The Disease

**The Disease** is a Summer 2023 fanfiction based on *The Amazing World of Gumball*.

It is preceded by *The Voicemails* and followed by *The Hipster*.

## Summary

"Gumball and Darwin go on a healthcare run to Canada." - Archive of Our Own

## Synopsis

The kids are in science class, where they notice that Mx. Small is acting rather strange; they are speaking rather slowly, slurring words, and generally acting lethargic. Some students ask them if they are feeling okay, to which they insist they are fine.

The fire alarm is tested, which startles the class. Principal Brown enters to confirm that it is just a test, and notices Mx. Small has collapsed on the floor. Concerned, he and the Watterson boys take them to the infirmary. Nurse Markham is unable to help, and decides that Mx. Small needs proper medical attention at a hospital, which Gumball protests is too expensive. Principal Brown remarks that because Mx. Small has dual citizenship with Canada, they can go there to get healthcare for free, so he and Nurse Markham send the Wattersons to bring them there.

Upon arrival in New Brunswick, Canada, Mx. Small is taken by paramedics, and Gumball suggests to Darwin that they need to find a blood donor. Not long after, the boys discover that several members of the Small family live nearby, and tail one from the airport into the downtown area. This man, who introduces himself as Boris Small, is initially willing to help them, until he realizes that Gumball and Darwin are talking about his sibling Sybil (whom he still refers to by their deadname, Steven). After figuring this out, he rejects the boys' pleas for help, insisting he doesn't want any contact with Mx. Small.

However, after meeting Boris's daughter Sophie and spotting a bus approaching, Gumball hatches a new plan, and leaps onto the bus along with Darwin and Sophie. He explains to Sophie that her long-lost pibling is in the hospital, and that she is their best bet for a blood donation. The three use the busing system to race across town to reach the hospital, including getting help from some hippie university students.

When they get to the hospital, the kids are told that they didn't really need a blood donation, and that Mx. Small is feeling a lot better. The boys rejoice that they helped save their teacher, and Mx. Small finally gets to meet their niece. Gumball then says they need to get back to Elmore, causing the Universe to launch them there in about ten seconds. The Watterson parents are not very pleased that Principal Brown sent them to Canada without their permission, but nonetheless are happy that they made it home safely. Sophie is enrolled in Elmore Junior High School, where Gumball is less than thrilled to discover that her niche is being a hipster.

## Characters (in order by appearance)

* Sybil Small
* Gumball Watterson
* Darwin Watterson
* Penny Fitzgerald
* Teri Myer
* Nigel Brown
* Clayton Lyons
* Joan Markham
* Boris Small
* Sophie Small
* Nicole Watterson
* Daphne Watterson

## Trivia

* This fanfic was first published on June 22nd, 2023.
* Teri suggests based on the symptoms that Mx. Small is having a stroke. Disorientation, slurring speech, and inability to move half of the body are all real signs that someone is having a stroke.