Mike freshened up in his room real quick, then headed out just in time to join Grandma Connie and little Sheldon on the walk over to the Coopers'.
Compared to last night's gloom and doom, the Cooper house was buzzing with good vibes today.
Missy was bouncing around in a bright floral dress, full of energy. Georgie was glued to the TV, hyped up and fiddling with some DVDs.
In the dining room, Mary had laid out a massive spread for lunch.
"George, you're looking a lot better today," Grandma Connie said with a grin as soon as she walked in, greeting him at the head of the table.
That kinda warmth from her? Would've been unthinkable before.
George was caught off guard by her friendly vibe but rolled with it enthusiastically: "Thanks to you, I feel way better."
Don't let his current chill demeanor fool you—back in the day, George was a total wild child. He and Mary only got married because Georgie came along first.
All that history meant Grandma Connie had never been his biggest fan.
But now? After George's big health scare, all that old tension seemed to vanish into thin air.
That's when little Sheldon piped up, fishing for attention: "And me—I prayed super hard to God, and that's what kept George safe and healthy."
"Aw, my little cookie, you're the best~" Grandma Connie beamed, ruffling his hair without holding back on the praise.
Over on the side, Missy spotted Mike arriving and calmed down, sliding into the seat next to him all ladylike.
Seeing the whole family so happy together put a big smile on Mary's face: "Alright, let's say grace and thank God for all these blessings."
This time, Sheldon's prayer was more intense than ever.
Mike faintly caught his whispers: Almighty God, please keep our family healthy! Oh, and Mike too... Please make Missy stop leaving her worn socks everywhere, and bless Georgie to shower every single day...
Kid was basically treating God like a cosmic vending machine.
Amen~
As Mary wrapped up the blessing, Sheldon still had a laundry list of wishes left unsaid.
"Come on, everybody—dig into my egg extravaganza..." Mary proudly pitched her egg-based masterpieces.
Cheesy egg casserole, bacon-egg rolls, potato-stuffed eggs.
Gotta admit, aside from the heavy egg theme, Mary's cooking was legitimately solid.
The Cooper dinner table was super relaxed—no stuffy "no talking while eating" rules here.
When George instinctively cracked open a beer like usual, Mike pulled the medical report from his pocket and jumped in: "George, your chart shows high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. You really oughta cut back on the booze and greasy stuff..."
Seeing how serious Mike was, Mary grabbed the report, scanning the wall of medical jargon. She couldn't make heads or tails of it and just looked puzzled: "Is it really that bad?"
"Worse than you think, actually," Mike said. "To keep this from coming back, George should get some moderate outdoor exercise—losing a few pounds wouldn't hurt either..."
George, having stared death in the face just yesterday, knew the stakes. But he patted his growing gut, eyed the frosty beer longingly, and his face twisted in conflict.
After years of comfy habits, flipping the script overnight? Yeah, that's tough.
"George, if you're up for it, you could work out with me," Mike offered, seeing the struggle. "Nothing intense—just light stuff..."
"Uh..." George glanced at his beer, still hesitant.
"Dad, don't worry—I already made a deal with God. He'll keep you healthy," little Sheldon chimed in dramatically, like he'd just gotten a divine hotline, dressed in his white church outfit.
"Thanks, Shelly," George said with a chuckle, feeling a bit better. After mulling it over, he finally pushed the beer away.
Mary, knowing her husband's ways, piled on gently: "George, we all know exercise would be good for you. Take it slow—we believe in you."
"Alright, alright—quitting booze and getting outside? I'll think about it..." George caved a little.
He hadn't made any hard promises yet, but hey, it was a solid start.
With that settled, everyone tucked into the egg feast peacefully.
Partway through, Mike suddenly felt his stomach acting up. Thanks to his demon physique, he basically never got sick.
His digestion was way stronger than normal, so he quickly pinned it on the food.
"Hold up—everybody stop eating. Something's wrong with the food," Mike said urgently, pushing through the cramps.
His body could handle a bit of serious poisoning—no big deal, it'd pass.
But the Coopers were regular folks. If they ate tainted stuff, they'd be miserable for days. Mike wasn't about to risk it.
"What's going on, Mike? I prepped all the ingredients myself—there's no way..." Mary hadn't clocked the severity yet. She turned to her husband: "Hey, George—did you buy that big basket of eggs in the kitchen?"
"Nope," George shook his head. "Those were a gift from the neighbor kid, Billy, yesterday afternoon. You know, his family has that little chicken coop—too many eggs to use up..."
The Coopers lived out where there wasn't much city planning—several neighbors scattered around. Billy's place was one of them.
Billy was a chubby kid about Sheldon's age who loved messing with Sheldon by hugging his pet chickens in his face.
The little pudgy guy also had a crush on cute Missy, so he'd drop off small gifts for the Coopers now and then.
Seeing the convo veer off, Grandma Connie jumped in: "Listen to Mike—nobody eat another bite!"
Then she turned to him worriedly: "Mike, you okay? Want Grandma to drive you to the hospital?"
Mike shook his head—the gut-twisting was easing up already. "I'm not totally sure, but this food's probably bad..."
Right as he spoke, Georgie—who'd been shoveling it in silently—suddenly clutched his stomach. His face went ghost-white, sweat beading up.
Then, like a chain reaction, everyone else at the table started grabbing their bellies, looking queasy.
"Damn it, those eggs from Billy must've gone bad," George groaned—having just survived one nightmare, this hit him extra hard.
"We can't wait—Mike, call an ambulance!" Grandma Connie winced, holding her stomach.
People were starting to hurl, and things were going south fast. Mike shot up: "No time—I'll drive. Pile in, I'll get you all to the hospital."
"Take my keys—bigger car..." George muttered through the dizziness, tossing them over.
Then he helped steady his family as they staggered outside.
"How could this happen? God promised He'd keep us safe..." Sheldon was hurting too, but more than the physical pain, he was furious at God breaking their "deal."
"Shelly, come on—what are you waiting for?" George called from the door.
"Wait—" Sheldon yanked off his white church shirt, grumbling: "I'm done believing in God. If He even exists, He's gotta be a jerk..."
Mike pulled up the car and ran back just in time to catch Sheldon wobbling, still muttering complaints.
The hit to his faith was so huge, a glowing attribute orb even popped off him.
[Intelligence +2]
'God bless!' Mike thought silently, snagging the orb before scooping up Sheldon and rushing him out to the car.