Disclaimer: Don't own DP *sniff*

AN: *Squeak!!* Once again, thank you so much for the reviews! They make me bouncy with the joy of a thousand greasy children beasties! From here on in the chapter gets a little "darker" but not much, so no worries! :D This baby is staying PG-13. ^_^ Anyway, Enough chit-chat, now for your story! :D

(((Giant hug for all those who reviewed))) I LOVE YOU! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! :D!

Now!

Chapter 3

"Boys," an ER nurse said, causing Danny and Tucker to jump from their seats.

She shook her head sympathetically. "No, it might be best if you sat down for this."

Danny cast a terrified look at Tucker as the two sat back down. The nurse knelt down in front of them, a sad look in her eyes.

"You're friend is in pretty bad condition. She seemed to be pretty beaten up and suffering from acute affixation. She's gone into a coma, a very serious coma, and the doctors…well, they aren't sure if she'll make it." She paused for a response from the boy's but none came. They were both frozen in disbelief. She decided to go on,  "However…there is something you could do that might help her out."

"Anything," Danny responded automatically, ignoring the stinging tears in his eyes that had come from such heart breaking news.

"You need to tell us what really happened at that park. Knowing just what injuries she sustained and how she sustained them might help us with her treatment. I think all three of us know that ghost story you told isn't the truth and I know boys your age have a hard time keeping their hormones in check. When you brought Samantha in, you did the right thing. No one's going to punish you just because you let your hormones get the best of you….If you tried to rape Samantha-"

Danny flew up out of his seat, "WHAT!? TRIED TO RAPE HER!? I WOULD NEVER…WE WOULD NEVER…HOW COULD YOU EVEN SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT- SHE'S OUR BEST FRIEND!"

The nurse backed up a little, stunned at the boy's behavior. "Can you blame us? Two boys drag in a pretty young girl who's obviously been beaten up and make up some crazy story about a ghost? What else could we think? If you want to prove me wrong or if you want to help your friend, maybe you should think about telling us the truth. It's time to get serious boys, you're friend could die. I'll leave you two to think about that."

The nurse got up and Danny sank back into his chair.

"A serious coma," he repeated as if the news had finally hit him. He wasn't sure what to do. Not sure whether to cry, or to laugh, whether to spit out lies or to tell to the truth, whether to sit quietly or whether to tear this place apart. He wished Sam was there to tell him. He wished Sam was there to walk so closely beside him he could smell her jasmine shampoo. He wished Sam was there to promise him it would all be alright and then to call him a whinny moron for worrying in the first place.

"I have to see her," he announced, getting up from his chair.

"No Danny," Tucker told him seriously, "Not here, not now."

"Yes here, yes now," he growled furiously. "What else are these stupid powers good for besides putting my best friend in a coma?!"

"Look Danny, you freaking out the hospital staff isn't going to do Sam any good. The best-" But before Tucker could finish talking, Danny was already gone.

The ghost boy floated through room after room of critical condition patients. On any other day, he would have felt sorry for them…but today, he cared about no one, nothing, but Sam. He finally found her, laying perfectly still in a hospital bed, her hair spread out across a white pillow, heavy gauze on the back of her head. There was a tube under her nose to help her breath and countless other wires strung up to the large mechanical appliances around her.

Danny floated down softly, turning visible as his feet touched the ground. He held one of Sam's hands gently in his own.

"Sam," he whispered, his voice cracking, "Sam…I…I don't know if you can hear me but…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. But don't worry…I'll find a way to get you back…no matter it takes, I'll get you back. You just have to keep fighting, okay? You're strong Sam…so don't give up. I'll find a way to get you out of this."

He didn't know what else to say, what other promises he could make to her. She had been awake a few hours ago…she had been awake and worried about his welfare…and now, because of it, she was lying here, not much better then dead. He had dragged her into a dangerous world and she got hurt trying to protect him from it. It really was all his fault. He clutched her hand tighter and bowed his head as he felt himself began to cry.

There was a sound at the curtain and he knew he had to go. He squeezed her hand once more. "I'll  be back as soon as I can, I promise," he said and then kissed his friend clumsily on the forehead. He quickly turned ghost and floated back to the waiting room.

His parents and Tucker's had arrived, as had the Mansons. He felt a harsh tug at his heart as he watched the doctor inform the couple of their daughter's condition. Ms. Manson broke down in tears, burying her face into her husband's chest. Mr. Manson nodded bravely at each word the doctor said but allowed a few tears to stream down his face.

He turned human in the bathroom, took a deep breath, and walked out the door. The second his mother spotted him she rushed over to him and submerged him in a large hug. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry," she whispered, stroking his hair.

He nodded and tried to force a reassuring smile. His mother pulled him over to the large group of people, which now included the Mansons. "I'm so sorry," was all he could manage to say. He wished he could have taken it back. He wished he could have said something, anything else. He wished he could have said something that actually meant something.  Everyone was so sorry but it didn't make a damn bit of a difference.

Ms. Manson smiled shakily at him, her eyes still full of tears.  "Thank you for bringing her…and for staying with her." She turned to address the whole group. "Thank you all. The doctors said we probably won't be allowed to see her until tomorrow morning. I think it would be best if you all went home and got some rest. We appreciate everything you've done for us…for Sam."

The adults nodded and said the kind of things they were supposed to say at a time like this. The mothers exchanged hugs and told the family to call if they could do anything to help. The fathers exchanged hearty handshakes and goodlucks. Tucker muttered another "I'm so sorry" and Danny remained silent. He was too tired. He was too numb to even protest when his father lifted him up and carried him home.

-

Danny didn't sleep at all that night. He lay silently in his bed, eyes staring blankly at the wall in front of him, trying to make himself forget all that had happened. His family was mostly silent the next day. If the nurse had told them the story they had given, then his parents made no mention of it. Jazz hadn't even tried to diagnose the problems this trauma would eventually lead to. She had simply hugged him and promised him everything would be alright.

But nothing would be alright, nothing could be alright, not until Sam was awake again. As soon as his parents accepted the fact that Danny wouldn't eat breakfast, he asked them to take him to the hospital. They had agreed hesitantly, but they had agreed.

"Hi, I'm Danny Fenton. I'm here to see Samantha Manson," he told the nurse at the front desk.

The girl smiled politely and gazed down at her clipboard. "I'm sorry…her family is in with her right now. Let me just send a nurse down there and I'll tell them that you're here."

Danny nodded, not knowing what else he could do. He sat back down with his parents in the waiting room. "She's going to tell the Mansons I'm here," he told them.

They waited for a few moments before both Mr. and Mrs. Manson came through the double doors.

Danny rose automatically, anxious to see Sam. "How is she?" he asked them.

Mrs. Manson frowned, "There's been no change, but she's stable…for now."

"Can I see her?" It wasn't actually a question; Danny just didn't want to wait for them to offer.

Mrs. Manson looked sadly at Mr.Manson as if asking him to supply the words she couldn't find. "I'm sorry Danny but you can't…Samantha had to get these injuries from somewhere…you and Tucker were the last ones she was with, the ones who brought her in. There's something you're not telling us. You won't be allowed near my daughter until I hear the truth."

"We told you the truth!" Danny cried, outraged, innocent blue eyes looking over them in shock. "You don't actually believe them do you!? You don't think that we tried to- How could you believe that?! Mrs. Manson, please don't say you believe it! I would never hurt Sam! You know that!"

Mrs. Manson turned away, crying lightly. "I don't know what to believe anymore. I don't want to believe it Danny, but what other option is there? Why can't you just tell us this truth instead of all of crazy ghost business?"

"Now wait just a minute! If my son says your daughter was attacked by a ghost, then by God, that is what happened!" Jack Fenton said, stepping in front of Danny as if that would at all shield him from the horror of the situation.

"My daughter was attacked by your son!" Mr. Manson growled.

"Fred!" Maddie gasped, "How dare you jump to such a conclusion! You know Danny would-"

"How dare you defend him! Our daughter is in a coma because of him! You should be finding out why he did what he did instead of mindlessly accepting his cockamamie stories!"

Danny had had enough. As the adults continued to argue, he slipped away to find Sam.

Samantha had been moved out of the ER and into the critical wing for long term patients. She was in a dull room with white walls and white sheets. As he silently turned visible, he regretted not bringing some flowers for her to brighten up the place.

Two plastic chairs were placed close to the bed for Mr. and Mrs. Manson. He took a seat in one, hoping they wouldn't be back anytime soon.

"Hey," he smiled at his friend, lacing his own fingers through hers. "I told you I'd be back. You should have seen the mess I made out there."

He laughed a little, wishing Sam could laugh too. He hoped she could at least hear him. "They think…they think we attacked you. Yeah, I know, crazy isn't it? They won't let me see you anymore until I tell them the 'truth'. Well, we told them the truth. They don't want the truth, they can't accept it. They just want us to say what they want to hear."

He laughed again, "Jeeze, I sound just like you! I know if you were awake, you'd smack me for that. Don't worry though; they can't stop me from seeing you. I'm half boy, half ghost, after all. And I'm not going to leave you Sam. I'm not going to shut up until you come back to me, you got it? So you better get back here fast, alright? Before I get Tucker in here to talk about his palm pilot."

His eyes were beginning to water. Sam knew. Sam knew he was hiding again. She always knew. "Alright, you got me…The truth is, I'm terrified Sam. I'm terrified you'll never get out of this. Is that wrong of me? I think it is. I think it's like saying I've lost faith in you to pull through this. But you've got to make it, because I'm not going to make it without you."

"I don't know how much longer I've got here. Our parents our out in the lobby fighting…its pointless though. Neither side can win. There's so much to tell you. I've got so much to say and I don't know if you're listening. I can't do this without you. Where are you Sam?"

He fell silent again, unsure of what to say. Just being there was enough, holding her hand was enough. He felt better, calmer, more relaxed. The two nights with no sleep began to catch up with him and now that he had the added relief of knowing Sam was safe (at least for the time being) he slowly let himself drift off.

FLASH! There was a blood curdling scream. Sam's face flashed before him, tears streaming down her eyes. Another scream, another flash, a quivering voice, "How…how did you get here?", and then it all went black.

Danny awoke with a jolt, gasping for breath.

"I asked how you got in here," a much stronger sounding voice demanded.

His eyes darted quickly around the room until they locked on a very large male nurse.

"Uh, I…I'm…I'm Samantha's brother," he said lamely, hoping his black hair would be enough to convince the nurse of their blood relation.

"Oh," the man said regretfully, apparently buying the act without much convincing, "I'm really sorry. I was told…I'm very sorry. I'll just let you two be alone for a little while." He left the room and quietly shut the door behind him.

Danny rose almost immediately knowing that it wouldn't be long before that nurse mentioned to the Manson that their son was waiting for them. He looked somewhat fearfully at Sam, squeezed her unresponsive hand one last time, and then took to the ceilings.

It seemed he arrived back just in time.

"Honey!" his mom said as soon as she had spotted him. "We were looking everywhere for you…the Manson thought you'd tried to get back there."

She noticed that his face was the same dull, unfeeling, still it had been since Sam was put in the hospital.

She wrapped a comforting arm and then drew him into a tight embrace. "Oh Danny," she whispered, "I'm so sorry that things happened like this. You have to understand, the Mansons are dealing with a lot of pain right now…they aren't thinking clearly. I'm sure they'll realize the truth soon enough."

"The truth?" Danny snickered painfully, turning away from his mother. "The truth?! That a ghost attacked her? Yeah, they're gonna believe that real soon. You know, I'm not even sure if I believe it. Maybe I made it all up! Maybe I've gone crazy! Maybe they're right! Maybe I did attack Sam!"

"Danny," his mother said, voice still soothing, regardless of Danny's own risen tone, "I know that's not true, and so do you. We just have to make the Mansons realize it too."

Danny went silent, slightly ashamed. "Let's just go," he said. Suddenly, he just wanted to be home.

AN: Oooh drama ;) hehe. Anyway, the way I see it, we've got about…4 chapters left, all of which are pretty long.  I've written up to the very last chapter but what I've done is an extremely rough draft so it'll take me some time to edit and post but the next chapter should probably be up by the end of the week, if not earlier :) And don't worry, this won't be the cut-and-dry girl-goes-in-coma-then-wakes-up-and-falls-in-love. I'm hoping it'll be at least a little bit more interesting then that ;D

So stay tuned! ^_^

Best wishes, warmest regards, and lots of love,

Soragirl

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