As Fenton walked to his locker to collect his belongings before going home, he could feel that his ghost half was happy. He wasn't sure what happened with Phantom and their parents after lunch. Well….that wasn't completely true; he'd caught glimpses of what happened.
Some initial nervousness and discomfort at the beginning of the conversation.
Fenton rubbed the back of his neck and bit his lip, while trying to finish his lunch.
Sam raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you okay?"
The boy blushed, putting his arm down. "Yeah. I'm fine."
A few moments where his head and shoulders hurt like he hit his head on something.
Fenton suddenly yelped and rubbed his head in the hallway. Star, who'd been walking by with Paulina and Valerie, side-eyed him before turning her attention back to her friends.
Slow building happiness and laughter.
His heart felt light, laughter building in his chest. Mom's smiling face flashed in his head, his own gloved hands waving in front of his face while he excitedly told some story. Fenton wanted to laugh too but managed to stop the sound, muffling it with a cough.
Mom and Dad had spent an hour at least just talking to his ghost half, but the human managed to block it out.
Fenton pinched his eyes closed, carefully controlling his breathing. He needed to be right here, in school, taking his biology quiz, not at home with Mom and Dad, though the fact that they were treating Phantom like they would have treated Fenton, like they would have treated the whole Danny, was making him so relieved and happy. A mental nudge to Phantom and one received back. Something like a door closed in Phantom's and then Fenton's portions of their mind, leaving only a sliver open.
The fact that they could actually control some of the emotions, images, and memories going between their two selves was strange. It frightened Fenton; It could become a wedge, farther dividing his ghost half and himself. He never wanted to see Phantom as something truly separate from him again, not after being afraid of his powers and seeing that part of himself as a disease.
But then again, in biology, hadn't they just learned about the brain? And while there were different parts that did different things, didn't those parts talk to each other so your body could do what it was supposed to? Maybe that wasn't too different from him and Phantom, as two parts of a whole.
Closing his locker down, Fenton forced those thoughts out of his mind. He spotted his sister coming down the hall towards him.
"Hey Danny." She stopped in front of him, a concerned, though slightly teasing look on her face. "Are you ready to face the music?"
Picking up his bookbag, the boy half-smiled at her. "I think….it's going to be okay."
Her brow raised ever so slightly, probably surprised at the lack of worry in the statement. "Really?"
Fenton nodded. "I'll let other me tell you about it at home but...I don't think we need to worry too much about this afternoon."
"So you're not worried?" Jazz crossed her arms. "Even though they're definitely going to be needles."
"Why does everyone keep implying I'm afraid of needles?" The boy frowned.
"You are afraid of needles." His sister deadpanned, earning a glare from Fenton. She put her hands up, as if she were innocent. "Hey, I remember when you were a little kid and you'd scream bloody murder whenever you got a shoot. You'd only stop crying when Mom promised you ice cream."
"I was four, Jazz." Fenton huffed, annoyedly.
"Are you going to need ice cream this time too?" The girl grinned, her tone an odd mixture of teasing and concerned. A tone only his older sister was capable of.
The boy crossed his arms, pouting, before looking at his sister warily. "Actually….ice cream sounds really good right now." Jazz's mouth fell open, her expression almost smug. Fenton interrupted before she could quip back. "Not 'cause I'm scared! It's just...really hot out today."
"Right?" Jazz raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure that's what it is."
Fenton chose to say nothing, still crossing his arms but looking down. Something in the closed off response made Jazz's expression soften.
The girl sighed, putting an arm on his shoulder. "But seriously Danny. It's okay to be afraid, and not just of needles." Her voice quieted, as if to prevent anyone from over hearing. "With everything that happened with Mom and Dad, it's okay to be nervous around them."
Fenton's stomach dropped in dread. "I'm not…."
He trailed off, unable to deny. It didn't matter anyway; Continual denials weren't going to do anything to convince his sister. And his pride wouldn't let him admit he was maybe, possibly, a little, tiny bit afraid. The boy looked down. It was ridiculous. He'd been confident not five minutes again. Mom and Dad saw Phantom as his other half and would really do everything they could to help them merge. Everything would be okay. But why did his heart still flutter with anxiety?
The hand on his arm patted. "It's okay, Danny." Jazz smiled at him for a moment before changing the subject. "Are Sam and Tucker coming over today?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah. I was going to meet them in front of the school and walk home."
Jazz started walking in that direction. Her hand stayed on his arm for a moment, gently encouraging him to walk with her. "Why don't I drive all of us home?"
Fenton turned his head, looking at her skeptically. "You're offering to drive me and my friends somewhere? Really?"
"To my own house." Jazz rolled her eyes before pointing. "And don't get used to it. I'm only considering it because of...everything you've been through recently."
Another frown creeped its way onto Fenton's face from the statement but he forced the creeping anxiety back. He grinned jokily instead. "Could I maybe use that to convince you to buy me a milkshake?"
The girl glared but human Danny blinked at her innocently, with his best puppy dog eyes. Jazz huffed. "Fine! We'll go through the Nasty Burger drive-thru."
"Yes!" The boy pumped his fist.
But!" Jazz interrupted, pointing. "You're buying next time."
He waved her off. "Sure, sure." She said that now but he was good at getting his sister to give in to him, especially if she felt bad for him. He pushed the doors open in front of them, before smirking. "I split myself and suddenly you're nice to me? Maybe I should have done that sooner."
Jazz stopped beside him, a mixture of shock and disappointment on her face. And Fenton felt a spike of guilt. It was then, Sam's voice barked to his right. "Don't say stuff like that!" His goth friend's fists punched his shoulder a little too hard to be considered playful.
"Sam!" The boy yelped, startled. He looked up, registering Sam and Tucker standing on the school's front steps, just past the door he'd come through. He rubbed the sore spot, frowning. "That hurt!"
"Well then don't say stupid shit like that." Sam crossed her arms, angrily.
"I was joking!" He argued.
Sam's lip twitched. Concern flashed through her features, just covered by the anger. "It wasn't funny."
Guilt flared in Fenton's gut again. His expression softened. "I didn't mean it, I swear. I know trying to cure myself was a horrible idea."
"You didn't know you'd get split." Jazz said, having overcome her shock.
"I...I know." Fenton wrung his hands. "But it still sucks that that's what happened."
"You'll figure out how to fix it, dude." Tucker patted him on the back.
Fenton bit his lip; the positive statement didn't make him feel better.
"Speaking of." Jazz coughed, changing the subject. "Let's go ahead and head home. I'm driving us."
Her brother nodded, but said nothing, accepting the statement as Jazz started walking towards the parking lot with the three freshmen following her. Sam and Tucker chatted with each other, with Jazz adding a few words occasionally to the conversation. Fenton walked just behind.
Dread balled in the boy's gut as he cursed his bad decision again. Decisions, really. He really shouldn't have joked about splitting himself. That was so stupid. Spliting himself was so stupid too. Though he didn't want to think about it, guilt and worry swirled in the boy's mind anyway. Without his permission or his effort, his short conversation with Phantom this morning rose to the front of his mind. His ghost's disappointed frown and crossed arms as Fenton carefully avoided the topic of why the merging failed. The human knew it was stupid, not being honest with his other half, with himself. But he was still doing it anyway.
"Hey, Danny, are you gonna call shotgun?" Tucker's question drew Fenton out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" He was standing in front of Jazz's car already. How had they walked here so fast? Fenton shook his head, dislodging the cobwebs as he realized what his friend was asking. "Yeah. I'll take the front seat."
After Jazz unlocked the car, her brother opened the front passenger side door and sat down, putting his bookbag at his feet. Sam and Tucker sat down, putting their own bags in their laps. Jazz turned on the car and put it in drive.
Turning out of the parking lot, Jazz asked. "What milkshake do you want, Danny?"
"Milkshake?" Tucker raised a brow, excitedly.
Jazz looked at the technogeek through the rearview mirror. "We're going through the Nasty Burger drive thru." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "If you or Sam want anything, you can pay for it yourself."
At that, Tucker looked slightly disappointed. He patted his pockets and unzipped a few compartments on his bag, until he pulled out some crumpled dollar bills. His eyes lit up. "Yes! I have enough for a peanut butter bacon shake."
Sam wrinkled her nose. "That is disgusting. I can't believe…."
A verbal tennis match about Tucker and Sam's dietary preferences started in response and Danny watched on in amusement before Jazz admonished the pair in the back seat to keep it down so she could concentrate. This earned side-eyes and not completely authentic annoyed pouting. But Jazz at least was true to her word about the milkshakes.
Fenton hummed in contentment, taking a sip of his chocolate-cherry milkshake. The Nasty Burger had the best shakes. And despite what he told Jazz, the ice cream was making him feel a little better. But would that last?
Phantom sat on the couch, watching TV. Mom and Dad had gone back down stairs about an hour and a half again, before telling the ghost he didn't have to hide in his room all day. So the ghost boy was enjoying not having to fight anyone else for the tv remote, at least for a while.
The credits rolled on the show he was watching and Phantom furrowed his brow. He glanced at the clock; school had gotten out thirty minutes ago. Shouldn't Jazz, his friends, and his human half be home by now?
Just then, the front door rattled with the sound of someone trying to unlock it. Familiar voices drifted through the door and Phantom's core sparked with happiness. They were here. In a blink, he floated off his seat and to the door. Smiling, he pulled the door open.
"I hate this stupid lock." Jazz was grumbling as the door swung inside. Her head then popped up, slightly startled at the sudden movement. Then she smiled. "Hey, Danny."
"Hey Jazz." The ghost floated backwards, allowing the humans inside. His eyes feel on his friends. "Sam! Tucker! I'm so happy to see you guys." He threw one arm around each of them, grinning widely.
"Careful!" Sam barked, with alarm but with little bite.
It was then Phantom noticed the styrofoam cups in Sam and Tucker's hands. "You got milkshakes?" He turned his head, seeing the shakes in Jazz and Fenton's hands. Each human had one but….his grin fell, suddenly feeling disappointed. "You didn't get me one?"
Sam, Tucker, and Jazz side-eyed each other, looking confused. Sam pointed. "The human you got one?"
Phantom's frown just deepened. "But...but there's only one shake."
His friends and sister continued gaping, looking between the two Dannys. They looked so confused; it would have been funny if Phantom didn't suddenly feel left out and nervous.
Jazz raised a brow. "Was I supposed to get separate ones? Because that's….you're both…"
"I thought you couldn't taste it anyway." Tucker stated.
The ghost's core fell at the reminder. He blushed, checks turning green. "I can't but…." He trailed off. He still felt left out. He couldn't enjoy a milkshake. He couldn't even go through the drive through with his friends and sister. Had they forgotten about him, since they had one Danny with them? Or did they think one milkshakes was enough for both, since they were the same person? That spending time and attention with Fenton was equivalent, the same as spending that time with Phantom, even if the ghost half didn't experience the same things as his human self.
Guilt churned, seemingly out of nowhere, or…..from his human self? Fenton was looking down, avoiding everyone's eyes. The human was guilty and nervous about seeing Phantom. The ghost felt like those were his own emotions. But it was confusing, since they'd both been happy just moments before.
Still not looking up, Fenton, also blushing, held the shake out to him and the ghost took it tentatively before sipping. Nothing. Not flavor. It didn't even feel pleasantly cold like it was supposed to, because of his inhumanly cold ghostly body. Phantom shoved the shake back into his other self's hands, still blushing.
Jazz's hand gently rested on his arm. "I wasn't meaning to leave you out Danny, if that's what this is about." She said it quietly, for the sake of his embarrassment. Not that it helped when he already embarrassed himself in front of his friends because his stupid brain and stupid emotions were doing stupid things.
Tucker coughed. "Could you taste it if you did that glowy eyes thingy?"
"What?" Phantom asked, fixing his gaze on Tucker while his human half also tilted his head at the other boy.
"At lunch, when human you's eyes were glowing and you both were talking to us." Tucker explained.
Phantom knew his friend was trying to break the tension with his innocent question. He couldn't blame Tucker for not knowing how this worked. But he prickled anyway.
"We can't just do it on command, Tucker." Phantom and Fenton glared in sync, wearing identical expressions.
Both Dannys' eyes widened as each took a step back from his counterpart, blushing more darkly.
Sam, Tucker, and Jazz side-eyed the Dannys again before Tucker chuckled. "Dude, it's so cool when you do that."
Phantom let out an audible sigh, tension leaving his shoulders at Tucker's statement. He half-smiled, though he wasn't feeling it. "I don't know about cool. But it's…"
"It's…. something." Fenton finished for him.
That was the word for it, something. Phantom wasn't sure how to feel about….anything. He just knew he felt embarrassed at how he reacted earlier. And tense and a little nervous. Things felt weird again. Sam and Jazz were looking at him with mild concern and obviously trying very hard not to gawk. And Tucker acting excitedly, like this was cool? The ghost swallowed; his friend was trying to break the tension, to act like this was cool, not bizarre and uncomfortable. Like everything was normal and he and Fenton were still just his best friend Danny, despite their being two of him.
The silence remained awkward for a moment; Jazz looked between the two Dannys with a concerned look that screamed she wanted to say something to them but before the girl made up her mind, Dad came pounding up the stairs with Mom following after.
The man beamed. "Jazz! Danny! You're home. And you brought your friends!"
Mom's thoughtful gaze took in the group, the furrow of her brow betraying that she sensed the previous awkwardness and was trying to work out what happened. "Sam. Tucker. How are you two doing?" She asked, the question authentic with a hint of motherly probing.
"Great. Mrs. F" Tucker smiled.
"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for letting us come over Mrs. Fenton." Sam gave a small wave.
Mom raised a brow, seemingly asking for more information. She probably wanted to know what his friends thought about the situation and how they were taking it, but the woman didn't push. Instead she replied. "Of course, Sam. Danny's friends are always welcome here."
"Yeah! Especially if you're here to hear me drone on about ghosts!"
Phantom couldn't help but ironically relax at his Dad's excitement. Before the accident, he would have been annoyed and embarrassed by his parents' enthusiasm for something that didn't exist. And after the accident, well….he quickly learned ghosts were real. But excited talk of all the experiments Mom and Dad wanted to run, everything they wanted to learn, it felt too personal, too dangerous.
But now….. Dad was grinning, talking with child-like wonder about their portal, what lay on the other side, and theorizing about how ghosts' ability to fly worked. To Phantom, it reminded him of Jazz rambling about psychology, Tucker about his electronics, Sam about animal rights, or even himself about the stars. Bright eyed, passionate, thirsting for knowledge, and not the least bit malicious.
Dad's hand appeared on his back. "Come on kids! Let's go downstairs."
And just like that, the boy stiffened again. But Mom obviously noticed his change in posture. "Like I promised this morning, we'll go as slowly as you need, Danny. There's nothing to be afraid of."
The ghost knew she meant well. Logically, there wasn't anything to be nervous about but he couldn't seem to convince his rapidly pulsing core of that. He tentatively glanced at his human half, who was looking down with tense shoulders. Apparently, Fenton was feeling similarly.
Phantom nodded stiffly, despite his anxiety as Dad patted his back. "Come on son."
Out the corner of his eye, Phantom saw Mom give Fenton a kind smile as everyone started walking (or floating) towards the stairs. Dad and Phantom went down the steps first with Mom and the human teens following. The group stopped at the foot of the stairs. Phantom swallowed, looking around warily. He tried not to flinch at the still half assembled cage; he wasn't in any danger of being forced in there, not anymore, but the thought still raised the hair on the back of his neck. He glanced around the different tables. It was cleaner than earlier; any weapons, both those finished and in progress, were out of sight. He tilted his head. But what had his parents done with them? Maybe he should ask.
"What did you guys end up doing with that lunch lady ghost?" Fenton asked, distracting Phantom from his observations.
The ghost turned towards his parents. "Yeah. You guys caught her in that thermos thing, right?"
"Yes! The Fenton Thermos!" Dad beamed, picking up a cylindrical device from one of the tables. "We captured her in this baby!"
Phantom swallowed, nervously eyeing the thermos (That could have been him if he had been slower on Friday). "What are you gonna do with her?"
Dad's smile dimmed, as he lowered the device. He glanced at Mom who bit her lip. "Once we finished the containment unit, we were planning to get some data from the ghost. However-"
Sam's biting voice interrupted Dad's answer. "You can't just experiment on someone without their consent!"
"Sam. Stop." Fenton frowned.
The girl pointed at the containment unit. "They just said they were going to keep a ghost captive. You can't just do that!"
"Dude, the lunch lady kidnapped you. Why are you defending her?" Tucker raised a brow.
Sam crossed her arms. Her nose wrinkled in disgust, probably from remembering being trapped in a pile of meat but then the girl shook her head. "She still doesn't deserve to be treated like a lab rat."
"Sam." Fenton's voice pitched up, a hint of anger in his tone.
"They almost did that to you, Danny!" Sam then glared at the Fenton parents. "Tucker and I saw how scared Danny was when you were chasing him. And you...you shot him. How could you do that?!"
"Sam. Stop." Both Dannys gritted out.
"You should both be ashamed for yourselves. I can't even believe-" Sam was cut off by Phantom darting in front of her.
"Stop chewing out my parents, Sam." The ghost boy glared.
The girl glared right back. "But-"
"I don't need you to defend me." The boy continued, mouth set in a hard, serious line
The goth's eyes widened, the anger leaching from her face as she searched Phantom's face. After a moment, she glanced over his shoulder, falling on someone behind them. The ghost didn't even have to turn around to know it was his human half. Whatever expression covered Fenton's face, it made Sam's expression soften farther.
A low, masculine cough sounded behind Phantom, causing him to turn around again. His dad, whose eyes had been a light with excitement not a minute ago, was standing with his shoulders low and eyes heavy with sadness. Mom stood beside him, her arms crossed with an angry expression on her face. She looked almost defensive, angry at being lectured, if not for her telling silence.
Dad spoke first. "Maddie and I both know we messed up big time. But we're trying to make up for what we did." The man glanced at his wife. "Isn't that right, Mads?"
Guilt flickered across Maddie's face, her narrowed eyes softened slightly. "I understand why you are angry at us. But I do not need to be lectured by you, Sam." The woman fixed her eyes on the floor, the previous prickliness of the statement fizzling. "I fully know how guilty I am."
The last words fell heavy and Phantom shifted in the air again, feeling awkward as the silence lingered.
After a minute, Sam spoke. "Mister and Misses Fenton." She blushed, slightly embarrassed while folding one arm across her chest and holding her elbow. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…. It's just...Danny."
"Danny's lucky to have friends who will stand up for him." Dad half-smiled. "Thank you for being there for him."
Sam blushed a darker shade of red before glancing at the other adult. The anger had left Mom's face. The woman sighed. "You're forgiven, Sam. Let's just put this behind us and get started."
Phantom swallowed, feeling nervous again as he realized something. "Ummm, not to cause drama again. But what are you actually planning on doing with the lunch lady now?" His shoulders rose, tensely. He hated bringing it up but the ghost knew the question would bother him until he got an answer.
Mom turned towards him. "It's fine, sweetie. As your father started saying earlier, we don't have time to study that ghost anyway with...everything that's just happened. So your father and I are going to release her into the Ghost Zone."
"Really?" Phantom raised a brow.
"Yes. And after we...figure out how to re-merge you two," she pointed between the two Dannys. "We may need to reconsider some of our research protocols. But that remains to be seen. You are our top priority, Danny."
If Phantom had a stomach, it would have flopped nervously, though based on Fenton's facial expression, it was currently flopping nervously. But either way, a mix of relief and anxiety swirled in the ghost's core. Despite telling Sam to stop chewing out his parents, he did share some of the goth's trepidations about his parent's research practices. His parents had talked freely about experimenting on ghosts, with little concern about their potential subjects' sentience or ability to feel pain. And being a ghost himself, of course he was concerned. The boy swallowed, a familiar question rising in his mind again. Were they only treating him like a person because he was their Danny? And if he was just some random ghost, would they…..
The boy shook his head. No, they were letting the lunch lady go of their own free will and at least reconsidering some of their practices. Maybe they were starting to suspect they were wrong about ghosts in some ways.
"Danny, sweetie. Are you listening?" Mom's questions shook Phantom out of his worries.
He blinked. "What were you saying?"
"I was asking which one of you wanted to go first." She glanced at his human self.
Fenton frowned, eyeing his parents and then his other self nervously. Phantom wrapped his arms around himself, meeting Fenton's eyes as a silent debate passed between the two. Neither wanted to go anywhere near any needles. Neither wanted to go first, but did it really matter, since both were the same person?
Fenton swallowed. "I'll go first."
Mom gently put a hand on his arm and led the boy to one of the lab stools. "This will be like before the ghost catcher, okay?" She looked up, addressing both Dannys. "I'll take some hair, some nails, a few skin swabs, a cheek swab, and a blood….or ectoplasm sample." The woman stumbled over the word, ectoplasm, nose wrinkling slightly. "I'm going to measure your pulse, your blood pressure, breathing rate. Check your eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Test your reflexes. All standard things, like when you go to the doctor, okay?"
Both human and ghost Danny nodded, biting their lips as Mom started gathering supplies. Then Tucker walked up beside Phantom, elbowing the ghost gently. "Dude, I have to tell you what happened in my PE class today."
"Is that what you were telling me about when we were waiting for Jazz and him" she pointed at Fenton. "After school?"
"Yes! So Ms. Tesslaff had everyone get in a circle and all the jocks…."
Phantom couldn't help but get enraptured in the story, asking questions and making dumb comments with his human self. Fenton didn't even notice when Mom drew some blood a few minutes later, too absorbed in talking about Doomed.
Mom tapped the boy's shoulder, getting his attention. "I'm going to go ahead and listen to your heart and lungs, sweetie."
Fenton tilted his head. "When are you taking that blood sample?"
"She already did." Phantom pointed at the bandage on the inside of Fenton's elbow.
The human's eyes widened and he glanced between the teens around him. "Why didn't anyone say anything?"
Phantom shrugged, floating back and to the left slightly as Mom stepped in front and placed the stethoscope on Fenton's chest. "Breath in for me."
Mom proceeded with measuring Fenton's vitals, brief explanations and instructions interrupting the conversation.
Fenton smiled. "And then I said…" "Say ahhh." Mom instructed
Dad chuckled. "That reminds me of that time in our sophomore year. Do you remember Madds?"... "I'm still amazed you didn't get a brain freeze." Mom pulled out the blood pressure cuff. "Raise your arm, Danny."
Using a rubber mallet, Mom carefully tested Fenton's knee-jerk reaction. The boy gave a slight umph as his lower leg swung. Phantom laughed at the slightly startled expression (Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?)
Mom jotted something down on her notepad, taping her pencil on the page. "Your vitals are not all that different than before. If anything, your pulse and breathing is a little faster but not alarmingly so." The woman put the pencil down, meeting Phantom's eyes. "It's your turn, sweetie."
Instantly, anxiety rose in the ghost's gut, squishing his previous good mode. He swallowed.
"Go on, son." Dad patted him on the back while Sam and Tucker smiled at him encouragingly.
At the same time, Mom gently squeezed Fenton's shoulder before shooing him off the stool. Both Dannys stood face to face for a moment, Fenton visibly relaxing before noticing his ghost's nervousness. The human swallowed before giving Phantom on somewhat nervous thumbs up. "You've got this."
Phantom tried to return the affirmation with a smile but it probably looked more like a grimace. A second later, Fenton looked away, guilt flashing across his face. A strange, complicated emotion (was he also guilty, disappointed? Why did things suddenly feel awkward between him and Fenton?) pricked Phantom's core but he ignored it, sitting down and turning towards his mother instead. "I'm….I'm ready."
Mom's hand hovered over his shoulder for a moment before she gently squeezed. "This will be almost exactly like I just did with...the other Danny, okay?"
The ghost nodded stiffly. "Okay."
He was still nervous, despite Mom's attempt at comfort. Why? He saw what Fenton just went through. It was almost exactly like going to the doctors. But...doubt surged. Fenton was human. Mom and Dad, they knew what to expect from their human son. But a ghost? Mom wouldn't even call him a ghost. What would she think?
His friends and sister tried to distract the boy with chatter but it barely helped, Phantom's nervousness refusing to lift. He nodded, adding a few words as Mom plucked a few of his hairs and swabbed the inside of his cheek.
"Sweetie, can you take off your gloves and roll up one of your sleeves?" Mom asked, gently.
That got Phantom's attention. Slowly, tentatively, he pulled the gloves off and with only very slightly shaking hands he rolled up the sleeve of his hazmat suit. The ghost's eyes widened, taking in the pale but greenish skin. The raised, darker green scar that branched from the palm of his hand and up his arm before disappearing under his sleeve where it spread over his shoulder before circling where his heart should be. On Fenton, he knew the scar was faint, a barely noticeable spider web on human, pinkish skin. Mom had definitely seen it before when they were at the hospital after the accident. But now, on his ghostly body…
Mom's breath caught in her throat, her gloves hands hovering nervously over the scar, like she wanted to touch it to prove (or hopefully disprove) it was real but she hesitated. The conversations around Phantom had quieted, the silence almost deafening. But the almost imperceptible churning of the portal, a sound Phantom was almost sure the humans could not hear, stood out all the more in the silence. He glanced over Mom's shoulder, focusing on the neon green light, the tear in the world that gave him this scar, that turned him into this. It was easier, less painful than looking at his mom's grief stricken face.
After what felt like an eternity, Mom's fingers lightly touched his skin. The ghost looked again, watching Mom carefully trace the scar. After a moment, her eyes pinched shut, a pained look on her face. The woman took a deep breath before forcing her eyes open.
She spoke, barely able to cover the quiver in her voice. "I'm going to go ahead and take that blo- ectoplasm sample."
Mom's movements were slow and careful, seeming to drag on. Phantom couldn't tell if it was his own building dread or Mom fearfully trying to delay. She wiped the inner crux of his arm with an alcohol wipe before drawing a needle. Jazz reached for his free hand, squeezing it comfortingly as something sharp pierced his skin. The ghost looked away, pushing down his almost nauseous fear. There was a pause as Mom drew up the liquid, then...nothing. No movement, no indication Mom removed the needle. What was she doing? Should he look? Was she done? What-
Phantom whipped his head to the side, needing to see. He paused, bile rising in his throat as his eyes fell on the needle still in his arm. Mom's hands were shaking, frozen on the plunger for a moment before she seemed to shake out of her stupor. She pulled the plunger the rest of the way up before painlessly sliding the needle out of Phantom's arm. The boy relaxed in relief for a second before a bead of jade green liquid welled up from the hole in his arm. He swallowed, glancing up at Mom who was staring in heartbroken disbelief between the contents of the syringe and spot on his arm.
"It's..It's really...it's really….It's green." The woman muttered, seemingly more to herself than anyone else.
The boy blushed looking down. "Yeah, It is."
The quiet words broke through Mom's haze. In a second, she put down the syringe onto the tray and pressed a cotton ball onto Phantom's wound.
The boy's shoulders fell and he licked his lips. "I know. It's green. I don't have...it's not...it's not blood. It's…."
"Ectoplasm." Mom forced out the word. "I figured….I knew you have ectoplasm. Of course you do. We saw it in the samples before the ghost catcher. But you're really a…." She swallowed. "But knowing it and seeing it are two different things."
The woman couldn't meet his eyes while she applied the bandage and injected the sample into the collection tube. She remained silent, like the other occupants while gently clipping one of his nails and running a q tip over his forearms. Carefully she removed her gloves before changing them and coming to stand in front of the boy, stethoscope clutched in her hand. Mom froze, eyeing the boy in front of her and the instrument in her hand warily, her hands shook.
It was all Phantom could do to keep from turning invisible and literally turning tail and fleeing. Not because he was afraid of Mom but because he could feel the look on her face breaking his heart even though the organ was not currently in his chest. Her sorrowful eyes betrayed the whirling in her mind as she looked at the portal, the ghost, and the stethoscope. Because what was a stethoscope for but to listen to someone's heart or lungs. And well, ghosts don't have those.
Dad's cough broke the silence. "I think that's enough for tonight Maddie. Why don't we order some pizza?"
Numbly the woman nodded. She turned around so she was facing the human teenagers and her sagging shoulders lifted almost imperceptibly. "Sure honey. Sam. Tucker, would you like to stay for dinner?"
The two friends looked between human Danny and ghost Danny, both of whom were looking at Mom with sad expressions. Phantom met Sam's eyes and nodded.
"Sure, Mrs. F." "Yes, I'd love to stay." Tucker then Sam said.
"Great." Dad grinned, clearly trying to lift the mode. "Let's go upstairs and figure out what we want."
With a kind look at his wife, Dad started towards the stairs. Jazz, Sam, and Tucker followed as Phantom rose off of the stool and floated forward. He glanced slightly up at Mom who wore a distant look in her eye. "Mom?"
She looked down, tears just starting to glisten in the corners. She gave a sad smile. "I love you Danny. You know that right?"
"Yeah." The boy nodded, biting his lip. "Are you gonna come up stairs?"
The woman closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Give me a few moments to clean up here. Okay?"
"Okay." Phantom nodded, before floating around her.
It was then he noticed Fenton watching the exchange at the foot of the stairs. The human bit his lip, eyes falling on the floor as soon as he noticed Phantom's gaze. The ghost said nothing, as he started floating up the stairs with Fenton following. He paused half way up and turned. His shoulders fell at the sight, Mom standing in the middle of the lab with shaking shoulders as she stared at the portal.
Fenton's hand wrapped around his. "Come on." The boy whispered. "She's going to be okay."
Phantom looked down, hoping that was true, before he turned back around and continued up the stairs.
Note: Thank you for reading and thanks to everyone who comments, bookmarks, and subscribes to this story. I always look forward to hearing what people have to say after I update so thank you so much.
Also, I plotted out the rest of the story and have ten more chapters planned so there's still a ways to go but I'm really excited about events coming up in the story and hope everyone will continue enjoying it.