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The fluorescent lights buzz overhead, casting a sickly green pallor over the veterinary hospital's linoleum floors. Gonzo paces the waiting room, fingers drumming against his trench coat. Paul Simon's concert last night still echoes in his skull—"These are the days of miracle and wonder"—and now he's vibrating with the need to create. He finds Rizzo and Pepe rifling through a vending machine near reception.
"Guys! I'm gonna be a songwriter!" Gonzo declares, twirling his chicken. "I just need the inspiration!"
Rizzo barely glances up, jaw working on pilfered peanuts. "Yeah? Try the hospital, man. Inspiration's gotta be here somewhere."
Pepe adjusts his tiny gold chain, flashing a smirk. "We are going to see Kermito, okay? He is sicky-sick."
They sneak down corridor B. Miss Piggy erupts from Kermit's empty doorway like a hurricane in sequins, net swinging. "ENOUGH!" she roars. The mesh snaps down, trapping Rizzo and Pepe mid-scramble. Gonzo tries to bolt—thwack. Piggy slams him against the bulletin board, pushpins scattering as his coat snags on a notice about flea treatments. "Where is my KERMIE?" she snarls, breath hot.
Nurse Janice glides forward, medical restraints dangling from her fingers. "Like, far out, Miss Piggy," she drawls, peace-sign earrings swaying. "Chillax or you won't see the green dude."
Piggy's eyes narrow, but she releases Gonzo.
Pepe whips out a nail file, sawing furiously. "Ay, freedom!"
The net splits. They trail Piggy and Janice, slipping into Kermit's room. On the bed, Kermit lies wan beneath tubes. Dr. Teeth points solemnly to a jar.
"Catastrophic cirrhosis, mama," he murmurs.
Floating in formaldehyde: Kermit's liver, swollen and mottled like spoiled moss. Gonzo stares. Nobody can hold this frog down.