Against All Odds
Chapter One: Phone Call
A/N: This story will involve character death. It may cause tears. Please review and let me know what you think. Oh, and follow me on my Twitter page. KelciLynn Fanficiton.
Danny's POV:
Sam and I were twenty-one now and married. Once we got married, Sam had adopted Danielle. It only made since, considering that Danielle was, in the eyes of the law, my daughter.
We lived in Elmerton now, in our own house, and I worked for the Guys in White. Mom and Dad still lived in Amity. Jazz lived just out of the state, busy being a child's psychologist, and Tucker was in a Tech school about fifteen hours away. Our little life was nearly perfect, with Sam being a stay-at-home mother for Danielle and me working for the Guys in White.
My phone ringing loudly awoke me from my sleep. I usually slept with it on silent, so as not to wake up Sam and Danielle, but I was out of town on business for the Guys in White. I hated to leave Sam and Danielle home alone, but most of the ghost were my friends now, so I wasn't too worried.
"Hello?" I answered groggily.
"Daniel Fenton?" a voice asked.
"Yes? Who is this?"
"This is the Elmerton Mercy Memorial Hospital. We have your wife and daughter here-"
"What?! Why?" I asked, panicked.
"There was a ghost attack, sir. A Vlad Plasmius?"
"Where is he?" I snarled, instant rage filling me.
"He was taken into custody by the Guys in White."
"Are my wife and daughter okay?" I switched into my ghost form as I spoke, already throwing my clothes into my suitcase.
"Sir, your wife is in critical condition. Your daughter sustained a few cuts and burns, but is otherwise unharmed. We have already contacted the first people you had listed to contact in case of emergency. Kitty and Johnny 13. They should be arriving shortly.
"I'll be there in roughly two hours," I said.
I had listed Kitty and Johnny because I knew that they'd be able to get there the fastest. They knew where the portal was that led to the basement at my house and they knew the password to get in. They could get to Danielle quickly if needed.
When I arrived at the hospital, Kitty was waiting for me in the lobby. "Where are they?" I asked.
"Johnny is upstairs with Danielle in the pediatric unit. She'll be fine. They won't tell me anything about Sam, except that she is in critical condition. Her doctor wants to talk to you."
I nodded and walked to the front desk, where I was directed to the ICU. I went upstairs and was met by Sam's doctor. "How is my wife?" I asked, skipping the casualties.
"She sustained severe injuries to her spinal cord. She's gone into a coma and her brain activity is very weak."
"Will she be okay?" I asked, surprising myself at how calm I was being.
"Nothing is certain yet, but it isn't looking good. I am so sorry."
I nodded, "I need to go see my daughter now."
He nodded and I walked off, taking the elevator up to the pediatric unit. I saw Kitty standing in the hallway. I walked over to her and she opened her arms; I took a step forward and embraced her. After the last seven years, this wasn't strange at all for us. Kitty was sweet and I thought of her and Johnny as some of my very best friends. And...I needed the comfort. "Is she okay?" I asked, almost scared to go in and see what Vlad had done to her.
"She's okay, but she hasn't stopped crying since we got here."
I sighed loudly and walked into the room. Johnny was holding Danielle on his lap as she sobbed. She had a band-aid on her forehead and a few stitches running up her cheekbone. On her left forearm was a bandage, but other than that, she was completely unharmed. I took her from Johnny and held her tightly. "Daddy's here, Daddy's got you," I whispered into her ear, kissing the top of her head.
"Oh, Daddy! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, burring her face in my shoulder. "I should have saved her, but I was so scared!" She broke off into unintelligible hysterics.
"Baby, slow down," I said, wiping the tears off her face. "It's okay. What happened?"
She took a few deep breaths and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I was upstairs asleep with Sam and we heard a really loud noise. Sam told me to stay upstairs, so I did, and she went down to see what it was. She told me to call the 911 and I did, but then I followed her downstairs and saw Vlad. He had her and was choking her, so I shot at him, but he saw me and dropped her." Danielle began to cry again, hiding her face once again.
"What happened next?" I asked gently.
Danielle pulled her face away, but wouldn't look at me. She was whispering now. "I heard her bones break, Daddy... But when Vlad came after me, she pulled herself over to me and pulled me behind her. But he picked her up and threw her again. She hit the wall and didn't get back up... So I ran. Vlad chased me, but then the police and the Guys in White burst in... I should have protected her, Daddy. I'm so sorry... Please don't hate me..."
In response to that, I crushed her to my chest and forced myself to speak over the lump that had formed in my throat. "I could never hate you, Danielle. It is mine and Sam's job to protect you, not the other way around. You are a little girl. This is not your fault."
"Will Sam be okay?" she mumbled.
I hesitated, "I really don't know, baby. I need to talk to her doctor some more. She's pretty hurt, sweetie. She's in a coma."
My words did absolutely nothing to comfort her, and she began to cry again. I held her until she finally fell asleep, then I laid her back in the bed. The moment that I did, I felt the tears rolling down my face. Kitty had gone downstairs to get us all some coffee, so it was just myself and Johnny. He pat me on the back then, unexpectedly, he wrapped his arms around me. This, just like hugging Kitty, wasn't weird to me at all. Seven years ago, I would have never thought it would be possible. Even a few years ago, I wouldn't think it would be. But, now, it didn't seem strange at all.
I hugged him back and let out a few quiet sobs, not wanting to wake up Danielle, or even let her know that I was all that upset. Kitty returned a few minutes later and handed us each a cup of coffee.
I sat there with them for a bit. Eventually, Kitty laid down next to Danielle and pulled her into her arms to fall asleep. Johnny was slouched over across the end of the bed and was snoring softly.
I got up and paced the halls. I was running on fumes and couldn't even think about sleeping. Sam and Danielle were my entire world, and I hadn't even been allowed back to see Sam yet. A doctor had stepped in before Kitty and Johnny had fallen asleep to tell me that Sam had been taken into surgery.
I paced the halls, trying to hold back tears and sobs. I was entirely too upset. I couldn't handle it. I slumped against the wall in the hallway outside of the door to Danielle's room and closed my eyes, letting my head drop into my hands and bracing my elbows on my knees. I eventually fell asleep like that.