This is a special author's note for all of you who read. This chapter is based, in total, on something very painful that has happened in my life. I've lost track of how many of you have offered your greatly appreciated condolences about the loss of Kayla and I want you to know how much I love you all. You can laugh all you want, but I wish you only the best and hope you don't have to go through anything like that any time soon.
Anyway, this chapter is based on what it's like, what it's like to find out that someone very dear to you is on Death's door. Of course, we all react differently, I'm going to have Sam react the way I did, for those of you who will wonder. It may seem very slow to you, but wait. I'm telling you now, Danny's not going to die, so don't kill me.
I would also like to take this moment to thank Alex (aka PhantomAL) for being a great editor and a fellow hopeless romantic, Rocky for being a good friend and understanding, my classmates for providing colorful relationships for me to observe, Punker-Boy for being such an adorable crush from which to draw inspiration from, my stereo and my albums for singing me through this. :)
Unlikely-To-Bear-It: Guess who's playing a concert half an hour away from my house in May? Hm? Three guesses, the first two don't count...;)
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Corey, LMD1UVR4EVA, Katie Mae, Starfire Star, MerkFatallious, scubagurl, Pirotessa, DragonGirl, Arezal, shepyt, PhantomAL, cakreut12, outlawarcher
I'd begun to slide out of reality to a dream world when the phone rang ever so innocently on my nightstand. Reached out and grabbed it, screaming WHAT ever so classily into the receiver. There came a thick, dead sounding voice over the line.
"Is this the Manson residence?"
"Yeah, yeah, what is it?"
"Whom is speaking please?"
"Sam Manson, what do you want?"
"Sam, oh thank god, Sam! This is Mrs. Fenton, something's happened…"
Her voice trailed off and I sat up, pressing my ear to the phone. "Mrs. Fenton?"
"Sam, honey, do you know what Danny was doing this afternoon?"
"No, Mrs. Fenton, I don't know…is something wrong?"
There was a choked sob over the line. "Danny's in the hospital…they don't know if…if…if he's going to survive…the night."
The cool plastic of the receiver slid through my hands and clattered dully on the hardwood of my floors. I stared at it on the floor, feeling numb and like I was sitting in water. I pushed through the water and picked up the phone. Jazz's calm voice came over the line.
"Sam, we want you here. We need to talk." She said smoothly. "Tucker's on his way; the Foleys will pick you up."
I nodded to no one.
"I'll see you shortly then." Said Jazz, now there was barely the smallest hint of a quaver in her voice as she disconnected. I set the phone and had to run to the bathroom; I threw up violently. I sat back, chest heaving and stomach churning rapidly. I clutched my middle and moaned. Might not survive the night. And the last thing we'd done was fight, we'd fought for crissakes! I was aware of the slow burn of tears running down my face, I was hoping, praying, that this was all a cruel joke, that it wasn't true. I'd seen Dan pretty roughed up after some of his fights, but he'd always bounced back. Who'd given him so much trouble?
I wasn't given much time to think; the Foleys were here.
o-o-o
The first thing I did when I stumbled into the clean white sanity of the hospital was collapse with Jazz; who's normal, sane and strong attitude was blown. I was sobbing hard, my makeup running further all over my face as I knew hers was. After that sorrow embrace with Danny's sister, I had to go hug Tuck; hard too. Mr. and Mrs. Fenton were pale with shock and limp instead of their usual ready to fight the ghosts position.
Danny had apparently been roughed up bad, so bad he was unconscious and experiencing head trauma, one that the doctors couldn't figure out. They weren't certain if Dan would wake up or just stay asleep. There was a REM cycle occurring; Danny was dreaming and moving with his dreams, but they couldn't be sure. Not to mention that several ribs were shattered, an arm broken and a leg dislocated. The people that found him said he'd been just lying there, moaning lightly before going totally silent.
I watched from the window of the ICU in fear. Oh god, he looked awful. Both of his eyes were blackened, his lips were cut oozing blood which a nurse was wiping away as it became enough to do so, his face looked like someone, or something, had tried to beat it to a pulp. The fingers exposed where an IV had been driven into his veins twitched in a flickering motion. All of the bed pans in the room jumped. I bit back a gasp of surprise. Unconscious poor Danny had no control over his powers. Another little movement and a few bed pans clattered to the floor.
Jazz appeared at my side, her cool blue eyes staring me down. I shifted uncomfortable; she looked too calm. She tossed her gaze back to her brother.
"You know," she said softly, "I was the first one here. Something happened."
"What?" I asked around the thumbnail I was chewing apprehensively.
"Danny opened his eyes." She glanced back at me. "They were green, Sam, not blue, green."
"S-s-s-o?" I asked with a stutter. Oh boy, Danny was really out of check; the lights of the ICU blinked. The frazzled nurse stood straight up from her task of replacing the fallen bed pans. Jazz nodded before she continued.
"And then, what do you know, a stethoscope nearby starts to levitate when he moves."
"Is that so?"
"Yes." Jazz said, her voice dripping with mystery. "I have theory, but I think I'll find out if I'm right when the time comes." A slight grin tugged morbidly at her lips. "I have a feeling you already know."
I bobbed my head. She sighed and traced the edge of the window panel with her fingers.
"There are so many things that I don't understand about life, but I believe that loyalty and faith are two of the biggest things we have. I won't press you for details and I know you won't betray my brother. I thank you Sam, I have a feeling that we're going to learn a lot about each other in these next few days." She turned to face me. "You and Tuck are all Danny has for friends; you're part of the family."
I nodded numbly, wanting to cry again. Jazz gestured to me again and we hugged again, a fierce longing surrounded me. It was hope, despair and a tear at my heart at what might never happen for my friend.
It was only late at night when he was declared stable. His condition wasn't changing and his movements were growing stronger, more sure and precise. And those little unexplainable things were getting to be more and more. I was relieved to know that Danny's ghost half had hidden itself well, not one of the various medical tests that had been run had caught anything out of the norm, besides the fact that Dan was conked out beyond reach. I fell asleep in the lobby of the hospital, only to awake in a strange cot. I found that they placed visitors there when they wouldn't leave because they'd fallen asleep.
As soon as I woke up I questioned why to even get up. The second I opened my eyes the events of the previous day hit me like a bus. I began to drown in my sorrow, wishing for it to stop, he hadn't died yet. No, Danny wouldn't die, he wasn't allowed to die. I could never live with our last conversation being a fight. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, this all seemed so much like yesterday morning. My knuckles cam away covered with a mixture of dried tears and black eyeliner. I stretched and closed my eyes, swallowing hard.
We were allowed to visit Danny. Jazz insisted we all get a private time to talk to him. It was strange, considering his condition, but the Mr. and Mrs. Fenton agreed to it, seeing as maybe this would be the last time we would have a chance to do something like this. I went last, murmuring soft words of apology and regret.
Time flew by in a whirl of nameless days and hours. I think it was Monday, I didn't know and neither did I care. I was taking another day off from school, not caring, just being scared. My parents had rushed home, but it was like they weren't there. I'd never really been too close with them once I'd turned ten, I sort of started to go my own way in life. It seemed that all I could find were my problems, there was no happiness right now for me. I vowed that once Danny woke up and stopped frightening us so much that I'd take him out for the best day of his young life.
Tucker and I were holding down the bedside vigil while the Fentons ran home for a few things. Probably ghost hunting equipment, the disturbances in the hospital had gotten worse. Tuck went to get something eat, I remember this so clearly, and left me to my own devices with Dan.
I took his hand and stroked it; fully aware that the slow burn of tears were gathering in my eyes. I traced the smooth outlines of his arm; his parents were so surprised when the doctors had asked if he'd played any sports, when they answered no there was a mass confusion among them. They said Danny had been too fit to have been the non-athletic type. The muscles, though at rest, resisted the press of my cold fingers, moving subtly in movements that only Danny knew. My hands fluttered lightly around a shoulder, sweeping onto his face.
I tapped his nose tentatively; his steady breath heating my frozen hands as it seeped from his mouth. He was mumbling as I ran a hand down his neck; the vibrations giving it away. I stood and placed an ear near his lips; he was still incoherent, but no matter, I was glad to stand like this. Though he smelled of hospital soap and sheets, beside the plastic smell of the medical machines that monitored him, I could still smell Danny. You know, everyone has this different smell, it's not bad; it's just them. I did something spontaneous; I nestled my head in the curve of his neck to hear the blood rushing by, the pulse that proved that he wasn't giving in any time soon.
I grabbed his hand again and sighed. Things were so out of whack. I leant further against the bed and pushed the cold skin of my face to the warm surface of Danny's neck. Then, then, well, then his finger moved. I heard a jagged gasp and Dan tried to push himself up to sit. I stood in a flash. He groaned and resigned to lying miserably against the pillows.
"Did I win?"
All I could do was squeak.
There we are! What do you think? I've tried to kick in Sam's romantic side, but see, she doesn't realize it 'cause she's just thankful he's alive. I wanted to explain that before I get more people telling me I need to get this show going…lol.
On a light note, and because I want to, I'm taking a page out of PhantomAL's book and creating a soundtrack for this whole show…mainly because I can have a friend burn it for me and then I can say what it's for. So, tell me what you think of this line up, which can be added and amended to if someone has a good suggestion. Oh, and when I finish assembling all of the music, well, it won't exactly be in this order. These are just sort of the songs that inspired certain parts.
Riot Girl – Good Charlotte (just because the first thing you see in this story is one POed Sam)
Broadway – The Goo Goo Dolls
Members Only – Sheryl Crow
Damn – Matchbox 20
Say Anything – Good Charlotte
The Truth – Good Charlotte
My Favorite Mistake – Sheryl Crow
Truth Is a Whisper – The Goo Goo Dolls
Don't Let Go – Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan
3 AM – Matchbox 20
Mist and Shadow – Billy Boyd (it's an LotR song, yeah, but it's so sad)
Breaking the Habit – Linkin' Park
I'm Just a Kid – Simple Plan
Push – Matchbox 20
Jaded – Areosmith
Sympathy – The Goo Goo Dolls
That's it for the moment. Care to add anything? Wow, this is one long note! Well, I hope you've enjoyed! Laters – Dru
ps. sorry this took so long, just ask AL, my computer was having some serious issues.