Night 4

Maddie was surprised and ashamed with herself. She felt herself missing that protective wall that was Jack Fenton sleeping beside her. Maybe because he was always the one who had seemed to block her from what she had needed to see.

Danny needed her. More than she had ever noticed. Or maybe wanted to. Of course, she was sure he didn't notice either. Maddie had been pushing him away. She was sure of that. And he had accepted it.

Probably puberty encouraged it too. He handled his life with confidence, and Maddie was sure he'd never need to back down and come to her for help anymore. And that's what scared her. Was she really that blind? Maybe now that Jack was at the ghost hunting convention (men only), she could truly find out.

Today had been a Monday, and Danny had left for school 20 minutes earlier than usual. Maddie was happy, because he had a filling breakfast and seemed pretty well rested.

Jack had rushed out with a suitcase filled with ghost weapons, (tested, of course) a couple of HAZMAT suits, and some of Maddie's homemade fudge. He had then took to the Fenton RV, leaving Maddie with Jazz's car, zooming off, wreaking havok until out of eyeshot.

Maddie had been happy. She was going to get to observe Danny more! And maybe work on a couple of her own inventions. But this time, it would come second in her priority list. Danny was coming first this time, and hopefully, always.

That's why Maddie was smiling, flipping pancakes as Danny walked out. She really didn't want to find any problem. She knew undeniably there was one, the weekend's events had proved it, but she wasn't sure she wanted to find it.

30 Minutes later Maddie's tinkering with her inventions was interrupted by the phone ringing. It was Mr. Lancer.

"Ms. Fenton this is Mr. Lancer. Is Daniel sick today?" Mr. Lancer asked, puzzled. Maddie's stomach dropped, a sinking feeling occurring in her gut.

"No he left a while ago for school, why?" Maddie said, already dreading the answer.

"Well he isn't here now, and it's 10 minutes into the school day already, Ms. Fenton? Ms. Fenton?" But Maddie had already hung up, equipping herself and bounding out the door.

If it was ghosts, boy were they in for it. If it was just Danny skipping, boy was he in for it!

Maddie scanned the park, but it was just the ghost boy fighting a weird, Russian looking vulture. And losing a little, it seemed. But Maddie wasn't interested, she needed to find Danny, and her little boy came first. Besides, the ghost boy had already won, sucking the ghost vulture thing in the Fenton Thermos. The Fenton thermos? Where'd he get the Fenton thermos? Then he saw Maddie, gasped, and went intangible.

Maddie sighed, knowing she had missed he chance to capture the ghost kid, and called out Danny's name. She stopped in her tracks, her ears picking up something. A small, soft groan. Maddie rushed to where it was coming from, behind a bush from where the fight was. Danny lay there, quite a few bruises and cuts scattered on his body.

"Danny! Are you okay? What happened? What did this to you? Are you alright sweetie?" Maddie said, looking at him all over. To her surprise, Danny got up, and brushed himself off.

"Mom! I'm fine, I was walking to school and a ghost started attacking me, then Danny Phantom came and rescued me and told me to wait here, and I gave him the Fenton thermos?" He said, calmly, yet a little nervously. Maddie was more than surprised, she was amazed! The ghost kid had saved her baby boy! But more than that, she felt guilty. She hadn't been there to save Danny herself. If the ghost kid hadn't been there, Danny might of gotten seriously injured. Or worse…

But Maddie was pulled back into reality when she actually observed Danny's injuries. Though they were minor, they were slices, and burn marks, and just plain (glowing?) cuts. But Maddie had just received a clue to the puzzle. These injuries were the same ones that Danny came home with almost everyday.

Danny had been given a late pass when he finally arrived to school. When he came home, there were a few more injuries, well hidden, but now that Maddie was being more observant, noticeable. He rushed upstairs to do his homework, and she didn't see him until dinner, where, yet again, a mysterious, long, cut had appeared on his arm, covered in make-up, but still there.

Maddie felt tears burning at her eyes. How could she never had noticed them? Even Jazz seemed to ignore them, and recently, she had become very protective of her brother. Jazz was the most observant of the family, so surely she would've noticed if Danny was hurt.

That made Maddie feel a little better, but not much. If Jazz hadn't noticed, then maybe he covered it up well enough that no one would. Including herself. But she was his mother! Why couldn't she tell? Was she really that oblivious?

Maybe Danny didn't fight ghosts or get attacked by them. Maybe it just looked that way and it was just bullies. But what about the injuries he had gotten up in his room? Maybe he was just being more clumsy? Maddie knew she hadn't heard anything happening up there. It was like Danny wasn't even there. But what if he wasn't? What if he went out and fought ghosts when no one would notice? But that still didn't explain why she never or anyone ever saw him fighting ghosts.

Sleep was knocking on the door, and she hadn't figured out her jigsaw puzzle yet. None of the pieces seemed to fit together, and there seemed to be more important pieces missing. She put all the jigsaw puzzles back in the box, and opened the door. Maddie yawned, as she welcomed sleep into her mind.