havoc on him since that day in late fall. He tried to savor that feeling, but she wanted answers. His heart dropped, putting a stop to the healing that was happening. He didn’t want to relive that day or have to recall all the bad that happened while she was away. He wanted a moment to just feel relieved she was awake and For a heartbeat he considering refusing to answer her. Did she need to know right now? Wasn’t it better for her to wait to hear all the devastating news till she was awake for a while? Then she spoke again.

M: Please Kason, I feel so lost. You promised no more secrets.

Her pleas halted his procession of questions and for the first time since Mercury woke up, Kason couldn’t look her in the eyes. The guilt punched him in the gut with a force he wasn’t prepared for. She had missed 3 months of her and her families lives and he couldn’t fathom how disorienting that felt for her. She needed him to fill in the blanks no matter how much it hurt him to relive. It would likely be twice as hard for her and while he wanted to avoid causing her pain mental or otherwise he sighed and started from the beginning.

Kason: You’ve been in the hospital since Harvestfest Eve. It’s March, M. It started when Paris-

As the world moved on outside her hospital suite, Kason helped M relive the last three months. He recounted every moment from the time he found her and the triplets in the grocery store aisle with Paris up until the moment he got there that morning. He decided to omit Rufus’ death and Kristen’s move back to Windenburg, figuring it wasn’t the best time to tell her, considering all she’d learned in the last half hour.

Mercury hadn’t said a word as Kason gave her a rundown of all she’d missed while she was in the coma, but she cried nonstop. Hearing the struggles her children endured and the sacrifices her family made while she was hospitalized made her feel both blessed and guilty.

Kason: Are you okay M? I’m sorry, I know it’s a lot. We’ve missed you so much. I’ve missed you so much. We were terrified you wouldn’t wake up.

M: I'm so sorry, Kason-

But he didn’t give her the opportunity to finish the sentence.

Kason: Mercury Medley Gratz, you don’t owe me or anyone else an apology, do you hear me? I don’t want to hear it, and neither will anyone else. You didn’t ask for any of this to happen. We did what we had to, end of story. You’ve been through hell and back, don’t torture yourself about choices that weren’t yours to make. We would make them all over again if we had to.

There was an edge to Kason’s tone that shocked them both, but he didn’t apologize. Mercury stared back at him with fresh tears in her eyes. He took a moment to calm himself before he spoke again.

Kason: What I mean, M, is that you have enough to deal with without feeling guilty. We all did what we thought was right for you and the family. The choices we made were ours to make. No one was forced to do anything; you didn’t demand anything from us. So don’t feel bad for us; just worry about getting better so that we can have the heart of our family back, that’s all we want. I love you, M. Let me get your doctor in here.

He gave her a small reassuring smile that she attempted to return as Kason called the nurses' station, requesting Mercury's doctor come immediately. 3 minutes later, Dr. Sanders, M’s neurologist, and Dr. Howard, her PCP, came into the suite. Both had smiles plastered on their faces to see Mercury conscience.

Dr. Howard: Mrs. Gratz, welcome back. I’m Dr. Howard. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Your wonderful husband has told me and my staff nonstop that you have the most beautiful green eyes. I’m glad to finally see them for myself. How are you feeling?

Mercury stared at the dark-haired woman for a moment before answering with uncertainty.

M: um…I’m not sure. Thirsty, confused.

Dr. Howard: Dr. Sanders page her nurse to bring additional fluids and fruit juice. Mrs. Gratz, do you feel any pain?

M: If it’s okay, could you just call me Mercury, and yes.

As M described the pain in her head and mid-torso, Kason got up to give the doctor’s room as they asked follow-up questions while prepping M for an examination.

Kason: I’ll be right back, M. Bathroom.

He pointed to the door in the corner so she knew he wouldn’t be far. She nodded softly, but her eyes begged him to hurry. He would do his best to fulfill the silent request. He stepped into the suite's private bathroom, listening for the soft click of the door's lock engaging.

He walked over to the sink, leaning against it with his back to the mirror. Kason and his family had been waiting for this day, this moment, these very seconds for the longest mind-numbing 3 months anyone had ever known. He had the privilege of being here when it happened, and he could no longer contain all the emotions he’d built a dam around after the coffee incident. Kason fell to the floor, overwhelmed by relief, fear, joy, exhaustion, and everything in between.

Kason: She’s awake. Thank the watcher.

He tried to muffle his sobs with his hands as he repeated the words again and again until the tears dried and the hiccups and coughing subsided. He unfolded himself and stood, turning towards the mirror to finally look at his reflection. The man he saw looked small and weak, nothing like the emotionless robot he’d turned himself into to avoid breaking down when his family needed him.

Kason wanted to be strong for M, but his eyes, red and swollen from crying, betrayed his vulnerability. But he couldn’t stall in the bathroom for much longer, so he splashed cold water on his face, took a few deep breaths, and exited the bathroom.

He stepped out to hear Dr. Howard explaining to Mercury the next steps. They were taking her to do blood work, take X-rays, and sonograms. Kason kept one ear to the conversation happening between Mercury and the doctors while the other had his phone to it, waiting for Spirit to pickup.

Kason: Hel-

Spirit: Is everything alright?

She answered with concern before he could finish his greeting.

Kason: Everything is fine, Spirit. It's better than fine, shes awake.

Spirit: She's awa-

She halted mid-sentence when she heard Mercury's voice in the background responding to someone's question.

Spirit: Little planet. She's awake.

Previous Next

Beginning

Sidebar: So I did time jump. I played through the rest of winter, so it’s March or the first week in spring just to help progress the story. I play 21-day seasons to account for the 12 months in the year.

Mercury went into the hospital harvestfest eve or the end of November and fall (there were only 3 days left, so she was in the hospital for about 3 and a half months or weeks in game terms).

Kason is going to tell Mercury about Rufus and Kiersten, but telling her directly after she woke up just seemed overwhelming considering everything else he had to tell her.