A/N: (dodges all bullets and fire going in his direction) I'm sorry! (dodges another stray bullet)
I'm out of excuses...let's just say I came back from the dead...literally.
For those reading this...I thank you all for your patience. Here's the 19th chapter.
Chapter 19 - The Greatest Gift of All
"Danny, you've got a visitor."
Valerie opened the door quite quickly, as if to not keep the surprise any longer...
Danny's stomach did a backflip when he saw a wheelchair-bound Sam outside his door. Once again, everything slammed into place to the fact that this was all happening...he couldn't believe it...
Though Sam had seen better days, he thought she looked perfectly fine...certain cuts and scrapes on her face remained from all the broken glass, but he could see that smile underneath everything...he'd never thought that after the accident, he'd be staring into her face again...his best friend...
But if Sam was alive...that also meant...
As fast as his happiness appeared, his sadness took over at the same time as his head went down...once again going through the rapid mix of emotions that he went through all these weeks, it could only be summed up in tears, whether happy or sad...
Dr. Alan and his parents cleared the way so that Sam could wheel to a spot right next to him. Tucker and Valerie watched the little scene with a smile on each of their faces.
When she stopped, she said with a slightly weak voice, "Hi, Danny."
Her voice was so fragile, as if she was afraid to speak any higher. There was nothing more he wanted to do than to tell her everything that he wanted to say, about how fearful he was for her life, about how he thought he'd never see her again, about Jazz's sacrifice to save her...
But he couldn't...he couldn't even look at her...it was as if all paths led directly to this...he felt so unworthy, he didn't deserve something like this...
Sam turned her head so that she could look at his face. "Danny?" she asked, a bit of scorn on her face. "Is that a tear?"
He was guilty. It was another tear, falling from the inside corner of his eye, which he caught with his finger before it could make a longer trail down his cheek. They just seemed to be endless...would they ever stop? But this one was different. The usual crying he had experienced had only one emotion behind it. This one just summed up everything that had happened to him. It was like all his fears and emotions wrapped up in one final tear.
Finally, he turned to look at her for a second time. "I'm sorry," he said, wiping the final remnants of the tear away. "It's just...I...I...I'm glad to see you, Sam," he said quickly, before he accidentally slipped out another word.
Sam's smile then reappeared, and then he watched as she slowly pushed herself out of the wheelchair and hugged him, in front of everyone. As he slowly raised his one good arm to wrap around her, he just felt like it was another world. And he loved every bit of it, for some reason...
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry...I couldn't stop her...but I'm just glad you're all right..."
"It's not your fault," he whispered back. "Don't worry, you'll be all right...I don't blame you..."
Tucker felt himself blushing so much that he had to look away from the pair. But his direction met a line of vision of Valerie, who was also doing the same thing. Both then turned away from each other, each feeling themselves redden further.
Danny and Sam missed it all. They consoled each other for a few more seconds before slowly breaking out of the hug. It was then Danny could see a slight tear falling from Sam's eye. She, too, wiped it away before anyone else could see it.
Danny watched as she slightly smiled from a bit of embarrassment, and then resume her place on the wheelchair.
"It was a miracle, Danny," said Dr. Alan. "I just wish you could have seen it for yourself..."
"Seen what for myself/himself?" asked Danny and Sam at the same time. Both looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before their eyes shifted back onto the doctor.
"You didn't hear about what happened? You were almost lost!" exclaimed Dr. Alan.
"I was?" she asked. It was, of course, a big shock to her. She was almost dead?
"W-What saved me?" she asked.
"According to Dr. Alan," said Maddie, breaking in. "That ghost kid Danny Phantom saved you from the brink of death with some kind of strange power...what was that power again, Doc?"
"The ghost kid?" she asked. Her eyes shifted in his direction. Was this true? Danny?
Why was he avoiding her gaze? How did he get into the hospital?
"Tears," said the nurse. "It's unlike anything I've ever seen in my years of my own profession...it healed everything in Sam's body, from all the wounds on her lungs and somehow made her heart start...I have no idea..."
Sam was taking in all of this information by the handful...and with every bit, she was becoming more and more speechless at the second...and yet, somehow, was feeling closer to the person that was still sitting a few feet away from her, as she started tuning out the nurse's testimonial...
Danny...her best friend...saved her life? With his tears? How was that possible?
She tried looking at him, but he wouldn't meet her gaze. In fact, it either looked like he was blushing or wishing that they would stop talking about it. Either way he didn't want to join the fray.
She tried reaching for his hand, but he slowly pulled away from it. Was he hiding something...?
"But still," said Jack, now starting to break down in his own miseries. "My daughter...why couldn't he save her? My first daughter...why couldn't he save her?" His voice started quivering.
After those words, Danny felt as if he was going to lose the contents of his stomach very soon.
"Please, Jack," said Maddie, trying to place him in another direction. "Please...not now...Danny's here..."
"I'm sorry," said Jack, hugging his wife in return. "It's just...why couldn't both girls be saved? He brought them both here, so why couldn't he save both?"
"Both?" asked Sam. "What are you talking about?"
Danny looked at her in alarm. She didn't know that either? From the look of her face, he could tell that she was searching for the person he did not want to be talking about right now as her eyes started shifting around the room...
When she didn't find what she was looking for, she started questioning. "Jazz..." said Sam, a bit of fear in her voice. "Where's Jazz?"
An uncomfortable air quickly screened around the room, as all eyes quickly either looked down at the floor, away from Danny and Sam, or at each other.
Jack and Maddie, of course, were the most panicked, as they quickly looked at each other in alarm, as if they didn't want to say. They especially didn't want to speak of this in front of Danny. For support, they looked at the doctor for advice.
"Doctor, should we?" asked Maddie, very quietly.
Dr. Alan gave them a slight frown, and looked at the nurse next to him. After looking at each other eye to eye in silent conversation, it was followed by a slight nodding of the head.
Jack took a deep breath. He knew that he was in for it.
Taking a deep breath, Maddie said, "Danny, Sam...she's...Jazz is gone."
Sam gasped, putting her hand to her mouth, as she looked at Danny once again. His head was already down, his eyes looking like they were about to tear up. But he had done it a little too quickly. Noticing this change in her friend, one thing was clear. There was a reason that he wasn't looking at her. She automatically knew that he had known before, but wasn't saying it. Attempting to put two and two together, she started wondering if she had any connection at all with Jazz. From the air of everything right now, it looked like that that was the hidden truth.
Once again, she was trying to tell him that she was sorry. But once again by looking at him, she could tell that she might have made things worse. She already knew that asking about Jazz had most likely antagonized his already-shot feelings.
And of course, Danny didn't like what he was hearing. Though he knew what the answer was, realizing the truth once again was like living through hell twice. He was feeling that familiar urge again...the blame game...
"I'm sorry Mom and Dad, it's my fault...I should have watched her..." he said, his head turning down.
Maddie immediately went to her son. "No, it isn't, Danny..." she said, reaching up a hand to stroke his hair. "It's not your fault..."
She paused a second before taking another deep breath and saying, "It's ours."
"Yours?" asked Danny.
"I'm sorry about earlier, son," said Jack. "We seriously made a bad example last night, arguing with Sam's parents and getting thrown out...we shouldn't have yelled at you like that, Danny...we should be the ones who are sorry...we overreacted..."
Danny revisited that moment quite painfully...he really did feel at that point that he felt he was the blame for it all...
But as much as he hated them for saying that...he suddenly felt another great weight lift from his shoulders as he felt his parents free him from another part of the blame...pretty much everything was coming back into place...
Jack joined Maddie next to his son before all three joined together in a family hug.
But the bad thing was...there was one thing that wouldn't go back into place...this was his current family, with an empty hole in it. Jazz was still gone...
"Don't worry, son," said Jack, pulling away first. "We'll find that ghost kid for you...after what happened to Jazz...we'll find that ghost kid for you..."
Danny suddenly tightened his grip on his mother, before he slowly let go.
Maddie felt the sudden change in pressure. "Danny, are you all right?" she asked, looking at him in wonder.
"Y-yes..." he said, his voice quivering, trying to remain as calm as possible. He knew that he almost blew it right there. After silently cursing at himself in his head, he then turned his eyes towards the rest of the group and said, "Umm...would you mind -"
"Leaving you with your friends?" finished Maddie for him. "Sure, Danny," she said, motioning everyone to come out except for Tucker and Valerie. "I know that you all probably have a lot to talk about..."
"See you later, Valerie," said Damon, waving at her.
"Thanks," she said.
"Take your time," said Jack, closing the door behind him.
"Thanks, Dad," said Danny, waving behind him.
"Yeah, thank you, Mr. Fenton," said Tucker and Sam at the same time.
The door was now closed. It seemed to take a lifetime to do so...
...because now all four teenagers were in the room alone. But for some reason, nobody could think of anything to say. All were just caught up in the events, all at a loss for words...everyone had reasons right now to be absolutely silent to think of everything that just occurred...
States of consternation and agony flowed in every part of the room. Sam was still in shock out of the new bits of news she had heard. Tucker rubbed his neck as he looked down at the ground, speechless. Valerie, who walked to the door when everyone left, hadn't turned or moved from her spot as her head focused on a spot on the floor. And Danny was doing his best to keep himself from crying.
After much silence, one person was brave enough to break it.
"Danny, is this true?" It belonged to Sam.
He could tell that she was trying to be careful with her words. She obviously didn't know that Valerie knew about his secret and she was trying to ask a vague question.
"Yes, it is," he said. "All of it."
"Danny..." she said, her voice trailing and frantically looking at Valerie at the same time, trying to choose words. "I'm s-sorry about..."
Tucker, watching her struggling, cut in for her. "Sam, don't worry about it...she knows about Danny..."
Her eyes widened again, taking in another quick bit of information. She knew? And she wasn't killing him? First Danny saved her life, Jazz was gone, and now this? Just how long was she out? This was moving too fast for her...so much information, so many questions...
"She told me everything she knew about Danny," he said. "And how she watched him save you...I just had no idea how he did it...Danny, your tears saved Sam?"
Sam glanced down at the drops of water glistening on his cheeks, streaming in faint rivers and splashing down, staining Danny's bed sheets. Those...things...falling from his face...saved her? Those tears...that she knew were being shed about the thoughts of his sister...saved her? Was this a new power? When did he get it? How did he get it?
"Danny..." she asked. "Those tears..."
"It's a new power I somehow came up with..." he said. "I don't know how I got it...like all of my other powers, it just sort of...came."
Her face quickly glanced down to the floor, stopping herself in mid-question. It was obvious that he was still trying to get over the loss of his sister and she was just worsening it for him.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to-"
"Oh no," he said, quickly covering his tracks. "I didn't mean it that way...it's just...that...my tears, if there emotional stance behind them other than sadness, then I have the ability to heal..."
"You do?" she asked, now more confused than ever. "But...how did you get it in the first place?"
"I think you'd better explain this one," said Valerie, who had turned from her corner and was now facing the rest of the group. "She was, after all, asleep through all of this..."
Danny smirked. He knew that he was about to be in for a rough ride.
"Where do you want me to start?" he asked Sam.
"I want to know...what happened during you fight with Spectra." she said, pausing in mid-sentence for effect.
"Well..." he said. "I have a confession to make. I think...I was the one that made you end up here in the first place."
"The first place?"
"Spectra was beating the heck out of me, and there didn't seem to be any way that I could defeat her...I started getting angry at her, angry at myself. It soon got to a point where my hatred got so great that something weird happened...it was like I was switching bodies with something, but I knew that after that happened, I had completely lost control of myself...I didn't know what I was doing..."
Sam's heart froze...the green ray of light she remembered seeing before she was out...
"That dark side of me...to try to finish off Spectra, decided to send off my most powerful attack...but I knew that it was too dangerous, all I remember is trying to regain control of my body, but for some reason it was only in the nick of time that I was able to regain control...but the wail was already in effect...I had to change its course before it killed someone..."
He suddenly stopped, now starting to shake. "But unfortunately...the area I chose..."
"...was the place that Jazz and I accidentally got into the way." she interrupted, so he wouldn't have to finish.
It was painful to confess, but he knew there was no sense of lying right now. He nodded, still not keeping an eye on her. He wondered what she could be thinking...she knew that he was somewhat responsible for sending her here.
"Sam...I understand...if you want to yell at me right now..." he said, waiting.
"Who wouldn't?" he thought.
But for some reason, Sam wasn't saying a word at all...she just sat there, completely white and thoughtful. He wondered why she was taking so long, until he found a hand on his knee.
Surprised, he saw that she wasn't angry, but her face was full of sadness.
"S-Sam?" he said.
"Danny, why would I? You saved me from dying..."
"But I was the idiot that made you get here in the first place! I was the reason that you ended up here! I was the one responsible for Jazz's death!"
"Danny, do you always have to blame yourself? Yes, Spectra was the one that got you all riled up in the first place, but don't you think that this could've happened to anyone?"
"Yeah, dude," said Tucker, breaking in. "Even if you're half-ghost, half of you is still human. I've said this before, but for some reason, you didn't listen to me..."
Danny could recall that, since he tried to commit suicide right after heard that speech from Tucker...he really felt that what he did was unfair...
"Spectra may have used that against you, sure...but having feelings is what separates you from a ghost - heck...from anything!" said Valerie, joining in.
Sam then spoke. "Danny, I know that you think that having emotional feelings may have been a burden...but seriously, without them, what are you? An empty shell that doesn't know how to live. A feeling is something that will be part of you...its what separates you from being a full-ghost...they're only wandering spirits trying to finish what they left behind...they have no other purpose, or feeling, left inside of them..."
As true as it was, something was still missing...
If Jazz was a ghost...why did she have all of those feelings when he saw her both of those times? It didn't make sense...
That was, until a lightbulb finally went off in his brain. The bond...
Could a bond between brother and sister really be that powerful? Was the reason that she came back was to help her brother?
Things started falling into place...he seemed to be finding the answers to the questions that he had been so desperate before to find answers to, and was suddenly striking him...
The reason Spectra had lost that final fight was because of his bond with his sister...Spectra had no ties with anyone...he had his sister...she helped him in the end because of that...
The same weapon that Spectra had been using against him all this time turned out to be the weapon that ended up defeating her in the end...because of his emotional bond with his sister, it helped Jazz come back and help him defeat her...
And that was even when she was a ghost...
He resumed the tears. Then why did she have to die? It just didn't seem fair at all...she had helped him so much...and even allowed herself to be sacrificed...
...the whole of it was to save his best friend...the person he had cared about so much...
Sam would never know the lengths that Jazz had gone through...
Danny's eyes shifted towards a calendar hanging on the door in his room. It was only two days away from Christmas...
He couldn't believe it...all of this time, he had only been thinking about his own problems to realize that it was still the holiday season...
But then he realized that none of the gifts that he would ever receive could ever hold a candle to Jazz's...she was the one who had always kept his secret, always helping him keep his head on straight...always giving him advice...even putting her own life essence into his tears so that he could save another...
His head went down, and he started crying again from new emotions...
"Danny..." said Sam, not knowing his reasons for his tears. "...you shouldn't be blamed for this...you helped save me, somehow...I should be the one that should be thanking you, not in any way at all be angry at you..."
She reached her hand out to his, which he slowly closed upon. She smiled.
"Was that the emotional stance that you felt, knowing that Jazz was always there to help you...was that what motivated you tears?" she asked.
The answer was no, but Danny said "Yes."
"I'm sorry that Jazz died, Danny," said Sam. "I know this must be really hard for you...losing your sister..."
"It is," he said sheepishly, slowly pulling his hand away from hers. There was another battle going on in his head. Should he tell her...?
"I'm sure you tried to help Jazz in the same way that you helped me..." she said. "I'm sorry, Danny, I really am..."
That was almost heartbreaking to hear...she had no idea...
Meanwhile, Sam wasn't getting it...why was he so reluctant in saying Jazz's name? Was it true? Did his sister have anything to do with her own life? Whatever it was, it looked like it was eating away at him...
So she almost had the same question as Jack. If Danny was able to save her, then why wasn't he able to help Jazz?
Danny looked up from his gaze to see Sam's face. She was looking at him in way that he never felt before, almost like she was trying to pierce into his own mind, yet at the same time trying to retain an air of innocence.
It was that innocence that really got to him...he didn't want to break it apart. Telling her would have made her frightened, causing a chain reaction of endless questions that he knew he couldn't answer...
This could include probing into his personal thoughts...
"Danny?" asked Sam, smiling weakly. "Are you OK?"
The smile sealed it. He had to say something else...
"I'm fine," he said. "I-I'm just angry at myself, I guess..."
"Why?"
"Be-because after I saved you, I tried going after Jazz, but in the middle of trying to get to her, I was overcome with exhaustion...I...fell unconscious before I was able to get to her..."
Sam put a hand to her mouth. "Oh...Danny..."
"When I came to...I was here...I never had the ability to save Jazz..." Danny ended his bluff by putting his head down and even shedding a tear.
And to his great fortune, Sam was completely caught by it, as she suddenly leaned forward again and gave him a hug. He weakly hugged back, as she said, "I'm sorry, Danny, I had no idea..."
As he looked forward, he saw the person ahead of him who obviously knew of his bluff. With her eyes, she asked why he didn't tell the truth.
But then, through Sam, he looked at her in a certain way that she only knew too well.
And soonafter, everything suddenly became clear to her. She certainly knew the fears of his personal life - she understood. Slightly nodding to herself, she slightly smiled, knowing of his accomplishments.
Yet at the same time, she was just watching how peaceful they seemed to look together...it was hard to say it, but...for some reason, she just, saw...how much she didn't want to break that.
She, herself, liked him, that was for sure...but even with the resolution between them, she felt that same way she felt that one day after the week they spent together, after watching the little reunion.
A best friend, yes...but...just...a friend.
"Danny, your sister always loved you," said Sam, breaking out of the hug. "I'm sure you'll never forget that...please, stop blaming yourself...believe me, even I know, for a fact, Jazz didn't die in vain...she was only trying to help you...and you were always lucky to have a sister like her..."
"Thank you, Sam," he said, taking the true facts to heart. "I think that I'm lucky to have a friend like you..."
Sam slowly broke away, slightly blushing, and slightly flustered. "Yeah, well..." she said, her voice trailing away.
Tucker laughed slightly to himself, and Valerie did the same.
Valerie laughed a little too loudly, however, because it was then Sam remembered Valerie standing in the back corner over there. She suddenly remembered that she was now a holder of Danny's secret. She didn't have any idea what to say to her, except...
"...Valerie, please, I'm really sorry -"
"Don't worry, Sam," said Valerie, cutting her off. "I know that you were trying to protect Danny about his secret..."
Danny was aghast. "But Val, I..."
"I knew you would have told me eventually, anyway," she said plainly. "But the person I should be blaming for my problems is me...I was so focused on destroying the things I thought were ruining my life, without knowing the hidden truths of the things I was missing out on. A friend."
"But Valerie..." tried Danny again.
"I know my house was destroyed, but Danny, at least I know now that it was an accident, and not on purpose. And I also know another thing. You taught me that some ghosts can be trusted." She walked over to Danny. "You were the one that helped me understand that...and I can't even determine how important that is now to me."
Sam watched them silently, and started thinking. If Valerie could like him even though she finally knew of his secret, then maybe there really was a friendship there...
Or something more...
She finally saw that bond between him and Valerie. But whatever that was, she decided she couldn't break it...whichever path Danny chose, she realized it had to be his own decision...
She did the only thing she could do...smile.
Tucker was almost afraid to speak, as he asked a question. "So...you're cool with it?"
Valerie laughed at his query, as if he should have already known the answer. "Of course I am." She then turned to Danny. "Don't worry, Danny, I won't tell a soul."
Sam smiled at her. She knew automatically that if she could go from ghost hunter to a friend that Danny trusted with his secret, there was definitely something there. "We trust you, Valerie."
Valerie smiled back. It certainly was a great feeling inside of her, knowing that feeling of being accepted into a circle of friends. And these weren't people that cared for her money or looks...they were people who cared about her unique self.
But what was really getting at her right now was why Danny was withholding all of that information. He didn't even mention the fact that Jazz was the one that helped him beat Spectra in the end and was also the one that truly gave him that power of healing tears. Nor did he even mention the way that...
"Valerie, how did you find out about Danny's powers?" asked Sam.
She knew she was in for it. "Danny de-transformed in front of me before he took you and Jazz to the hospital," she said. "I think you can pretty much figure out the rest from there..."
Sam thought of the way Valerie was before the showdown...it really must have been a revelation. Though there was trust, she knew that it would be a little bit before true trust could be established, because of their past. It was weird to make a friend out of someone she once considered an enemy. But it seemed that things would be all right eventually.
Valerie, after all, knew about Danny's greatest secret...
"Well, man," said Tucker. "We'd better get going...you'll probably want to rest right now..."
"Yeah," said Sam. "I think so, too..."
"I agree," said Valerie. "We've been here long enough..."
"Will you guys see me later?" he asked.
"Sure," said Tucker, smiling. "We're always here for you, man."
"Thanks," said Danny, putting his hand up to high five, and Tucker connecting with it.
"See you, man," he said, leaving the room first.
"Bye, Danny," said Sam, giving him one last hug. "And thank you..."
"No, thank you," he said.
Sam gave a smile before she left, as well.
"Well, that was fun," said Valerie, already stepping out of the room. "See you, Danny."
"Huh?" he said. "Hey, wait, Valerie...hold on..."
"Yes?" she asked.
"Stay for a second...I want to talk with you."
She crossed back to Danny's side. "What is it?"
"Listen, Val, I'm sorry that I ever..."
"Hey," she said. "I already said don't worry about it. I know how it must have been like for you all those times...I don't blame you for it anymore...we're cool."
Danny gave a weak smile to her.
"Why didn't you tell Sam the truth?" she asked.
His shoulders drooped slightly. "There are so many things attached to that truth that I didn't want to confess at that point..." he said. "That would've included our little stand-off before Sam and Jazz got hurt. If I told her, that would have meant saying nearly everything..."
Valerie was a little touched that he didn't want to talk about how they were still enemies, but she still didn't buy it off very well. "But she deserves to hear the whole of it," said Valerie. "She is, after all, your best friend."
"But...she just seems so happy right now," he said. "Telling her the truth that my sister transferred her own life to my tears for the sole purpose of saving her is...well...something I can't say right now..."
It didn't matter that he didn't say it, but Valerie could read him like a book. He was still in denial...
"Besides," said Danny. "What happened between us...that should be our little secret." He winked at her.
Valerie blushed almost futilely. Perhaps...maybe...there was...?
"But what about your parents?" asked Valerie to Danny. "They're professional ghost hunters...are you ever going to tell them?"
Danny's eye twitched involuntarily at the thought. "I don't know," he said truthfully. "It pains me every day thinking about it...I want to tell them, but if I tell them right now, then that would mean having to explain to them about Jazz..."
"But you'll have to explain to them eventually...this isn't something you can hide for all of your life..."
"I know," he said. "But even you'll agree...things are too complicated right now...I'll tell them, I promise I will, eventually..."
Valerie smiled. "All right, I understand."
They stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before she said, "All right, I think I'd better go..."
He smiled. "OK, see you later, Val."
With one final smile, she turned away from him, and took a few steps. But then, Danny watched as she suddenly stopped before she could exit the room. He assumed something was wrong.
"Valerie? Are you...?
He didn't finish. The next thing he knew, he ran back to him and gave him a surprise hug.
"Huh?" he said out loud.
"I'm sorry..." she said, a bit out of breath. "But, thank you, Danny, for everything...you don't know how much this means to me..."
"No prob," he said, hugging her back. "I'm here."
Lifting away and now starting to exit the room for real, Valerie had one last thing on her mind that she wanted to say. "You know, Danny, she did care about you, a lot more than you think..."
"She's my best friend," he said automatically. "I won't be sure of that..."
Valerie's left eyebrow rose. "Whoever said I was talking about Sam?" she asked in a tone that Tucker always tortured him with.
Danny almost immediately recognized his mistake and started panicking. "What! Hey, wait a minute!" he yelled, just as she was closing the door. "Val, wait a minute!"
"Heh heh..." she thought to herself, listening to his cries beyond the door, knowing how much fun this was going to be from now on.
"Clueless..."
A/N: Almost finished, guys...all that's left is the final resolution...and once again, sorry about the wait.
Yes, I know, about Valerie's and Sam's thoughts, but there were many challenges behind making a decision like that. I'm a big fan of either one, but I've got to follow the idea of the show right now, making it a little believable into Danny's struggle to make that final decision in the end. But there's also another reason...one I currently will not say.
Well, I don't want to spoil it, so can you trust me to wait for the final chapter?