Tired…soooooooo tired….must keep writing…..
Friends forever…right?
Chapter- 9, The Road Home
Tucker Foley woke up with a start upon a hand touching his shoulder. Looking up he was met by Danny's mom.
"You two can go in now." She said softly trying to smile but failing miserably.
"Jack, Jazz and I are going to go to the cafeteria and bring up a few snacks. I suggest that that two should get in touch with your parents soon, they are probably very worried about you." Tucker nodded and watched the three of them walk down the hallway to the elevators. He glanced at his watch, which now read 12:14 am and then looked over at Sam, who was now fully awake.
"Well we might as well go see Danny before we call our parents and have to hear them rip us a new one." Tucker said standing and stretching. Sam, at first hesitating, eventually stood up as well.
"I really feel out of place to go in there, Tucker…" she responded looking away.
"Will you just stop?" Tucker pleaded. "Lets just go in, see Danny, and forget about how he got here and start to focus on getting him out." He added holding out his hand.
"C'mon Sam." He begged. Sam, now looking him in the eye, took his hand and together they walked into the room. Almost immediately they were thrown back by what laid before their eyes. The room was stocked full with machines some beeping some puffing and each one was somehow connected to the frail form that lay on the bed in the middle of the room. Moving closer they could barely make out Danny from the bandages, tubes and wires that covered his body. Letting go of Tuckers hand, Sam began to walk towards Danny's bedside. Pulling up a chair she sat down beside him and gazed into his pale face, or what she could make out of his face. A respirator breathed for him and he had a white bandage rapped around his head. Large black and blue bruises stuck out around his right eye and down his cheek.
Looking downwards she could see a handprint bruised into the flesh on his throat and further down from that his entire chest and shoulders were covered in bandages and wraps. His arms that laid carelessly at his sides had large cast like bandages over the holes that she had put in his wrists. Tears swelled up in her eyes. How could she have allowed herself to do this? Slowly she lifted up a hand to touch his forehead but hesitated, thinking once more that she was the cause of this. She looked over at Tucker, silently asking him if she should. Meeting her gaze he nodded sternly and she lightly placed her hand on Danny's cool forehead. Gently she began to stroke his hair. Tucker, realizing that he should leave for a moment, turned around and began to head for the door.
"I'm going to call our parents and let them know what happened; be back in a bit." And before she could protest he was gone. Turning her gaze back to Danny, she leaned in closer until she could lie her head down next to his.
"Danny…can you hear me?" she whispered looking up into his calm face but finding no response.
"Danny…" she began, grasping onto his hand and holding it. "If you can hear me…I'm so, so, very sorry…" she paused letting her tears fall. "I…I did this to you…I betrayed you and hurt you and I'm so sorry. I don't know what I had been thinking, I had just been so sad…so mad at you. I tried to put it aside when Tucker called telling me what happened to you that day but…Then Skulker showed up he re-kindled every unpleasant thought, every angry feeling, every hateful intention I had ever produced in my mind. It overcame me and then everything went black. Before I knew it, I was sitting next to you in that warehouse and then it all came flashing back to me. Honestly I didn't mean to do what I did, I would never, ever hurt you in any way, Danny. God, for so long I have been trying to suppress my feelings and make everything seem like it was ok, but I can't lie to myself anymore…I can't lie to you anymore. I love you, Danny. I think I always have loved you. I was just too afraid to say it because I didn't think you felt the same, but I'm not afraid anymore of telling you how I feel. I just wish you could show me that you hear me…" Sam looked into his face, hoping to see just the slightest twitch, the slightest change in his body posture; but nothing happened.
Feeling discouraged at the fact that Danny hadn't heard her confession, Sam haplessly laid her head back down next to Danny's with a heavy sigh. The room was silent; the only noise came from Danny's machines, mostly his heart monitor, which Sam began to inadvertently focus on. Closing her eyes, the rhythmic beeping began to make her feel sleepy and before she knew it she was fast asleep, still holding Danny's hand.
'It's cold, so cold…' Danny thought as he floated around in the dark abyss of his inner mind. He tried to reach out for anything to grasp onto, but all he felt was air. Becoming afraid, he began to wonder if he had died and this was where would spend his eternity, until he heard a fragmented voice.
"Danny…So, so, very sorry…never…hurt…you…" realizing the voice was a familiar one, Danny called out to it.
"Sam?" Danny shouted into the darkness. He began to run into the direction that the voice was coming from.
"I love you…not afraid anymore…show me…hear me…" the voice continued, now becoming distant and fading away.
"I hear you! I hear you, Sam! Don't go! Don't leave me here!" Danny cried, becoming distressed. He continued to chase after the voice, but then it all went silent and Danny's body froze, unwilling to move. He struggled, trying to will his limbs to work, but nothing happened. Then, suddenly, he began to feel sharp pains all over his body, in his head, shoulders, chest, arms, everywhere. The pain started at a low intensity and then it became piercing, almost as though his body were being ripped apart. Then finally, he was able to move again, and he lifted his arms up to examine why he was feeling such agony, only to be met by two large holes in his wrists. Stunned, he began to panic, but then almost like he had been hit by a brick, his memories came flooding back to him of the warehouse, Skulker and the fact that Sam had attacked him with intent to kill.
Sighing heavily, and releasing the last of his energy with it, Danny allowed himself to fall onto his back. His body quickly became drenched with his own blood from the wounds that had appeared all over his body, looking up into the abyss, he jumped when he saw a figure appear above him. Squinting to make out who it was, he was shocked when it turned out to be Sam, holding the silver sword she had acquired from Skulker and grinning maliciously. Coming closer, he realized that her eyes were still black and held no emotion, then in a flash moment her foot came slamming down onto Danny's neck, choking him. Coughing and gasping for air he looked up at Sam, hoping that she would come to her senses, but instead she simply raised her sword aiming to shove the tip through his heart.
"Die…" She whispered darkly, widening her eyes as though she were insane. Danny, refusing to retaliate, closed his eyes and waited for the excruciating pain that would end his life, but it never came instead he felt his whole atmosphere change. With eyes still closed he began to hear a beeping noise, then puffing noises, finally the pain he was feeling lessened and he began to feel warm.
Opening his eyes, Danny was met with the clean, sterile surroundings of a hospital room. He tried to take a deep breath, but became shocked when he couldn't. A tube was stuck down his throat and it breathed for him, cutting off his control. Wishing for its removal, Danny lifted his stiff arms up to his face but stopped when he saw that another hand was holding his. Slowly he turned his head and was met instantly by an unconscious Sam who had fallen asleep right next to him. Stunned at first, his expression softened when he realized that this Sam was the real one. Trying to call out to her, Danny realized that the tube in his throat prevented speech as well, so instead he squeezed on her hand and began to lightly nudge her shoulder.
At first she swatted his hand away in groggy agitation, refusing to be disturbed from her slumber; but after a few more tries she gave in and began to open her eyes. Slowly sitting up to try and see who had waken her up, her heart almost stopped when she came eye to eye with a very conscious Danny.
"Y-your awake!" She stammered, smiling at the same time. Danny, unable to speak, slightly nodded and pointed at the tube that protruded from his mouth. Sam, understanding his gesture, nodded.
"I'll get someone, just hold on a minute!" and with that she ran out of the room and down the hall to the nurses station. Upon arriving, Sam speedily informed the nurses that Danny was awake and the nurse that they had seen earlier got onto the phone and informed Dr. Sullivan of Danny's change in condition. A few moments later, the nurse had removed the tube from Danny's throat and paged his parents, who were now on their way back up from the cafeteria to see him. Sam, now happy that she could hear Danny's voice again, re-entered his room, trying to smile but barely accomplishing a grin. Her actions still hung heavy on her heart. Slowly she made her way back over to the chair that was placed at Danny's side. She retook his hand in hers and gazed up into his eyes.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Do you… really want…to know?" Danny replied in a hoarse voice trying to be funny. Sam smiled a little.
"I'm just so glad your awake, Danny. There's…there's just so much I want to say to you, so many words I'd like for you to hear from me, but I just…I just can't find the easiest way to say them. Especially after all that's happened. I'd think I would be the last person you'd want to see right now…" she paused, looking away.
"That's kind…of funny…" Danny replied, smiling weakly. Sam, shocked by his words, turned back to face him.
"W-why? What's so funny about it?" she asked, annoyed and slightly hurt.
"You had…no problem…saying how you felt…when I was sleeping…" he answered, the same smile on his face. Sam tried to hide her surprise but couldn't. She began to blush but looked away before Danny could see. Trying to find the right words, she stopped when she saw Danny's family come barging through the door.
"Danny! Dear, your finally awake!" his mother shouted running to the bed and hugging him. Danny winced a little as she brushed against his broken bones and taking note of this she loosened her grip a little.
"I knew he'd pull through!" His dad began triumphantly, "He's a Fenton! Strong! Smart! Unbreakable!" he continued, posing as though he were a superhero.
"Yeah, all the things you aren't…" Jazz added crossing her arms.
"Hey!" Jack began, stumbling out of his stance, "I'll have you know that when I was your age I could-" he rambled but was immediately cut off by Maddie's hand slapping over his mouth.
"Enough! Will you two keep it down? Poor Danny just woke up, he doesn't need you two bickering right yet." She ordered sternly, sending a smile over to Danny. The room grew silent for a moment and then a knock on the door surprised them all. Turning to see who had knocked, they realized it was the nurse from earlier.
"The rules are 3 at a time, I will have to ask one of you to leave." She said in a tired tone. Sam, realizing that she needed to find Tucker anyway, stood up.
"I'll go for now, I need to find Tucker and see how our parents dealt with our mysterious absence anyway." She said, heading for the door. Looking back at Danny, she smiled then exited the room, only to find that Tucker was right outside. Startled at first, she eased then smiled.
"So how'd they take it?" she asked, afraid of his answer. He sighed.
"Surprisingly well in fact. But that doesn't change the fact that they are mad that we didn't call them earlier, yours are more mad though that you haven't called at all." He replied grinning sarcastically.
"Yeah, well, I'll call them later. I'm alive, that's all they need to hear from me right now. This is more important." She responded, looking back in the general direction of Danny's room. Tucker nodded then walked back over to the chair he had been sitting in earlier. Hesitating for a moment, Sam eventually joined him. For a moment they sat there, not speaking. Tucker yawned a bit and Sam stared off into space. She tried to make herself feel happy about Danny waking up, about him surviving what she put him through, but for some reason she couldn't. Was it this easy? A few bumps and then everything would be paved smooth? It couldn't end like this, could it? Finally, she couldn't take arguing with herself anymore and voiced her thoughts.
"Tucker, why do I get the feeling that this whole thing isn't over yet?" she asked, still staring off into space.
"I don't know, Sam. I have been getting the same feeling. It all went a little too easy didn't it?" he replied, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, it kinda did. I mean, Danny getting hurt has been the worst part of this whole thing, but when it came to destroying the ones responsible it was easy. That thing that possessed me banned Skulker to the abyss then you hit it from behind, its like this was all planned or something…I dunno…"she shivered a bit. Looking over at Tucker, she realized that he wasn't completely thrown off by what she was saying.
"W-what? You think I may have a point?" she asked, becoming afraid.
"I…I don't know, but I think that we should watch over Danny really closely until he gets well. I mean, we could just be overreacting to this whole thing, heck we both could just be in need of some therapy, but I think just in case we are right, we should play it safe. We owe it to Danny." He replied. Sam nodded.
"I just hope we're wrong, Tucker…I just hope we're wrong…"
Ooooo, could it be that Danny's troubles are just beginning? Who knows! Not me! (actually I do but I am not spilling any beans.) If you all want to know whether or not I am weaving another web of pain for Danny or giving him some peace, please keep reading! I will have chapter 10 soon! Thanks for keeping up with your reviews! I love them all!
VashTSGirl45
